The proposed 80 hours of COVID-19 sick leave for county employees failed to pass at the Warren County Commission meeting Monday night.
Last month, commissioners voted to table the proposed policy for further consideration. In the previous proposed COVID-19 policy, 80 hours was not included. When the paid COVID19 sick leave was in effect, there were reports of employees abusing it and taking advantage of the paid time off by falsely claiming exposure to the virus which is why the 80 hours was taken out of the policy.
At a Policy and Personnel Committee meeting, Commissioner Ron Lee made a motion to add back the 80 hours for county employees and it passed in committee, 3-2.
Commissioner Steven Helton brought two COVID-19 policies to the full commission – one with the 80 hours included and one without. Discussion followed.
“I wish we could say tonight that COVID was over with but we really can’t and I’m hoping that this will cover our workers for six more months until the fiscal year ends and hope and pray that at that time we wouldn’t have to worry about this. That is my intent,” said Lee.
Commissioner Michael Bell then made a motion to accept the proposal without the 80 hours. Other commissioners agreed, but some felt like the 80 hours were necessary.
“We’ve been down this rabbit hole before like on a merry-go-round. Maybe a consideration and compromise here is we could look at the 80 and perhaps change that to 40,” said Commissioner Robert Hennessee. “That would be a compromise for everyone because we have done this and done this and done this. Every time this is brought up it has been the same talking points.”
Helton said he believes county employees have more than enough sick days and adding 80 hours would essentially give them 22 sick days instead of the standard one sick day per month that accumulates.
“I personally think that is a little extreme, especially whenever you add on the vacation on top of that and you are basically looking at a senior employee getting a month and a half off. I feel like 22 days of sick days is a little extreme. Twelve days of sick days seems more rational,” Helton said.
“They are not usable sick days. They are only usable with a positive test for COVID, a condition that would keep them out of work. It’s not an across-the-board everyone is getting 80 hours pay added onto their benefit package,” said Warren County safety coordinator David Britton.
Commissioner Steve Glenn added, “They are expecting us to help them and we should. They serve our county and they meet people every day and I don’t know why we can’t do this. It’s just a good thing. And they are going to abuse it, always will. Somebody somewhere is going to.”
A motion to remove the 80 hours passed, 14-8.
Commissioners who voted to remove the 80 hours were Michael Bell, Carl D. Bouldin, Randy England, Steven Helton, Robert Hennessee, Daniel Owens, Christy Ross, Scott Rubley, Tommy Savage, Tyrone Sparkman, Joseph Stotts, Phillip Stout, Cole Taylor, and Blaine Wilcher.
Commissioners who voted to keep the 80 hours were Carlene Brown, David Dunlap, Deborah Evans, Steven Glenn, Brad Hillis, Ron Lee, Gary Martin, and Kasey Owens.
Gary Prater was absent and Carl E. Bouldin left before voting.
The commission then voted on passing the original COVID-19 policy without the 80 hours and the only commissioner who voted against it was Lee.
