Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sheriff Overtime Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kootenai County considers making sheriff’s overtime policy permanent as commissioners press for accountability
Summary
At a Jan. 15 Human Resources meeting, Under Sheriff Brett Nelson asked the board to convert a temporary overtime policy first adopted in 2023 into a permanent policy for deputies, jail staff and emergency communications officers; commissioners said they will review tracking details and related budget data at a Feb. 5 status update before deciding.
Under Sheriff Brett Nelson asked the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners’ Human Resources meeting on Jan. 15 to convert a temporary overtime policy, first introduced in February 2023, into a permanent policy covering deputies assigned to patrol, jail staff and emergency communications officers.
Commissioners pressed Nelson for budget accountability before approving a permanent change. "As of last Friday, 71% of our budget," a commissioner said, noting the county has repeatedly gone past overtime budgets in prior years and asking what the sheriff’s office is doing to bend the upward trend.
Nelson told commissioners the temporary policy has been renewed at six-month intervals since 2023 and that county HR has chosen to remain neutral. He said the sheriff’s office will present a more detailed update to the board on Feb. 5 and is working to implement internal tracking to show what overtime is being used for — including transportation and hospital duties — rather than grouping all costs under a single overtime line item. "A lot of it is internal tracking, which in past has not been done in regards to what overtime is specifically used for," Nelson said.
Nelson also described operational measures intended to reduce overtime and burnout, including asking nonessential jail command staff to work a shift at least once a week to relieve pressure on overtime-reliant schedules.
Commissioners and Nelson discussed how the temporary policy addressed a scheduling penalty under the county’s 10-hour shift structure that could reduce an employee’s counted workweek when a vacation day occurred, and how the policy change sought to remove a disincentive to sign up for overtime. Nelson said the office intends to show the board spreadsheets and staffing numbers rather than sensitive personnel or location details that would require executive session.
The temporary overtime policy was noted in the meeting as having an effective expiration around April 1. Commissioners asked for a status update and additional documentation at early-February HR meetings before taking any vote to make the policy permanent.
The board did not take action on Jan. 15; commissioners directed staff to return with the requested tracking and budget analyses so the board can judge whether making the policy permanent is warranted.
