Farmington staff proposes three weeks parental leave; councilmembers urge longer policy

City staff opened a work-session discussion on parental leave at the start of the Feb. 17 meeting. City Manager Brigham Mellor said demographic factors motivated a review of Farmington's parental-leave policy.

City Attorney Paul Roberts briefed the Council on staff's preliminary recommendation: "Farmington would like to offer up to three weeks of parental leave, which is 120 hours on top of sick leave and other leave banks," he said, noting that neighboring cities' policies range from as little as three days to Salt Lake City's more generous combined recovery and parental leave. Roberts told the Council he would return in two weeks with policy details for formal consideration.

Several councilmembers pushed for a more generous policy. Councilmembers Melissa Layton, Amy Shumway and Kristen Sherlock said three weeks appeared insufficient; Roberts and staff noted that some nearby cities provide different allocations for mothers and fathers and that the federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave where applicable. Councilmember Roger Child urged the City to offer as much leave as feasible, noting private employers providing longer parental leave.

Staff framed the fiscal trade-off as one of operational coverage rather than direct payroll cost: City Manager Mellor explained the challenge would be covering the absent employee's duties (for example, replacing a police officer for six weeks), not only the salary cost. No formal policy was adopted; Roberts will present draft language and implementation details to the Council in two weeks for potential adoption.

What happens next: staff will return with a drafted policy that includes implementation details for Council review and possible formal adoption; the Feb. 17 discussion did not establish a new policy or effective date.