• Only department heads have been given a copy of the county’s employee policy manual adopted mid-September. While an extended health insurance benefit to commissioners who leave office was the first amendment to the policy, others may follow.

By NICOLE CARTRETTE

Hundreds of county employees have not been given a copy of a policy manual adopted close to a month ago.

The manual, which includes retirement information, employee responsibilities, medical leave policy, notice requirements and grievance guidelines, among other policies, has been distributed to department heads but not individual employees.

When asked Friday if employees had received copies of the manual, Columbus County Personnel Director Virginia Taylor said she wanted to make sure of any other changes before the book is printed. “Right now I have asked the department heads to go through it,” she said, adding employees can ask their department head or supervisors to see the manual. She also said that she hopes the manual will eventually be put on-line.

Taylor indicated she may suggest changes to the funeral leave policy and “on call” compensation. Under the new policy any employee, such as public utilities workers or sheriff deputies, required to carry a communication device while on call, “shall be compensated with one hour per day at regular time.” Employees would receive the pay in addition to regular compensation if called out. That would include “quite a few people” and the county “would have to pay out a lot of money,” Taylor said.

Funeral leave under the policy requires employees to use sick time. Full-time employees earn 7.5 hours a month or 12 days per year. “Sick leave with pay is not a right which an employee may demand but a privilege granted by the Board of Commissioners,” the policy manual reads. Sick leave may be used for a death in an employee’s immediate family but may not exceed three days without the county manager’s authorization. Taylor said she would recommend employees be given three days administrative leave instead.

Recommendations for changes will have to be taken before the board, but it’s not clear when that will be. Taylor said she is waiting to get feedback from department heads.

The manual reads “the Board of Commissioners has the authority to unilaterally change a policy at any time. Such changes shall be provided by the Human Resources Department within five working days following the revision.”

The manual creates a personnel policy committee, to consist of four department heads and the human resources department. The county manager appoints committee members from each category, including: a competitive service agency, department with fewer than 15 employees, a department with 15 or more employees, a department with 20 or more employees with the majority “categorized as skilled craft or service maintenance based.”

County commissioners voted unanimously several weeks ago to adopt the 153-page policy manual that included the highly controversial and since-changed extended health benefit to commissioners who leave the board. At that time, two of the commissioners admitted to “overlooking” the provision in the manual.