Annual leave is paid leave granted to eligible employees for their personal use. Merit employees and part-time and grant-funded employees regularly scheduled to work 50% or more of the normal pay period are eligible for annual leave in accordance with the terms of this article. Contractual and appointed employees are eligible for annual leave only if such leave is granted by an express term of their employment contract or appointment, respectively. Annual leave is accrued while serving an initial probationary period, but it may not be used until satisfactorily completing the probationary period.
A. 
Eligible full-time employees shall earn annual leave in proportion to hours paid, exclusive of overtime at the following rates:
(1) 
Zero through two years of service: 10 leave days per year.
(2) 
Three through five years of service: 12 leave days per year.
(3) 
Six through 10 years of service: 15 leave days per year.
(4) 
Eleven through 19 years of service: 20 leave days per year.
(5) 
Twenty or more years of service: 25 leave days per year.
B. 
Years of service must be continuous with no break in service.
C. 
For purposes of this article, the number of hours in an earned annual leave day for full-time employees shall be determined by dividing the number of hours in the standard equivalent full-time pay period by 10.
D. 
Eligible part-time employees earn annual leave in proportion to hours paid up to 100% of an equivalent full-time position.
[Amended 8-25-2015 by Ord. No. 35-15; 1-10-2017 by Ord. No. 01-17; 4-4-2017 by Ord. No. 11-17]
A. 
Employees who became eligible for annual leave prior to September 7, 2015, may carry over into a new year a maximum of 30 leave days, defined below, of annual leave during the first five years of employment. Starting with the sixth year of employment, an additional five leave days per year may be carried over, not to exceed 100 leave days. This carryover shall be accomplished effective the beginning of the first full pay period in January. Any excess annual leave over these amounts is automatically converted to sick leave. Employees may elect to accept compensation for up to 10 leave days of annual leave each calendar year with no restrictions. Employees may elect to accept compensation for an additional five leave days of annual leave each calendar year with the following restriction: at the time of any request that includes days 11 through 15 of that calendar year, the employee's balance of accrued annual leave minus the amount of annual leave sold must be equal to or greater than five leave days of annual leave. Under this provision, an employee may not elect to accept compensation for more than 15 leave days of annual leave each calendar year. Employees are not eligible to sell annual leave which would be paid during a period of suspension.
B. 
Employees who became eligible for annual leave on or after September 7, 2015, may carry over into a new year a maximum of 50 leave days, defined below, of annual leave. This carryover shall be accomplished effective the beginning of the first full pay period in January. Any excess annual leave over this amount is automatically converted to sick leave. Employees may elect to accept compensation for up to 10 leave days of annual leave each calendar year with no restrictions. Employees may elect to accept compensation for an additional five leave days of annual leave each calendar year with the following restriction: at the time of any request that includes days 11 through 15 of that calendar year, the employee's balance of accrued annual leave minus the amount of annual leave sold must be equal to or greater than five leave days of annual leave. Under this provision, an employee may not elect to accept compensation for more than 15 leave days of annual leave each calendar year. Employees are not eligible to sell annual leave which would be paid during a period of suspension.
C. 
For the purposes of this article, the number of hours in a "leave day" for full-time employees shall be determined by dividing the number of hours in the standard equivalent full-time pay period by 10. For the purposes of this article, the number of hours in a "leave day" for eligible part-time employees shall be determined by dividing the number of regularly scheduled hours in a pay period by 10.
D. 
Upon separation from County service for disability or nondisciplinary reasons, employees who are eligible to request the use of accrued annual leave or their beneficiaries shall be paid for all of their unused accrued annual leave. If the County Sheriff establishes a probationary period in excess of one year, upon separation deputy sheriffs shall be paid for all of their unused accrued annual leave upon completion of one year of service if they have received a satisfactory performance evaluation and a favorable recommendation from the Sheriff. In lieu of payment, employees may elect to donate all or part of their annual leave to an employee with a known sick leave need, in accordance with Article X, Sick Leave, § 86-4-1008, Sick leave donations. Any unused accrued annual leave hours not donated shall be paid. Employees who donate annual leave hours forfeit any leave payout of those donated hours. This payment may be withheld at the request of the department head for employees who do not give proper notice in accordance with § 86-2-601.
E. 
Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, members of the Calvert County Sheriff's Department Pension Plan (the "Plan") subject to this Part 4, Article I, and eligible to purchase service credit(s) in accordance with Section 1.30(e) of the Plan, as amended from time to time, may surrender any number of hours of unused, accrued annual leave, not to exceed the number of hours available to the member at time of surrender, as a means of payment, in whole or in part, of the purchase price for years of service. In so doing, the value of the credit against the purchase price for years of service is the result of multiplying the number of hours of unused, accrued annual leave surrendered times the member's straight-time hourly rate of pay at the time of surrender. Nothing in this Subsection E authorizes more hours of annual leave to be carried forward from one pay year to the next than prescribed in Subsection A or B, above, whichever applies to the member.
Employees must receive prior approval from their supervisor or designee, as appropriate, before using their leave. Leave is not a right but a privilege, and shall be approved or disapproved based upon the operations and work load of the department, employee's leave record, and in consideration of the leave requests from other employees. If the County has not acted on a request in advance of the date the leave is to begin, it does not constitute approval. The employee must use other approved leave, change his plans, or be placed in an "absent without leave" status and subject to disciplinary action.