Action 16.
Regular Board of Supervisors Meeting
Elections
- Meeting Date:
- 01/05/2016
- Title:
- Authorize payout of accrued vacation hours in excess of annual policy limit for Elections Program Coordinator
- Submitted By:
- Katie Howard, Elections & Special Districts
- Department:
- Elections & Special Districts
Presentation:
No A/V Presentation
Recommendation:
Approve
Document Signatures:
BOS Signature NOT Required
# of ORIGINALS
Submitted for Signature:
Submitted for Signature:
0
NAME
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
Katie Howard
TITLE
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
Elections Director
Mandated Function?:
Local Mandate or Policy
Source of Mandate
or Basis for Support?:
or Basis for Support?:
Cochise County HR Policy Manual: Forfeiture of Leave section
Docket Number (If applicable):
Information
Agenda Item Text:
Authorize payout of accrued vacation hours in excess of annual policy limit for Elections Program Coordinator.
Background:
At the end of the calendar year 2015 Ms. Martha Rodriquez, the Elections Program Coordinator, has a balance of 328 hours of vacation. The maximum allowed vacation hour carryover is 240 hours, per the County Human Resources Policy manual. This means that for 2015, Ms. Rodriquez faces the loss of 88 hours of accrued vacation. I am asking you to approve a payout of those hours of vacation leave to her, in lieu of forfeiting them as set forth in the manual.
The reasons for my request are straightforward: At the time of my appointment as Elections Director, the Elections Department was in turmoil due to the unplanned departure of the Elections Director following the Primary Election in 2014. Although I had some prior elections process experience, I had no experience with establishing election boards, couriers, drivers, etc., or with the set up of the actual polling places. I had to rely heavily on Ms. Rodriquez' experience and expertise in these matters and was not able to afford her time off.
Furthermore, at the time of my appointment I was charged with accomplishing several things to return credibility and accountability to the Elections Department, including researching and procuring a new elections' system. To do so without Ms. Rodriquez' input would have been folly. At the end of 2014, I learned that Ms. Rodriquez was about to lose 92 hours of leave for 2014 - hours that were in excess of the cap. I petitioned the County Administrator to allow her to roll those hours over to 2015 with the commitment that we would work together to bring her hours down during the year. The request was granted and on 1/4/15 and the 92 hours was removed automatically by the payroll system and then reinstated via a manual adjustment.
During 2015, Ms. Rodriquez has taken a total of 212 hours of vacation. That is just over 5 weeks of vacation and the absolute maximum that I was able to afford to have her out of the office. However, because she had the excess carryover from last year (240 + 92 hrs, for a total of 312 hrs.), and with her rate of accrual each payday she is still faced with losing 88 hours.
Ms. Rodriquez occupies an exempt position (i.e., does not earn overtime or comp time) and during this year also participated in nearly 30 Voter Outreach sessions, many of which took place in evening hours or on Saturdays for which she also received no compensation. Rather than perpetuate this problem by again requesting that we roll forward the excess hours, and in acknowledgement that we have four major elections in 2016 (and at least one minor election) it is likely that very little if any vacation will be taken during 2016. (You will notice on the attached report that in 2012, during the last Presidential Election year, Ms. Rodriquez used only 16 hours vacation during the entire year.)
I am requesting you to authorize the payout of the excess hours earned to bring her hours under control and back to the 240 cap. It is highly likely that she will again have a surplus of earned vacation at the end of next year (2016); however, the 2017 off-cycle year should not be quite as busy as this one has been since we've done the system procurement, the training and overhauled procedures during this year. It is hoped that if you pay her the excess hours this year, and she is allowed to carryover any excess hours from 2016 to 2017, she will then be able to bring her hours down below the cap again before the end of 2017.
To provide you a bit of historical perspective on this issue: At the end of 2011, Ms. Rodriquez forfeited 41.60 hours of vacation; at the end of 2012 she lost another 194.4 hours of accrued vacation. We did not research prior to 2010, but in the last five years, Ms. Rodriquez has already forfeited 236 hours of earned leave. In 2014, she would have lost another 92 hours, but for my intervention and appeal to the County Administrator to allow her to roll those hours over to 2015. (Please see attached accrual history report produced by Ms. Glenda Nugent/Finance for the period from 2010 through 2015.)
NOTE: The hours shown on the attached report are as of the last completed payroll (12/19/15) at the time this agenda item was submitted. Ms. Rodriquez earned an additional 8 hours vacation during the final pay period bringing her balance from 376 to 384 hours, but then also used 56 hours of vacation during this final pay period, bringing her adjusted balance at year-end to 328 hours total, as described above.
