Administrative leave pay that was awarded to county employees for time missed during January’s ice storm will remain in place.
District 3 Supervisor Sherry Gaston asked the board on Monday to change her original vote in favor of the paid leave to a nay, because she is unsure of the legality of the payments.
Board Attorney Johnny McWilliams offered some reassurance during Monday’s meeting that the administrative leave was legal.
During the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Legislature put into place a law that allows for administrative leave to be granted when the governor has declared an emergency.
Gov. Tate Reeves did indeed declare an emergency the weekend the ice storm hit that seemed to indicate was good for the entire week.
Sunflower County employees were paid for Tuesday-Thursday. Monday was a holiday and most had returned to work by Friday.
District 2 Supervisor Riley Rice wanted to change his vote as well, but District 5 Supervisor Gloria Dickerson asked him to hold for a state auditor’s opinion since another nay would change the original board action and trigger deductions for employees during a subsequent pay period.
District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald voted no on the original motion back January.
The subject of administrative leave came up later in the meeting when Chancery Clerk Dr. Gloria McIntosh presented the board with four options for an official county policy on administrative leave being granted due to inclement weather.
Option one offered zero days of admin leave, allowing employees to use personal leave time and medical leave in order to get paid for those days.
Option two allowed for one paid day and the use of paid and medical leave.
Option three allowed for up to four days of paid time, with the option of using paid and medical leave.
Option four allowed more days, but essential workers would work at regular pay, plus half administrative leave pay.
“I don’t agree with any of the options,” Donald said, later adding, “I believe that in times of inclement weather and disasters that the Board of Supervisors should have emergency meetings. From that emergency meeting, you determine at that time how people go forward with this.”
Some of the board members were more keen on options three and four, but it was eventually determined that the board would discuss further in a work session.
