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Ellis County sets policy: state employees who transfer to county start as new hires for leave accrual
Summary
The commissioners court voted to formalize a policy treating transfers from local state offices to county employment as new hires for vacation and sick-leave accrual; termination paperwork and payout of accrued leave from the state will still be processed.
The Ellis County Commissioners Court voted April 1 to formalize a policy that employees transferring from local state offices to county employment will be treated as new hires for purposes of leave accrual; the court approved the change unanimously.
Chief of Staff Ryan Garrett told the court the practice had been an "unwritten policy" in which termination paperwork from the state was processed and the state paid out accrued unused leave when an employee separated from the state to take a county position. Garrett asked the court for direction on whether incoming state employees should retain prior years of service for county leave accruals.
Commissioners discussed budget and equity implications. One commissioner said giving credit for years worked at a state office would create a recurring liability to county taxpayers and could encourage more frequent transfers. "If you provide a benefit like that, you're gonna see more activity than has ever happened," a commissioner said.
Kimberly Sanchez, director of County Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD), told the court that when someone transfers from county employment to CSCD they are treated as a new employee and must wait a year before using leave. "So it would be fair if they were transitioning from the state to the county to do the same treatment, right?" she said.
A motion carried to adopt the policy: state-to-county transfers will be processed so the state pays out any accrued unused leave and employees will begin county service without credit for prior state accruals; they will accrue leave under county rules as a new hire.
What the decision does not change: The court did not alter retirement credit rules or determine whether TCDRS (the county retirement system) gives service credit for prior state employment. Officials said those retirement questions are governed by the retirement plan and not the court's personnel policy.
What’s next: County staff will quantify fiscal impact if needed and return analysis to the court; commissioners asked staff to determine customary reciprocal practices for county-to-state transfers.
