A state bill that would have stripped away merit protection for county employees, including those in Navajo County, was vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer.
The existing merit system requires a lengthy administrative process before county employees can be disciplined or fired. It was put in place to protect against nepotism and cronyism, or to eliminate “the good ol’ boys club” in county government.
The vetoed bill would have essentially made county staff at-will employees, similar to those in the private sector or in certain administrative positions. Employees could have beeen fired at any time, for any legal reason. Merit protection would continue for existing employees, as long as they did not receive a pay raise or change positions. New hires would not be protected under the merit system.
Governor Brewer has discussed a similar change for state employees, but has not yet introduced a bill outlining the changes. Her proposal is believed to be more than 300 pages long. The bill submitted regarding county employees was one page long and was pushed through with significant changes on the last night of the legislative session.
While officials from most counties are in support of changes to the merit system, many were dismayed at the lack of communication and time to respond to the bill. Maricopa County was exempted from the rules changed by the bill because officials had previously expressed opposition to the change.
Some counties, such as Cochise County, support elimination of the merit system, while others, such as Santa Cruz County, see the protection as necessary to attract and retain employees.
Nearly all agreed, however, that the public and county officials should be given time to review and respond to any proposal to change the merit system since it has a major effect on counties and their hiring, promotion and firing process.
A similar bill is expected to be introduced when the legislature returns for a special session later in the year.
