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Mountlake Terrace council adopts revamped employee handbook after debate over added floating holiday
Summary
Council approved a comprehensive rewrite of the city employee handbook — the first since 2011 — introducing clearer policies, new entitlements and an additional "day of choice" (floating holiday) for full‑time staff; council members raised budget and operational questions before adopting the changes.
The Mountlake Terrace City Council voted Monday to adopt a substantially revised employee handbook that the Human Resources manager described as a comprehensive, collaborative rewrite of city personnel policies.
Lauren Hekstrom, the city’s human resources manager, told the council the 2011 personnel manual has been replaced by a modern employee handbook with clearer, enforceable language, 18 new policies, and updated benefit descriptions. "The proposed employee handbook has quadrupled in size," Hekstrom said, adding that the rewrite included staff, union and legal review.
Among the changes is a proposal to increase the existing “day of choice” (a floating holiday) so that full‑time employees would accrue the equivalent of two days per year; the handbook retains the use‑it‑or‑lose‑it and non‑payout policy for days of choice. Hekstrom said the proposal follows feedback from employees who asked for more equitable access to time off for religious and cultural observances.
Council members praised the effort’s scope but pressed staff about fiscal and operational impacts. Councilmembers noted the city has roughly 150 full‑time employees; if every full‑time employee used the extra day, that would represent about 1,200 hours of workplace time, a figure opponents said should be weighed against budget constraints and hiring/retention tradeoffs. "Where did the authority come from to put another 8 hours?" one councilmember asked about the added floating holiday. Hekstrom and other staff said the proposal had been discussed with executive leadership and reviewed by WCIA and Summit Law for employment law compliance.
The handbook also documents state‑required entitlements, including domestic violence leave, and adds clarifying language for furloughs, lactation accommodation and tuition‑reimbursement payback provisions. Hekstrom said the handbook is intended to reduce inconsistent interpretations that previously led to staff frustration.
Councilmember Murray moved adoption of the handbook; Councilmember Doyle seconded. After brief additional comments and the opportunity for staff to correct a cross‑reference error identified during the meeting, the council approved the handbook (recorded 6–0).
Staff said the handbook will be posted on the city website and that implementation will include training and an annual review process to keep policies current. Finance and HR will track any fiscal impacts tied to paid time‑off changes and report back to the council as needed.
