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City staff say cost stalled proposed expansion of parental leave; current policy remains four weeks
Summary
During a budget presentation, Flagstaff City staff said a proposed expansion of parental leave was reduced or deferred because of cost; staff said the city currently provides four weeks for both mothers and fathers and discussed options to increase to six, eight or the full 12 weeks covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Flagstaff City staff told the City Council during a budget briefing that a proposed expansion of parental leave was set aside largely because of cost concerns.
City Human Resources staff said the city currently offers a four-week parental leave bank that both mothers and fathers may use. "We do currently have a parental leave program in place. It's 4 weeks, for both mothers and fathers," HR staff member Sarah said. She added that staff had examined expanding the benefit toward the full 12 weeks available under the Family and Medical Leave Act. "We were looking to expand it to the full 12 weeks that's covered by FMLA," Sarah said.
Council discussion and staff responses made cost the decisive factor. An unnamed council member described the price tag that was presented to council: "That one came down to cost. That one was a cost of about $500,000, to double our—so to double Brandy, I think it's triple to triple our parental leave on that. So that one came down to cost." Meeting speakers also said a modest increase—six to eight weeks—remains under consideration and will be revisited as part of the budget process.
Why it matters: expanding paid parental leave affects city payroll costs and budget planning, and council members asked whether Flagstaff's benefit is competitive with peer employers. Sarah said Flagstaff "lags with our peer groups" where eight weeks is "more typically" seen.
Supporting details from the budget presentation: staff said the parental leave bank is a unique benefit and a frequently requested item from employee groups; they noted alternative options discussed included incremental increases (to six or eight weeks) rather than an immediate jump to 12 weeks.
No formal action was recorded on the leave proposal during the session. Staff characterized the matter as part of ongoing budget deliberations to be revisited as budget figures and priorities are finalized.
The City Council meeting transcript records the exchange during the budget presentation and HR overview; the discussion included questions from council and descriptive cost estimates from staff and council members.
