One-time premium payment: A deeper look

CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. — On Thursday, December 16, the Grants City Council, the Village of Milan Board of Trustees, and the Cibola County Board of Commissioners each held their own meetings, but they each approved the same motion for a one-time premium pay for their eligible employees — something each entity is very excited about.

According to Cibola County Manager Kate Fletcher, her team started working on this and meeting with the other entities to discuss it about two months ago, when the federal government released revised guidelines for American Rescue Plan Act spending. The modification to these already very strict guidelines clarified the definition of essential workers and stated that ARPA funds could be used to compensate essential workers. Before, only one or two government departments were consid ered essential during the pandemic. Now, all government employees are considered essential, and the local managers were eager at the prospect of this onetime opportunity.

According to Fletcher, the various managers and financial teams from the county, city, and village worked very hard to come together on this opportunity and agree on the same amount for all of their employees. The funding for this one-time premium pay comes from the ARPA funds, so it will not hurt the various entities’ budgets. Each manager also worked closely with their finance teams to ensure that an appropriate amount would be disbursed, while also still having plenty of funds left for other ARPA projects.

Fletcher indicated that there two classifications under which all eligible county, city, and village employees will receive their payment: full-time, being 40 hours or more, and parttime, being at least 20-39 hours. Elected officials are not included in the plan. The amount agreed upon for full-time employees was $3000, and the amount agreed on for part-time employees was $1500. Fletcher emphasized that they wanted it to be fair all across the board, all across fied in this decision.

The reasoning behind this disbursement included two parts: recognizing employees as essential workers and boosting morale. According to Fletcher, Milan Manager Linda Cooke, and Grants Interim Manager Robert Windhorst, their employees faced a number of challenges throughout the pan-adjustments that had to be made, said Fletcher; everything from financial struggles, the struggles of working at home with children who are online schooling, the struggles with technology, and the struggles of working overdrive in order to make the best decisions possible on the daily for their communities. Fletcher said the decision-making process throughout the pandemic was constant for government essential workers. Therefore, this payment, which all managers emphasized is not a bonus, serves as a one-time monetary recognition of their employees as essential workers and recognition of the way they had to adapt, be vulnerable in the face of COVID-19, and yet, work harder than ever for their communities.

The second part behind the reasoning for this payment is boosting morale. Fletcher mentioned the issue of low employment that is plaguing the rest of the New Mexico counties. The managers recognized that employment morale is at an all-time-low and that hopefully this payment would show their employees that they appreciate them, their hard work, and how they have stuck with them throughout the pandemic. The managers also made it a point to have this approved when it was, December 16, so that employees could receive the payment before Christmas, which some already have.

Fletcher says an added benefit is that money given out eventually comes back into the community as Gross Receipts Tax (GRT), so ultimately it is a good thing for the community as well. Fletcher also discussed how, as a manager, she often has to say no to a lot of things. Therefore, Fletcher said she was grateful to be able to say yes to this and she was proud of the local commission, council, and trustees for making it happen.

County Commissioner and Interim City Manager Windhorst added, “Our employees are everything, and we are very grateful that they’ve been here, that they’ve been on the job, they’ve been working. Through the pandemic, they’ve been providing services to the community and they have been flawless at doing that. And as a result, I think that this was the right thing to do… I’m glad that I was here to be able to help carry it out.”

Village Manager Cooke also added, “We look at our employees not as employees, but as a team. So each member is a very important part of the team, and by getting this premium pay, it just reiterates the fact that they are appreciated, that they’re valued, and it helps to bring up the morale.”

Each entity is excited to move forward and continue using ARPA funds for projects and initiatives that will better their communities.

Kylie Garcia – CC

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