Wichita County staff presented proposed edits to the county policy manual during the Jan. 9 Commissioners Court meeting, highlighting changes intended to clarify remote-worker reimbursements, timekeeping language and holiday pay for law-enforcement personnel.

Staff said the draft renames the county’s existing "time clock" policy to "time and attendance" and inserts a new section (4.2.6) that outlines reimbursements for remote employees traveling to Wichita Falls. The draft, as described in the meeting, limits eligible reimbursements for remote workers who travel to Wichita County for work primarily to lodging when certain distance and scheduling thresholds are met.

The draft also removes a sentence that had suggested law-enforcement personnel would be paid the amount of hours of a regularly scheduled shift for holidays; the edit makes clear holiday pay will be eight hours. Kenneth (staff) said the wording was being removed to avoid inconsistent expectations among employees on 12-hour shifts.

Commissioners asked about mileage/distance thresholds and safety exceptions; the judge noted the policy as drafted allows commissioners’ court consideration for exceptions in scenarios that fall outside the stated guidelines. The judge said the item will appear on the court’s Tuesday agenda for formal consideration.

No formal action was taken on Jan. 9; commissioners were asked to review the backup materials over the weekend and bring any additional suggested edits to HR.