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Switzerland County handbook committee caps comp time, narrows overtime accrual during leave
Summary
The Switzerland County Handbook Committee on Feb. 23 approved a 160-hour cap on compensatory time with an 80-hour carryover limit and adopted a rule that comp time earned while employees are on vacation, sick or personal leave (or during holidays) will be credited at straight time rather than time-and-a-half. Committee members also reviewed a 480-hour sick-leave cap and discussed vacation-accrual options from peer counties.
At a Feb. 23, 2026 meeting of the Switzerland County Handbook Committee, members voted to limit employee compensatory (comp) time to a maximum of 160 hours during any year and to allow only 80 hours to carry over into the next year. The motion to set the cap was made by Ryan Harrison and seconded by Patti Kappes; the committee approved it by voice vote with all present in favor.
The committee also approved a second motion, proposed by Harrison and seconded by Kappes, specifying that comp time earned during periods when an employee is using vacation, personal or sick leave — or when a holiday falls in the relevant work period — will be credited at straight time rather than at time-and-a-half. That motion passed 3–1, with Jenny Owens voting no and Carrie Barwick, Patti Kappes and Harrison voting yes.
Harrison introduced the handbook discussion by citing a measure he referred to as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which he said requires that employees be physically present to qualify for overtime pay. Committee members discussed how that rule and local needs should be reflected in the county handbook and agreed that comp-time management should be handled by department heads because practices may not suit every department.
Committee members raised follow-up questions about how the new comp-time provisions would interact with existing leave policies. Patti Kappes asked whether employees could lose vacation or sick balances if they exhausted comp time; committee members reviewed the county's prior sick-leave practice, noting an existing cap of 60 days (480 hours) and a rule that employees cannot accrue additional sick time once at that cap until they use some hours.
The committee also discussed personal days accrual and potential carryover rules but recorded no formal decision on personal-day carryover. Harrison reported consulting two other counties about vacation accrual schedules; he cited example ranges the counties provided (presented by years of service): 5 days for early service periods up to 25 days for employees with the longest tenure. Committee members discussed front-loading time off at the start of the year rather than tying accrual to anniversary dates as a possible approach under the new handbook.
The committee set its next meeting for March 9, 2026, at 5 p.m. and adjourned at approximately 6:00 p.m. Gayle Sullivan, Jail Auditor, attested to the minutes at the close of the record.
