DOÑA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KFOX14) — Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart has ordered her employees to partially work-from-home to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in her department, but County Manager Fernando Macias said she doesn’t have that authority.
“I was told yesterday at 3:32 by Fernando Macias, I do not have the unilateral authority to take this action, he said if they are not at work, they will be docked administrative pay. Fails to understand no ones on administrative leave, they are on work time,” Stewart said.
From the end of October until now, Stewart said there has been 17 positive cases within her department, which is why she has ordered employees to telework partly from home.
This is about keeping, and I’m going to say this, my people safe, not their people, my people,” Stewart said. "We developed a rolling schedule, what happens is, no more than eight staff members come to the building on any one day. That does not mean my other 40 or so staff members and detectives are sitting at home eating popcorn on the couch.
KFOX14 caught up with Macias after Stewart held a press conference on Wednesday to address the issue. Macias said due to the county’s high vaccination rate and safety protocols being taken in the building, he doesn’t feel working remotely is necessary at this point.
I don’t have any authority as a county manager over the sheriff, the undersheriff, or the secretary to the sheriff. I don’t have any authority over those three people. But everyone...
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