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Tompkins County weighs supplemented paid family leave after employee survey
Summary
At a July meeting, county HR presented three paid-leave models and survey results from 187 employees; staff and unions differ on preferred designs and members asked for cost estimates and side-by-side benefit comparisons before any policy decision.
The Tompkins County Budget, Capital and Personnel Committee on Tuesday heard a detailed presentation from Human Resources on three models for paid caregiver/parental leave and the results of outreach to unions, department heads and employees.
HR presenter Amy said the county evaluated three options: Model A (New York State paid family leave only, which replaces 67% of income under state rules); Model B (the state program plus a county supplement to bring eligible employees to full pay); and Model C (a narrower county-paid parental leave limited to birth, adoption or foster placement). "Model B was the most popular among employees," Amy said, and later summarized: "Employees strongly support Model B, New York State paid family leave with the county supplement, based on the responses received."
Why it matters: committee members said any leave policy will affect operations, bargaining units and the county budget. Department heads warned that extended leaves for critical positions (dispatch, sheriffdeputies, road plowing) can require overtime and increase management strain if backfilling is not possible.
The HR outreach included two in-person information sessions (May 26 and May 29), a prerecorded session for all county employees, and three targeted surveys (union leadership, department heads and employees). Amy reported 187 employee responses: 126 white-collar, 13 blue-collar, 6 road patrol, 3 corrections, 15 confidential and 20 management. She said unions tended to prefer Model C (paid parental leave) because it allows bargaining over terms and avoids mandatory employee contributions under the state models; department heads and employees tended to favor Model B.
Unions and many employees raised cost concerns about Models A and B because both require an employee contribution to the state program (reported in the presentation as roughly 0.432% of wages). Amy noted one technical detail: when New York State calculates the employee contribution it counts overtime, which can push lower-paid employees into a higher bracket; the total contribution is capped (she cited a $411 annual cap used by the state).
Operational trade-offs were a recurring theme. Department heads asked whether the county would backfill positions when employees take extended leave and how training and overtime would be handled. "There is concern when you're down staff; can we continue to provide the same level of service to the community?" one department head said, summarizing the management perspective.
Committee members praised the outreach but asked HR for specific next steps: a side-by-side spreadsheet showing current benefits by bargaining unit, and detailed cost estimates for each model (including who would pay the county supplement and how it would affect future budgets). Amy said HR had previously circulated a side-by-side comparison in the BCP packet and agreed to re-send it and to include cost estimates in a future packet.
What's next: HR will provide benefit comparisons and cost estimates by bargaining unit to the committee in a forthcoming BCP packet; no policy decision was made at the meeting.
