Kootenai County commissioners approve Specialty Court stipend, nurse position conversion and multiple leave-policy revisions

Kootenai County commissioners on Feb. 20 approved a set of human-resources changes including a one-year stipend for a Specialty Court judicial assistant, a position conversion in juvenile detention and multiple updates to county leave and insurance policies tied to the countys new short-term disability benefit.

Lisa Cheesebrow, representing Specialty Court, told the board the court requests an annual stipend of $1,500 to compensate the judicial assistant who will take on additional administrative duties tied to the Administrative District Judge role. Cheesebrow said the stipend would be paid from the countys employee bonus line item for fiscal year 2025 and described the request as a one-year payment while the county evaluates longer-term budgeting and tax-treatment options.

Human Resources Director Sylvia Proud framed several policy changes as technical clarifications required now that the county provides a short-term disability (STD) wage benefit. Among the changes the board approved: sick leave accruals would not be earned or available while an employee is receiving the countys STD benefit; STD runs concurrently with Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave and has a 14-day waiting period and…