Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutUpdate Documents - BOCCOutlook Summary of Department Head & Elected p ected Lunch Meeting & Budget Impacts From Decorah J. Anderson -Cook <djanderson@grantcountywa.gov> Date Mon 8/4/2025 7:56 PM To Department Heads <departmentheads@grantcountywa.gov>; Elected Officials <gcelected@grantcountywa.gov> Cc Gina M. Saldana <gmsaldana@grantcountywa.gov>; Daniel Seitz <dseitz@ rantco Hartman <Jhartman@ rantcount wa. g untywa.gov>, Jonathan ov> g Y g 0 3 attachments (875 KB) 2025-08-04 - Grant County Policy-Lexipol.pdf; Notice - Countywide Background Check Policyfor New - Financial responsibility labor relations legal fees.. df• Hires.pdf, Notice p - Greetings Colleagues, Thank you to everyone who attended toda 's Department y p ent Head and Elected Official Lunch. We covered a wide range of important topics, and to ensure eve ryone stays informed, I've summarized the key takeaways below: • Blair Kok provided an overview of the - e w - Count id y e learning program (LocalGovU), highlighting participation metrics, rollout challenges, g s, and the onboarding process for new Tres. • Tom Gaines shared updates on the Jail construction project, ' . p sect, including budget, schedule, workforce diversity efforts, and progress on the roundabout. about. • Gina Saldana delivered an FMLA refresher, reviewingeligibility eligibility requirements, notice deadlines, military leave provisions, and the responsibilities of supervisors. • Dell Anderson spoke about the value of leading with positivity • . g positivity and building a strong organizational culture. He emphasized the importance of consistent ' p sistent expectations the power of positive contagion, and "crispy" (a highlight!)cu ' y customer service. • I, Decorah Anderson -Cook, provided an update on t . .. p he 2025 Salary Survey and the broader Compensation Project. This initiative includ es a comprehensive salary survey,a review and update of job descriptions, and in p a projected timeline for final recommendations in June/July 2026. I also announced that, effective immed' — • iately and per direction from the Board of County Commissioners —no new reclassification requests for current positions will be accepted. This pause will help control • . p costs and ensure Compensation Connections can complete a thorough evaluation of all positions. g positions. Due to time constraints, I was unable to share a few addition al important updates during the meeting: Lexipol Policy Platform We are continuing to implement the Lexipol policy platform. This effort includes a rigorous policy review process to align best practices with county operations. For an overview and progress update, please review the attached PowerPoint presentation. Budget Impact Items for 2026 The following two items are extremely important, as the will directly affect our department's . Y Y y or offices 2026 budget: 1. Background Check Costs Currently, the Human Resources Department covers the cost of background checks for • January 1 g departments and offices that require them. BeginningJanua 2026 all new hire s es willbe required to complete a background check, and each Countyde and elected department p office will be responsible for covering the associated costs. The Human Resources Department will issue monthly invoices for these expenses. 2. Labor Relations Legal Expenses At present, labor relations legal expenses are absorbed by the Human Resources Department. Starting January 1, 2026, all County departments and elected offices will be financially responsible for legal expenses related to labor relations matters arising from their own actions, decisions, or disputes. Monthly invoices will be provided b the p y Human Resources Department for these expenses as well. For more detailed information on these two budget -related items, lease refer to the attached . p hed documentation. Be sure to account for these changes in p. our 2026 budget planning. Y g g Please don't hesitate to reach out to your HR Consultant if you have an questions. Y Y Respectfully, -, 0, e e, &,,� � W,,zt �,, - C,, / Human Resources Director Grant County Human Resource Department 35 C St. NW Ephrata, WA 98823 Email: djanderaonftrantcoRntyw gQv Business: 509.754.2011 Ext. 4909 'Clear Expectations "Accountability 'Follow Through' GRANT COUNTY POLICY LEXIPOL UPDATES c 9 sot NY 40 04 LEXIPOL POLICY PLATFORM Lexipol provides fully developed policies that are based on nationwide standards and best practices while also incorporating state and federal laws and regulations where appropriate. Lexipol provides a full library of customizable local government policies that are updated in response to new federal laws and court decisions and are written by subject matter experts and vetted by attorneys. POLICY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Grant County Tom Gaines, Director of Central Services Missy