Document alpinecountyca_gov_doc_7df9f734df

Item 7.4 AGENDA TRANSMITTAL TO: Board of Supervisors FROM: Sarah Simis, Asst. CEO to HR and Risk Mgmt DATE OF MEETING: November 4, 2025 PREPARED BY: Sarah Simis, Asst. CEO to HR and Risk Mgmt TITLE: Amendment #1 to Policy # CC2024-23, Alpine County Unrepresented Employee Compensation, Benefits, and Leave Policy Section 6.4 Longevity Step Increase Language. - Assistant CEO to Personnel and Risk Management SUMMARY: CalPERS has recommended the following changes to the longevity step increase language to ensure the longevity pay provision aligns with the CalPERS requirements under Government Code §20636 and CCR §571, ensure it is reportable compensation, and is not misunderstood by a potential CalPERS Audit. FISCAL IMPACT: Is this item allocated in the current budget?Yes Is this a one-time expenditure?No Anticipated Cost Current Fiscal: Total Anticipated Cost: Source: RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approved revised language BOS 2021-2026 STRATEGIC GOAL: Critical Issue: 2. Staffing INSTRUCTIONS TO CLERK: Copy to Sarah Simis Page 38 of 224 APPROVED 11/04/2025 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 1 COUNTY OF ALPINE PERSONNEL POLICY TITLE: ALPINE COUNTY UNREPRESENTED EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND LEAVE POLICY POLICY NUMBER: CC2024-23 DATE APPROVED: 07/02/2024 REVISED: 11/4/2025 Contents SECTION 1 TITLE AND EFFECTIVE EFFECTIVE CHANGES AND MODIFICATIONS SECTION 2 SECTION 3 DEFINITION OF SECTION 4 PROBATIONARY AND PERMANENT STATUS 4.1 4.2 Probationary SECTION 5. PERFORMANCE 5.1 5.2 Annual 5.3 Evaluation SECTION 6. SALARIES 6.1 General Anniversary 6.2 Anniversary 6.3 Anniversary Step Raise. 6.4 Longevity Step Increase. 6.5 6.6 Calculation of 6.7 Compensatory Time Off 6.8 Salary SECTION 7. HOURS OF WORK 7.1 Work Day. 7.2 Work Week 7.3 Work shifts 7.4 Alternative Work 7.5 Breaks. Page 40 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 2 7.6 Lunch Periods 7.7 Snow Day Policy… SECTION 8. PROMOTION, RECLASSIFICATION, DEMOTION AND TRANSFERS 8.1 Definition 8.2 Promotional 8.3 8.4 Interdepartmental 8.5 Temporary assignments SECTION 9. 9.1 Furlough Defined 9.2 Furlough VOLUNTARY MANDATORY SECTION 10. 10 .1 10 .2 Return of County Property Upon Separation from 10.3 Automatic Resignation SECTION 11. SICK 11.1 General Sick Leave Policies 11.2 Use of Accrued Sick 11.3 Doctor's 11.4 Written 11.5 Sick Leave Cash-out 11.6 Exceptions. SECTION 12. LEAVES OF 12.1 Definition 12.2 No Break In Service. 12.3 Bereavement Leave. 12.4 Catastrophic 12.5 Civil Subpoena or Testimony on Behalf of 12.6 Emergency 12.7 Grand Jury 12.8 Jury 12.9 Leave of Absence Without 12.10 Light 12.11 Military 12.12 Volunteer Service. SECTION 13. HOLIDAY 13.1 Observed 13.2 Employee 13.3 Holiday Hours SECTION 14. VACATION 14.1 14.2 14.3 Pro Rata 14.4 Maximum 14.5 Cash-out and Conversion of Accrued Vacation Leave. Page 41 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 3 14.6 14.7 Professional Administrative Leave SECTION 15. EMPLOYEE HEALTH 15.1 General Health Plan 15.2. Maximum Contribution - Cost Sharing. 15.3 Eligibility for Post-Retirement Health 15.4 Cost Sharing - Post Retirement Benefits 16.1 Deferred 16.2 Disability Insurance. 16.3 Educational 16.4 Employee Assistance Program SECTION 17. RETIREMENT 17.1 Retirement 17.2 Employee / Member Contributions to PERS SECTION 18. Page 42 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 4 SECTION 1 TITLE AND EFFECTIVE DATE TITLE This Policy shall be known as the Alpine County Unrepresented Employee Compensation, Benefits, and Leave Policy. EFFECTIVE DATE Except as specified otherwise herein, the original effective date of this policy is July 2, 2024. Any prior or existing resolutions or policies governing the terms and conditions of employment specified herein and contrary to these provisions, are superseded upon the original effective date of this policy. CHANGES AND MODIFICATIONS This policy does not constitute an employment contract and is subject to revision by the Board of Supervisors in its discretion in any manner provided for by law and shall not limit the ability of the Board of Supervisors to take any action with regard to the employment relationship with unrepresented employees which is not inconsistent with established law. SECTION 2 APPLICABILITY The provisions of this policy shall apply to "Unrepresented Employees" as specified on the Alpine County Salary Schedule. "Unrepresented Employees" shall mean those employees or classes which are not represented by a recognized employee organization. For the purposes of this policy, this shall include all Department Heads, Management, Confidential Employees, and all other unrepresented employees who occupy classifications listed on the salary schedule. SECTION 3 DEFINITION OF TERMS ALLOCATED POSITION a position within a classification established by the Position Allocation List and funded through the County's budget process. APPOINTING AUTHORITY shall mean the Board, officer, or person having the power by lawfully delegated authority to make appointment to or removal from positions in County service. Unless otherwise specified by law, Department Heads shall have delegated to them the authority to appoint and terminate employees in classifications within their department. Page 43 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 5 CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEE means, for purposes of this policy, an unrepresented employee who occupies a classification listed on the Alpine County Salary Schedule exhibit as Confidential. Typically, a confidential employee is an employee who has access to confidential or discretionary information, which means information regarding, legal advice, the development of policy or procedures pertaining to labor/employee relations, or budget formulation and implementation whose functional responsibilities or knowledge makes the employee’s membership in an employee organization incompatible with the employee’s duties. CONTINUOUS SERVICE means, for the purposes of this Policy only, that service commences with the employee's anniversary date and continues until broken by resignation or dismissal from County service. DEPARTMENT HEAD shall mean a position designated by the Board of Supervisors to serve as the administrative head of a department. EXEMPT EMPLOYEE means an employee who has been designated by the County to be elective, executive, administrative, professional or other category specifically exempted from the overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and interpretive and administrative regulations. NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEE means an employee designated by the County to be in a category other than professional, administrative, executive or other related capacity and subject to the overtime pay requirements of the FLSA and interpretive and administrative regulations. SECTION 4. PROBATIONARY AND PERMANENT STATUS 4.1 General. Persons entering County service in permanent positions will be required to serve a one- year initial probationary period dating from the date of appointment. Upon determination by the department head that a probationary period has been successfully completed, the employee shall be granted permanent status. 