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Longtime Macon County waste‑center attendant urges board to study severance or retirement options
Summary
A Macon County waste‑center attendant with about 21 years of service told commissioners that part‑time attendants receive no sick or retirement benefits and urged the board to examine severance or other pay protections during the county’s budget process. Commissioners said they would ask county staff to review options during the budget cycle.
At the start of the public‑comment period, James Birch, a Macon County waste‑center attendant with about 20–21 years of service, told the Board of Commissioners he had been out of work for six weeks following hernia surgery and said part‑time waste‑center attendants receive no paid sick leave or retirement benefits.
“I just feel like we need to be taken care of,” Birch said, identifying himself as a Macon County waste‑center attendant and a long‑time employee. He told commissioners that many attendants have long tenures—some 12 to 21 years—and urged the board to examine options such as severance pay or a local program that would provide a lump‑sum payment when longtime attendants leave.
Commissioner Shields and other board members responded that state law and established policies limit retirement options for part‑time employees but that the commissioners were willing to review alternatives. Shields noted that true retirement benefits typically require full‑time status, but added that severance or similar local arrangements might be considered.
County staff and the county manager said they would take the topic under advisement during the upcoming budget process. “Give me an opportunity to talk with Mr. K[ay] and we’ll review some things,” one commissioner said during the exchange; the county manager and county attorney were directed to provide legal and fiscal guidance as part of budget deliberations.
Why it matters: Waste‑center attendants provide continuous essential services (early openings, collection operations in all weather), and the commenter asked the board to consider whether the county can offer some form of compensation for long service given the limits of part‑time employment status.
Next steps: Commissioners agreed to review the matter with county administration and to consider whether severance or another compensation mechanism could be included in upcoming budget proposals. The board did not adopt any immediate policy change at the meeting.
Source: public comment by James Birch at the March 11 Macon County commissioners meeting.
