County won't seek repayment (7/7/04)

The impending disability retirement of a veteran county paramedic brought several questions before Jay County Commissioners Monday afternoon.

The commissioners decided Monday afternoon the county would not ask for repayment of funds that were used to pay for paramedic training for the longtime employee, who was injured on the job last year and has been unable to return to work. The employee has not officially resigned, but the disability retirement has been recommended by the county’s worker’s compensation insurer.

Employees of Jay Emergency Medical Service who had paramedic training paid for by the county signed contracts agreeing to repay the money if they did not work a minimum of three years.

But Commissioners Mike Leonhard, Gary Theurer and Milo Miller Jr. agreed that because of the circumstances, it would be unfair to ask that the training funds be paid back.

The commissioners were told by JEMS director Teresa Foster-Geesaman the retiring employee had a total of 264 hours in sick and vacation pay coming. Jay County auditor Freda Corwin said the amount would be paid in a lump sum.

In a related matter, Foster-Geesaman asked Corwin to figure pay rates for a current JEMS paramedic she would like to promote to squad leader to replace the retiring employee.

Under the county’s pay plan, the employee Foster-Geesaman would like to promote would receive a raise of five cents per hour this year (a new rate of $11.81 compared to the current rate of $11.76) and an increase to $12.62 in 2005, up from a projected rate of $12.51 at the current pay grade.

The pay plan policy for county employees transferring to a different pay grade position within the same department calls for the employee to be placed on the pay scale in a spot that is closest to, but not less than, the pay for the previous position.[[In-content Ad]]