4.2 Probationary Policies. The probationary period shall be the final phase of the examination process. It shall be used by the department head for the effective adjustment of the new employee and for the termination of any probationary employee whose performance does not meet the required standard of work. A. All appointments shall be subject to a probationary period; Time served as provisional, temporary, extra help or emergency appointees, time off during suspension, and leave without pay do not count towards the completion of a probationary period. Page 44 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 6 B. The duration of the probationary period for newly hired employees is one year. The duration of the probationary period for promoted employees is six months. The probationary period shall start on the effective date of the appointment. The probationary period shall end, and permanent status shall begin on the date of appointment to permanent status. C. Reclassified employees shall not serve probationary periods as the reclassified employee is already performing the duties satisfactorily, or the reclassification would not have occurred. D. Employees subject to interdepartmental transfers shall serve a three month probationary period. E. The department head can, at their discretion, terminate the employee at any time during the new-hire probationary period. Probation is a form of at- will employment and employees therefore do not have the right to appeal termination during this period of time. The department head can, at their discretion, end the probationary period for a promoted employee at any time during the promotion probationary period. Promoted employees shall be returned to their pre-promotion status should they not pass their promotional probationary period. F. A probationary period may be extended if the department head requires additional time to make an adequate evaluation of the employee's performance during the probationary period, or when agreed upon by both the department head and the employee in order to provide an extended period to work toward a successful completion of the probationary period. Any such extension will not affect the employee's rights to benefits provided under this policy. G. An at-will employee serves at the pleasure of the appointing authority, has no property right in continued employment with the County and is not entitled to any pre or post disciplinary procedural due process or evidentiary appeal. All Department Heads are at will employees. SECTION 5. PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS 5.1 General. Performance appraisals are a means of determining such job characteristics as adjustment to employment conditions, integration in the work force, job learning progress, attendance, and any other feature of the individual's job that is significant to the employee's retention, decision-making, and the prospects of job success. 5.2 Annual Evaluation. Subsequent to completion of the probationary period, the department head or their designee will provide a performance evaluation for each employee prior to the Page 45 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 7 employee's anniversary date and annually thereafter. A. The department head, or their designee, shall be responsible for ensuring that an employee's completed evaluation and/or other appropriate documentation, is received by the Human Resources Office prior to any proposed personnel action relating to the performance appraisal, including but not limited to, step advancement, demotion or termination. B. Department heads shall use the official evaluation form provided by the County. This form shall be made available from, and distributed by, the Human Resources Office. Use of said form does not prohibit department heads from supplementing the standardized form with additional written comments or other relative information pertinent to evaluation of the employee's performance. C. One copy of the evaluation and recommendation shall become a part of the employee's permanent personnel file. 5.3 Evaluation Process. Evaluations are intended to be participatory in nature, involving the employee's input as much as the department heads. Any evaluation, when completed, shall be reviewed with the employee by the department head during the employee's working hours, without loss of pay or benefits to the employee. A. No written evaluation shall be placed in any employee's personnel file, or other County record, until the evaluation has been reviewed with the appraised employee. Both the department head and the employee shall affix to the form their signatures and the date of review. The employee's signature shall not indicate that he/she agrees with the contents, conclusions, or recommendations of the appraisal, but only that the employee has read the appraisal and has had an opportunity to discuss it with the appraiser. The appraiser shall not add material to the appraisal after the employee and the appraiser have signed the appraisal form. B. Any employee who wishes to respond to his/her evaluation may, during the employee's working hours, make such a written response within fifteen (15) calendar days after receiving said evaluation. The response shall be presented to the department head and included in the employee's personnel file. Both the department head and the employee shall affix to such written response their signatures and the date upon which the department head receives such written response. SECTION 6. SALARIES 6.1 General Anniversary Policies. An appointment will usually be made at the first step of the appropriate five-step salary Page 46 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 8 range. Upon determination by the appointing authority that a probationary period has been successfully completed, the employee shall be granted permanent status. At this time the employee is eligible for consideration for a step increase during the five-step advancement period. 6.2 Anniversary Date. "Anniversary date" as used in this Policy means the date following completion of the probationary period and when permanent status has been achieved. The Anniversary Date determines the eligibility date of future step increases, longevity pay (if considered) and seniority status. A. An employee in their initial probationary period shall be eligible for a step raise at the end of the one-year probationary period from the date on which he or she was hired. B. Anyone hired on or after January 1, 2023, who was placed above step 1 for their initial County job classification and passed probation will receive a step increase within the first two pay periods following the Board of Supervisors adoption of revised policy. This will not change these employees’ anniversary dates. C. The permanent status of the probationary employee shall begin on the day following the end of the probationary period. D. Anniversary dates for employees initially hired in any range shall be computed using the following example: Date of Hire End Probation Anniversary Date Step 1 07-01-00 07-01-01 07-02-01 6.3 Anniversary Step Raise. A permanent employee shall receive their anniversary step raise on the date of his or her anniversary. A. The department head shall complete a written evaluation of an employee's job performance. The department head may at this time take the following action or make the following recommendation, based on the employee's evaluation: 1. Confirm that the anniversary step increase be granted based on a satisfactory or better employer evaluation. 2. Recommend that no anniversary step increase be granted because the employee's work does not meet any specified required standard. Page 47 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 9 3. Once the anniversary step is confirmed and/or approved, the step adjustment shall become effective the first full pay period after the employee's anniversary date B. One copy of the evaluation and/or recommendation shall become a permanent part of the employee's personnel file. 6.4 Longevity Step Increase. Employees will be eligible for longevity pay steps in the amount of 5.0% of base pay each after completing eight years of continuous County employment (5.0% total), after completing twelve years of continuous County employment (10.0% total) and after completing eighteen years of continuous County employment (15.0% total). Longevity pay will go into effect the first full pay period following the Board of Supervisors’ adoption of the revised policy. After that date, longevity pay steps will take effect the first full pay period following employee completion of the necessary years of service and be distributed each pay period thereafter. 6.5 Overtime. An employee may not work overtime unless directed to do so by the employee’s department head or that department head’s designee. "Overtime" is time worked in excess of forty (40) hours in any FLSA work period (usually the employee’s work week). Overtime shall be compensated at the rate of no less than one and one-half 1/2) times each employee’s regular rate of pay. A. It is the policy of the County to avoid the necessity for overtime work whenever possible. It is the department head or supervisor's responsibility to ensure that accruals of overtime are properly managed and are approved by the Board of Supervisors through the budget process. B. To obtain credit for overtime, an employee must obtain written authorization from the department head in advance of the hours worked. If prior authorization is not feasible because of emergency conditions, a confirming authorization shall be obtained as soon as possible. 