§ 42-8-43.2 - Payments by state to county probation systems; merger of county systems into state-wide system
O.C.G.A. 42-8-43.2 (2010)
42-8-43.2. Payments by state to county probation systems; merger of county systems into state-wide system
(a) This Code section shall apply to county probation systems, including state court adult probation systems, of each county having a population of more than 100,000 in any metropolitan statistical area having a population of not less than 200,000 nor more than 230,000 according to the United States decennial census of 1980 or any future such census, any provision of Code Section 42-8-43 to the contrary notwithstanding. The department shall participate in the cost of the county probation systems subject to this Code section for fiscal year 1987-88. The department shall compute the state cost per probationer on a state-wide basis for such fiscal year pursuant to the formula used by the Office of Planning and Budget to determine the state cost for probation for budgetary purposes. For said fiscal year, the department shall pay to the governing authority of each county maintaining a county probation system subject to this Code section 10 percent of the state-wide cost per probationer for each probationer being supervised under the respective county probation system as of the first day of said fiscal year. The funds necessary to participate in the cost of county probation systems under this subsection shall come from funds appropriated to the department for the purposes of providing state participation in the cost of county probation systems. The payments to counties provided for in this subsection shall be made by, or pursuant to the order of, the department in single lump sum payment for fiscal year 1987-88, with the payment being made by May 1, 1988. As a condition necessary for a county to qualify for department participation in the cost of the county's probation system, the county shall cause to be made an independent audit of the financial affairs and transactions of all funds and activities of the county probation system and agree to be responsible for any discrepancies, obligations, debts, or liabilities of such county probation system which may exist prior to the department's participation in the cost of the county's probation system. As a further condition necessary for a county to qualify for department participation in the cost of the county's probation system, the employees of such county probation systems shall be subject to the supervision, control, and direction of the department.
(b) The county probation system of any such county shall become a part of the state-wide probation system provided for by this article effective July 1, 1988, and shall be fully funded from state funds as part of the state-wide probation system beginning with fiscal year 1988-89. The employees of such county probation system, at their option, shall become employees of the department on the date said county system becomes a part of the state-wide probation system and, on or after said date, said employees shall be subject to the salary schedules and other personnel policies of the department, except that the salaries of such employees shall not be reduced as a result of becoming employees of the department.
(c) When an employee of a county probation system becomes an employee of the department pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section at the same or a greater salary, the change in employment shall not constitute involuntary separation from service or termination of employment within the meaning of any local retirement or pension system of which the employee was a member at the time of such change in employment, and the change in employment shall not entitle the employee to begin receiving any retirement or pension benefit whatsoever under any such local retirement or pension system.
(d) No leave time accrued by an employee of a county probation system shall be transferred when the employee becomes a state employee. Any leave time accrued by an employee of such county probation system shall be satisfied as a debt owed to the employee by the county.