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Edmonds council rejects extension of emergency COVID sick-leave policy
Summary
After more than an hour of discussion, the City Council voted 4–3 against extending the city's emergency sick‑leave policy through Feb. 28, 2026. Supporters argued it preserves parity for on‑site workers; opponents said the federal emergency has passed and regular sick leave should suffice.
The Edmonds City Council voted down a motion to extend the city's Emergency Sick Leave policy through Feb. 28, 2026, following debate over worker parity, continued COVID‑related absences and the scope of the benefit.
Council member Neel Nand moved to approve the extension; the motion failed on a roll call vote, with four no votes and three yes votes. The tally recorded Council member Nand as "Aye," Council member Dodge "No," Council member Payne "Yes," Council President Tibbetts "No," Council member Ek "Yes," Council member Olsen "No," and Council member Chen "No." Council President Tibbetts announced the motion failed with four no votes.
Rand Orte, the city's human resources manager, told the council the request was to extend an existing policy without changing its language, allowing employees who still have emergency sick‑leave balances to use them through February 2026. Orte said the city recorded about 1,700 hours of emergency sick‑leave use in 2024 and that the policy is a separate leave bank, not additional hours added now. "We are not asking for additional leave on top of what has already been provided by council," Orte said, explaining HR's verification process for COVID‑related claims.
Council members who supported the extension emphasized parity for staff who cannot work remotely, such as public‑works and police personnel. Council member Nand said providing the two weeks' equivalent of 80 hours can protect both employees and co‑workers when COVID is suspected. Council member Olson said she was inclined to support this time but expressed a desire not to extend the policy indefinitely.
Opponents said the federal health emergency has ended and favored relying on regular sick leave. Council member Dasch noted that the Centers for Disease Control had declared the emergency over in May 2023 and criticized Edmonds for enhancing benefits beyond prior federal guidance and for not applying caps when required by prior policy. Council discussion also addressed whether emergency leave had been used for caring for family members and whether FMLA or ordinary sick leave could cover some absences.
The motion failed 4–3. No alternate motion to modify or time‑limit the extension was adopted on the floor.
