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Morrisville staff propose shorter probation for certified fire personnel and hours-based parental leave bank
Summary
Human resources director David Hacker proposed lowering the probationary period for certified fire service staff to six months and rewriting paid parental leave so the benefit is banked by typical work schedules (240 hours for 40-hour employees, 432 for fire shifts, 257 for police). Council scheduled action for Sept. 9.
David Hacker, Morrisville’s human resources director, presented proposed edits to the town’s personnel manual on Aug. 26, asking council to consider a shorter introductory period for certified fire personnel and a clarified paid parental-leave policy that accounts for different shift schedules.
Hacker told the council the probationary change would allow certified fire-service hires who already hold the necessary credentials to complete a shorter introductory period — six months rather than the longer default — while maintaining protections that permit extensions when supervisors require more time. "For the purpose of introductory periods, building inspectors, certified fire personnel, [and] sworn law enforcement would have a six-month probationary period," Hacker said, adding that extensions remain possible if leadership requests them.
On paid parental leave, Hacker said the red-line edits do not change eligibility but do change how the benefit is calculated so employees on different schedules receive equivalent value. Under the proposal, a 40-hour-per-week employee’s six-week benefit is banked as 240 hours; the fire-service shift schedule would equate to 432 hours for the same benefit value, police shiftwork to 257 hours, and 30-hour employees to 180 hours. "We looked at the typical work week in those particular individuals’ work schedules and we've created banked time," Hacker said.
Council members asked how the revised parental leave would interact with federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protections and short-term disability. Hacker said FMLA would still run concurrently as required by law, while short-term disability and accrued leave (sick/vacation) could be layered to extend paid leave in eligible cases.
Several council members asked for more analysis of potential cost and retention impacts. "I would like to see an analysis of if this paid benefit would extend from six weeks to 12 weeks — what does that look like?" Council Member Spoggin Johnson said, requesting fiscal detail for future budget cycles. Others raised policy questions specific to shift schedules and clarifications for rehired non-certified personnel who must reenroll in the fire academy.
Hacker said staff will keep the reimbursement clause that requires employees who leave town employment within 12 months of using paid parental leave to repay the value of the leave, and described administrative changes to track the banked hours in payroll systems.
Council did not vote on the proposals on Aug. 26. Members scheduled formal action on the personnel-policy edits for the Sept. 9 meeting and asked staff for follow-up materials that include cost and implementation details.
What’s next: The council will consider a formal resolution or ordinance to adopt the manual revisions at its Sept. 9 meeting; staff will supply fiscal impact and implementation details beforehand.
