Bourbon County Commission Employee Handbook Work Session Summary from Aug 4th, 2025

(Employee Handbook Review — Watch Full Video)

The Bourbon County Commissioners — Sam Tran, David Beerbower, and Mika — along with HR consultant Steve Cohen, met to review updates to the county employee handbook. Discussion centered on aligning policies with legal requirements, ensuring fairness for employees, and clarifying ambiguous language.

Major Decisions and Policy Updates

• Clarifying Promises by Officials
  Commissioners agreed to specify that no promises or statements from supervisors, managers, or elected officials outside the commission constitute agreements with employees 06:56.

• Terminology Update
  All references to “company” in the handbook will be replaced with “county” 08:51.

• Harassment and Bullying Policies
  The harassment policy was kept with detailed procedures, and a new bullying policy was added 09:42.

• Standards of Conduct
  Language was changed from “efforts to operate profitably” to “efforts to operate efficiently,” reflecting county priorities 10:35.

• Firearms Policy Flagged for Review
  The section prohibiting firearms on county property was flagged for legal review due to questions about enforceability under Kansas law 11:02.

• Expanded Disciplinary Process
  Commissioners voted to add a Personal Improvement Plan (PIP) and Corrective Action Plan between oral reminders and written warnings 14:13.

• One-Year Introductory Period
  A 12-month probationary period for new employees was adopted, aligning with federal standards 18:18.

• Work Schedules Set by Department
  Rather than standard hours, departments will set schedules, with a baseline of 40 hours per week 19:29.

• Holiday Policy Review
  Holidays will be reviewed annually instead of guaranteeing specific days indefinitely. The list was expanded to include MLK Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, and Juneteenth 30:38.

• Vacation Blackout Days Removed
  A proposed section restricting vacation around holidays and events (e.g., Thanksgiving, Valentine’s week, Super Bowl) was completely removed 31:54.

• Vacation and Sick Leave Maintained
  The commission chose to retain current vacation and sick leave policies, with Steve tasked to incorporate the existing schedule 39:25.

• Maternity and Paternity Leave
  The handbook will specify compliance with federal standards, allowing up to six weeks of unpaid leave 42:19.

• Workers’ Compensation Language Updated
  References to Missouri law will be replaced with Kansas statutes, and OSHA applicability will be verified 44:01.

• Dress Code Review
  Sam raised concerns that the dress code section was too vague 46:34. He noted the policy did not clearly address safety attire like steel-toed boots. Steve agreed to revise the section for greater clarity, ensuring workplace safety needs are explicitly covered.

• Social Media and Public Communication
  Mika recommended replacing references to “county owners” with “county leaders” and “customers” with “taxpayers” to better reflect county operations and relationships with the public 47:29.

• EMS Vacation Concerns
  EMS employees raised concerns that taking vacation reduces overtime pay. Commissioners discussed allowing the option to cash out unused vacation at year’s end to avoid financial loss 52:44.

Next Steps

• Dr. Steve Cohen (HR Consultant) will integrate all approved edits into a revised draft of the handbook.

• The current vacation and sick leave policy from the existing handbook will be imported directly into the new version.

• Legal counsel (Bob) will review:

  • The enforceability of firearms restrictions on county property.

  • Whether OSHA documentation rules apply to the county.

• The dress code section will be rewritten to clarify expectations, especially for roles requiring safety gear.

• Social media policy will be updated to reflect language that acknowledges public service (e.g., changing “customers” to “taxpayers”).

• The revised handbook draft will be shared with the commission and possibly the public, with changes clearly marked for comparison (Steve mentioned using a Google Docs revision format 48:08).

• A future benefits committee may be formed or expanded to review leave, holidays, and compensation structure more broadly.