By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
With another general election just in the books, action at Wednesday's Barton County Commission meeting remained light. The body did, however, approve another round of longevity payments to county employees with at least five years of service. County Director of Operations Matt Patzner said 103 employees are eligible for this year's payment.
"Longevity is awarded to employees who establish a long-term commitment to the county," he told the commission. "Generally, after reaching five years of continuous service, an employee receives a lump-sum payment equal to $3 for each month of service, half that for part-time employees."
Commissioner Jennifer Schartz suggested the commission approve using paper checks for the payment, and Patzner agreed employees do enjoy receiving an extra check over direct deposit.
"I think sometimes when you get it put into your paycheck, and it goes immediately into your account, you don't maybe notice and appreciate it enough," Schartz said. "I'm encouraging everyone to support doing a paper check."
Based on the formula, eligible employees will receive a minimum of $180, though longtime employees will see significantly more. Patzner said the payment is budgeted each year, with approximately $50,300 coming from the general fund, $8,800 coming from the employee benefit fund, and $6,100 coming from non-levied funds. Checks will go out next Thursday.
"So the employees of Barton County know, we are on their side," said Commission Chair Shawn Hutchinson. "We're looking for people that want to stick around for a long time. So when we have people doing that, we are more than happy to reward that."