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Council debates policy to allow limited paid hours for city employees' civic involvement
Summary
Staff proposed adding a policy to allow up to six paid hours per month for approved civic involvement; councilmembers, employees and residents debated whether six hours is too generous given financial constraints and whether participation should be limited to non‑board roles.
City staff presented a draft policy for the personnel manual to encourage city employee participation in civic, charitable and professional organizations, recommending director approval and up to six paid hours per month for approved activities. "Encouraging our city employees to participate in civic, charitable, or professional organizations can strengthen relationships," the presenter said, adding the proposed time allocation is six hours per month.
Council members and speakers at the meeting questioned the cost and scope. One council member said "6 hours just seem kinda high" and raised concerns about paying for volunteer time while departments are making budget cutbacks. A resident who is also a city employee, Stephanie Diaz, said some community boards require board membership (and decision‑making authority) for participation and that without paid time staff could be unable to serve: "I would be in support of us being able to utilize some of our time, a few hours every month in order to accomplish" roles that require membership.
Opponents suggested alternatives such as allowing employees to use personal or vacation time, allowing department directors discretion, or starting with fewer paid hours (for example, three hours). Several council members said the city currently cannot afford a broad paid‑time program and recommended revisiting the policy in about a year. The presenter said staff will take council direction and return with a refined proposal.
