By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab County Sheriff may now have two chief deputies
and will be the only elected official who will be allowed to
have two.
It took a policy amendment which was approved by
county commissioners on Monday to allow the change.
Nile Robinson, who was in attendance at the meeting,
asked commissioners if the sheriff did not already have two
chief deputies.
"Isn't Jim Stephenson, the chief deputy over the
patrol division and isn't Pat Baxter already the jail
commander?" he asked.
Mike Seely, county administrator, said that was not
the case. In fact, Baxter was listed as the jail Sgt. He
said Sheriff Alden Orme planned to recruit a person to be
the chief deputy over the corrections division.
"In effect, we are brining the policy into line," said
Neil Cook, commission chairman."The new wording puts his
desire into the policy manual and makes it acceptable for
the sheriff to have two chief deputies."
The section of the Career Service Exempt or Non-Merit
Employees explains that a career service exempt employee is
one who serves at the will and pleasure of the County
Commission or another elected county official.
"The person to be the chief deputy over corrections
will be appointed by the sheriff," said Jared Eldridge,
county attorney. "He will be appointed and will serve at the
will and pleasure of the county sheriff and can be removed
whenever the sheriff decides it is wise to do so."
However, the County Commission, county department
heads or supervisors shall not discriminate against career
service exempt employees in personnel actions.
According to the policy, each elected official, except
for the Sheriff, may appoint one chief deputy for their
office and may be authorized by commissioners to hire one or
more non appointed support staff.
"The Sheriff may appoint one Chief Deputy for the
Patrol Division and one Chief Deputy for the Corrections
Division," reads the new addition to the policy.
The Chief Deputy must be a full time employee and is
appointed to act in the stead of the elected official and is
delegated the authority and responsibility of the elected
official when absent.
All elected and appointed officials are classified as
career service exempt or non merit employees and are exempt
from the overtime provisions of the FLSA. However, the
County does allow FLSA exempt employees to manage their time
professionally and to accrue and use time earned as a result
of overtime at a rate of straight time for those hours
worked in excess of 40 hours per week.
Alternately, the County may choose to pay this class
of employee cash for overtime at a straight rate. Such time
will lapse at the end of each calendar year if not used
unless approved in writing by the Commission or the elected
appointing official.
Appointed officials serve at the will and pleasure of
the elected appointing official and do not have career
service rights.
Appointed officials include the Administrator
Assistant to the Commission, the Chief Deputy Assessor, the
Chief Deputy Attorney, the Chief Deputy Clerk/Auditor, the
Chief Deputy Recorder, the Chief Deputy Treasurer, the Chief
Deputy Sheriff for the Patrol Division and the Chief Deputy
Sheriff (if one is appointed)for the Corrections
Division.
Appointed officials may be selected through a
competitive process though a competitive recruitment does
not change the employee status of career service exempt or
non merit or FLSA exempt.
An exempt or non merit employee may obtain career
service status by successfully competing for a career
service position.
"The sheriff plans to recruit for a chief deputy over
the corrections division," said Seely.
The change in the personnel policy makes it possible
for the sheriff to have two chief deputies while all other
elected officials still, according to the amendment, will
have but one per department.
Other deputies may be hired to assist but there will
be only one chief deputy per department except for the
sheriff's office.
"Both the corrections deputy and the patrol division
deputy are jobs that take a great deal of work and that is
why the sheriff has requested he be allowed to have two
different individuals in those positions," said Cook.
The amendment to the personnel policy was to take
effect immediately.
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