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Sweetwater County OKs resolution allowing limited overtime pay for FLSA‑exempt law enforcement leaders
Summary
Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution permitting a small number of FLSA‑exempt peace officers and detention lieutenants to earn time‑and‑a‑half compensation for defined special operations funded outside the county’s general fund.
The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously July 1 to adopt a resolution authorizing FLSA‑exempt peace officers and detention officers to receive non‑FLSA compensation in certain circumstances, aimed at closing pay disparities during reimbursable special operations.
County HR Director Gary (last name not provided in transcript) and Sheriff Gross Nickel told commissioners the county currently relies on a small group of exempt leaders — undersheriff and lieutenants — to command tactical and search‑and‑rescue missions that are reimbursed by outside projects. “These individuals are often leaders of search and rescue missions, of tactical team operations, and other special operations,” the HR director said, explaining there is no existing method to compensate exempt staff for project‑funded overtime.
Nut graf: The resolution creates a tracked, project‑charged overtime code so reimbursable special‑project work led by exempt leaders can be paid at an overtime rate without altering the county’s base salary structure.
Sheriff Gross Nickel and staff described the change as targeted and limited to a small number of positions. The county will use a distinct code for tracking exempt overtime and charge the expense to the project that generated the work, HR staff said. Commissioners asked how project funds (for example, federal or intergovernmental reimbursements) would be managed; County staff confirmed these operations are typically funded by project or grant sources and not from the county’s 001 general fund.
Commissioner Tillman moved to approve the resolution; Commissioner Jones seconded. The board voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 2025‑07‑CC‑02 authorizing the policy.
Ending: County officials said the new code will be monitored and reconciled to project funds and that the sheriff’s command staff welcomed the policy as a way to create greater pay equity for leaders in reimbursable special operations.
