Sheridan staff propose compensatory-time option, extend no-call/no-show threshold in employee handbook update

Resource Director Heather Dope presented proposed changes to the city employee handbook at the Sheridan City Council’s Dec. 8 general study session, saying staff will add a compensatory-time option and update attendance language ahead of a council vote next week.

Dope told the council the city is implementing a new time-and-attendance and payroll system that will go live Dec. 21. “A lot of our employees have been looking forward to the ability … to add compensatory time off to our time-off offerings,” she said, explaining that employees who work overtime can choose compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay, with each overtime hour converted to one and a half hours of compensatory leave.

Dope said the city will pay out any remaining compensatory time at the end of the fiscal year to avoid budget discrepancies from annual raises. She also said the handbook language for no-call/no-show separations will change from two consecutive days to three, and staff will attempt outreach before treating an extended absence as a resignation.

Council questions clarified operational details. Dope said the new system can track time to the tenth of an hour and confirmed a 40-hour cap on compensatory-time accrual: “At any time during the year, it can be at 40 hours. At the end of the fiscal year, we will figure out who has that, and we will pay that out.”

The council did not take a final vote during the study session; Dope said the handbook and associated dates will be on the agenda for a formal vote next Monday. If approved, the new time-and-attendance platform and compensatory-time option will be active beginning Dec. 21.