Atchison County pauses inclement-weather PTO rule, approves payroll changes and directs wage-review work

The Atchison County Commission on Jan. 7 approved a set of payroll changes, voted to disregard a 2013 inclement-weather policy that required employees to use paid time off when operations were closed, and directed staff to develop a summarized wage plan and procedures for payroll status forms.

Commissioners approved two payroll status forms submitted as part of the 2025 budget adjustments. Commissioner Campbell presented a county-attorney pay-rate change, increasing salary from $101,426 to $112,000 effective Dec. 15, 2024. The commission approved a clerk pay-rate change from $61,800.20 to $68,006.52, also effective Dec. 15, 2024. Commissioners also approved a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for department heads and elected officials as budgeted for 2025.

The commissioners voted 3–0 to disregard Resolution No. 2013-1361, the county’s existing policy on operations during inclement weather, “at this current time” while staff convene workshops to rewrite it. Under the temporary direction, any county operation that was closed for the inclement-weather event will not require employees to use PTO; if an operation remained open and an employee was unable to report, PTO must be taken. The commission said it will hold workshops with EMS, the sheriff’s office, road and bridge, and others to clarify classifications of “public service” versus “public safety” and to draft a revised policy.

Commissioners and staff spent extended time discussing pay-plan administration and payroll controls. County leaders said they will compile existing departmental personnel spreadsheets — the line-by-line payroll projections used in the 2025 budget — into a single summary the commission can adopt as a baseline. Commissioners and the county counselor discussed a procedural change that would require payroll status forms to be submitted through HR and reviewed by finance before becoming effective; the board indicated that exceptions (for certifications or emergency hires) could be handled retroactively. The commission said it aims to finalize a clearer “pay plan” summary and related process at the organizational meeting scheduled for Jan. 13, 2025.

Commissioner Campbell said the changes are intended to improve transparency and to reduce surprise mid-year payroll adjustments that had led to unplanned overspending of personnel-service lines in prior years. County counselor Pat and Finance Director Mark Seltner confirmed staff will work with HR and department heads to produce the consolidated payroll summary and processes for review by the board.

The commission voted on the pay and policy items by voice; roll-call tallies as recorded in the meeting were unanimous 3–0 for the listed payroll approvals and for disregarding the inclement-weather resolution.

The commission also scheduled additional workshops and asked staff to return proposed policy language and a consolidated personnel-services spreadsheet at the organizational meeting on Jan. 13.