(A) The Judge/Executive shall be responsible for the development of a classification and pay plan and policies procedures as approved by the County Fiscal Court.
(B) All department heads shall keep on file, a written description of each job in his or her department, including, but not limited to, characteristics of the position; examples of duties, training, and experience needed; special knowledge, skills, or abilities needed; and physical requirements and environmental conditions. Each department head shall submit all job descriptions to the County Judge/Executive to keep on file in his or her office and to be adopted as part of this section. For job descriptions, see Chapter 32 of this code of ordinances.
(C) Records of employee work activity shall be maintained by the supervisor or a delegated employee of each department or office of the county. Absence from work shall be indicated on each employee’s time card along with the type of leave, if any, the employee is entitled to. If an employee is absent because of his or her own sickness, or sickness of immediate family, and has accumulated leave, eight should be indicted on his or her time card in the total hours worked column as 8s. In a like manner leave or holiday time should be indicated as 81, 8h, and 8m respectively. If paid leave is not deserved, the space shall be left blank. The supervisor and employee shall both certify by their signatures on each time card the correctness of time shown. Cumulative records will also be maintained by the Treasurer’s Office based on the certified time cards furnished to his or her office. No employee will be paid for time not deserved. Any attempt to falsify time records shall be cause for discipline.
(D) The following are various types of employment practiced by the county. Each type may be accorded different benefits.
(1) Salaried employee. One who is employed by the county on a salary basis as opposed to an hourly wage, contract, fee, or other basis (leave out monthly);
(2) Part-time employee. One who is employed to work on average, 23 hours or less per week at an hourly or per diem rate of compensation. If an employee must be hired to work 24 to 34 hours per week, he or she will be considered part-time except in regard to the County Employees Retirement System in which he or she must participate. Part-time employees shall be considered at-will employees, and may be discharged by a supervisor, without cause, at any time. Appeal of such action shall not be granted under any circumstances;
(3) Full-time employee. One who is employed to work 34 to 40 hours per week at an hourly rate. A time card must reflect whatever leave is used to make up time not worked up to 34 hours. However, in special circumstances, when all paid leave is used up, an employee may retain full-time status by working at least 28 hours per week; or
(4) Temporary employee. One who is employed for a limited period of time, who may be discharged by a supervisor at any time, or without cause. Appeal shall not be granted. This includes seasonal employees.
(E) Leave for all regular employees of the county will be as follows:
(1) Eight hours paid leave is earned per calendar month worked. Said days may be taken after the end of the calendar month that they are earned, upon approval of the supervisor. There shall be no limit to the accumulation of leave time. A supervisor may refuse to grant an employee leave at a particular time should the employee fail to request the leave two weeks in advance, or if the work of the office would be seriously interrupted. Leave may be taken a day at a time as needed or during a continuous period. Regular employees of Barren County Fiscal Court who leave employment in good standing after December 31, 1995, and have had five or more years of experience shall have an additional amount not exceeding statutory limits, added to their last year’s salary as defined by the Barren County Administrative Code. This amount shall be calculated at 30% of the value of each unused accumulated leave and sick leave day computed from the employee’s current salary schedule. Retroactive to January 1, 1997, in the case of employee death, 100% of earned, unused leave and sick leave will be paid to said employee’s estate.
(2) An employee hired on or before the seventh of the month receives one leave day for that month. If hired between the seventh and the twenty-third, he or she will receive one-half day leave for that month. No time will be accumulated if he or she is hired after the twenty-third.
(3) Part-time and temporary employees shall not earn leave time. Part-time or temporary employees who are advanced to full-time employment shall accumulate leave retroactive to the time of temporary employment not to exceed three days if full-time hours were worked during the temporary period.
(4) Should an employee depart from his or her job on or prior to the seventh of a calendar month, he or she shall not be credited with any leave for that month; departing on the eighth of a calendar month of any day prior to and including the fifteenth of that month, shall be credited with one- half day leave; one departing on the sixteenth of a calendar month or any day thereafter shall be credited with one full day leave.
(5) (a) Sick leave shall be granted at eight hours for each month of full-time employment. Sick leave shall be used for sickness of employee or member of employee’s immediate family only. Certification shall be signed by the employee and his or her supervisor that leave was taken for sickness of the employee or member of employee’s immediate family.
(b) Use of sick leave for any purpose other than sick leave shall be grounds for immediate suspension from the job without pay for the number of days of abused sick leave and loss of all accumulated sick leave. Any subsequent violation shall be grounds for immediate dismissal without appeal. There shall be no limit to the accumulation of sick leave time. This division (E)(5) shall become effective retroactive to January 1, 1996.