6.6 Calculation of Overtime. A. An employee working in excess of forty (40) hours in an FLSA work period shall be compensated at no less than one and one-half (1-1/2) times that employee’s regular rate of pay. The calculation of overtime worked shall include only actual hours worked and shall not include vacation hours, administrative leave, compensatory time off, sick leave, or any other time during which the employee is not actually working, except that holiday hours shall be calculated as hours worked for purposes of calculating overtime. Page 48 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 10 B. When a non-exempt employee is required to work in excess of forty (40) hours in a FLSA work period, the employee may request pursuant that the hours worked be compensated as overtime pay or as compensatory time off. C. When non-exempt employees are called in to work on a holiday, compensation shall be at time and one-half for the hours worked in addition to the eight hours holiday pay. Holiday pay will be credited as CTO unless the employee has reached their CTO accrual cap. Time worked as overtime shall not be used to earn fringe benefits, credit toward step increases or longevity pay or to serve out probationary periods. 6.7 Compensatory Time Off "Compensatory time off (CTO)" as used in this Policy is paid time off given to reimburse an employee for working overtime in lieu of overtime pay. A. Any employee request to use accrued compensatory time -off in the amount of three days or less (i.e. eight-(8) hour shift/twenty-four hours requested off) can be requested and approved at the supervisory/department head level. B All non-exempt employees may accumulate a maximum of one hundred (100) hours of compensatory time-off, all overtime worked after the employee reaches this accrual cap will be paid as overtime. C. Compensatory time off shall not be unreasonably denied. D. Compensatory time-off shall be cashed-out at the employee's regular rate of pay in effect at the time of the cash-out. 6.8 Salary. Unless otherwise required by law or policy, a standard salary schedule consisting of either flat rates or five steps of or hourly salary rates in dollars for employees shall be established by the Board of Supervisors. Except as otherwise provided by law or ordinance, officers and employees shall receive the rate provided in the salary range that has been adopted by the Board of Supervisors for their respective classifications of positions. The Board of Supervisors may provide a salary increase or cost of living (COLA) increase to the unrepresented employees by separate resolution. SECTION 7. HOURS OF WORK Page 49 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 11 7.1 Workday. The provisions of this section govern hours of work for all unrepresented employees covered by this policy. Unless modified by the County through the implementation of a Furlough Plan, the standard workday of all departments shall be eight hours, five days a week, with a lunch period from one-half (1/2) to one hour as determined by each department head. However, these provisions shall not interfere with the essential services of the department. A. The standard workday for all unrepresented employees shall begin at twelve-ought-one a.m. (12:01 and end at twelve-ought-one a.m. (12:01 the following day. 7.2 Work Week. A. The standard official work week for all departments begins at twelve-ought- one (12:01) a.m., Monday and ends at twelve-ought-one (12:01) a.m., the following Monday. B. The standard work week for all exempt and non-exempt employees shall be forty (40) hours, to be worked within five consecutive days, except as modified by the department head in accordance with Section 7.4. 7.3 Work shifts. A work shift is defined as the regularly scheduled hours an employee works within the parameters of the specific work week as defined in Section 7.2 above (i.e. day shift, swing shift, night shift, or graveyard shift). For the purposes of this article, hours worked include all hours spent on the payroll. An employee's regular shift shall not be altered or flexed to avoid overtime unless mutually agreed upon by the employee and the department head. 7.4 Alternative Work Schedules. Where department heads find that an alternate workday would provide for more efficient delivery of services to the public by their department, the department head may assign such alternate daily work shifts. The County Administrative Officer may also implement alternative work schedules as part of a Furlough Plan. 7.5 Breaks. Each employee shall be entitled to take, and shall, when practicable, take, a fifteen (15) minute duty free break for each four hour portion of their normal workday. Breaks shall be taken at such times as shall be determined by the employee's department head, or his/her designee, in consultation with the employee. Breaks may not be combined, nor may they be used to shorten a workday. 7.6 Lunch Periods. Each employee shall, when practicable, take a duty-free lunch period of thirty (30) to sixty (60) minutes, as specified in advance by the department head. No employee may perform any duties during a lunch period or break unless emergency circumstances require the performance of duties during those periods as directed by the employee's Page 50 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 12 department head, or his/her designee. Lunch periods must be surrounded by scheduled work periods and may not be combined, nor may they be used to shorten a workday. 7.7 Snow Day Policy In times of inclement weather, the Sheriff or designee will recommend to the County Administrative Officer or designee that road conditions require the County to close. The County Administrative Officer will consult with the Board of Supervisors Chair regarding the closure. If the County Administrative Officer and the Board of Supervisors Chair close the County’s offices, employees will be compensated during that time. If the County parking lots and/or road conditions are not safe for employees to arrive at work at 8 a.m. the County Administrative Officer or designee will communicate with Department Heads the delay and the time employees are to report to work. When this occurs, all non-exempt employees will be paid from 8 a.m. until the time the County Administrative Officer determines they are to report to work. If the County is unable to notify employees by 7:00 a.m. during a snowstorm that the County offices will be open at 8:00 a.m., the County will pay non-exempt employees up to 8:15 a.m. if the snowstorm delays their arrival at work. If non-exempt employees are delayed arriving at work due to road conditions, they may utilize up to 30 minutes of their meal/rest breaks to make up for the time. Employees that work as a team as identified by the County Administrative Officer or designee may not use break time for this purpose. SECTION 8. PROMOTION, RECLASSIFICATION, DEMOTION AND TRANSFERS 8.1 Definition. "Promotion" as used in this Policy is the movement of an employee to a position which is assigned at a higher range on the salary schedule than the position the employee is currently in. 8.2 Promotional Policies. A. The promoted employee shall serve a probationary period, as defined in Section 4 of this Policy. The successful completion of the probationary period shall entitle the employee to a five percent step increase (unless they were placed in the top step upon promotion), and the employee's new anniversary date shall be one year from the completion of the probationary period. There is no requirement to cash out prior compensatory time accrual balances. However, if an employee cashes-out their compensatory time off accrual upon promotion, the County shall process the cash-out pursuant to Section 6.7. Page 51 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 13 B. Promotional employees are not eligible for a probationary step increase at time of promotion when said promotion occurs simultaneously with an anniversary increase or when promotion to a new range result in a 5% or higher increase. 