EDITORIAL: Henderson taxpayers pay thousands to departing employees

A controversy at the Henderson city clerk’s office has resulted in four people leaving their jobs and local taxpayers on the hook for rewarding “misconduct.” The incident highlights the outrageous generosity of public-sector employment contracts and the perils of allowing government unions to bargaining collectively.

Last week, Henderson officials released a heavily redacted report on a dispute involving the clerk’s office. An outside investigator “substantiated claims of a breakdown in leadership and a lack of professionalism, respect and effective communication” in the office, the Review-Journal reported. “Leadership in the office violated several city policies, the investigation found.”

The allegations included bullying, inappropriate comments and nepotism. The probe prompted City Clerk Sabrina Mercandante, Assistant City Clerk Stacy Brownfield and two others in the office to leave their jobs.

When the city “learned that certain members of management might be exhibiting a pattern of unprofessional behavior in the city clerk’s office,” a spokeswoman for Henderson said, “the city immediately launched an investigation and took the appropriate actions to correct a breakdown of leadership within the department.”

It’s certainly comforting to know that Henderson holds its civil servants to a high standard. But if employees in the clerk’s office were found to have ignored city policies and fostered a toxic work environment, how were they able to walk away with thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded payouts instead of simply being shown the door?

Ms. Mercandante, for instance, cashed out $200,000 in paid time off, sick leave and the balance of her contract. Ms. Brownfield pocketed $90,000 in sick leave and paid time off, while a third employee received about $29,000. Details on the fourth worker are unavailable.

It’s not unusual in the private sector for laid-off employees to receive some severance and compensation for accrued time off. But those payouts are usually limited by policies that prevent the perpetual rollover of sick or vacation days. In the world of government employment, however, few limits apply, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for benefits they can only dream about — even for public-sector workers who leave under a cloud of misconduct.

In 2018, the Review-Journal reported that Nevada’s private-sector workers were liable for nearly $610 million in paid sick leave for county employees in Clark and Washoe counties. The paper also found that virtually every local government employer in the state allowed workers to pile up sick time and vacation pay over their careers and to sell that asset back upon retirement.

The sweetheart parting deals in Henderson are symptoms of the inherent problem with collective bargaining for public employees: During contract talks, there’s nobody at the table representing those who are obliged to pay the bill.