McKnight, Assessor Andy Booth, Director of Public Works Gina Saldana,Assistant Director of HR Kim Allen, Clerk Blair Kok, Risk & Safety Coordinator Decorah Anderson -Cook, Director of HR Am f POLICY REVIEW PROCESS • The Policy review process started on April I I, 2025. *- Since that date, Blair, Gina, and I have met with Shawn Martin, Professional Services Specialist with Lexipol, every two weeks. During these meetings, we work to implement Grant County policies into the Lexipol platform, The policies are then sent to the dedicated committee members, who read through each policy word by word, line by line, looking for and correcting any grammatical errors and providing input to help ensure that policies are clear and easy to understand. PROCESS CONTINUED... Once the committee members have completed their review, they send any edits, suggestions or questions to Gina or me, and we enter them into the Lexipol platform using track changes. 0 Blair, Gina, and I then meet with Shawn to ensure they are vetted through Lexipol. * The policies are then forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for their review. 0 Once approved by the BOCC, the policies will be sent to the Labor Unions and to Department Heads and Elected Officials for review. PROCESS CONTINUED*,,, Many of the policies are mandatory subjects to bargain and require HR to bargain the impacts with the Labor Unions. 0 Upon completion of bargaining, the policies will then be sent to the BOCC for final approval and signature. The policies will then be released to all staff to review and acknowledge that they have read and understand them. Sample AW... rescinaea F excepi io ine exienT inaT poRions OT emsung manuats, oruers,, ana omer reguianons, Trial have not been included herein shall remain in effect, where they do not conflict with the provisions of this manual - 100.2 POLICY Best PVwbc*' MODRED Exceptwhere otherwise expressly stated, the provisions of this manual shall be considered as guidelines- It is recognized that circumstances may arise that warrant depafture from these guidelines. It is the intent of this manual to be viewed from an objective standard, taking into consideration the sound discretion entrusted to employees of tWsGrant, County Linder the circumstances reasonably available at the time. 100.2.1 DISCLAIfiAER I Best Practice . LMODIFIED The provisions contained in the Pc icy Manual are not intended to create an employment contract nor any employment rights or entitlements- The policies contained within this manual are for the internal use of th-eGrant County and shall not be construed to create a higher standard or duty of care for civil or criminal liability against the Grant County, its officials,, or its employees,- Violationsof any provision of any policy contained within this manual shall only form the basis for administrative action training, or discipline-�-, I Unt County reserves the right to revise any poJicy contentr in PIP- whnija nr in nn.r+ .0"No Sample 103.1 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IC � A-M -- -j (a) Specifics-- Grart. �ur�oty is an equal opportunity employer a nd en 4a is. comm-m eu to en surina r--al i ey that every employee has the right to work i n t su rroundings, which are free from unlawful d�ccimir�a#ian. The current Equal Employment Oprtu�fty Plan a � is available on L. th P4, G rent Coun#y°s intm----net.. 1 tt is Grant Ccaunty's policy to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified persons, while ensuring that rant Coun=.A.84 th a t employees- are t treated n ,quitably, without regard to race, color, gender, creed, religion, age, marital stzitusl sexual oflentation, natfonal origin.,political ideo�agy, union activity, industrial injury, whistleblower activities,, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, except as otherwise provided by law,, veteran status, and other basis that is prohibited by local, smote, or federal laws.. L% 2- This pealicy l appies, art %e& 11 Cat- t to recruitment pIa -cement, promotion, training, demotion, t nsfer, layoff, recall, termination* rates of pay, employee benefits, and participation in. Grant CounsnSored activities_ 1111liq � 11 WK;TS LN I i3 M PIr- If employees believe they have not received equal opportunity as set forth ire the preceding paragraph, they should report it to the Human Resources 1FPPPP- 71 -4444 HOW CAN YOU HELP? If you are aware of an issue with the County's current policy language, please reach out to one of the committee members with your suggestions on how it may be improved. SPECIAL THANKS !!.I • Gina and I want to acknowledge the review committee and say thank you for all the work that they have put in thus far. 4 What we thought would be one to two hours a week has resulted in a few more than that. If you see them in the hall or in a meeting, please stop and thank them for putting in the extra time. THANK YOU!