Memorandum
Date: April 3, 2020
To: The Honorable Moke Simon, Chair, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Carol J. Huchingson, County Administrative Officer
Subject: Consideration of Resolution Authorizing Sick Leave Advance and Coverage of Employer Share of County Health Benefit for Non-Essential Employees and Cash Out of Vacation Time Subject to Loss During Disaster Response and Hazardous Duty Leave for Essential Employees, to Reduce COVID-19 Impacts
Executive Summary: (include fiscal and staffing impact narrative):
As your Board is aware, I have been working with a committee including Chairman Simon, Vice Chair Sabatier, Cathy Saderlund, Pam Samac and Stephen Carter to address the special benefit needs of permanent Lake County employees during the unprecedented COVID-19 disaster.
With full understanding that the needs of our employees are mounting, the committee worked quickly to review a number of options and zeroed in on those addressed in the attached Resolution for your consideration today. The committee’s goals were to address any gaps in the new federal leave programs, preserve employee health care coverage, prevent employees from losing vacation accruals while they are working on the disaster and provide a benefit to employees subject to hazardous duty during the crisis.
With this in mind, the committee proposes the following:
1. Advance sick leave, up to 80 hours, for use during the crisis, to be recouped over the ten month period following the disaster.
2. Continue paying the employer contribution for health care for employees even if paid time is less than 50% for the current and next two monthly pay periods.
3. Allow employees who are near maximum accruals for vacation time to cash out the amount of time they will lose while responding to the disaster.
4. Provide 40 hours of Hazardous Duty Leave to essential employees who are not able to shelter in place and who, in the course of their work, have close, personal interaction with the public or are required to carry out duties related to sanitation.
I am especially grateful to the committee for its hard work and its thoughtful consideration.
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Estimated Cost: ________ Amount Budgeted: ________ Additional Requested: ________ Future Annual Cost: ________
Consistency with Vision 2028 and/or Fiscal Crisis Management Plan (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☐ Well-being of Residents ☒ Public Safety ☐ Infrastructure ☐ Technology Upgrades
☐ Economic Development ☐ Disaster Recovery ☒ County Workforce ☐ Revenue Generation
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake ☐ Cost Savings
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Recommended Action:
Adopt Resolution Authorizing Sick Leave Advance and Coverage of Employer Share of County Health Benefit for Non-Essential Employees and Cash Out of Vacation Time Subject to Loss During Disaster Response and Hazardous Duty Leave for Essential Employees, to Reduce COVID-19 Impacts.