Committee approves raising municipal comp time cap from 40 to 60 hours after staff recommendation

The Human Resources and Information Technology Committee on Aug. 13 approved an amendment to the city’s fringe benefits policy to increase the maximum compensatory time (comp time) bank from 40 to 60 hours. The committee vote was 4-0.

Why it matters: Comp time allows nonexempt public employees, when permitted, to bank overtime as future time off rather than receive overtime pay immediately. Raising the cap from 40 to 60 hours gives employees—particularly those in departments with irregular extra hours such as public works—greater flexibility to schedule time off instead of cashing overtime.

Staff presentation and rationale

Director Grama told the committee the proposal stemmed from the city’s employee engagement work; the city’s “culture team” heard requests from employees, especially in public works, for a larger comp time bank so newer employees with limited paid time off can save overtime hours for later use. “This would allow them to put those hours in a bank, and there's still management discretion on when to approve it,” the director said. Staff acknowledged risks including larger banks of future time off on the books and potentially higher cash-outs if employees later elect to be paid for accumulated comp time at a higher pay rate.

Scale and risk

City staff said the change affects a small number of employees at the current cap: 12 employees were reported at the 40‑hour maximum at the time of the midyear review. Staff told the committee that when employees reach a maximum comp-time bank they typically use it down, reducing accrued balances over time. Management retains approval authority for when comp time can be used, and staff said that if comp time requests come during popular vacation periods managers may deny them to avoid staffing conflicts.

Vote and next steps

The committee approved the amendment 4-0. The motion and second were recorded in the meeting minutes; committee members present and recorded as voting in favor were Adrianne Stansil Martin (District 11), Sherry Sartz (District 13, chair), Maya Jones (District 10) and Nate Wolf (District 12). The policy change will be reflected in the updated fringe benefits policy (May 2025 revision) and implemented administratively, with supervisors retaining discretion over approval timing.

Ending: City staff characterized the change as responsive to employee feedback with manageable fiscal risk given the small number of employees currently at the cap. The committee did not request additional financial analysis prior to approval.