Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Council discusses ordinance on lateral transfer for Jason Mercer; members debate vacation and sick‑time carryover
Loading...
Summary
Council members questioned whether an ordinance was needed for Jason Mercer’s lateral transfer after Mayor Miller said the matter is covered by civil service rules and the employment contract; members noted sick time carries over but vacation accrual and anniversary timing require review with labor attorneys and the union.
The Struthers City Council caucus discussed an ordinance related to employee Jason Mercer and whether vacation or sick‑time accruals should carry over with a lateral transfer.
When asked about the ordinance, Mayor Miller said the issue "is already in our civil service" and "it's on there" in the contract, and that city attorneys had reviewed the matter. "So we don't need it," she said, indicating the ordinance may be unnecessary because the lateral‑transfer provisions and civil service rules already apply.
Council members pressed for clarity on how vacation and sick time would be handled. Several members said sick time does carry over; the timing of vacation accrual was tied to an employee's anniversary date, with one council member noting an anniversary in July. The discussion included a reference to a "top rate" of five weeks' vacation at full seniority; council members said they are consulting labor attorneys and the union to confirm how the contract and civil service rules apply to this hire.
A council member said the city had "completely mixed up" prior expectations about carryover, and another member asked whether the hire would be treated as a new‑hire for vacation accrual. Mayor Miller and others clarified that the appointment is as a lateral transfer and that sick time would be credited but vacation would not be carried over in the way some had assumed.
No formal vote on the ordinance was recorded in the provided transcript; council members said they would follow up with legal counsel and union representatives to resolve outstanding questions.
