Decatur City council adopts employee handbook updates, effective Jan. 1, 2026

The Common Council of Decatur City voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 2025-17, approving a series of amendments to the municipal employee handbook that the council said will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

A council member introduced the measure and described changes to several handbook sections, saying the resolution would leave section 105 as reviewed by the city’s outside consultant and update sections 116 (job postings), 209 (performance evaluations), 305 (holidays), 309 (bereavement leave), 512 (business travel), 518 (general AI usage), 606 (leaves of absence), 703 (harassment) and 709 (ghost employment). The council then voted by voice to introduce the resolution by short title and later adopted it.

The amendments will, according to the presenter, add guidance on acceptable general AI usage for employees (section 518) and include provisions intended to address ghost employment (section 709). The resolution text presented on the record identified the measure as 'Resolution 2025-17, a resolution of the common council of the city of Decatur, Indiana, which amends the city of Decatur employee handbook dated 1120.' The resolution sets the effective date as January 1, 2026.

After the vote, a council member publicly thanked city employees for their response to an early November snowstorm, saying: "I want to send a special thank you out to our city employees for cleaning up our November snowstorm. It's a pretty early one for us and... they had all their equipment ready and took care of the roads... a couple days later now our roads look pretty clear out there." That remark was attributed on the record to a council member and not to a named individual in the transcript excerpt.

The council also approved a routine motion to pay claims and then adjourned the meeting by voice vote. The minutes and roll call show Council members Bar Schultz, Matt Dyer, Tyler Fingham, Scott Murray and Abby Walder present for the session.