Sarpy County personnel board recommends multiple HR policy revisions, appoints classified employee representative; reasonable-accommodations policy tabled

The Sarpy County Personnel Policy Board met May 21 and recommended approval of a broad set of revised personnel policies while tabling a proposed reasonable-accommodations policy for further revision.

The board voted to appoint Donald Gifford as the classified-employee appointee to the personnel policy board and approved updates to multiple policies covering soliciting and distribution, drug-free workplace, cameras in the workplace, weapons in the workplace, military leave, family and medical leave (FMLA), unpaid leave, workplace injury reporting, group insurance benefits, retirement and deferred compensation, education reimbursement, employee assistance, alternative worksites, employee recognition, county vehicle use, employee reference checks, and both non-DOT and DOT drug-and-alcohol testing programs. The appointment and most policy recommendations passed by roll-call tallies recorded in the meeting minutes; most votes were recorded as 4 yea, 1 absent after initial discussion. The reasonable-accommodations policy (item 5) was tabled for revision and return to the board.

Why it matters: The board’s recommendations, if adopted by the administering authority, will change everyday personnel procedures for Sarpy County employees — including how leaves are measured and documented, how drug testing is administered for safety-sensitive roles, and how remote work or alternative worksites are handled.

What the board approved and key details - Appointment: Donald Gifford was nominated by the employee advisory committee to fill the classified-employee seat vacated by George Soarscribe; the motion to appoint carried (motion by Randy Bennett; second by Melissa Kimberling; recorded outcome: motion carries).

- Policies recommended for approval (board recommended approval as presented unless noted): Solicitation and distribution policy (new); Drug-free workplace (update); Cameras in the workplace (new; board asked to strengthen language banning employee recordings on county property); Weapons in the workplace (new; law enforcement exceptions retained and vehicle-securement requirements specified); Military leave (updated to align with federal requirements and provide 120 hours paid military leave); Family and medical leave (FMLA) procedures (clarified eligibility and rolling 12-month measurement); Unpaid leave of absence (clarified benefit and seniority treatment, COBRA continuation referenced); Workplace injury reporting (new; confirms workers’ compensation process and return-to-work documentation); Group insurance benefits (high-level overview of eligibility); Retirement and deferred compensation (describes Nebraska Public Employees Retirement System participation and county match on deferred comp); Education-reimbursement (tenured employees eligible for reimbursement; up to $2,000 undergraduate / $2,500 graduate per fiscal year, 90% reimbursement); Employee assistance program (expanded language; board asked to clarify qualifying-dependents language); Alternative worksite policy and form (approved; allows department heads to permit off-site work with supervisor agreement on equipment and expectations); Employee recognition for years of service (changed from monthly recognition resolution to quarterly); Use of county vehicles (new; board clarified driver-approval standards are determined by the county insurance carrier); Employee reference-checks rule (no substantive change from 2015); Non-DOT and DOT drug-and-alcohol testing policies (updated; DOT policy remains compliant with current DOT regulations and will be auto-updated if federal rules change).

Notable discussion and edits requested - Cameras in the workplace: Board members asked for stronger, clearer language that recording by employees on county property is prohibited to avoid reliance on individual judgment about what is “sensitive.” The board directed staff to strengthen that language before finalization.

- Use of county vehicles: Board members noted the policy references driver-approval standards but does not list them; staff clarified that the county’s insurance carrier (NERMA/NERMAT as referenced) sets those standards and the policy was revised to reflect that practice.

Votes at a glance (motion text, mover/second, tally, outcome) - Item 2 — Appoint Donald Gifford to personnel policy board; mover: Randy Bennett; second: Melissa Kimberling; tally recorded: 3 yes, 1 abstain, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 3 — Approve minutes of April 21, 2025; mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 3 yes, 1 abstain, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 4 — Separation from county service policy (revision); mover: (motion recorded); tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 5 — Reasonable accommodations policy (new); motion to table for revision and future submission; mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Donald Gifford; outcome: tabled for revision. - Item 6 — Solicitation and distribution policy (new); mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Donald Gifford; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 7 — Drug-free workplace policy (revision); mover: Randy Bennett; second: Melissa Kimberling; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 8 — Cameras in the workplace policy (new, strengthening language requested); mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Donald Gifford; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved with instruction to strengthen prohibition language. - Item 9 — Weapons in the workplace policy (new); mover: Randy Bennett; second: Jonathan Davidson; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 10 — Military leave (Rule 12, Reg 7) (revision to align with USERRA); mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 11 — Family Medical Leave (Rule 12, Reg 8) (revisions; 12-week rolling period described); mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Melissa Kimberling; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 12 — Unpaid leave of absence and appointment to unclassified service (Reg 9) (revision); mover: Melissa Kimberling; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 13 — Workplace injury reporting policy (new); mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Donald Gifford; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 14 — Group insurance benefit programs (revision); mover: Donald Gifford; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 15 — Retirement and deferred compensation programs (revision); mover: Donald Gifford; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 16 — Education reimbursement policy (revision; limits noted); mover: Randy Bennett; second: Jonathan Davidson; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 17 — Employee assistance program (revision; clarifying dependent language requested); mover: Melissa Kimberling; second: Donald Gifford; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved with requested clarifying language. - Item 18 — Alternative worksite policy and form (new); mover: Randy Bennett; second: Donald Gifford; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 19 — Employee recognition (change from monthly to quarterly board resolution); mover: Donald Gifford; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 20 — Use of county vehicles (new; driver-approval standard clarified as insurance-carrier-driven); mover: Melissa Kimberling; second: Donald Gifford; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved with clarification. - Item 21 — Employee reference checks (Rule 14, Reg 4; no change from 2015); mover: Donald Gifford; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved (no change). - Item 22 — Non-DOT drug and alcohol policy (revision; 12-panel testing described); mover: Jonathan Davidson; second: Randy Bennett; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - Item 23 — DOT drug and alcohol testing program (CL702; updated to remain compliant with federal DOT rules); mover: Randy Bennett; second: Melissa Kimberling; tally: 4 yes, 1 absent; outcome: approved.

Board direction and next steps: The board directed staff to revise the reasonable-accommodations policy to clarify when HIPAA authorizations may be sought and to mirror FMLA handling of medical records; the cameras policy will be adjusted to make the prohibition on employee recordings clearer; use-of-vehicle language will explicitly reference the county insurance carrier standards. Staff indicated it will return updated drafts to the board at a future meeting.

Quote from the meeting: "It's very similar to our FMLA is how we run it. Now we have a form that, a standard form, it's very similar to the FMLA form that we have employees fill out," said Jodi Riddell, the county HR director, explaining the materials the county intends to collect for accommodation requests.

Meeting context: The meeting opened at about 4:00 p.m. and adjourned at approximately 4:58 p.m.; most items saw little or no public comment and passed on board recommendation votes. The board recorded no public commenters for any of the proposed rules during this session.

Ending: The board will receive revised policy drafts on reasonable accommodations, cameras language and driver-approval clarifications at a subsequent meeting before final adoption by the administering authority.