8.3 Reclassification. "Reclassification" as used in this Policy is the change in title and range of a position based upon significant changes in kind, difficulty and responsibility of all duties assigned. A. A department head who proposes a reclassification shall present such request to the Human Resources Office and CAO for approval. B. The effective date of the reclassification shall become the employee's new anniversary date. C. No probationary period shall be served as reclassified employee is already performing the duties satisfactorily or the reclassification would not have occurred. 8.4 Interdepartmental Transfers. A department head may, after consultation with the Human Resources Director, make transfers of employees from one class within the same salary range in the office or department to another class in the department provided the employee possesses the minimum qualifications for the position to which transferred. All such transfers will be subject to a three-month evaluation period. 8.5 Temporary assignments. A department head may temporarily promote a permanent employee to a regularly authorized position in a class having a higher salary range or assign duties of a position in a higher salary range when the incumbent in such position is absent or when there is no incumbent for such position. Such temporary assignment shall not exceed a period of ninety (90) days, unless a longer period is specifically authorized by the County Administrative Officer. Such temporary promotion or assignment will not entitle the employee to additional compensation unless the appointment exceeds ten (10) working days, at which time the employee will be entitled to a five percent increase in salary commencing on the eleventh (11th) working day of appointment. At the termination of the appointment or assignment, the employee's salary will return to its previous level. SECTION 9. FURLOUGHS 9.1 Furlough Defined The furlough process is a mechanism which may help preserve jobs in the County service during time of fiscal hardship. A furlough is identified as unpaid time off as approved by the Board of Supervisors when such time off is required. An employee may not substitute vacation, sick leave or CTO for furloughed time. Page 52 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 14 9.2 Furlough Procedures Employees shall be furloughed in the following manner: VOLUNTARY FURLOUGH: The Voluntary Furlough program may be utilized. Employees are required to complete the request forms provided by the County Human Resources Department. If the request is approved, the following provisions will apply: 1. The County shall continue regularly scheduled benefits and pay its share of health premiums for furloughed employees. 2. Sick Leave and Vacation hours shall continue to accrue at the employee's regular accrual rate during furlough periods. 3. A furlough day that occurs in conjunction with a County holiday will not affect the employee's right to be paid for that holiday. 4. Furlough days will not alter an employee's date of hire, length of service or seniority. MANDATORY FURLOUGH: The Board of Supervisors may declare the need to furlough employees of the County. The County will designate days that County offices will be closed or that employees will be furloughed. Unless instructed to work, employees will utilize furlough hours on designated furlough days or the days the County offices are closed. In the event of a mandatory furlough implemented through a modified work schedule that decreases the number of days worked per week but increases the number of hours worked per day, holiday pay shall be based on the average number of hours per workday under the modified work schedule. As an example, if a 4/9 schedule is implemented; holiday pay shall be 9 hours. SECTION 10. RESIGNATION 10 .1 Notice. Ample notice of intention to resign should be given by an employee who plans to leave County service. Normally, no less than two weeks’ notice should be given. The department head is authorized to accept the written resignation of any employee on behalf of the County, and the resignation shall become effective immediately upon acceptance by the department head. A resignation presented to and accepted by the department head may be withdrawn by the employee if approved by the department head. 10 .2 Return of County Property Upon Separation from Service. It is the responsibility of the employee leaving County service to return all County property in his/her possession to the department head prior to separation. Upon termination, department heads will provide a current inventory of County property to Human Resources. Employees who fail to return County property will be charged a fee equal to the cost of replacing the property not returned, which shall be deducted from their final compensation check. Page 53 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 15 10.3 Automatic Resignation. Any employee's unauthorized absence, i.e., absence from his/her duty without leave authorized in accordance with the provisions of this Policy, for three or more consecutive working days shall constitute an automatic voluntary resignation by such employee from his/her employment with the County, effective as of the last date on which the employee worked. Prior to removing the employee from the County payroll, the Human Resources Office shall place a telephone call to the last known number of the employee and shall mail a letter by first class U.S. mail to the last known address of the employee stating the date upon which the removal from the payroll will occur and requesting the employee contact the Human Resources Office if further discussion is desired. The failure of the employee to receive or timely respond to the telephone call or letter shall not affect the automatic resignation provided for in this section. SECTION 11. SICK LEAVE 11.1 General Sick Leave Policies. A. Sick leave is a privilege which is allowed only in the case of illness, death in the family, bodily injury, exposure to contagious disease, medical or dental appointments, or attendance upon seriously ill members, of the employee or his/her immediate family. B. Full-time employees (1 Full Time Equivalent status (FTE) shall earn and accrue eight hours paid leave of absence for illness or injury to the employee, or the employee's minor child(ren), for each full calendar month of full-time service beginning with the first month of employment. Part-time employees shall accrue sick leave in the same proportion that his/her working hours bear to the normal working hours of a full-time employee and shall be calculated based on actual hours worked in each pay period, but in no circumstance shall the accrual of sick leave for part-time employees be less than one hour per every 30 hours worked. Overtime hours will not be included in the calculations. C. All employees shall have unlimited earned accumulation of sick leave. D. Sick leave may only be taken if it has been earned. 11.2 Use of Accrued Sick Leave. Sick leave shall be granted in cases of bona fide illness of the employee or his or her immediate family or may be used for medical/dental appointment and/or ongoing treatment of the employee and his or her immediate family as defined by the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act of 1991 (CFRA). A. To be paid for sick leave, an employee must notify his or her immediate supervisor within fifteen (15) minutes prior to the beginning of his or her assigned shift or fifteen (15) minutes after the beginning of his or her assigned shift. The department head may waive this requirement upon presentation of a reasonable excuse by the employee. The department head shall maintain sick leave records of all County employees covered under this policy. B. An employee may use accumulated sick leave to attend to an ill member Page 54 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 16 of his or her immediate family; however, such absence shall be limited to a maximum six working days for each occurrence. This includes time off to take a member of his or her immediate family to or from hospital. In addition, accumulated sick leave may be used, with prior approval of the department head, for serious illness in the family when death appears to be imminent. Use of leave balances to provide for paid leave under this subsection shall not be used for disciplinary purposes but shall be indicated on the employee's absence report and his or her personnel records shall be noted accordingly. C. Any employee compelled to be absent on account of injury or illness arising out of and occurring in the course of his or her County employment may elect during such absence to apply accrued sick leave on a prorated basis to such absence and receive compensation therefore in the amount equal to the difference between the compensation received by him/her under the Workman's Compensation Act and his/her regular County pay, not to exceed the amount of his or her accrued sick leave. In like manner, he or she may elect to use any accrued vacation time and time off for overtime after his/her sick leave is exhausted. 