Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

New Pay Period Approved For Sheriff's Deputies

Hoping to curb future problems, the Nevada County quorum court passed an ordinance at its regular meeting Monday, February 12, establishing new standards for compensatory time in the Nevada County Sheriff's office.

Under the new ordinance employees in the sheriff's office will go from a 40-hour work week to system for law enforcement officials which allow them to work 171 hours in a 28-day period.

Compensatory time, or comp time, provides employees 1.5 hours of paid time off for every one hour worked over the limit.

JPs established the maximum number of comp time hours at 50 to avoid excessive hours accumulated. Over 50 hours would require the county to pay larger sums of salary for the extra time.

County officials paid all officers in full before establishing the new ordinance which went into effect this past Sunday.

Criminal Investigator Wayne Kisselburg was paid for 296 hours, deputy sheriff Danny Martin was paid 687 hours and deputy sheriff Hebb Sorrells was paid for 356 hours. Former deputy sheriff Larry Miller was paid in full before being employed by the city of Prescott.

In all, the county paid $14,114.62 for the accrued comp time.

According to the ordinance, once the 50 hours are attained by a deputy sheriff, he will be notified to take some time off for the hours worked over. After that, chief deputy Wally Hulan will schedule the time for them.

In other business, JPs heard an update from Prescott-Nevada Economic Development Office director Jon Chadwell.

Chadwell told JPs of the proposed plans on the Depot Museum restoration.

He requested permission to have the museum operate from the former health building on the grounds of the now defunct Nevada County Hospital.

JPs approved of this move, though the building will not be able to store and display all the items currently on display.

Chadwell said it could take up to nine months to restore the museum, but it was understood if an industrial or business prospect was interested in the purchasing the building during that same time period, the museum would be moved again.

Chadwell reported negotiations were going well on the prospect for the former hospital building.

JPs approved of the sheriff's office and the county judge's office going into contract with Fuelman fuel cards for gasoline purchases.

Fuelman agreed to lower its fees to six cents over the cost of the fuel the county purchases at any of its approved sites.

There are currently only two sites which accept Fuelman cards in Prescott at this time.