New policy on law enforcement pay and OT approved

A new policy regarding law enforcement pay and overtime was approved unanimously by the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court during a special called meeting Sept. 26.

The issue was first presented by VZC Human Resources Director Dan Maucieri to the commissioners’ court Sept. 19 during their regular meeting.

The amended policy regarding law enforcement and overtime presented at the Sept. 19 meeting read as follows:

“Amended to clarify 207 (K) pay rates and reference to hour-for-hour straight time off. The amended policy will help exempt employees understand their pay rate and eliminate the confusion between 80 and 86-hour limitations.”

After much discussion during the Sept. 19 meeting, the decision was made by the commissioners’ court to table the amended policy.

A workshop involving Maucieri, the commissioners’ court and representatives from the VZC Sheriff’s Department was held Sept. 24 as an agreement was reached to draw up the new policy that was presented by Maucieri and approved Sept. 26.

“We had a workshop Monday (Sept. 24) to help us get through this,” Maucieri said to the commissioners’ court. “The policy I brought to you Sept. 19 was not as good as it could have been and some of the language that was in it was a little bit inflammatory to some people. In the workshop we had, we came up with a great document and I would like to thank everyone who participated in that workshop. I believe that we have a good document now to replace what we had.”

The new policy on law enforcement pay and overtime approved Sept. 26 includes deputies and jailers, according to the commissioners’ court. The new policy also states the following:

“These employees have a work period of 14 days and overtime will be due after 86 hours actually worked. Law enforcement employees’ salary covers all hours up to 86 hours. Paid leave shall not be counted in determining if overtime has been worked in any workweek. Except in emergency situations, an employee shall be required to have authorization from their supervisor before working overtime.

“The VZC Commissioners Court has adopted the extended work period for law enforcement personnel authorized by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The work period is based on 14 consecutive calendar days beginning on the first day of each pay period at 12:01 a.m. A law enforcement employee will be paid a salary based on a minimum of 80 hours reported and a maximum of 86 actual hours worked plus overtime for any authorized hours worked over 86 during a work period. Overtime may be paid as compensatory time or paid time off as determined in the county’s annual budget. An employee will be paid his or her full salary if the employee reports at least 80 hours during a work period. Overtime will not accrue in any work period during which an employee reports sick, vacation or compensatory time until the number of actual hours worked reported during the work period exceeds 86.

“A law enforcement employee must account for 80 hours during each work period by reporting actual hours worked or sick, vacation or compensatory time. These employees have a work period of 14 days and overtime will be due after 86 hours actually worked. Law enforcement will be paid an hourly salary for actual hours worked. These employees’ annual salary will be divided by 2,236 hours to determine the employee’s hourly rate.

“Example: Annual salary is $31,304 divided by 2,236 equals a $14.00 hourly rate.

“Overtime will not accrue in any work period during which an employee reports sick, vacation or compensatory time until the number of actual hours worked reported during the work period exceeds 86. Except in emergency situations, an employee shall be required to have authorization from their supervisor before working overtime.

“Overtime may be paid as compensatory time or paid time off as determined in the county’s annual budget.

“Except in an emergency situation, as determined by the commissioners’ court or the sheriff, an employee must obtain advanced authorization from his or her supervisor before working more than 86 hours in any work period to receive overtime compensation.”

Maucieri also expressed his appreciation to Texas Association of Counties (TAC) HR Consultant Diana Cecil who was also in attendance at the Sept. 24 workshop.

“We appreciate all of the good work you have put into this new policy,” said VZC Pct. 2 Commissioner Virgil Melton Jr. to Maucieri.

Melton also shared his appreciation to the sheriff’s department. “I thank you for working with us on this new policy,” said the commissioner. “I hope this is a start of something where we can work together on any issue that comes up. Thank you very much.”

VZC Sheriff Dale Corbett responded to the commissioners’ court, “We appreciate your consideration on this.”

VZC Judge Don Kirkpatrick said, “I thought we had a great meeting Monday (Sept. 24). I appreciate Diana coming in and sharing her knowledge on this.”

In other business during the Sept. 26 meeting, VZC District Clerk Karen Wilson and VZC Clerk Pam Pearman gave a presentation to the commissioners’ court regarding the annual written plans for funding the preservation and restoration of the applicable clerk’s records archive and designation of public documents.

“Back in 2015, an annual archive plan was established to go back for records as far back as the 1800’s and try to get us up to date to the 1950’s,” said Wilson. “In my plan, I have a few more books to work on and I have some index books that need to be worked on.”

“Last year, we scanned everything in our office as far back as 1871,” said Pearman. “We will be indexing as far back as 1966. We want to continue to archive the records.”

“The public can go back to 1971 if they are using their computer,” said Wilson. “We want to index all the way back to the beginning.”

A public hearing was held on the subject but no one chose to speak during the commissioners’ court meeting.

Following the public hearing, the commissioners’ court voted unanimously to approve the VZC Clerk and VZC District Clerk’s Annual Records Archive Plans for fiscal year 2019 for the preservation and restoration of the records in those offices.

In a separate vote, the commissioners’ court approved an agreement with IDocket to provide internet access court records following a presentation by Wilson, Pearman and VZC IT Director Scott Slaton.

“IDocket teams up with Net Data and they put our records on the internet,” pointed out Wilson. “They are our programmers. We have to have approval from the commissioners’ court to put our records online.”