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Commissioners approve closure-pay interpretation: public-safety staff get pay for county office closure hours
Summary
Newton County staff and legal presented an interpretation of the county’s closure-pay policy; commissioners voted 5-0 to proceed with closure-pay payments for the hours county administrative offices are closed (8 a.m.–5 p.m.) rather than entire 24-hour shifts for public-safety employees who worked during closures.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt staff’s recommended interpretation of the county’s closure-pay policy for emergency closures, limiting closure pay to the hours county administrative offices are closed (8 a.m.–5 p.m.).
County attorneys and the interim county manager told the board an older closure-pay policy contained inconsistent language. One section suggested the county might pay public-safety staff for their full scheduled shift during a closure; another required department managers to keep records of hours worked during emergency closures.
Staff recommended and the board agreed that the latter provision indicated the county intended to pay employees for the hours the county government was closed, not for an employee’s entire 24-hour shift. Under the clarified approach presented to the board, a full-time employee who worked during a county closure would receive up to eight hours of closure pay for work between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.; a part-time employee would receive four hours when scheduled to work the closure day.
County staff said they would circulate a revised closure-pay policy to reflect the clarified rules and would provide updated payroll guidance and recordkeeping steps to department heads. Commissioners asked for clear definitions of “closure,” how essential personnel are designated and the process department heads should use to document hours worked during closures.
The board voted 5-0 to amend the agenda and then to approve consideration of closure pay for past events consistent with the clarified interpretation; staff will proceed with payment calculations consistent with the 8-to-5 rule and provide the commissioners with updated policy language.
Ending: County staff said they will publish a revised closure-pay policy and circulate it to department heads; staff will calculate and issue closure-pay payments for covered past events under the clarified rule.
