| Manager never turned in one day of sick leave | ||
• County appears not to have required it. By NICOLE CARTRETTE Interim County Manager Leo Hunt made it clear last month that former county manager Jim Varner would not be treated differently from any other employee when it comes to reimbursing him for accumulated annual leave and longevity pay. It appears, however, that Varner never recorded a single day of vacation or sick leave, despite at least two separate occasions in which Varner underwent surgery and was out of the office for several days. In August, Varner was recovering at his Brunswick County home from back surgery he underwent in a New Hanover County hospital. Varner told The News Reporter on Friday, August 6 over the phone that he anticipated being back in the office within the next two to three weeks. Varner was paid about $12,000 and other compensation for three days worked in October, Hunt said. Annual leave pay made up $9,000 of that figure and $1,933 was longevity pay. Although Varner was with the county only two years, terms of his contract allowed for 13 additional years to be added to his record –meaning his longevity pay was based on 15 years of service. “I used the policy the way it was used with the predecessor,” Hunt said, pointing out former county manager Billy Farmer had not turned in any vacation or sick leave prior to leaving and was also reimbursed for all of his accumulated annual leave as if he had not missed a day of work. Hunt said the way the county employee policies are written it is not clear what procedure the county manager is to follow. Hunt said he has recommended guidelines be established to prevent such a situation in the future. Hunt pointed out if a person works one hour in one day under federal Fair Labor laws, he is classified as having worked that day. He pointed out Varner attended meetings and parades often not during regular work hours.
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