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Commissioners approve recalculation of overtime rate for sheriff’s office after 7(k) pay-period change
Summary
After commissioners and salary committee members discussed a change that effectively diluted overtime pay following a shift to an 86-hour pay period, the court approved recalculating overtime rates back to the prior method and to apply the change retroactively to January 2025 for current employees.
The Bee County Commissioner's Court approved an adjustment to how overtime is calculated for a group of law-enforcement and corrections employees after a change to an 86-hour pay period reduced effective overtime pay for some current staff.
County and sheriff’s office leaders explained that earlier this year the county adopted an alternative pay-period calculation (a 7(k)-type change) for certain sworn and civilian positions in the sheriff’s office and jail. Presenters said the change kept employees’ base salaries the same but spread them across a longer effective work-year, which reduced overtime calculations for affected staff and prompted employee concerns.
The chief deputy and salary-committee members told the court the group affected is limited in size (presentation cited roughly 18 positions across sworn law enforcement, jail and related units) and that the county’s existing line-item budget (identified as line 409) could absorb the correction while a longer-term pay strategy is developed during the upcoming budget process. Commissioners approved a motion to recalculate overtime rates to the previous method and make the change retroactive to the first pay period affected (the office cited Jan. 26 as the implementation point), with the understanding the salary committee will continue work on a sustainable approach for the new fiscal year.
Commissioners described the change as an unintended consequence of moving to the new pay-period structure and said the county does not intend for employees to bear the financial burden. The motion passed without exception.
