OC Sheriff Keith Merritt addresses Commissioners Court Tuesday afternoon.
The Commissioners Court clarified Tuesday its action from the last meeting and approved keeping certificate pay for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Employees Union. The vote followed comments, explanations, and accusations by numerous deputies, citizens, and members of the Commissioners Court that lasted an hour and a half.
At last week’s meeting the Court unanimously approved separating the dispatchers from the Sheriff’s Office Union’s collective bargaining agreement and setting up a separate pay matrix for those employees while letting them keep their certificate pay. What apparently was not clear to some of the Commissioners was that their action also took away certificate pay from the other members of the collective bargaining agreement.
County Treasurer Christy Khoury requested the clarification for Tuesday’s agenda since her department is responsible for payroll. Khoury said her office was first made aware of the change when preparing for the upcoming payroll and noticed the pay cuts for the Sheriff’s deputies. Khoury said there was no transparency in the action taken September 20 by the Commissioners Court that certificate pay was to be cut from the deputies. The county has been voluntarily paying the certificate pay for the last three years since it was not specifically covered in the collective bargaining agreement after the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year.
Commissioner John Banken made the motion to retain certificate pay for the Sheriff’s deputies and was seconded by Commissioner David Dubose. Both said they were not aware that the vote September 20 was to cut the deputies’ certificate pay. When the vote was taken on a slightly modified motion Commissioner Barry Burton joined them in approving the motion that last week’s action was only to separate the dispatchers from the collective bargaining agreement.
County Policy 810 regarding resignation and termination was amended by the Court. First the vote on giving county employees a 90-day window to extend their resignation or retirement after turning in paperwork was approved. Commissioners Dubose and Banken voted against, but because they wanted to allow more time for employees to completely change their minds about retirement. They then made a motion to allow employees 30 days after turning in their retirement paperwork to change their minds before their retirement could not be rescinded. They were joined by the other two Commissioners with only County Judge Brint Carlton voting against it.
County Road and Bridge Engineer Clark Slacum received approval from the Commissioners to place a limestone base on a short section of Mansfield Ferry Road. The project will be performed as part of the County Transportation Infrastructure Fund Grant Program. Slacum was also approved to release road use bonds for several projects that have a change in companies from Samson Exploration to Hilcorp Energy Development.
Longtime Orange County employee Henry “Dusty” Falgout was recognized by the Commissioners Court with a plaque. Falgout has worked over 36 years for the county being hired in December 1979. He is retiring from the Road and Bridge Department on Friday, September 30.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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