A member of Lexington’s council wants to end the practice of sending checks to city employees with unused sick time. Workers can only accumulate 600 hours of sick time. Once they hit that mark, member George Meyers says they start getting checks. “Every year after that the government writes you a check for the balance of your sick time for that year. You have to keep the 600 banked, but then, you’ve got that done, that next year, whatever hours you accrue, you get a check written for it, cash money,” said Meyers.
Council member Meyers suspects the tradition costs Lexington taxpayers over a million dollars a year.
“It’s a travesty…no where in the private sector would you be paid for not being sick,” added Meyers.
Finance Commissioner Jane Driskell says those payments are guaranteed in Lexington’s charter. Still, Driskell’s been asked to provide the council more information on the practice. If action is taken, it would not affect current employees.
