Frederick County employees could see their sick leave, holidays and pensions cut as commissioners continue to look for ways to reduce costs.

The Frederick Board of County Commissioners will discuss a proposal today to cut benefits for the county’s 2,250 full-time employees and any new hires.

Mitch Hose, director of the county’s Human Resources Division, first told commissioners his recommendations for benefit changes at a meeting Sept. 8. Hose said he looked at the benefits the state, City of Frederick, Frederick County Public Schools, Frederick Community College and surrounding counties provide to their employees as a guide in making his recommendations.

Hose said his recommendations are based on data used by other government entities to retain employees and attract new workers.

“What we don’t want to do is strip the benefits and not be able to retain or attract employees,” he said. “That is very important.”

Commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. today in the third floor hearing room of Winchester Hall, 12 E. Church St., Frederick.

The recommendations include changes to the sick leave policy. For instance, sick leave currently is accrued based on the number of years the employee has worked for the county. Employees working for the county for two years or fewer accrue 9.75 days of sick leave per year. Employees with two to 10 years get 16.25 days per year, and employees with 10 years or more accrue 22.75 days of sick leave.

Hose recommended that starting Jan. 1, employees with two or more years of service would accrue 12 days annually. There would be no changes to employees with two years or fewer of service.

“Current employees would be able to keep the sick leave they have already accrued,” he said.

Hose also recommended that extended sick leave, or short-term disability benefits, be shortened from 12 months to six months, starting July 1. If the employee is unable to return to work after the six months, the county will not guarantee their job. The county will offer a long-term disability benefit the employee may purchase. But the county will not contribute any money.

Employees already on extended sick leave would be allowed the full 12 months, Hose said.

Changes to holiday leave also were discussed.

County employees now get the day off for Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, the Friday following Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and for the primary and general elections.

Hose recommended the number of holidays be reduced from 13 to 11. Employees would lose Good Friday and Christmas Eve. Hose also suggested during an election year, employees no longer be off on the day of the primary or the general election.

“We now have 13 holidays, plus election day,” he said. “We feel that is a lot of holidays. We suggest that we follow the state holiday schedule. The state does not get Good Friday and Christmas Eve.”

By eliminating the holidays and the primary and general election, the county would be open an additional two to four days per year. Because the county would not have to pay overtime for employees that now have to work on those days, there would be budget savings of $180,000 per day, Hose said.

But disagreement arose when Commissioner Kirby Delauter (R), owner of the Emmitsburg construction company, W.F. Delauter and Son, said the recommended changes are better than what employees receive working in the private sector.

“It’s still twice as much as the private sector,” said Delauter, who suggested the county look at the benefits provided by small businesses as a comparison.

Hose said they looked at other counties as a comparison, because the employees they want to attract typically work in county government jobs. “In many cases when we compete, it’s with other governments,” he said.

Finally, starting July 1, new employees, with the exception of law enforcement and firefighters, would be required to contribute 6 percent of their pay to their pension, instead of the current 4 percent.

Firefighters and law enforcement would contribute 9 percent, instead of 8 percent.

sgreenfield@gazette.net