County workers may get bonuses

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard

HILL

County officials have devised an innovative way to provide county workers with a supplement to the proposed 3 percent countywide raise that will be presented with the 2004-2005 budget. Called a “longevity bonus” the plan will provide a one-time cash bonus based on the number of years an employee has worked for the county.

This plan will be for full-time and part-time county employees only, according to Budget and Finance Committee member David Hill, who was instrumental in developing the idea.

“My whole feeling behind this is that elected officials, appointed officials, anybody like that, doesn’t get it,” Hill said. “This is for employees, the blue-collar employees.”

Hill said appointed officials would include judges or certain boards who are appointed, as well as other appointed officials like Director of Accounts Linda Hillis. Elected officials would include county commissioners, property assessor, county clerk, or anyone who is elected.

The plan would award $50 per year for the first five years of service, $100 for years six to 10 and $150 per year for years 11 to 15, with the bonus money maxing out at 15 years.

The plan will cost $88,550 for the county’s current roster of 182 full-time employees, and $9,700 for the 77 part-time employees. Though the county won’t have to pay retirement benefits for the bonuses, it will have to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits. With all the required benefits, the plan is estimated to cost the county approximately $112,000.

The current intention is to set the yearly cutoff with a hire date of Sept. 1. Anyone hired after that date would not get to count that year in the bonus calculations.

The bonus will not include the school system, and as it stands now, this will be a one-time bonus, though it could be continued.

“We can do it yearly,” said committee chairman George Smartt, “but we’re not establishing it as a yearly bonus.”

Most of the Budget and Finance Committee seemed pleased with the plan.

“I like it,” Smartt said. “It rewards the employees who stick with us.”

Commissioners also felt employees would appreciate getting a lump sum bonus close to the Christmas season.

“The advantage to the county is the fact that it’s going to save us some money because we don’t have to pay retirement on the bonus,” Hill said. “Also, it’s not a recurring expense, because this is going to be annually reviewed. It can happen when the funding is good to make it happen. It cannot happen when it’s not. “

Though the Budget and Finance Committee voted to recommend the plan, the full commission will have to approve it before it goes into effect.