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Committee asks city solicitor to draft parental‑leave ordinance after personnel director cites modest cost estimates
Summary
Director Jose Gouveia presented utilization and cost estimates for paid parental leave; the committee instructed legislative counsel to draft an ordinance offering 6 weeks at full pay plus up to 6 additional weeks at 75% pay, to be used within the first year after birth or adoption.
The committee revived a motion first filed in 2023 to explore paid parental leave for city employees and heard a presentation from Director Jose Gouveia on utilization and cost assumptions.
Gouveia told the committee that if every full‑time employee used one week of paid leave the city cost would be roughly $1.4 million; assuming realistic participation, the cost for a parental leave policy covering eligible employees would be much lower. “If every full time employee were to use 1 week of pay, it is close to 1,400,000,” Gouveia said. He estimated a 12‑week parental leave program for likely participants would cost in the range of $360,000 to $450,000 depending on uptake.
Council President Shane Burgo moved that legislative counsel draft an ordinance granting city employees up to six weeks of full pay and an additional six weeks at 75% pay to be used within the first year after a birth or adoption; the motion was seconded and approved by the committee. Attorney Garatowski cautioned that collective‑bargaining units may affect which employees an ordinance could cover and asked for specifics about eligibility, timing, and documentation for the draft.
