Sweetwater County will look at offering a volunteer separation program for employees who qualify. During the Sweetwater County Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning, human resources director Garry McLean presented the board with information about the Voluntary Separation Program.
McLean said since 2012, the county has offered early retirement packages when it saw a reduction in the oil and gas industry.
He said the county was being proactive when they had money to come up with the early retirement program.
“We are still at the point were we have that,” McLean said.
In the past, employees near retirement age were interested in the program, but the cost of health insurance was an issue.The early retirement program was a way for them to pay for insurance until they qualified for Medicaid.Since then, staff has been reduced from 323 to 250 for a savings of about $13.5 million in salaries and benefits. This is one of the reasons the county hasn’t had to lay off employees, when other counties have had to as money continues to get tight.
Under this VSP program, full-time employees who have worked with the county for 8 years qualify for the one time, $30,000 payment. However, department leaders and elected officials must agree not to restaff the vacancy.
“This is entirely voluntary,” chairman Wally Johnson said. “We have not laid off one person.”
Those who remain in all the departments where early retirements have taken place, have picked up the slack, he said and it’s appreciated.
“It’s been extremely well received,” Johnson said.
McLean said everyone has a different situation and they try to meet people where they are at. He figured about 10 employees would stop by his office to talk about the program and maybe half of those would pursue it."
Commissioner Roy Lloyd asked if any analysis of the departments was completed to determine which departments could handle an early retirement and which ones couldn’t. McLean said he spoke with department leaders and elected officials about the program. Lloyd also asked if morale was a problem if some employees were not allowed to take the offer. McLean said that hasn’t been an issue.
Commissioner Randy Wendling said in the future he would like to see the department leaders and elected officials work with McLean on this program and what’s offered in it.
Some suggestions were made about changing the wording of the proposed program to allow for replacements to be allowed in certain circumstances if cost savings could still happen, but no action was taken.
The Commissioners approved a motion stating McLean would speak to department heads and elections officials and have the Volunteer Separation Program resolution ready for the next meeting.
Other business
After about an hour and 15 minute executive session for legal and personnel issues, the Commissioners made a motion and approved a release agreement and severance pay package with a county employee that they did not
name.
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