Decatur council approves streamlined personnel-policy process; chapter 1 revisions set for Jan. 1, 2026

City Council on Monday approved a new procedure for classifying, reviewing and approving personnel-policy changes and separately approved substantive revisions to Chapter 1, sections 5–7, of the city’s personnel policy manual with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026.

The new procedure allows staff to classify proposed changes as substantive or non‑substantive and route them through HR and legal review; substantive changes will be returned to council for approval while non‑substantive changes may be approved by the city manager. “The city manager will prepare personnel rules subject to the approval of city council,” the presentation to council noted.

City manager’s office staff told council the process is intended to reduce the burden of bringing minor or template edits to full council while preserving council authority over changes required by the city charter, state or federal law, or changes that affect employee benefits or rights. Staff also described a plan to publish policies by chapter on the city website and use Microsoft Forms for electronic acknowledgement and tracking of distribution to employees.

Council members pressed for clarity about employee input. Councilmember (identified in the record as Miss Reeves) said she had received “several calls” from employees and asked whether staff would consult employees before finalizing policies. A council member asked, “So the employees will have no input until after it’s a done deal?” and staff responded that management review and department‑level consultation are part of the process, and policies that affect pay or benefits (for example, PTO or holidays) would be brought to council for discussion and would include opportunities for staff feedback prior to council action.

Council voted to approve the policy revision process and the requested Chapter 1 substantive revisions. A separate timeline presented by staff proposes to complete review of the full manual in stages so revised policies would carry an overall effective date of Jan. 1, 2026, if approved.

The city manager emphasized that substantive items—those touching the charter, labor or government code, federal employment law, or employee benefits—will continue to be routed to council, while non‑substantive edits will be tracked administratively.

Councilors and staff agreed to notify employees to correct miscommunications circulating among staff during the review process.