11.3 Doctor's Release. When an employee returns to duty after an absence equal to or longer than three days chargeable to sick leave, due to his or her illness, or that of a member of their immediate family, the department head or designee may require a signed statement from a doctor or dentist that the employee was incapacitated and unable to perform his or her duties throughout the entire period of sick leave. If such a statement is not provided, the employee is not entitled to be paid for sick leave unless the department head and/or designee grants a waiver. An employee who is absent from duty due to an injury or illness arising out of and occurring in the course of County employment shall be requested to provide a doctor's release for work prior to returning to work. In the event an employee uses more than 96 hours of sick leave, or exceeds their available sick leave accrual, or if a pattern of sick leave abuse is suspected, an employee may be requested to file a Physician's Statement for each illness regardless of duration for a period not to exceed six months. An employee may be required to take an examination by a physician if requested by the County, and/or shall authorize consultation with his or her own physician concerning his or her illness. On the basis of authoritative medical advice, the department head or designee shall determine whether an employee is physically incapacitated from the duties of his or her position and may take the action he or she considers appropriate. 11.4 Written Notice. It is the department head or supervisor's responsibility to ensure that the Human Resources Office be notified in writing of employee absences resulting from illness of an employee or immediate family members which exceed three consecutive workdays for record keeping purposes of the Family Medical Leave Act and the California Family Page 55 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 17 Rights Act. 11.5 Sick Leave Cash-out. Upon retirement from Alpine County or in the event of the death of an employee; after five years of service, the employee or his or her survivor(s) or estate shall receive compensation at the employee's regular salary for accumulated sick leave. A. At the time of retirement from Alpine County, the employee or his or her survivors has the option of either collecting compensation for twenty-five (25%) percent of his/her accumulated sick leave not to exceed 125 hours of accrued leave or can elect to convert 100% of his/her accumulated sick leave balance towards PERS service credit. B. Additionally, an employee who has moved from classified status to an elected official of the County may collect compensation for twenty-five (25%) percent of his/her accumulated sick leave not to exceed 125 hours of accrued leave. 11.6 Exceptions. The following exceptions regarding accrual and use of sick leave benefits apply to employees covered under this Policy: A. Sick leave shall not be earned while an employee is receiving State Disability Insurance (SDl) benefits or while on unpaid leave of absence. B. Sick leave shall not be earned by, or granted to, employees for stand-by or overtime service. C. Any probationary employee who suffers a work-related injury shall be allowed to use accrued sick leave and vacation, in that order, to compensate said employee for any loss of earnings when the cause is work-related and a worker's compensation claim has been filed and accepted by the County, or its designee. SECTION 12. LEAVES OF ABSENCE 12.1 Definition. Days off are based on traditional forty (40) hour work and seven day work weeks. Any regular shifts such as five days, forty (40) hours (4-10), four day, forty (40) hour, or other variation is to result in the same number of days off for forty (40) hour seven day week so that no advantage or disadvantage is imposed. A day off is a standard twenty-four (24) hour day in either case, earned as a result of a forty (40) hour work week. If necessary to pro-rate to fractions of a day, the fraction of time off should relate to similar fractions to a forty (40) hour week. 12.2 No Break in Service. No absence under any paid leave provision of this Section shall be considered a break in service for any employee, and all benefits accruing to an employee under the Page 56 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 18 provisions of this Policy shall continue to accrue during such absence. 12.3 Bereavement Leave. Whenever any employee covered under this policy is compelled to be absent from duty by reason of the death of the employee's immediate family, immediate family being described as father, mother, brother, sister, wife, husband, child, grandparent, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, or domestic partner he or she shall be entitled to be absent with pay for not more than five working days per calendar year. Any time beyond five days, if approved by the department head, shall be charged to the employee's sick leave, vacation leave, personal leave and/or compensatory time-off. Bereavement Leave may be taken non-consecutively and must be completed within 90 days of the date of the family member’s death. However, there is no maximum amount of leave that may be taken within a 12-month period for multiple leave events. The County may request any employee utilizing Bereavement Leave to provide documentation of the death of the family member. 12.4 Catastrophic Leave. The Catastrophic leave program is designed to allow employees to help other employees who themselves or their immediate family have a medical condition which will require an employee to be on unpaid leave for at least one month. A. Employees are subject to the following conditions: 1. Employees will be able to donate compensatory time or vacation time. Donations of sick leave are prohibited. 2. All donations will be voluntary and are irrevocable. 3. The Auditor's office shall convert donated time to the eligible employee's sick leave accumulation on an hour-for-hour basis, not to exceed twelve (12) weeks total. B. The procedure for catastrophic leave is as follows: 1. Upon receipt of a valid request for donations from an employee entitled to accumulate sick leave (eligible employee), the department head will post a notice of the eligible employee's need for donations of leave on bulletin boards accessible to employees. Confidential medical information will not be included on this notice. 2. Employees wishing to donate time must fill out a written request stating: donating employee's name, social security number, and department name; the name and department of the eligible employee to whom the time is being donated; the number of hours the employee wishes to donate and whether they are compensatory time or vacation time hours; and the request must be signed by the employee, authorizing the transfer of donated time to the eligible employee. 3. Upon receipt of the request, the Finance Department shall confirm that the employee has accrued enough time to satisfy the donation obligation. Page 57 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 19 12.5 Civil Subpoena or Testimony on Behalf of County. An employee who has been served a subpoena to appear as a witness in a court case on County-related matters shall be in paid-status subject to, the following guidelines: A. The employee shall present the official court summons to the employee's immediate supervisor and/or department head. B. The length of time the employee is allowed to participate in the legal proceeding shall be for the number of days in attendance in court as certified by the clerk or other authorized officer of the court. C. The employee shall receive full pay, provided that the witness fee for such leave is assigned to and/or reimbursed to the County. The witness fee assigned to the County does not include the Court's reimbursement to the employee for transportation expenses. 