Lunenburg Board approves CARES-funded hazard pay tiers and $3,700 to extend sheriff bonuses

The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors voted Dec. 10 to approve hazard pay for county staff and to use local funds to extend a sheriff’s department bonus beyond Compensation Board–funded positions.

Administrator Tracy M. Gee told the Board that generators for the Administration Office and Tax Building had been ordered with CARES Act funds and that courtroom separation barriers had been approved by the judge. She presented a four-tier hazard pay plan tied to risk categories in the Virginia Emergency Temporary Standard on Infectious Disease Prevention (16VAC25-220). The proposed payouts are $600 for moderate-risk full-time employees, $400 for low-risk full-time, $250 for moderate-risk part-time and $100 for low-risk part-time employees; employees hired later in the pandemic would receive prorated amounts. Gee said the hazard pay will be funded by savings from redirected duties and does not require additional local money; the total payout is approximately $30,000.

Supervisor Frank Bacon moved to approve the hazard pay plan; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with six supervisors voting yes and one absent.

Administrator Gee also reported the Compensation Board had approved a one-time bonus for Compensation Board–funded sheriff positions. Sheriff Arthur Townsend asked that the bonus be extended to all department staff, which would require an additional $3,700 in local funds to cover employees not funded by the Compensation Board. The Board approved using $3,700 in local funds to provide the bonus to those employees; Supervisor Bacon moved the measure and Supervisor T. Wayne Hoover seconded the motion. The vote was recorded as six yes, one absent.

The actions taken direct county staff to implement the hazard pay tiers and to allocate $3,700 from local funds to cover non-Compensation Board sheriff employees. No additional specifics on the payment schedule or distribution dates were provided at the meeting.