Committee recommends PTO, bereavement and military leave changes; staff to finalize language

The Finance, Utilities and Rules Committee on Jan. 6 recommended a city ordinance changing bereavement, military and paid time-off rules, instructing staff to adjust wording before final council action and approving the measure by voice vote.

City staff member Zach presented the proposed changes, describing them as a set of targeted fixes to the city’s leave policies. On bereavement pay, the draft removes the phrase "days" and replaces it with "shifts," and changes the limit from "per calendar year" to "per death of an immediate family member" so that an employee who suffers multiple losses in the same year would receive bereavement leave for each event. Zach also said the proposed language expands "immediate family" to include others living in the same household.

On military leave, committee members were told current code provides "up to 15 8 hour days of paid leave per calendar year." The ordinance replaces "8 hour days" with "shifts," a change aimed at employees who work 12- or 24-hour schedules (for example, firefighters) so…