The three members of the Ohio County Commission released their first statement in reference to a lawsuit filed in December by Ohio County sheriffs’ deputies and by other Ohio County employees.
Each of the lawsuits alleged improper wage and payment issues.
‘The Ohio County Commission wants to be sure that the citizens of Ohio County understand that general public safety, especially during a pandemic, is a primarily governmental goal that the Ohio County Commission takes seriously. This statement is to dispel some misconceptions that have been asse1ied by a lawsuit filed by the Ohio County Sheriffs’ deputies against the Ohio County Commission. To the extent that a contra1y message has been placed in the media for debate, the Ohio County Commission intends this statement to reinforce its commitment to public safety. While the Ohio County Commission appreciates the hard work and dedication that our men and women in law enforcement provide for our citizens, we are compelled to affirmatively counter assertions made in the press suggesting that the Ohio County Commission unfairly treated employees of the Ohio County Sheriffs Department.
First and foremost, no employee or deputy “lost” a week’s paycheck when the Ohio County Commission converted its payment of wages from a payment in advance model to a model of paying each employee of the County after they have actually worked the hours of each week. The payment model of paying employees for what they actually worked is a model called “payment in arrears”. This is one of the most common forms of payment models which provides ample time for proper payroll processing and paying employees for time actually worked and not in advance. Counter to what has been portrayed, the Ohio County Commission’s change in payroll models was making payroll operations more efficient, paying for work already performed, and making all payroll processing consistent across all County departments and elected official offices.
To implement the payment in arrears system, the County made it known to all employees, elected officials, and department managers of the Ohio County Commission’s intent to change the model in advance. In the proper time frame, the County provided each employee and office/department impacted the opportunity to meet with each employee group and/or individually to explain the change in payment model. Also, if any employee was burdened by the change in systems, the Ohio County Commission stood ready to help the employee through the transition. Some elected officials participated in such meetings to understand the change, but some did not, including the Sheriff and his department.‘three