The reasons for my request are straightforward: At the time of my appointment as Elections Director, the Elections Department was in turmoil due to the unplanned departure of the Elections Director following the Primary Election in 2014. Although I had some prior elections process experience, I had no experience with establishing election boards, couriers, drivers, etc., or with the set up of the actual polling places. I had to rely heavily on Ms. Rodriquez' experience and expertise in these matters and was not able to afford her time off.
Furthermore, at the time of my appointment I was charged with accomplishing several things to return credibility and accountability to the Elections Department, including researching and procuring a new elections' system. To do so without Ms. Rodriquez' input would have been folly. At the end of 2014, I learned that Ms. Rodriquez was about to lose 92 hours of leave for 2014 - hours that were in excess of the cap. I petitioned the County Administrator to allow her to roll those hours over to 2015 with the commitment that we would work together to bring her hours down during the year. The request was granted and on 1/4/15 and the 92 hours was removed automatically by the payroll system and then reinstated via a manual adjustment.
During 2015, Ms. Rodriquez has taken a total of 212 hours of vacation. That is just over 5 weeks of vacation and the absolute maximum that I was able to afford to have her out of the office. However, because she had the excess carryover from last year (240 + 92 hrs, for a total of 312 hrs.), and with her rate of accrual each payday she is still faced with losing 88 hours.
Ms. Rodriquez occupies an exempt position (i.e., does not earn overtime or comp time) and during this year also participated in nearly 30 Voter Outreach sessions, many of which took place in evening hours or on Saturdays for which she also received no compensation. Rather than perpetuate this problem by again requesting that we roll forward the excess hours, and in acknowledgement that we have four major elections in 2016 (and at least one minor election) it is likely that very little if any vacation will be taken during 2016. (You will notice on the attached report that in 2012, during the last Presidential Election year, Ms. Rodriquez used only 16 hours vacation during the entire year.)
I am requesting you to authorize the payout of the excess hours earned to bring her hours under control and back to the 240 cap. It is highly likely that she will again have a surplus of earned vacation at the end of next year (2016); however, the 2017 off-cycle year should not be quite as busy as this one has been since we've done the system procurement, the training and overhauled procedures during this year. It is hoped that if you pay her the excess hours this year, and she is allowed to carryover any excess hours from 2016 to 2017, she will then be able to bring her hours down below the cap again before the end of 2017.
To provide you a bit of historical perspective on this issue: At the end of 2011, Ms. Rodriquez forfeited 41.60 hours of vacation; at the end of 2012 she lost another 194.4 hours of accrued vacation. We did not research prior to 2010, but in the last five years, Ms. Rodriquez has already forfeited 236 hours of earned leave. In 2014, she would have lost another 92 hours, but for my intervention and appeal to the County Administrator to allow her to roll those hours over to 2015. (Please see attached accrual history report produced by Ms. Glenda Nugent/Finance for the period from 2010 through 2015.)
NOTE: The hours shown on the attached report are as of the last completed payroll (12/19/15) at the time this agenda item was submitted. Ms. Rodriquez earned an additional 8 hours vacation during the final pay period bringing her balance from 376 to 384 hours, but then also used 56 hours of vacation during this final pay period, bringing her adjusted balance at year-end to 328 hours total, as described above.
Department's Next Steps (if approved):
If a payout is authorized, I will work with Payroll to ensure a check is cut to Ms. Rodriquez. Further, we will endeavor to provide her at least some time off, if possible in 2016.
Impact of NOT Approving/Alternatives:
Ms. Rodriquez will forfeit an additional 88 hours leave bringing the total of forfeited leave in the past five years to 324 hours.
To BOS Staff: Document Disposition/Follow-Up:
Communicate the Board's approval, if granted. to Finance Dept/Payroll.
Fiscal Impact
- Fiscal Year:
- 2015-16
- One-time Fixed Costs? ($$$):
- 2020.00
- Ongoing Costs? ($$$):
- 0
- County Match Required? ($$$):
- 0
- A-87 Overhead Amt? (Co. Cost Allocation $$$):
- 0
- Source of Funding?:
- see below
Fiscal Impact & Funding Sources (if known):
Elections Department has some vacancy savings due to the vacancy in the Elections Technician position since Oct 9, 2015 through year-end. Although vacancy savings do not necessarily belong to the Department, they were budgeted funds and I request authorization to use those to offset the cost of this one-time payout.