County weighs sick-pay policies

Monday, Feb. 10, 2003 | 10:54 a.m.

The Clark County Commission next week will consider changing the sick-pay policy for elected officials.

The commissioners will hold a public hearing Feb. 18 on an ordinance that would take sick pay away from seven elected positions in the county. The positions are treasurer, assessor, sheriff, county clerk, recorder, district attorney and public administrator.

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, who asked for the ordinance, said it is not appropriate that elected officials -- essentially, the bosses of their departments -- can get pay for years of unused sick leave.

Because they are bosses, no one keeps track of the sick leave that those elected officials take, he said.

The policy has been that the elected officials simply report how many hours for back sick pay they are owed when they leave office. Unless contested by the county, the officials then would receive a check for half of the usual pay for those hours.

If contested by county staff, the Clark County commissioners -- who as part-time officials do not receive such a perk -- would ultimately decide whether to pay for the unused sick time.

The issue raised eyebrows in January when former Recorder Judith Vandever, who was out of her office for months last year, asked for more than $19,000 in sick pay she said she accrued over eight years in office.

Vandever subsequently withdrew her claim.

Commission Chairwoman Mary Kincaid-Chauncey said the new policy, if adopted, would not affect sitting office holders retroactively. Four of the positions are held by new officials who would be only minimally affected, county spokeswoman Stacey Welling said.

But three officials have built up thousands of dollars worth of sick time. Assessor Mark Schofield has accrued about 1,200 hours, worth about $21,000; Treasurer Laura Fitzpatrick and County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre both have nearly 500 hours, worth about $8,700.

Schofield, whose staff calculates tax rates for homeowners and businesses throughout the county, said he is not eager to collect the sick-time bonus.

"I don't know if I would even file a claim," he said. "I happen to agree with the commissioners' decision" to consider changing the present system.

The system was under scrutiny before Vandever filed her claim, he said.

"I thought this was going to happen sooner or later," Schofield said, adding that the county's elected officials' work habits, sick time and other issues are judged by the voters.

"We are employed by the citizens of Clark County, and we answer only to the citizens of Clark County."