Montgomery Debates Pay Issues ♥

Published in the Courier-Tribune on January 26, 2011
Submitted story was modified and amended by C-T staff prior to publication.

by Hugh Martin

TROY — The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners has made changes to payroll policies after finding discrepancies among departments and inconsistent policies for on-call and holiday pay.

At a meeting on Jan. 18, the board approved a contract for $5,000 with the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) to develop a payroll operations manual.

The study, to be ready for review in April, will be led by Matt Reece, who has extensive experience in public and private sector organizations.

Because several departments are over-budget halfway through the fiscal year, County Manager Lance Metzler has dropped 911, Animal Control and Information Technology from 7.5 percent to 3.5 percent of their salary for on-call time and the employees will rotate on-call duty.

Modifications are being made to other departments to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act, particularly as it pertains to exempt, or salaried, employees.

“Some employees are very unhappy with the changes, but it will be temporary until we get a payroll plan in place,” Metzler said.

A change in the personnel policy on payday dates was unchanged when Commissioner Jim Matheny made a motion to rescind a portion of the policy, but the motion was not supported by commissioners Dolon Corbett, Anthony Copeland, Edgar Morris and Chairman Jackie Morris.

Pay day is the last day of every month and employees had been paid the last week of the month in advance. The change will affect only those hired the last week in a month, which Metzler said would happen rarely. For example, a person who starts on Jan. 25 will get paid for the last week in January at the end of February and paid for February at the end of March.

The commissioners had voted to adopt the personnel policy in November, but Commissioner Matheny saw that portion as unfair for a person to be without a salary for such an extended time.

“How can we expect an employee to live for two months on five days pay?” Matheny said. County Finance Director Lisa Rolan said in most cases new employees would be receiving wages from their previous job that should cover them until the county pay begins.

Matheny argued that many people are out of work and have no income.

Commissioners Dolon Corbett and Edgar Morris said time sheets should be submitted before an employee is paid.

No one seconded Matheny’s motion and the policy stands.

In other business,

• Metzler reported that the county must reply to N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) by Jan. 31 regarding fines levied on the county due to sludge violations at the water treatment plant.

The problem was a sludge buildup in the water intakes and, subsequently in the holding tanks. The sludge was being deposited in a creek instead of on a drying field to be taken to the landfill.

“We have corrected the problem and are working on a permanent solution,” Metzler said. “We are doing all we can as fast as we can.”

Metzler said Wednesday that negotiations with DENR were ongoing. DENR originally fined the county $202,000, but reduced it to $85,000 as compliance requirements were met. Metzler is now trying to negotiate deadlines on six additional requirements to further reduce the fine to $70,000.

The county has requested funds for use at the water treatment plant from the $2 million grant which will be available from the Golden Leaf Foundation. Metzler said the towns of Star, Biscoe and Troy are also making requests.

• The Town of Star submitted a request for $4,000 for their 2011 summer recreation program that will focus on childhood obesity. Requests for recreation programs will be put in the budget process.

• Recognized Jeff Branch, D.A.R.E. Officer with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department, who was recently named as the North Carolina D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year.

• Recognized Extension Agent Chrissy Haynes and students from East and West Montgomery high schools, who were in attendance as the Montgomery Youth Leadership group.

• Reappointed Todd Kearns to the Health Board.

• Appointed Commissioner Matheny to the Department of Social Services Board, replacing Commissioner Edgar Morris, who submitted his resignation without explanation effective Dec. 31, 2010.

• Appointed Commissioner Corbett to the Consolidated Municipal ABC Board and approved a resolution of support for the state ABC system. The resolution opposes privatizing the ABC system in N.C.

In a work session prior to the regular meeting, the commissioners:

Heard a mid-year report on employee insurance from agent Bill Hudson.

Hudson said this might be the year to give up some front end benefits, such as low deductibles and co-pays, to keep a favorable plan. Montgomery County is self-insured. The deductible for insured dependents was raised from $500 to $1,000 last year, but very few employees have insured dependents.

• Heard a report on the ABC stores from board members Ben Haithcock and Phil Richardson, who said the goal is to break even this year.

ABC stores in Albemarle and Asheboro have taken customers away from both sides of the county and large numbers of Hispanic customers left the county when the mills closed, Haithcock said.

Richardson said the two stores, one in Mt. Gilead and one in Biscoe, have two full-time and two part-time employees each and there have been no profits to distribute to the county and towns.

• Kevin Lancaster, personnel director for Montgomery County Schools, asked the board to continue funding the Montgomery Scholars Program, but limit it to a scholarship for one graduate of each high school who will return to teach science, math or special education.

Lancaster said the demand for teachers is not as great now, but the Scholars program is worth continuing with those restrictions.

• Brady Dickson, chairman of the airport commission, said the N.C. Division of Aviation will work with the county on grants to get the airport in Star up to minimum standards. The report on the status of the airport will be presented at the February meeting.

• Brenda Caudill, health educator, and Julie Clark, health director, reported on the State of the County Health Report 2010. The report is online at www.montgomerycountync.com.

Caudill said the health department is in the process of being accredited by the state, a new designation for health departments.

Clark said the latest grant to the department was for $18,000 to build a walking trail at East Middle School and form community walking clubs.