Commissioners consider removing 800‑hour requirement for retiree sick‑leave payouts

Human resources staff told commissioners they are proposing to remove the existing requirement that retirees have an 800‑hour balance to qualify for a sick‑leave payout. Under the proposal, eligible retirees would be paid up to the equivalent of 30 days of sick leave regardless of whether they hold an 800‑hour bank.

"What we are proposing here is to change the policy that a retiree does not have to have an approved bank of $800 to be paid out their sick," the HR staff member (addressed in the meeting as Gina) said while outlining how the change would be applied to retiree payouts. Staff supplied two‑year figures: 86 retirees in the period reviewed; 40 received full 30‑day payouts while the others did not. Commissioners asked for a fiscal note and whether payouts would alter final average salary calculations for retirement benefits; staff replied that the effect depends on specific payroll/retirement circumstances and hire date.