Marion County officials adopt model “AAC 1” personnel policy, plan local amendments

Marion County officials voted Thursday, April 24, to adopt the AAC 1 model personnel policy as a template and directed staff to circulate the draft to elected officials and prepare a finalized version for submission to the County Court.

The move formalizes the county’s intent to use AAC 1 as the starting point for a new personnel manual while negotiating amendments that county leaders said are needed to fit Marion County’s size and operations.

Officials said the AAC 1 contains useful legal language but also provisions they consider too strict for a small county. Discussion at the roughly 51-minute personnel meeting centered on leave accrual rules, bereavement and maternity leave language, overtime calculations for law enforcement, training leave for sheriff’s office recruits, and whether the county should change payout and carryover caps for vacation and sick time.

“We will adopt the AC 1,” Speaker 1, a county official, said after a motion and a call for the vote. Meeting participants then discussed next steps for local amendments and court submission.

Speakers raised several specific differences between the county’s current rules and the AAC 1 text.…