Galveston County employees, including those who live in Friendswood and Clear Lake Shores, could lose the ability to carry over unused vacation days or cash out leave at retirement under a broad policy proposal headed to a workshop Monday, Aug. 17.

Commissioner Joe Giusti told KGTX 7 News on Wednesday, Aug. 12, that the proposed changes to HR Policy Manual HR-008 would go through a workshop before commissioners make any final decision. The special meeting of Commissioners Court is set for 9:30 a.m. at the Galveston County Annex on Calder Road in League City.

"Our employees are our greatest asset," Giusti said. "We're not the highest paid folks around, but we've always touted the great benefits they do have. I don't wanna particularly see us change them that much. Should we change some things? Yes. But not all of it."

What would change

The preliminary proposal would shift vacation from biweekly accrual to annual awards: 80 hours for employees with one to four years of service, 120 hours for five to nine years and 160 hours for 10 or more years. Unused vacation would be forfeited at year-end with no carryover, replacing the current policy that allows up to 150% carryover.

The proposal would also eliminate all payouts for unused vacation at separation, retirement or death. Under the current system, employees can receive payouts of up to 120 hours or 150% of their annual entitlement depending on hire date.

Sick leave would shift to an annual 80-hour award with a 320-hour cap on total balance. Employees hired before Oct. 1, 2011, who currently qualify for partial sick-leave payouts would lose that benefit. No employee would receive any sick-leave payout under the new rules.

Workers who call in sick the day before or after a county holiday would need medical documentation and department-head approval.

Why the county says it's needed

Giusti said accumulated employee leave creates an unfunded financial liability that could affect the county's bond rating. As of Aug. 12, the county had not disclosed the dollar value of that liability, the projected savings from the proposal or whether a bond-rating agency had specifically flagged the issue.

Giusti said he was unsure who developed the proposal but said the Human Resources Department brought it to his attention.

Employees caught off guard

Multiple county employees contacted KGTX 7 to voice concerns. One anonymous worker said they learned about the changes from a coworker who had heard about it from someone reviewing the Commissioners Court agenda, not through any official county communication.

KGTX 7 reported it had not confirmed what notice, if any, employees received before the proposal appeared on the agenda. An employee also raised questions about how eliminating banked leave would affect workers needing extended absences such as maternity leave. How the proposal would interact with FMLA or short-term disability has not been determined.

What's not decided

Nothing in the proposal has been adopted. Commissioners could modify or remove any provision after the workshop. Whether existing leave balances would be grandfathered for long-tenured employees remains unanswered.

Galveston County employs between 1,001 and 5,000 workers. Both Friendswood and Clear Lake Shores sit within the county, meaning local residents on the county payroll would feel any adopted changes directly.

The Aug. 17 workshop begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Calder Road annex in League City. No date for a formal vote has been set.