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Klamath County commissioners debate PTO payout changes, stop short of policy shift
Summary
Human Resources proposed letting employees who have capped out PTO request 40–80 hours of fiscal-year-end payout at 100% if they used at least 40 hours; commissioners expressed reluctance to change the parity-based policy and preferred encouraging time off and case-by-case conversations.
On June 2, 2026, Klamath County Human Resources staff presented the Board of Commissioners with a proposal to expand fiscal-year-end PTO payouts for employees who have reached their PTO cap. Sue Baumgart and Andrea Lassett told commissioners some workers are unable to use earned time off and proposed allowing a 40–80 hour payout at 100% provided the employee used at least 40 hours during the year.
HR staff explained the county currently allows a 40-hour payout at 80% and that some collective-bargaining agreements permit an 80-hour payout at 100%. Andrea Lassett said the 80% payout was originally set to maintain parity across union groups because only one union previously allowed a full 100% payout.
The board did not adopt a policy change. Commissioners emphasized encouraging employees to take leave rather than receive payouts. Commissioner DeGroot expressed reluctance to alter the existing structure, and Commissioner Nichols said he would consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis rather than broad policy change. HR staff were asked to continue direct outreach to capped-out employees and to return with any recommended, narrowly tailored adjustments if necessary.
Why this matters: any change to payout rules affects end-of-year compensation and the county’s parity across union and nonunion employees, and it could have modest budget effects if adopted. Human Resources framed the proposal as a courtesy to employees unable to use accrued leave, while commissioners emphasized behavioral incentives to use time off.
Next steps: no formal motion was recorded; commissioners encouraged one-on-one conversations and left open the possibility of limited exceptions rather than a wholesale policy revision.