(c) Sick leave days may be only transferred between employees within the same department, if employees agree to the transfer in writing and upon approval of supervisor.
(F) Leave with pay may be authorized in order that employees may serve required jury duty, military leave, or attend meetings of beneficial nature to the county. The employee shall receive regular pay for an eight-hour day for each day absent due to the circumstances named above in addition to the pay received from the Court of Justice or Armed Forces for a period not to exceed two weeks. The supervisor and County Judge/Executive must approve such leave in advance.
(1) A maximum of two working hours shall be granted to an employee who requests it for time to vote.
(2) An employee shall be granted up to three paid working days off in case of death in the immediate family. Immediate family shall include parents, grandparents, spouse, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, step-family, foster family, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and immediate in- laws. Pay for each day of bereavement leave taken will be made at the employee’s current rate of pay for a scheduled day’s work, not to exceed the hours for which the employee is normally scheduled to work, or his or her average hours worked per day (normal work week divided by five), whichever is greater. Any holidays or days of administrative closing occurring during this time will be counted as part of the bereavement leave and recorded as holiday(s) and/or day(s) of administrative closing pay. If additional time off is needed, the employee may request the use of sick time, accrued vacation, or leave without pay. Bereavement leave time shall be included in the calculation of overtime.
(G) If an employee is hired 30 days or less after employment has been terminated, he or she may be reinstated and his or her absence will be treated as unpaid leave. The Fiscal Court will continue paying the normal contribution to benefits during said leave time.
(H) (1) All employees of the county who work full-time hours during the pay period including a holiday may be absent from duty with full pay on the following holidays: The following holiday schedule will be adjusted accordingly to match the State of Kentucky’s calendar year dates.
(a) New Year’s Day: full day (eight hours);
(b) Martin Luther King Jr. Day: full day (eight hours);
(c) President’s Day: full day (eight hours);
(d) Good Friday: one half day;
(e) Memorial Day: full day (eight hours);
(f) Juneteenth: full day (eight hours);
(g) Independence Day: full day (eight hours);
(h) Labor Day: full day (eight hours);
(i) Veteran’s Day: full day (eight hours);
(j) Thanksgiving Day: full day (eight hours);
(k) Day after Thanksgiving: full day (eight hours);
(l) Christmas Eve: full day (eight hours);
(m) Christmas Day: full day (eight hours);
(n) New Years Eve; full day (eight hours); and
(o) New Years Day; full day (eight hours).
(2) Employees whose attendance is required at work on the days the county observes for holidays shall receive eight hours holiday pay in addition to the pay they receive for their time worked. When a holiday falls on an employee’s regular day off, he or she shall be allowed equivalent time off or eight hours holiday pay. Holiday hours shall be included in the tabulation of overtime. A holiday shall not count as a leave or sick leave day.
(3) These employees deemed to be non-exempt salary employees, under the provisions of the federal and state wage and hours laws, may accrue compensatory time at a rate of one and one-half times for work performed over and above the hours worked in a normal workweek, up to a maximum of 160 hours. Compensatory time accrued beyond these limits shall be forfeited.
(a) Law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency response personnel, may accrue up to 480 hours of comp time.
(b) An employee must be permitted to use comp time on the date requested unless doing so would "unduly disrupt" the operations of the agency.
(4) Regular full-time employees will be allowed to be absent from duty with full pay for eight hours during the month in which their birthday occurs. This is a discretionary holiday, which is lost if not taken within the month of the employee’s birthday.
(I) Normally, wage earners will be required to work an eight-hour day and a five-day week. A lunch break will be allowed without compensation. Corrections Center personnel, Deputy Sheriffs, and Road Department personnel will work on a schedule determined to be best suited to the particular situation by the supervisor and approved by the Fiscal Court.
(J) When it is necessary for a person to be late or absent from work, he or she shall notify his or her immediate supervisor of his or her whereabouts and approximate time of return to work. An employee’s absence from work for three consecutive work days without notification is considered a resignation unless circumstances are such that it is impossible to give notice. Lateness or absenteeism without just cause is sufficient reason for discipline in the way of suspension or termination as determined by the supervisor.
(K) Each new employee will be on a temporary period for three months following his or her date of employment. A person on a temporary period as a new employee shall not be entitled to any grievance appeal. Temporary employees shall not accumulate leave or sick leave time until their temporary period is over, at which time their leave and sick leave time will be retroactive to the date they were first employed.
(L) The amount paid an employee will be suggested by the supervisor, in writing, and submitted by the County Judge/Executive to the Fiscal Court. Salary level will depend on the employee’s level of education, skill required by the job, previous experience, and quality of work performed.
