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Legislative committee forwards revised sick-leave policy to full Coffee County commission
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Summary
The Coffee County legislative committee voted March 30 to forward revisions to the county's sick-leave policy to the full county legislative body. Changes soften disciplinary language, make a doctor's certificate discretionary after three consecutive days, and restate that sick leave is a benefit rather than an absolute right.
Coffee County — The county legislative committee voted March 30 to forward a revised sick-leave policy to the full county legislative body for consideration.
The committee chair summarized the changes, saying the policy now begins, "sick leave shall be considered a benefit and privilege and not a right," language carried forward from state guidance. The chair said Policy and Procedures removed a paragraph on abuse and adjusted wording to soften tone after county employees raised concerns about strict enforcement.
"Sick leave shall be considered a benefit and privilege and not a right," the chair read from the revision while explaining the document's edits. A committee member who worked on the draft told the committee the wording was revised twice following employee feedback and review by the policy subcommittee to avoid an unduly punitive tone: "We made some minor adjustments again ... so it didn't sound quite so in-your-face," the committee member said.
One substantive change discussed is the doctor's-certificate provision. Under the revision the policy says a department head "may require a doctor's certificate after 3 consecutive days" rather than requiring one automatically. Committee members explained that change preserves supervisor discretion: "It's up to the supervisor to decide — if they think this person is abusing it, they can address it," a committee member said.
The committee also reviewed accrual and payout mechanics. The document states 40-hour employees accrue 3.69 hours of sick time per biweekly pay period (3.46 hours for 37.5-hour employees). Members noted these figures equate to roughly a day's accrual each pay period. The policy specifies that employees hired after July 1, 2014 receive partial payout on vested sick leave at scheduled percentages, while employees hired earlier have sick time handled through the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS).
After discussion, the committee chair asked for a motion "to forward it to the county legislative body for passing in the CLB." A committee member moved, another seconded, members voted by voice and the motion passed to send the revised policy to the full commission for action.
What happens next: the CLB will receive the forwarded revision for formal consideration. The committee did not record a roll-call vote; the committee's action at this meeting was to forward the proposal for consideration rather than to adopt a final change to county policy.
