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Smithville staff proposes six-week paid parental leave; board requests feedback
Summary
City staff proposed a paid parental leave policy limited to birth or adoption and running concurrently with federal FMLA; staff recommended six weeks paid leave, the board discussed splitting time between birthing and non‑birthing parents and provided input but took no formal vote.
City staff introduced a proposed paid parental leave policy that would run concurrently with federal Family and Medical Leave Act protections and cover birth or adoption events, recommending six weeks of paid leave for either parent.
Gina, a city staff member presenting the handbook update, said the draft narrows paid leave to parental leave only and noted a staff survey of 30 neighboring organizations produced 10 responses showing paid leave ranging from four weeks to 12 weeks. Gina told the board the draft policy was discussed with the city attorney, John Redick, who raised implementation concerns that tying paid leave to FMLA could require adjustments if federal FMLA rules change.
Board members debated whether to give the birthing parent more leave than the other parent. One member suggested splitting the allocations to allow the birthing parent more recovery time; several others favored parity. "I like six weeks across the board for both parents," one alderman said during the discussion. Several members expressed openness to increasing weeks beyond six to remain competitive with peer municipalities.
No formal motion or vote was taken; staff asked the board for direction and said the policy and the employee handbook would be brought back for formal review after incorporating the board’s feedback.