12.6 Emergency Leave. It is the stated policy of Alpine County that all County offices should remain open and functioning in at least a minimal capacity during times of emergency so that County services may be provided to the public in time of need. Emergency leave may be granted to all or specified employees under the following circumstances: A. During periods of natural disaster, such as fire, storm, or other phenomena, leave may be granted by the individual department head who will be responsible for ensuring that such leave is applied against each affected employee's vacation time or compensatory time. B. When the department head is not available to make the determination to grant emergency leave, the County Administrative Officer is authorized to make such a determination. C. During such periods as the workplace is determined by the Chair of the Board, or in his or her absence, by the County Administrative Officer or other board member, to be unsafe so as to threaten the health of employees, and there is no reasonable alternative workplace, emergency leave may be granted which, under this circumstance, will not be charged against the employee's vacation time or compensatory time. D. Any employee who is absent from work due to sickness, vacation, compensatory time off, or who is absent from the workplace on County business will not be entitled to any compensation as a result of the condition at the workplace. Those employees absent from the workplace due to sickness, vacation or CTO will have their absence charged against the appropriate category of their employee benefits. 12.7 Grand Jury Service. Employees who voluntarily apply to serve on a grand jury shall serve on their own time. Page 58 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 20 Employees participating in grand jury duties during their regularly scheduled work hours must use an accrued vacation and /or compensatory time-off during that time subject to their department head’s approval. Employees involuntarily summoned to serve on a grand jury shall do so pursuant to Section 12.8 12.8 Jury Duty. When regularly called for jury duty in the manner provided by law, all employees shall be granted a leave of absence without loss of pay or status for the time the employee is required to perform jury duty, in accordance with the following guidelines: A. Request for jury service leave should be made by presenting as soon as possible the official court summons to jury service to the employee's immediate supervisor. B. Reimbursement to the County of any monies earned as a juror, except mileage, shall be made by the employee. C. If the employee reports as required by law for jury duty, the employee shall be credited with a full day of work and therefore, a day of jury duty is considered a day of work. 12.9 Leave of Absence Without Pay. Leave of absence without pay, where not already provided for by law, may be granted by the department head for any of the following reasons: any reason determined eligible under and subject to the provisions of the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) of 1991, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) and Military Leave; including illness or disability when sick leave has been exhausted; pregnancy; or to take a course of study that will increase usefulness on return to the position, or for personal reasons acceptable to the department head. A leave of absence as used in this Section is a privilege which may be granted to a regular employee wishing to leave the County service without pay and in good standing for a limited period. A The employee must make a written request to the department head for such leave, stating the date of the leave and the reason. Leave may be granted or denied based upon the needs of the County and the employee. B. Leaves of absence that are not provided for by statute and are for a duration exceeding thirty (30) days in a one year period must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. C. Employees may convert vacation and CTO to sick leave for leave of absence only. 12.10 Light duty. Any employee who has previously been off work due to injuries, illness, or other medical reasons, who has been medically released by a doctor for light duty, may request assignment to light duty. Light duty will be assigned as a reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis after participation in an interactive process. Employees assigned to light duty shall continue to provide updates from the Page 59 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 21 treating physician documenting the need for accommodations. 12.11 Military leave. All employees shall be granted military leave in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, 38 U.S.C. § 4301 et. seq. and the laws in the State of California including the Military and Veterans' Code § 389 et. seq. Requests for military leave shall be submitted to the department head, preferably in writing and accompanied by a military leave orders two weeks prior to the leave starting date, except in the case of military necessity, or a state or national emergency. At minimum, notice should specify whether the leave requested is for “Temporary” military leave not exceeding 180 days; or ordered military leave for training, or for active duty of an indeterminate time period. The department head shall notify the County. A. The period of military leave of absence is computed as part of the County service except that the employee who takes a military leave of absence before the completion of his or her probationary period shall complete the probationary period after his or her return. Employees are entitled to full compensation less military pay for the time spent on military leave. B. Any regular full time employee who is involuntarily called to full time active military duty during the term of this Policy shall be entitled to receive those County health insurance benefits which he/she was receiving while he/she is on active military duty for a period not to exceed 180 days from the date he/she enters active military service; provided, however, if the employee and his/her dependents are provided health insurance or coverage through the military the employee shall not be entitled to receive County health insurance benefits. 12.12 Volunteer Service. Employees who are members of the County search and rescue team, state office of emergency services (OES), emergency medical services, or members in good standing of a local volunteer fire department will receive their regular compensation when an emergency situation arises during normal working hours. A. Employees shall not claim overtime compensation when the response exceeds the normal workday, nor will employees complete their normally scheduled work during overtime hours. B. Any compensation for emergency response available from any other County, state, or federal agency paid directly to the employee that duplicates an employee's regular salary shall be reimbursed to the County. C. It is the department head's responsibility to see that coverage of their department is adequately maintained. A County employee volunteer must receive approval from his/her department head, or his/her designee, prior to responding to an emergency call. Page 60 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 22 SECTION 13. HOLIDAY LEAVE 13.1 Observed Holidays Holidays observed by the County offices shall be as follows: New Years 1 Martin Luther King 's Birthday Monday - January Abraham Lincoln's Birthday (traditional) 12 President's Monday - February Memorial Monday- May Independence Day… 4 Labor Monday- September Columbus/Indigenous People Monday- October Veterans Day… 11 Thanksgiving Day… Thursday- November Friday after Thanksgiving following Thanksgiving Christmas Eve (one-half day) 24 Christmas Day 25 Day after Christmas 26 New Year's Eve (one-half 31 13.2 Employee Birthday. Every new-hire probationary, permanent full-time or part-time employee will be given one day off for their birthday or on such other day as employee may choose. 