Clay County's acting HR Director Darren Brookle presented a rewritten personnel policy Dec. 31 that incorporates statutory changes tied to earned sick and safe time (ESST) and several other clarifications.

Brookle told commissioners the revised sick-leave section now encompasses ESST provisions such as bereavement use, changes to accrual and use rules, and the law's weather-event exception for emergency positions (plow drivers, police, corrections). He said the county will negotiate memoranda of understanding with unions for certain exceptions where required.

The policy also clarifies that ESST can be drawn from existing leave balances, explains documentation rules (employers may require documentation after three days of ESST absences), adds guidance on government-employee discounts to distinguish permitted personal discounts from improper use of county charge accounts, and includes a short pets-at-work provision to limit routine daily presence of animals in county workplaces.

Commissioners asked to see a redline version and discussed the extent of the rewrite; Brookle agreed to produce a redline and the board voted to approve the 2025 personnel policy changes.