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Committee advances employee-guideline revisions but defers PTO change; COVID leave payout also deferred
Summary
The committee voted to advance most revisions to the Horry County employee guidelines to full council but deferred the proposal to revert to a single paid-time-off (PTO) bank for further review; the committee also deferred action on a one-time payout of remaining COVID-19 leave bank balances (estimated cost about $380,000, proposed to be funded with ARPA interest).
The Horry County Administration Committee considered a resolution to revise employee guidelines that included three primary changes: (1) folding administrator-level policies on covert/secret monitoring and recording into the formal guidelines, (2) re-adopting updated hiring and selection guidelines that staff say have been refined since 2016 and comply with EEOC requirements, and (3) reverting from a split vacation/sick system back to a single paid-time-off (PTO) bank.
Mister Owens (introduced by the chair as the presenter on the item) reviewed the history of leave-policy changes dating to the late 1990s and said the reason for proposing a return to a single bank was administrative simplicity and flexibility for employees. "I never saw the evidence that there was any abuse in that system comparative to this," Owens said, summarizing his experience with the prior approach. Committee members repeatedly asked for the financial implications of reverting to a single PTO bank; staff said accrual rates and budgetary accruals would remain the same and that some departments (particularly those with higher vacancy variance) could experience larger payouts when separations occur.
After discussion, the committee amended the motion: members voted to defer only the PTO/paid-leave portion for additional study and to advance the remaining guideline provisions (monitoring, hiring/selection, ethics/reporting additions) to full council. The amended motion passed on a committee vote.
Separately, the committee considered a resolution authorizing a one-time payout of remaining COVID-19 leave-bank hours established in 2020. Miss Todd said the county paid out half of the original 8 hours at the end of 2020 and that some employees still carry balances. Todd estimated the full payout would cost about $380,000 and said it would be funded through ARPA interest. Committee members moved and seconded a motion to defer the COVID payout to the next administration meeting; that motion carried.
