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Council discusses formalizing twice‑year PLT cash‑out for public‑safety shift workers; estimated cost rises to ~$1.2M
Summary
Staff proposed multiple options to reduce earned‑time loss among EMS, detention and sheriff's staff, favoring a twice‑yearly 60‑hour PLT cash‑out for shift workers; staff estimates the countywide PLT program (~$850k historically) could increase to about $1.2M if the change is adopted. Council asked staff to draft a policy and identify budget offsets.
Staff presented options to the council to address accrued paid‑leave time that public‑safety shift workers cannot use because of mandatory staffing and overtime requirements.
The HR presenter explained the current countywide PLT cash‑out practice (historically ~40 hours available for cash‑out) and outlined four options: increase the once‑a‑year cash‑out amount, provide two cash‑out opportunities annually (staff'preferred option: twice per year with 60 hours each), create a PTL rollover account, increase the accrual cap (currently 320 hours), or implement an automatic payout when an employee reaches the maximum. Staff described practical problems with automatic payout and warned that increasing the accrual cap raises long‑term liability on the balance sheet.
On estimated fiscal impact, staff said the prior countywide PLT outlay was about $850,000 and that adding the public‑safety shift‑worker option could increase the total program costs to an estimated $1.2 million (staff emphasized the estimate depends on employee participation and timing of merit increases). Council members asked about funding sources; staff suggested using vacancy lag and departmental wages/salaries line‑items to cover year‑to‑year cash outs or formally budgeting the program.
Several council members expressed support for a predictable policy (twice‑yearly 60‑hour cash‑out) to reduce administrative uncertainty and to better serve long‑tenured public‑safety staff who lose earned time because they cannot take leave. Some members counseled caution about creating an open long‑term liability without offsets; staff agreed to prepare a policy and bring it through the appropriate committee with cost estimates and a recommended funding strategy.
What happens next: staff will draft a PLT policy for committee consideration, provide refined fiscal estimates, and propose funding offsets for inclusion in the budget process. No formal policy change or vote was recorded in the transcript.
