Board assigns county unemployment-claim handling to HR contact
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Summary
After debate about elected-official authority and HR roles, Bourbon County commissioners voted to allow the county HR/executive assistant (referred to in the meeting as Dr. Cohen) to handle Kansas Department of Labor unemployment claims for county employees.
The Bourbon County Board of Commissioners discussed which office should handle unemployment claims submitted to the Kansas Department of Labor at their Jan. 12 meeting. Several elected officials said their statutory authority to hire and fire requires them to manage employment issues within their own offices; others cautioned that failing to involve HR could increase legal risk to the county in litigation.
Following discussion, a commissioner moved that the county executive assistant/HR contact (referred to in the transcript as "Dr. Cohen") be authorized to manage KDOL unemployment claims and register the county for the KDOL online portal. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The clerk and Human Resources staff will provide the necessary account information and access so HR can receive and respond to claims on behalf of county departments.
The board emphasized that elected officials retain authority within their offices but said HR would serve as the point of contact for unemployment claims and will consult department heads about whether to contest claims in individual cases.