13.3 Holiday Hours Worked- A. Saturday or Sunday. When a holiday falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday and not that Saturday shall be deemed to be the paid holiday; and when a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday shall be deemed to be the paid holiday. B. Any regular employee whose regularly scheduled day off falls on a paid holiday shall be entitled to additional hours worked compensatory time off, according to their work schedule, (i.e. 8 hours – receive 8 hours or 10 hours – receive 10 hours.) to be taken at the discretion of the employee but in no case shall it be later than one year from the date of the holiday. Part time staff that do not have a regular set schedule will have their holiday pay prorated based on the FTE status. C. For employees that are normally scheduled to work weekends, when a holiday falls on such a day as to give Monday through Friday employees a long weekend, those employees scheduled to work weekends may opt to work the holiday at regular pay and take the holiday off in conjunction with their mid-weekdays off so that they may also get a long weekend. SECTION 14. VACATION LEAVE Page 61 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 23 14.1 Eligibility. Each regular full-time and part-time permanent or probationary employee shall accumulate vacation leave which shall commence with the first month of employment but may not be taken until such employee has been employed continuously by the County for six months and is in good standing. 14.2 Calculation. Vacation accrual will be calculated as follows: Years of Service Accrual - Days Accrual - Hours 1 10 80 2 10 80 3 12 96 4 13 104 5 15 120 6 16 128 7 17 136 8 18 144 9 19 152 10 20 160 14.3 Pro Rata Calculation. Permanent part-time employees or an employee who is on an approved modified schedule that reduces his or her working hours below full-time shall accrue vacation leave in the same proportion as his or her working hours bear to the working hours of a full-time employee. The calculation shall be based on actual hours worked in the pay period and will not include overtime worked. 14.4 Maximum Accrual. All full-time employees shall not be permitted to accumulate accrued vacation in excess of thirty (30) days, or 240 hours except as follows: 260-hour cap upon completion of 8 years of full-time County employment, 300 hours upon completion of 12 years of full-time County employment and 320 hours upon completion of 18 years of full-time County employment. The Finance Department shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with this provision. 14.5 Cash-out and Conversion of Accrued Vacation Leave. A. The County will cash-out accrued vacation to employees or their survivor(s) at the end of their employment at their current rate of pay. B. An employee who has moved from classified status to elected official shall be entitled to payment of vacation and payment of sick leave, Page 62 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 24 pursuant to the provisions of this Policy. C. An employee may, if he/she wishes, convert vacation time that might be forfeited under Subsection 14.4 to sick leave on a day-to-day basis. The employee shall notify the Finance Department, in writing, of a request for vacation leave conversion to sick leave. 14.6 Exceptions. The following exceptions apply to eligible employees covered under this policy: A. An employee who has exhausted all leave and is in an unpaid status, whether receiving State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefits or not, shall not be entitled to accrue vacation leave. B. Any probationary employee who suffers a work-related injury shall be allowed to use accrued vacation and sick leave, in that order, to compensate said employee for any loss of earnings when the cause is work-related and a worker's compensation claim has been filed and accepted by the County, or its designee. C. An employee who is on regularly scheduled vacation and becomes ill may use sick leave for that period of disability and will be required to provide a physician's certification as to the disability. Should the employee provide the employer with a physician's certification as to the disability or sickness, said employee's vacation leave shall be returned to the employee and sick leave shall be utilized in lieu of the originally scheduled vacation. 14.7 Professional Administrative Leave. A. Full-time department heads, management and all other unrepresented FLSA exempt employees shall be granted professional administrative leave. The hours shall be credited to the employee on July 1 of each year and shall not be carried over from one fiscal year to another and cannot be cashed out if any remains unused by June 30 of each fiscal year in the event the leave is not taken during the earned year. B. Professional leave hours for Department heads shall be determined by the amount of completed continuous service as follows: 0-10 years 80 hours 11 + years 96 hours C. Professional leave hours for Management shall be determined by the amount of completed continuous service as follows: 0-5 40 hours 6-10 years 80 hours 11 + years 96 hours Page 63 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 25 D. All other FULL TIME EXEMPT unrepresented positions shall be granted 40 hours of professional administrative leave. E. Any employee in a full-time exempt Department Head, Management or other unrepresented position as of 11/1/2016 shall remain at their current level of professional administrative leave until such time as the continuous years of service exceeds the incumbent’s current tier. SECTION 15. EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE 15.1 General Health Plan Provisions. A. County will provide medical, dental and vision plans for participation by County employees and their qualifying dependents as outlined in this Section. The actual benefits available under the medical plan, the dental plan, and the vision plan for County employees and their dependents will be as described in the benefits booklet and Summary Plan Description document for each type of plan and will apply to all qualifying participants, except that the benefits for employees and their dependents who qualify for Medicare will be described in the benefits booklet and master plan document for Medicare supplemental coverage. B. For purposes of the medical plan, County employees shall be defined as all active employees working 30 hours or better, elected officials, and all retired employees. Dependents are specifically defined in the medical, dental and vision plans. C. Employees and their dependents will be eligible for medical insurance coverage at the time and upon the conditions specified in the medical health insurance plan. Seasonal and temporary employees and their dependents are not eligible for medical, dental or vision benefits. Intra- County transfers of employment will not affect the employee's eligibility for benefits. D. As described in this section, the Plan Year will mean January 1 to December 31 of each year. E. As described in this section, actual costs will mean the actual monies expended for insurance plan costs as provided by the Alpine County Auditor's Office for each Plan Year. F. State or federal law enacted subsequent to this policy, which provides relief from the fiscal obligations of the parties under this policy, without detriment to the participants, will supersede those provisions. Page 64 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 26 15.2. Maximum Contribution - Cost Sharing. The County will increase its contribution to employee health insurance premiums as follows: 2024 Employee Only - $1,080.00 Employee Plus One - $1,920.00 Family – $2,550.00 2025 & 2026 Effective the first month in which new premiums take effect for the 2025 and 2026 health plan years, the County will increase its premium contribution by fifty percent (50%) of the increase in the premium from the prior year for each eligibility level. 