New time sheet policy may prevent lawsuits
By LEWIS DELAVAN News editor

New time sheets for Saline County employees will be used Dec. 15.

The sheets will be easier for employees to complete, and will make bookkeeping easier, thus reducing mathematical errors, County Judge Lanny Fite told Saline County Quorum Court, prior to the ordinance's unanimous approval last week.

Justice of the Peace Sharon Riggan questioned the lack of clock-in and clock-out times on the sheets - employees enter only their total time. County Collector Chris Villines said supervisors should be aware of the hours staff members are working, and ensure the hours recorded are accurate.

JP Tom Lish said a number of offi- cials reviewed the plan, and concluded it would help reduced errors entering time and calculating time. Ultimately, Lish added, the county plans to obtain software that enables employees to enter their time on the computer.

The ordinance sets work periods for all county employees, the threshold for overtime pay and the payment of nonexempt employees on an hourly basis.

Guidelines include:

•The work period for county employees, except for law enforcement personnel, is seven consecutive days. Non-exempt employees will earn overtime pay, either in the form of money or compensatory time off, after working 40 hours in a designated work period.

•The work period for law enforcement personnel, including certified law enforcement officers working in patrol, detention, criminal investigation, warrants or administrative services, is defined as 14 days.

Non-exempt law enforcement personnel will earn overtime pay, either as money or compensatory time, after working 85.5 hours in a designated 14- day work period.

Commuting time in a patrol car won't be paid, even if the officer calls in "10-8" to indicate active status. If a commuting officer encounters an emergency and must work, he should record the time and notify a supervisor.

•Time not spent actually working, excluding county holidays, is not compensable and won't be credited as time worked. Overtime will be calculated on the basis of hours actually worked in the work period.

Examples of time not actually worked include sick or vacation days, other authorized or unauthorized leave and meal periods of 30 minutes or more.

The ordinance sets a formula for calculating the annual salary of an employee's hourly wage.

Employees should record actual time daily on the sheets. At the end of the 14-day work period, the employee may round a partial quarter-hour up to the nearest quarter.

Department supervisors must ensure that employees are accurately recording time worked. Failure of an employee or supervisor to properly complete time sheets could result in disciplinary action, including termination. Elected officials could face censure by the quorum court.

The ordinance establishes rules for the efficient use of budgeted salaries as well as rules related to necessary overtime, on-call status and travel time and time devoted to training.

The measure expands on guidelines the quorum court adopted following a May 2006 court verdict awarding a number of law enforcement personnel $257,302.76 in back pay.

In other business, the rate of pay was increased for jurors and prospective jurors.

Pay for jury members, including alternates, was raised to $50 per day. It was formerly $35 per day. The state will reimburse the full amount.

Pay for prospective jurors summoned, but not selected and seated as a juror, increases to $25 per day. The county will bear this expense.

"In this day and time, that's not a lot," Fite said. "I think we'd all like to pay more, but this is a pretty hefty increase from what we've been paying."

The county had considered mileage reimbursement, but decided it could be a bookkeeping nightmare, and instead raised the pay.

The circuit clerk's officer will submit documentation for juror's reimbursement to the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

Saline County Fair Association was commended for its service to the fairgrounds. More than 30 volunteers work throughout the year.

JP David Allinson said volunteers work nearly every weekend.

JP Mel Kirby said, "People don't realize the amount of hours they put in. Someone's always there."

During the public-comment period, Freda and Doyle Hester, of 1033 Doyle Lane, said county roads in their area aren't properly maintained. Doyle Hester said he has been in construction for decades, and the county road crews "need some supervision."

Fite said the grader operators are all state-certified.

Doyle Hester said crews have to return to the sites of road repairs repeatedly, because the work isn't done properly.

"We're just patching a road today, and two weeks later we come back and patch it again, because we're not doing it right," Hester said.

In some cases, to prevent "washboarding," several inches of the road surface should be cut off, compacted, filled with base and resurfaced, he said.

Justices of the peace also:

• Approved the second reading of an ordinance adding a 5,698- foot extension of Joseph Drive, and 218 feet of Asher Drive to the county road system;

• Re-appointed Terry Parsons to the Shaw Community Water and Sewer Public Facilities Board; his new term will expire Dec. 17, 2012;

• Appointed Debby Riley to the Saline County Waterworks and Sanitary Sewer Public Facilities Board (Woodland Hills),