Council approves personnel-policy clarifications on holidays, leave and disciplinary review

The City Council approved four resolutions updating city personnel policy language to clarify holiday leave, leave-of-absence procedures, sick-time credit for new hires and disciplinary-review signoffs. Council member McCandless, the council liaison to the personnel committee, said the changes were clarifications rather than a change in policy and that the personnel committee voted unanimously to recommend the package. The council approved resolutions 25774, 25775, 25776 and 25777 by recorded votes of 6–0. Key changes described during the discussion: - Resolution 25774 removes President’s Day from the list of observed city holidays and instead grants each eligible employee an additional floating (or flex) holiday, clarifying that employees may elect when to use that day and that most employees receive eight hours of paid time for the flex day. The city manager said the change is intended to reduce public confusion about whether city services are open on President’s Day. - Resolution 25775 adopts a uniform leave-of-absence process and clarifies steps employees must follow to request paid or unpaid leave, standardizing the prior, inconsistent language. - Resolution 25776 credits new full-time employees with 48 hours of sick leave on their first day of work, with the city manager explaining that if an employee separates employment before six months, the balance would be removed; the city also eliminated sick-leave payouts for new hires as of December 2023, so officials said the change does not create a new long-term financial liability. - Resolution 25777 requires multiple-level signoffs on disciplinary actions and terminations: department director, human resources director and the city manager must sign off on recommendations for discipline or termination, and staff on service probation or under disciplinary action are not eligible to transfer or be promoted until those matters are resolved. During discussion Council member Stewart asked whether front-loading 48 hours could create an incentive for very short-term use; the city manager replied that balances would be removed if employment ended prior to six months and reminded the council that new hires after December 2023 do not receive sick-leave payouts. McCandless asked for clarification that probationary employees cannot transfer until probation is cleared; staff confirmed that was the intent. Each resolution was separately moved and received roll-call approval. The transcript records affirmative votes announced on the record; each measure passed with six votes in favor and zero opposed.