Commissioners Notebook: August 2024

Published on August 16, 2024

Cabarrus County’s Human Resources (HR) department is working to enhance time-off benefits to make the County more competitive in the job market.  

Commissioners heard recommendations for several initiatives, including enhanced vacation, bereavement and parental leave, at the August 5 Work Session.  

HR Director Lundee Covington and HR Strategy Manager Ashley Dobbins presented the recommendations, saying they could help make Cabarrus County more attractive to job seekers.   

In January, the HR department surveyed 18 surrounding jurisdictions and found that Cabarrus County was lacking in several areas involving time-off benefits. 

HR initially presented the findings to commissioners during the February budget retreat, then began working on ways to stay competitive with other employers.  

Enhancing vacation time 

The HR team suggested adjusting vacation policies for all levels to be more in line with other jurisdictions. 

Each vacation-leave tier is based on years of service and would receive at least an annual two-day increase of vacation time. The increase varies among tiers.  

For example, employees with between 10 and 15 years of service currently receive 15 vacation days. The HR department requested an increase to 18 days.

Other recommended enhancements focused on recruitment and retention efforts.  

The HR team proposed enhanced consideration of years of experience in NC local or state government for new team members. 

For example, if an applicant has 11 years of experience in NC local government, they would earn vacation accruals at the proposed rate of 18 days per year.  

“We have lost experienced candidates because we don’t currently offer this,” Dobbins told the board. “It’s difficult to convince a tenured candidate to walk away from 18 days off and starting over with 10 days off.” 

The HR department plans to retain employees by determining their total experience in NC local government or state service and placing them in the appropriate accrual rate. 

Implementing bereavement leave 

Cabarrus County does not currently offer a separate bereavement leave bank for employees. 

The January survey found that half of the 18 jurisdictions offer time off for those who have lost immediate family members.

Commissioners discussed the proposal and concluded that the County should offer five paid bereavement days per occurrence, with no yearly cap.  

The HR team initially proposed three paid bereavement days per occurrence. Commissioner Kenny Wortman, who works at a funeral home, suggested increasing the days to give employees more time to prepare and grieve.  

Establishing parental bonding leave 

Parental bonding leave was also proposed during the Work Session. Currently, Cabarrus County doesn’t offer separate leave for employees to care for and bond with a newborn or a child coming into their home through adoption, long-term foster placement or guardianship. 

HR recommended six weeks of leave time for the birthing parent, to include a medical and recovery period, and four weeks of leave for a non-birthing parent or adoption, long-term foster or guardianship. 

According to the survey of other jurisdictions, 66% offer paid parental leave. 

To be eligible, an employee must be full- or part-time and scheduled to work more than 1,000 hours yearly. Part-time employees would receive a prorated amount of leave time based on their status. 

Employees must be with the County for at least a year to receive parental leave benefits, according to the proposal. 

Commissioners are expected to vote on the recommendations at the August 19 Regular Meeting. 

During the August Work Session, Commissioners also: 

• Heard from Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tessa Burchett on the third and final Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) grant award. The funding is used to expand the Traffic Enforcement and Education Unit. Burchett told Commissioners that one of the department’s goals is to reduce youth accidents. “The program has been a huge success,” Burchett said. “We’ve been able to decrease accidents and fatalities by going into the schools and working with our young drivers.” The department was awarded $126,672. A 50% County match is required to cover salaries.  

• Heard from Active Living and Parks Project and Events Manager Ian Sweeney on the Healthy Aging NC grant. The department received $5,000 that will be used to provide free exercise programs at the Concord Senior Center. Funded programs include Walk with Ease, Tai Chi for Arthritis and Living Healthy with Chronic Pain. No County match is required. 

• Heard from Library Director Melanie Holles on an initiative for National Library Card Sign-Up Month, which is observed in September. Holles requested waiving the $2 replacement fee for missing or lost cards to encourage residents to get a library card. 

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on all the items Monday’s Regular Meeting. 

To watch the full August Work Session, visit youtube.com/cabarruscounty. 

The Regular Meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Monday (August 19) at the Cabarrus County Government Center in downtown Concord.  

Residents can watch commissioner meetings on the Cabarrus County livestream at cabarruscounty.us, on YouTube (@CabarrusCounty) and on CabCo TV (Spectrum Cable Channel 22).  

Stay updated on these and all County programs and projects by visiting cabarruscounty.us and following Cabarrus County at facebook.com/cabarruscounty and on Twitter and Instagram @CabarrusCounty.