ADMINISTRATION - Joe Huss, Finance Director
Title
VACATION AND SICK LEAVE POLICY ADOPTION
Background
Council has reviewed the attached policy at two previous workshops on November 8 and December 13. Pursuant to Council direction from these workshops, a number of changes have been integrated into the attached policy as outlined below.
• First and foremost, the administration of employee vacation and sick leave will no longer be through ordinance, but rather as a City Council policy adopted by motion that can only be amended through Council action.
• Vacation
o Employees may now accrue a maximum of 320 hours of vacation.
o Per the new policy all employees eligible to earn vacation will be awarded a lump sum of 40 vacation hours at the beginning of their service with the City. The 40 hours will be reduced proportionately as vacation is earned each pay period to that time when the 40 lump sum hours are considered earned.
o Employees may begin taking vacation as it is accrued rather than wait three months before vacation is available for use.
o Accrual rates are now defined in hours earned per pay period as opposed to hours earned per year according to the following schedule:
Accrual Rates
|
Length of Service |
Rate Per Full Pay Period |
|
Start of employment through 5 years |
4 hours |
|
Years 6 through 8 |
5 hours |
|
Years 9 through 12 |
7 hours |
|
Years 13 through 18 |
7.5 hours |
|
Years 19 through 25 |
8 hours |
|
Years 26 through 30 |
8.5 hours |
|
After 30 years of service have been completed |
9 hours |
o The City Manager will have the discretion to place employees at a rate in the accrual table that is commensurate with their experience. For employees who leave service with the City of Blaine in good standing and later return to work in Blaine, the City Manager may place the employee at the accrual rate the employee was earning at the time of the employee’s original departure.
• Sick Leave
o Employees will now accrue sick leave at a rate of four hours per pay period.
o For employees who reach the allowed maximum accrual of 960 hours of sick leave, a dollar amount equal to 50% of sick leave hours that would normally be accrued to the employee multiplied by the employee’s regular rate of pay shall be deposited into the employee’s Post-Employment Health Care Savings Plan. This provision is already in place for members of the three police unions.
Recommendation
By motion adopt the attached policy.
PASSED by the City Council this 20th day of December 2018.