Board adopts updated employee drug‑and‑alcohol handbook to align with federal CDL rules

The San Miguel County Board of Commissioners voted May 20 to adopt updates to the county employee manual and a revised drug and alcohol handbook that clarify procedures, testing protocols and employee assistance measures.

Jared Biggs, who presented the revisions, said the changes were prompted by training and the need to align county policy with federal requirements for safety‑sensitive positions that require a commercial driver’s license. The update adds explicit procedures for reasonable‑suspicion testing, an observation form for supervisors and a section explaining that testing will typically be conducted using whatever contracted testing resources are most readily available to the county.

Biggs said the revisions are intended to be clearer, not punitive, and stressed the county’s focus on helping employees access support resources where possible. "We still focus on helping employees first," he said.

Commissioners asked for procedural clarifications, including whether the handbook specifies which facilities or vendors will conduct tests and how retesting works; staff said testing will generally be immediate and that employees may request a confirmatory retest at their own expense within 72 hours for certain drug tests.

The board approved the chair’s signature on the updated policy through a formal motion; staff said they will roll out the updated handbook through an electronic acknowledgement process for county employees and introduce the changes at an all‑county training session.