15.3 Eligibility for Post-Retirement Health Benefits. Employees and their dependents will be eligible for medical insurance coverage at the time and upon the conditions specified in the medical health insurance plan. Seasonal and temporary employees and their dependents are not eligible for medical, dental or vision benefits. Intra-County transfers of employment will not affect the employee's eligibility for benefits. A. Employees employed before July 1, 1997, are eligible for medical and dental benefits at retirement as long as they have been employed by Alpine County for five years of full-time service as defined by PERS and retire from Alpine County. Part-time employees employed before July 1, 1997, must be employed by Alpine County for at least the equivalent of 5 years full- time service as defined by PERS to be eligible for medical and dental benefits at retirement. Part-time employees must also retire from Alpine County to be eligible for medical and dental benefits at retirement. B. Employees employed on or after July 1, 1997, must have ten (10) years of full-time service with Alpine County as defined by PERS to be eligible for medical and dental benefits, and must retire from Alpine County. Part-time employees employed on or after July 1, 1997, must have the equivalent of ten years of full-time service with Alpine County as defined by PERS to be eligible for medical and dental benefits upon retirement from Alpine County. C. Employees employed on or after November 22, 2000, must have twenty (20) years of continuous full-time service with Alpine County as defined by PERS to be eligible for medical and dental benefits at retirement. Employees eligible for health benefits must retire from Alpine County at the age of 55 or greater. Said health insurance coverage is provided for the employee only. Upon reaching the age of eligibility for Medicare, the County will provide a Medicare Supplement of its choosing for the continued coverage of eligible retirees under this section. Page 65 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 27 15.4 Cost Sharing - Post Retirement Benefits. A. Eligible retirees and/or spouses are required to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B. B. Eligible retirees and/or spouses will convert to a Medicare Supplement Plan and Dental Plan of their choice. C. County will provide a maximum contribution of Five Hundred Dollars ($500) per month per eligible retiree in the form of a stipend. The retiree will be responsible for making premium payments to the supplemental plan and dental plan. D. Retirees that are not eligible for Medicare shall be included in the County employee health insurance plan with cost sharing the same as with active employees. SECTION 16. OTHER EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 16.1 Deferred Compensation. Every regular employee may enroll in a deferred compensation annuity program offered by a carrier through the County in accordance with the enrollment provisions established by the carrier. For contributions to such a program, the employee shall utilize payroll deductions which shall be authorized in writing by the employee at least thirty (30) days prior to the first deduction. At its sole discretion, the County may withdraw at any time from participating in any deferred compensation annuity program which has not met its obligations in accordance with reporting and/or Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements. 16.2 Disability Insurance. Every employee shall be eligible for the State Disability Insurance (SDl) Program. The premiums for said State Disability Insurance (SDl) Program shall be deducted by the County Finance Department from all employees’ pay, which deductions are hereby expressly and irrevocably authorized without individual written authorizations. 16.3 Educational Reimbursement. An employee covered by this policy shall be considered for tuition reimbursement for job related education courses when in the best interest of the County and recommended and approved by the department head. The County shall pay up to four hundred dollars ($400.00) per year toward an employee's books and/or tuition for job related educational courses, if approved by the department head, subject to the following conditions: 1) employee must complete course work on his or her own time; 2) the course must be provided through an accredited university, college or recognized trade school; 3) course must be in a field related to the employee's position; and employee must demonstrate grade of- C - or better. 16.4 Employee Assistance Program. Employees who experience financial or family difficulties, or have problems with drug or alcohol abuse, are encouraged to seek assistance through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offered by the County. Confidential information on eligibility and specific Page 66 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 28 counseling services is available to employees from the Human Resources Office or the Auditor's Office. SECTION 17. RETIREMENT BENEFITS 17.1 Retirement formula. Employees covered by this Policy will participate in the California Public Employees' Retirement System. The County shall maintain its contributions to PERS for the term of this Policy. All employees who are eligible to participate as set forth in the contract between the County and PERS shall participate therein according to said contract, as follows. A. The PERS plan for all employees includes the following options: 1. 2% @ 55 Miscellaneous Full Formula for any employee hired before 12/31/2012 2. 2% @ 62 Miscellaneous Full Formulas for any New CALPERS Member employees hired after 1/1/2013 as defined under the Public Employee's Pension Reform Act of 2013. 3. Sec. 20042 = One-year final compensation 4. Sec. 20965 = Credit for unused sick leave (at the rate of 0.004 year of service for each day of unused sick leave) 5. Sec. 21624 and 21626 =Post-Retirement Survivor Allowance 6. Section 21427 =Improved non-industrial disability allowance 7. Sec. 21572 =Increased level of 1959 Survivor Benefits 8. Sec. 21024 = Military Service Credit as public service B. Participation in the PERS plan discontinues employee participation in the Social Security System. 17.2 Employee / Member Contributions to PERS. The employees will contribute the full CalPERS employee-side member retirement contribution. SECTION 18. SEVERABILITY If, during the term of this policy, there exists any applicable law, rule, regulation, or order issued by governmental authority other than the County which shall render invalid, or restrain compliance with, or enforcement of, any provision of this policy, such provision shall be immediately suspended and be of no effect hereunder so long as such law, rule, regulation, or order shall remain in effect. Such invalidation of a provision of this policy shall not invalidate any remaining provisions, which shall continue in full force and effect. Page 67 of 224 ---PAGE BREAK--- CONTRACT NO. CC2024-23 Unrepresented Policy and Benefits APPROVED 07/02/2024 29 EXHIBIT A UNREPRESENTED U1 Assistant Auditor-Controller Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U2 Building Official Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U4 Clinician I Exempt UNREPRESENTED U5 Clinician II Exempt UNREPRESENTED U6 Community Development Director Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U12 EMS/Fire Administrator Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U15 Nurse Practitioner Non- Exempt UNREPRESENTED U16 Chief Probation Officer Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U17 Undersheriff Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U18 Dep. HHS Director/Social Services/Asst. Pub Guard Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U19 Director of Finance Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U20 First 5 Executive Director Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U21 Fiscal and Administrative Supervisor Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U22 Public Health Program Manager Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U23 Community Development Deputy Director Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U24 Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Non- Exempt UNREPRESENTED U26 Asst. CAO to Personnel and Risk Management Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U27 Economic Development Director Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U28 Library-Museum-Archives Director Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U29 Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U30 Director of Budget and Procurement Exempt Department Head UNREPRESENTED U32 Dep. Health and Human Services Director-PH Services Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U32 Behavioral Health Services Deputy Director Exempt Management UNREPRESENTED U33 Personnel and Risk Analyst- Confidential Exempt UNREPRESENTED U34 Personnel Technician- Confidential Non- Exempt UNREPRESENTED U35 Human Services Director Exempt Department Head Page 68 of 224