Parks committee to send uniform-service contract, boot reimbursement changes to council

The Parks & Recreation committee reviewed a proposed uniform policy that would provide full-time parks maintenance employees a vendor-provided uniform rental service and require an initial pair of steel-toed boots with reimbursement on receipt after a 90-day period.

Jan (Parks staff) described a proposed arrangement with a uniform service (described in the meeting as a Cintas-like rental service) under which maintenance staff would receive a set rotation of supplied pants and shirts, with laundering handled by the vendor. Staff estimated the annual rental cost for the program in the range of about $1,000 to $1,200 per year for the initial year and said budget language has been added for 2026.

Committee members asked for clear wording around the boots reimbursement (staff indicated employees must work 90 days before submitting a receipt), questioned the feasibility of providing the cited number of pairs for all staff within the proposed budget, and asked whether golf-course maintenance would be included (staff said the current proposal covers parks maintenance and that golf maintenance inclusion could be considered separately). The committee asked staff to correct wording about boots receipts and to confirm budget lines before the council vote.

Outcome: Committee asked staff to revise the uniform policy wording (including steel-toed boot reimbursement language), confirm the budget line, and forward the policy to the full council.