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ADDED/ Commissioner Hovis - County Manager - To Approve a COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive for Gaston County Employees
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STAFF CONTACT
Dr. Kim Eagle - County Manager
BUDGET IMPACT
budget
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BUDGET ORDINANCE IMPACT
Authorizes County Manager or Finance Officer to make necessary budget amendments to move funds between funds/accounts to the appropriate account/fund.
BACKGROUND
As public servants our primary responsibility is to serve the citizens of Gaston County. The County must ensure our ability to deliver services and provide continuity of government operations. One way to do that is through vaccination. Gaston County has a low vaccination rate and there are operational concerns if an outbreak were to occur. Additionally, there are financial implications every time an employee gets sick or is quarantined. The County spent approximately $875,000 in 2020 alone on COVID sick time. Additionally the County’s medical plan has incurred costs of roughly $500,000 for testing and treatment for COVID-19. This does not account for lost productivity or service level impacts. While the County has continued to provide excellent public service throughout the pandemic there is growing concern over the fast spreading Delta variant. The cost to implement a vaccine incentive is far less than sick time cost and lost productivity and potential failure to provide services. We lost productivity of 29 employees in the first year of the pandemic due to sick time hours for COVID-19.
The incentive will be administered in two different ways and vaccinated employees have the potential to earn $500 dollars. Individual employees that are fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination by October 15th will receive $250, additionally if the entire workforce reaches 75% vaccinated by October 15th vaccinated employees will receive an additional payment of $250.
If these incentives do not enable the County to reach necessary levels to ensure continuity of government operations and service delivery needs, then additional measures may be implemented, including weekly testing for unvaccinated employees.
POLICY IMPACT
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ATTACHMENTS
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