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Ward City Council adopts updated personnel handbook after same‑night vote
Summary
The Ward City Council adopted Ordinance 2026‑04 on April 21, 2026 to repeal and replace the city personnel handbook, approving changes to vacation accruals, sick‑leave adjustments for police and fire, two additional holidays and a high‑deductible health plan option; the ordinance passed on a 5‑1 roll call.
The Ward City Council on April 21 adopted Ordinance 2026‑04, repealing the 2019 personnel handbook and putting a new personnel policy in place effective in 30 days. The council suspended the usual rules to take the ordinance through second and third readings on the same night and then adopted it by roll call vote: Chapman, McMahon, Hefner, Ruble and Hall voted yes; Brooke voted no.
The ordinance updates employee classifications and leave policies and makes several notable changes to benefit and time‑off rules for non‑uniform staff and public safety personnel. Council members said the changes clarify definitions for contact and attire, adjust vacation accrual rates for non‑uniform employees (for example, increasing early accrual to 10 days after three years and scaling to 22 days after 20 years), add two paid holidays (Good Friday and Presidents Day), and align sick‑leave and other policies for police and fire with state law. The city also added a high‑deductible health plan option and revised rules for selling and donating unused vacation time.
Mayor Charles Gaston read the ordinance title at the meeting and thanked the council after the vote. The clerk summarized the changes to the record, noting the handbook clarifications for essential personnel during inclement weather and revised accrual schedules for non‑uniform employees.
Votes at a glance: • Ordinance 2026‑04 (personnel handbook): Adopted; roll call — Chapman, McMahon, Hefner, Ruble, Hall: yes; Brooke: no. Takes effect in 30 days. • Resolution 202619 (emergency tree removal for water‑main damage): Approved; retroactive authorization for emergency expenditure after three bids. • Resolution 202620 (willingness to use federal Transportation Alternatives/Recreational Trails funds for a 1.85‑mile sidewalk/loop): Approved. • Resolution 202621 (willingness to pursue TA design funds for Moon Road widening): Approved. • Resolution 202622 (authorize agreement with Crafton Tull & Associates for Moon Road engineering services, $14,000): Approved.
Why it matters: The handbook affects pay‑and‑leave accrual for municipal employees, clarifies expectations for essential personnel during severe weather and updates the city’s health‑plan options. Council members framed the changes as administrative updates to align city practice with state law and modernize personnel administration.
What’s next: The ordinance will be posted and take effect in 30 days. Implementation details and any department‑level rollouts were not specified and will be handled by city staff.
