(1) Except as provided in Subsection (3), a county that employs an individual who is a legislator:
(a) shall grant leave to the individual on an authorized legislative day for the number of hours the individual requests;
(b) may not interfere with, or otherwise restrain the individual from, using the leave described in Subsection (1)(a); and
(c) may not take retaliatory action against the individual for using the leave described in Subsection (1)(a).
(2) The leave described in Subsection (1) is leave without pay unless the county and the individual described in Subsection (1) agree to terms that are more favorable to the individual.
(3) A county is not required to comply with Subsection (1) if the legislative body of the county determines that complying with the requirement would cause the county significant difficulty or expense when considered in relation to the size, financial resources, nature, or structure of the county's operations.