Holmes County approves one-time employee Christmas stipend amid disputed cost totals

Holmes County commissioners voted to approve a one-time Christmas stipend for eligible county employees after a board motion during the meeting.

Commissioner (Speaker 4) proposed offering $250 per eligible employee as a holiday bonus and presented what she said were payroll-account figures. During discussion, the payroll representative (Speaker 9) and others referenced two different totals at different points in the exchange: $26,912 and $42,118.58. The clerk’s office and other departments were discussed as eligible groups; commissioners said the payout would come from validation account funds rather than the general fund.

A motion to approve the stipend was moved by Commissioner (Speaker 5) and seconded by Speaker 1. County counsel (Blake Cassidy) said there was no attorney general opinion on the matter in the record but that an equal stipend applied across employees would not implicate a prohibition he could identify in the meeting. Commissioners voiced assent; the transcript captures several commissioners saying "yes" but does not include a recorded roll-call or numbered vote tally.

Because the meeting audio records conflicting dollar totals, the exact aggregate payout amount is unclear from the transcript. Commissioners directed staff to process the stipend through the payroll clerk and run payments through the next bill pay cycle so employees would receive funds before the holiday if possible.

Next steps: payroll staff to prepare the stipend payment; the board recorded approval in the meeting without a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript.