Horry County to re-examine paid time off for its employees

Horry County Council will look at adjusting county employee time off, despite some objections, at a workshop later this month to lessen the impact overtime has on the general fund.

Though the move may directly impact the more than 2,100 county employees and their families, it could have a bigger impact on all county taxpayers if the effort to adjust time off saves the county money in its general fund.

Currently, a new county employee starts with five weeks of paid time off that can be used for sick time or vacation. County Administrator Chris Eldridge said that has caused a large amount of the county’s more than 2,100 employees to take time off at any given time, causing a ripple effect in overtime costs to conduct county business.