By MELISSA DE LOS SANTOS
Special to the NEWS
On October 13, 2023, the City of San Benito Commission met to discuss updating its personnel policy. Attorney Javier Villalobos stated that he was called to modify the current policy to include the ability to transfer sick hours between employees.
Finance Director Stephanie Sarrionandia suggested transferring hours instead of rate. For example, if someone in a higher rank wants to transfer hours to someone in a lower rank, it could be approved to continue receiving pay at the same rate for as many hours transferred. Villalobos commented that it is not an issue when it is from a higher rank going to a lower rank.
Still, it is an issue when a lower rank transfers hours to a higher-ranked employee, which could severely disrupt the city’s budget. For example, if an employee such as the City Manager, estimated to make $87 per hour, needs sick hours and an employee making $13 per hour is willing to transfer some of their hours to the City Manager, the budget could be thrown off because of the $74 an hour difference in pay that has not been originally included in the budget.
It was also discussed that the employee transferring their hours has to be equivalent in pay or within 65% of the income of the employee receiving the hours. The example given by Villalobos was if an employee making $10 an hour needed sick hours, an employee earning $6.50 per hour could transfer their hours, and it would qualify, even though the receiving employee would be short $3.50 per hour.
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