163.01   VACATIONS.
   (a)    Each full time employee of the City hired on or before January 1. 2020, including full time hourly rate employees, after service of one year with the City not including prior employment with the State of Ohio or any other political subdivision of the State, shall have earned and will be due upon the completion of said first year of employment with the City, and annually thereafter, eighty hours of vacation leave with full pay. One year of service shall be computed on the basis of twenty-six biweekly pay periods. "Annually thereafter" as set forth herein shall be interpreted in such a way as to allow employees to take their vacation any time between January 1 and December 31, regardless of when that employee's anniversary date falls, after one completed year of service with the City, except as hereinafter provided for full time employees hired after January 1, 2020. Each full time employee of the City hired after January 1, 2020 shall immediately accrue vacation leave with full pay at a rate of six and two thirds hours per month until a total of 80 hours has been earned, irrespective of any prior employment with the State of Ohio or any other political subdivision of the state, and annually thereafter shall have earned and will be due eighty hours of vacation leave with full pay. Full time employees hired after January 1, 2020 may use vacation leave after completing six months or at any time with written permission of the appointing authority or his/her designee.
   (b)    A full time City employee with seven or more years of service with the City shall have earned and is entitled to 120 hours of vacation leave with full pay.
   (c)    A full time City employee with fourteen or more years of service with the City shall have earned and is entitled to 160 hours of vacation leave with full pay.
   (d)    A full time City employee with twenty-four years of service with the City shall have earned and is entitled to 200 hours of vacation leave with full pay.
   (e)    For each additional five years of service after twenty-four years, a full time City employee hired on or before January 1, 2020 shall have earned and be entitled to an increase of forty hours in his/her annual accrual of vacation with full pay. Employees hired after January 1, 2020 shall be limited to a maximum annual accrual of vacation leave with full pay of 200 hours.
   (f)    After one year of service as set forth in subsection (a) hereof, annual vacation leave shall be credited to each employee on January 1, of each year. If during the calendar year, an employee attains enough years of service to entitle him/her to an additional forty hours of vacation, such additional vacation leave shall be credited to the employee on his/her employment anniversary date.
   (g)    Employees shall forfeit their right to take or to be paid for any vacation leave to their credit which is in excess of the accrual of three years on December 31 of each year. Such excess leave shall be eliminated from each employee's leave balance.
   (h)    Upon separation from City service, an employee shall be .entitled to compensation at his/her current rate of pay for all lawfully accrued and unused vacation leave to his/her credit at the time of the separation.
   (i)    An employee who was previously employed by the State of Ohio or any political subdivision of the State, earning vacation credits currently, is entitled to have his/her prior service with any of these employers counted as service with the City, for the purpose of computing the amount of his/her vacation leave, except that such prior service with the State or any political subdivision of the State may not be counted until after the completion of the first year of employment with the City. The anniversary date of his/her employment for the purpose of computing the amount of his/her vacation leave, unless deferred pursuant to the appropriate law, ordinance or regulation, is the anniversary date of such prior service.
(Ord. 82-19. Passed 8-12-19.)