NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Dozens of Floyd County deputies went to the Floyd County Commissioners' Office Tuesday to ask for more days off due to the coronavirus.
The deputies originally asked county leaders to use American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to provide additional COVID-19 relief and higher pay, like officials had done for other departments.
Sheriff Frank Loop said while they weren’t responding to COVID-19 like doctors and nurses, they were still responding like they do in other emergencies.
Loop said the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office held inmates from Henry County and Jefferson County, as well as inmates from the federal level.
"They were there and risking their safety," said Loop.
The Commissioners agreed to use ARP funds, but not for added pay. Instead, each deputy will get 140 hours of comp time, which is more than 17 eight-hour work days.
The additional days need to be used by 2024.
Even though ARP funds aren't supposed to be used for paid time off, Loop said no additional dollars will be needed from the fund to cover the new days. He said they are well-staffed to cover all shifts.
Commissioners initially didn't think the sheriff's office met the standards for premium pay based on federal guidelines, they changed their minds after reconsidering the risks.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.