Commission approves 4-hour "gift" of paid time off for employees with clarifying edits to be finalized

The Bannock County Commission approved a memo authorizing a four-hour paid time-off benefit for employees, with commissioners asking staff to refine the memo language and tracking instructions before it is distributed.

A county staff member described the benefit as a "4 hour gift" usable from Nov. 1 through Jan. 30 and said the policy should use the reason code "personal time off/employee appreciation" in the UKG payroll/timekeeping system. Commissioners raised concerns about the word "gift," possible misinterpretation that employees could transfer hours, and how the benefit would be tracked.

One commissioner said the time should be a "4 hour lump sum" and tracked by management rather than payroll to avoid misuse; another proposed approving the memo while allowing payroll and department managers to make wording and workflow adjustments before distribution. The motion to approve the memo "per adjustments made after talking to department payroll" carried by voice vote.

Staff said they will revisit the memo wording and any instructions to managers and planned to send the updated memo on the next business day following further review. The commission did not adopt a formal amendment to county policy; the action authorized distribution of the memo after the specified adjustments.