Galveston County commissioners shelved a plan to strip workers of vacation payouts and slash leave accruals on Monday, Aug. 17, after dozens of county employees packed the League City Annex on Calder Drive and spoke against the proposal during public comment.

County Judge Mark Henry and all four commissioners voted unanimously to defer the policy, known as HR-008, at the Commissioners Court meeting at 174 Calder Drive. The proposal would have ended vacation carryover, eliminated retirement payouts and capped sick leave at 320 hours for the entire county workforce, including sheriff's deputies, court staff and road crews.

Commissioner Hank Dugie, who proposed the changes, said the county is budgeting $550,000 a year for leave payouts while accruing more than $1 million annually in leave liability. He acknowledged the rollout fell short.

"We don't revise HR policy that often so there's not a great model on how to go about that process, and for that I apologize," Dugie told the crowd at the League City meeting. "Maybe there was a better way to present it and then discuss it over a period of time."

Court Investigator Debbie Diaz, a 19-year county veteran who protects elderly and disabled residents from abuse, stood to lose roughly $47,000 in accrued time under the proposal. She and Probate Court Administrator Errol Jones gathered 200 to 300 employee signatures on a petition opposing the changes. Diaz told commissioners her accrued leave was part of the compensation package she accepted when she was hired.

Sheriff Jimmy Fullen, County Tax Assessor-Collector Cheryl E. Johnson and Constables Paul Edinburgh and Blake Patton also spoke against eliminating employees' previously earned time. Fullen suggested forming an employee committee to evaluate any future HR changes before they reach Commissioners Court, and commissioners said they were open to the idea, KGTX7 reported.

Commissioner Darrell Apffel said employees relied on the current policy when deciding to work for and remain with the county. Commissioner Joe Giusti warned the proposal could trigger a mass exodus, according to The Galveston County Daily News.

Commissioner Robin Armstrong agreed the county should honor its word and grandfather in current employees, though he noted that paying out all accrued time at once could affect the county's bond rating by decreasing reserves.

Dugie floated using $17 million in insurance overpayments the county received to fund payouts of accrued time before moving all employees to a new policy. That idea has not been formally adopted.

No timeline has been set for next steps. The employee committee Fullen proposed has not been formally created, and no follow-up meeting date was announced.

Galveston County Commissioners Court meets regularly at the League City Annex, 174 Calder Drive. No date has been announced for HR-008 to return to the agenda. Residents can monitor upcoming agendas through the county's public meeting notices.