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Council weighs broad employee handbook revisions, debates severance proposal
Summary
Council reviewed a comprehensive personnel-policy rewrite that would allow health insurance during probation (for some hires), separate cost‑of‑living from merit increases, revise PTO accruals to pre‑2022 levels, and add a proposed severance-pay provision that drew council concern; staff will redraft language based on input.
Statham City councilors spent significant time Dec. 2 reviewing a proposed comprehensive rewrite of the city’s personnel policy that would change probationary benefits, pay procedures, PTO accrual, a voluntary sick‑leave bank and introduce a severance-pay provision.
City staff summarized the changes and said the version in council packets highlighted items for discussion. Among the key proposals: allow health‑insurance coverage to begin immediately upon hire during probation (raised as a recruitment concern for public‑safety hires); separate COLA from merit increases so employees could receive COLA plus up to a 5% merit increase rather than a single 5% cap; restore PTO accrual tables to approximate pre‑2022 accrual rates and add a separate accrual table for department heads; create a voluntary sick‑leave bank for employees to donate accrued leave; and add a severance-pay provision for terminations without cause (draft language in the packet proposed up to 16 weeks of pay).
One council member voiced concern about the proposed 16‑week severance figure, suggesting instead "one week for each year that you've worked here," and questioned whether the city should pay COBRA premiums for separated employees. Staff said the severance language was a draft included at the council’s request and offered to revise it to reflect council direction (for example, linking COBRA continuation to the severance weeks or making COBRA the employee’s expense). "If the will of the council is we just don't want this policy at all, it can be struck," staff said.
Staff also explained the rationale for PTO changes: a 2022 policy consolidated sick and vacation into PTO and reduced accrual rates for many employees; the proposed tables aim to restore accrual levels that staff said were more favorable to employees under the previous framework. The volunteer sick bank would provide a limited pool to help employees with qualifying medical needs when PTO is exhausted; use would require verification.
The council did not take a final vote; staff will update the draft to reflect suggested edits and circulate a revised version for further review.
All quotations and policy specifics are drawn from the staff presentation and council discussion recorded in the meeting transcript; dollar amounts for severance were presented in draft form and may change.
