Executive Order #015
Commemoration and Expansion of Benefits for Reserve Military Personnel Called to Active Duty
WHEREAS, the residents of Erie County have a long and proud history of military service dating back to the establishment of the County;
WHEREAS, it is with great pride and honor that the desire to serve in the various branches of the U.S. military reserves continues within county personnel;
WHEREAS, over the years, reserve military personnel have taken an active role in most if not all military actions this country has seen;
WHEREAS, while some of our personnel serve in the dual capacity of reservists and county employees it is necessary that we as a county government as well as an employer ensure that all matters regarding supporting our reservists are prioritized;
WHEREAS, given the potential financial strains that being called to active duty can impose on reservists and their families, it is the duty and responsibly of Erie County to provide a solution for its reserve personnel;
WHEREAS, this concern was shared by one of my predecessors and passed unanimously by the County Legislature in 2002 via Resolution # 10 (Communication 1E-15)
WHEREAS, the Departments of Labor Relations and Personnel were instructed to do the following:
1. To ensure that each county employee called to active duty in the United States Armed Services would receive, as appropriate, thirty (30) calendar days or twenty-two (22) workdays, whichever is of greater benefit, of paid Military Leave in each calendar year;
2. To ensure that the County of Erie shall continue to maintain the health insurance benefits of those county employees called to active duty in the United States Armed Services that they would otherwise be entitled to if they were still active county employees; and be it further
3. To ensure that the County of Erie shall supplement the military pay of those county employees called to long-term active duty in the United States Armed Services so that the combination of their full military compensation and the supplement will equal what would otherwise be their regular base County pay retroactive to the date of their activation.
WHEREAS, this administration desires that those policies continue to be enforced and that the aforementioned benefits continue to be offered.
NOW, THEREFORE, I MARK C. POLONCARZ, Erie County Executive, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Erie County Charter ยงยง301 & 302, do hereby order as follows:
1. It is ordered and affirmed that all applicable Erie County Departments follow the policies and recommendations contained within the Resolution # 10 from 2002 (Communication 1E-15);
2. It is ordered and affirmed that these additional provisions be added to the existing policy, which additional provisions shall take effect immediately:
a. In an occurrence(s) where a reservist is only able to provide preliminary documentation and or is deployed so expeditiously that he or she is not able to provide necessary documentation to the County related to the deployment, the applicable Erie County Departments will begin the process of allowing the reservist to receive the benefits mentioned in the existing policy and will reasonably accommodate the reservist while he or she provides the necessary documentation.
b. That in instances where a reservist has used their thirty (30) calendar days or twenty-two (22) workdays, whichever is of greater benefit, of paid Military Leave that they begin to receive their military supplement pay regardless of whether their next deployment is short term or long term; and
3. Further ordered that the Department of Personnel, Department of Labor Relations and Office of Veterans Services work with all department heads to notify any staff enrolled as a member of the reserves of any branch of the United States military of the existing policy, its extension pursuant to this Executive Order, and the additional provisions provided herein.
GIVEN, under my hand and the Privy Seal of the County of Erie in the City of Buffalo this ninth day of September, in the year two thousand sixteen.
County of Erie
By: __________________________
Mark C. Poloncarz Erie County Executive