Item Coversheet

Spotsylvania County
Board of Supervisors Agenda
Executive Summary




Meeting Date:
January 26, 2021
Title:
Budget Adjustment & Appropriation for Bonuses Stemming from State Requirement for Bonuses for Certain Sheriff’s Office Positions

Type:
Action, Appropriation
Agenda Title:
Budget Adjustment & Appropriation for Bonuses Stemming from State Requirement for Bonuses for Certain Sheriff’s Office Positions
Recommendation:

Staff recommends approval of the attached budget adjustment and appropriation which is consistent with staff’s recommendation that the bonus be extended to all position titles on the Public Safety Pay Scale approved by the Board last year. 

Summary:

Actions taken by the Governor and General Assembly during the 2020 Special Session required that a one-time, $500 bonus be paid in December 2020 to Compensation Board-funded sworn positions in the Sheriff’s Office, all of which are full-time positions.  Out of all 255 budgeted full-time Public Safety Pay Scale positions in the Sheriff’s Office, only 87 of those are sworn positions funded through the Comp Board.  As such, we can expect to receive a total of $46,828 from the State to fund the required $500 bonus (and related FICA benefits) for 87 full-time, sworn Sheriff’s Office employees.  It is only these 87 employees to whom we were required to pay the bonus in December 2020, and the Board voted on December 8 to move ahead first only with the 87 required bonuses and for staff to return with additional information at the first Board meeting in January 2021.  The item was tabled at the first January meeting with instructions from the Board to bring the item back to the second January meeting. 

 

Though not required by State actions and now law, County Administration recommends that this bonus be extended to all position titles on the Public Safety Pay Scale approved by the Board last year.  This allows for all sworn positions – not just those funded by the Comp Board – as well as Communications Operators and Communications Officers to be included in the bonus payment.  Further, we recommend that regular part-time employees in positions with titles on the Public Safety Pay Scale receive a pro-rated bonus commensurate with their FTE.  For example, a part-time Sheriff’s Deputy occupying a 0.63 FTE would receive a one-time $315 bonus.  Those in the Sheriff’s Office and Fire/Rescue not receiving a bonus under this recommendation are those in administrative positions and/or who are temporary/other-than-regular part-time employees.  The staff recommendation is reflected in the attached budget adjustment and appropriation.

 

To be consistent with the parameters of the State-mandated bonus, we are using December 1, 2020 as the date on which employees must have been employed in Public Safety Pay Scale positions to qualify for the bonus.

 

A Board member asked what it would cost to extend the bonus to full-time and regular part-time FTEs beyond just those on the Public Safety Pay Scale and then requested that staff bring back information regarding the cost of a bonus for full-time and regular part-time FTEs making $80,000 or less.  The costs and number of employees affected are shown in the following table.  It should be noted that 25 (29%) of the 87 Sheriff’s Office employees who received the State- mandated bonus in December have salaries of $80,000 or more.  The 87 employees to whom the State-mandated bonus was paid in December are excluded from the figures in the table.

 

Scenario*

All

$80,000 or Less

Cost

Count

Cost

Count

Public Safety (PS) Scale positions

$212,312

403

$187,553

357

All Employees (includes PS)

$531,839

1,036

$459,714

902

*Applicable to Full-Time and Regular Part-Time positions with an associated FTE.

Financial Impact:

Please see the table above.  The budget amendment and appropriation attached are consistent with staff's recommendation to provide the bonus to all full-time and regular part-time employees in positions on the Public Safety Scale.  Should the Board choose one of the other three alternatives shown in the table, staff will have the necessary budget adjustments and appropriations available for the Board's approval on January 26.

Staff Contacts:
Bonnie Jewell, Assistant County Administrator/Chief Financial Officer
Additional Background/Other Considerations:
Please be aware that the State's budget for FY 2022 currently includes a 1.5% bonus to be provided in September 2021 to all Constitutional Officers and the Compensation Board-funded staff positions within those offices so long as the State's year-end revenues meet or exceed the revenue forecast.  It has generally been the case that we have extended State-required changes for Comp Board-funded staff to all employees within the affected Constitutional Office.    
Consequence of Denial/Inaction:

If no action is taken on this matter, bonuses will not be provided to any employees beyond those 87 Sheriff’s Office employees to whom the County was required by the State to pay $500 bonuses in December.

ATTACHMENTS:
File NameDescriptionType
Public_Safety_Bonus_-_Budget_Adjustment_(P.S._FT___Reg_PT_FTEs).docxBudget AdjustmentBudget Amendment
Bonuses_slide.pptxSlide with Costs of ScenariosPresentation
Public_Safety_Bonus_-_Appropriation_(P.S._FT__Reg_PT_FTEs).docAppropriationAppropriation