Treasurer Diana Spieker visited with Commissioners about the Human Resource Committee’s work on the county system for keeping track of available employee leave during the Court’s meeting on Tuesday.
Spieker talked about the software they are using, explaining some of the apparent lag in leave information being updated, which resulted in some people not being able to see their accrual for a week or two.
To remedy this, they divided the year into 26 pay periods, in the software, which resulted in odd four-digit fractions of an hour showing up, which was confusing for people.
She said they looked at a few rounding options, opting to change to halves and quarters of an hour instead.
Speiker talked about some other options, including moving to a paid-time-off model or employee leave but said there were many questions about just who would be included, as not all employees are on the same system.
She also said the fact that some of the county’s long-time employees accrue more leave than they can actually use complicates matters further.
While the item was listed for possible action, Spieker said she would like to see more discussion on the matter, and perhaps come back later with more information to present.
Spieker told the court that Pct. 3 Commissioner Rick Bacon had volunteered to be a point of contact for listening to employees’ and elected officials’ opinions and concerns on the matter.
County Judge Lane Carter said he felt the plan being offered looked less “convoluted” that what they have currently, but endorsed the idea of getting more input from everyone involved.
Spieker also said that, whatever is ultimately decided, implementing any major overhaul is going to be a serious undertaking, and will require careful planning between departments.
Employee Leave To Be Brought Back
Commissioner Bacon proposed forming a committee with the auditor and treasurer, to study the options carefully, and make sure they cover all of their bases, later clarifying that this committee would inform the HR committee, who could then bring it back to the court.
He also said he thinks a PTO model, where vacation and sick leave are combined, would simplify things considerably, but Spieker said she had “tunnel vision” where this subject is concerned and she has trouble reconciling how the county would keep track of the sick-leave cap.
The officials allowed that they have been thinking about these matters more in recent weeks, and it’s difficult to get all of the loose ends tied up, and all of the questions answered.
“I’m with Diana,” Bacon said. “We need to get together, look at some of the numbers, and see how this would transfer.
“We need to get heads together to really work on this, where everyone can look at it, because it’s going to be a major change.
“But the whole point is, we want to benefit as many employees as possible…and I think it’s time that we take a serious look.”
Both officials said they wanted to make it clear that this is not a matter of taking anything away from anybody, and that any leave currently on the books will remain on the books.
“We’re just rearranging things so it’s simpler for everybody,” Bacon said.
Spieker mentioned that the Association of Counties might have some good suggestions, and after a little more discussion, the court moved to table the item.
New Truck for Constable
The Court authorized the purchase of a Ford F150 from Silsbee Ford for Pct. 2 Constable Deen Dickson, and authorized the line-item transfer of approximately $58,000.
Two other constable precincts were approved for new vehicles in December.
Contracts
The Court approved a contract for online research tools for local investigators, and for the indexing of the county’s land-record books for archival purposes, which eventually will be available online.
The Old Elevator
The Court also heard a brief report on the workover needed on the elevator at the Keyes Building, which has been in service for decades, and contains too many obsolete parts.
The rehab project would replace control panels, wiring, and machinery necessary to prevent breakdowns, which are likely in the near future.
While the contractor for elevator maintenance has an exclusivity clause in their contract, the fact that the project is expected to exceed $200,000 means the contract must be awarded through the competitive process.
There was quite a bit of discussion on this topic owing to the unique nature of elevators, and the overall lack of companies that work on and/or install them.
Commissioner Bacon pointed out that the statutory rules that govern regular construction projects aren’t really the best way to handle a project like this. That is because having to hire an engineer and architect to design something independently of the installer creates unnecessary expense. Nobody knows more about elevator systems that elevator companies who are more than capable of the job.
He suggested studying on everything closely and seeing if its possible to just procure the thing staying within statutory limits and adhering to rules, rather than taking six months to go the bidding process and everything else.
The county auditor told the court he would be glad to look into the matter and report back.
The court moved to table that item also.
The Tom Green Co. Commissioners Court meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays, on the second floor of the Keyes Building, 113 W. Beauregard Ave, in downtown San Angelo.
To see what’s on the agenda this week, click here.