(M) Necessary overtime work must be authorized by supervisors. Personnel will be compensated by equivalent time off during the work week or by payment during the work week or by payment of time and one-half for all hours worked over 40 hours per week. Holiday leave will be included in overtime tabulation. The work week for all county offices will be the calendar week. Supervisory employees will not be subject to overtime pay for duty beyond the normal work week.
(N) County employees will be covered by worker’s compensation insurance. Any employee injured on the job will receive regular pay for the day of the injury. Sick leave may be used for the days he or she is away from work. Once sick leave is exhausted, leave time may be used.
(O) (1) Full-time county employees may elect to participate in a flexible benefits plan. The county will pay, as a pre-tax benefit under I.R.C. § 125, a specific dollar benefit via a cafeteria plan for the benefit of the employee. The Fiscal Court shall, by budget resolution, set the monthly amount on or before July 1 of each year. The Fiscal Court will continue paying the normal contribution to the benefits package for temporarily laid-off employees and employees on sick leave for a period not to exceed six months.
(2) An employee will be eligible for health insurance and any other benefits 60 days after the date of employment. However, elected officials, the County Road Supervisor, and the County Treasurer will be eligible for all benefits immediately upon election or appointment.
(3) All full-time employees must participate in the county’s health insurance group with the following exceptions:
(a) They are an elected official;
(b) They have proof of spousal group coverage;
(c) They have proof of coverage with the military;
(d) They have proof of coverage with a retirement plan; or
(e) They had non-group coverage prior to June 1, 2006.
(P) Full-time employees of the county must participate in the County Employees Retirement System. Contributions will be deducted from wages and placed in the Retirement Fund. Upon termination from county employment, contributions may be withdrawn by an employee.
(Q) (1) (a) A supervisor may for good cause discipline an employee.
(b) Methods of discipline shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Reprimand;
2. Suspension;
3. Demotion; or
4. Dismissal.
(c) The County Judge/Executive may intervene on behalf of the county in cases where the supervisor has no knowledge of the infraction or does not act in good faith.
(2) (a) A supervisor may suspend an employee without pay for a period not to exceed two weeks or 80 hours for disciplinary reasons. Notice of suspension shall be provided to the County Judge/Executive.
(b) A supervisor may demote an employee to a lower salary or wage, a temporary or part-time position, and/or a less demanding position. Notice of demotion shall be provided to the County Judge/Executive.
(c) A supervisor may dismiss an employee for a severe infraction of county policy, incompetence, or other undesirable behavior. Notice, along with reasons for said action, shall be submitted to the County Judge/Executive for approval or disapproval by County Fiscal Court.
(d) Employees must sign a witnessed statement upon their termination giving the reason for their termination. This statement will be kept in the Treasurer’s office.
(3) A supervisor may demote an employee to a lower salary or wage, a temporary or part-time position, and/or a less demanding position. Notice of demotion shall be provided to the County Judge/Executive. Upon written request of the affected employee, the County Judge/Executive may reverse the supervisor’s decision. Further appeal may be granted, upon written request by the affected employee, before County Fiscal Court.
(R) Full-time salaried and full-time hourly employees shall be eligible for all leave benefits. Elected officials are exempt. Elected officials as well as full-time salaried and full-time hourly employees are eligible for participation in the health insurance and flexible benefits plans.
(S) All employees of the County Fiscal Court will be reimbursed at a rate not to exceed $30 daily for meals consumed during the course of out of town travel or training required by their employment. This amount includes taxes and tips and will exclude alcoholic beverages. Lodging for the employee only will be reimbursed dollar for dollar excluding entertainment charges and personal telephone calls. Parking fees shall also be reimbursed dollar for dollar. Requests for reimbursement shall be accompanied by proper receipts signed by the employee and supervisor.
(T) Every male who is at least 18 years old, but has not yet attained the age of 26 years old, seeking employment with the County of Barren shall submit documentation evidencing his registration or exception from registration with the Federal Selective Service System.
(Ord. 215, passed 2-1-1995; Ord. 258, passed 2-21-1996; Ord. 326, passed 9-8-1999; Ord. 270, passed 6-26-1996; Ord. 284, passed 5-6-1997; Ord. 290, passed 8-19-1997; Ord. 355, passed 12-5-2000; Ord. 357, passed 1-3-2001; Ord. 411, passed 6-22-2004; Ord. 429, passed 7-19-2005; Ord. 442, passed 6-20-2006; Ord. 446, passed 9-6-2006; Ord. 460, passed 7-3-2007; Ord. 461, passed 7-3-2007; Ord. 585, passed 11-15- 2016; Ord. 592, passed 6-20-2017; Ord. 644, passed 7-21-2020)