(A) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
(1) NON-ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE. An employee whose job responsibilities do not make it necessary for him or her to be at work during severe weather conditions. The Mayor and/or the employee’s department head determine whether an employee is non-essential.
(2) REGULARLY SCHEDULED. The designated fixed period of time an employee is scheduled to be at work.
(3) SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS. Weather conditions that make it abnormally hazardous for travel to work or for travel from work if employees remain at their work sites during those conditions.
(4) SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS DECLARATION. A directive that non-essential employees leave work early, report to work at a later or different time or not report to work at all as a result of severe weather conditions.
(5) SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS DECLARATION PERIOD. The period of time that a severe weather conditions declaration keeps non-essential employees from work during their regularly scheduled hours.
(B) Severe weather condition procedures and compensation.
(1) In response to actual or expected severe weather conditions, the Mayor, or an authorized representative of the Mayor, may issue a severe weather conditions declaration and establish the severe weather conditions declaration period. Non-essential employees shall receive their regular pay for any time they were regularly scheduled to work during a severe weather conditions declaration period, unless they were on leave the workday before and the workday after the declaration period. Any employee who is on unpaid leave will not be paid during the declaration period and any employee who is on paid leave will be required to use accrued leave during the declaration period. A non-essential employee who voluntarily reports to work during a severe weather conditions declaration period shall not receive any compensation or compensatory leave time in addition to their regular pay for time they were regularly scheduled to work.
(2) Upon learning of a severe weather conditions declaration, non-essential employees shall seek the approval of their direct supervisor before leaving the work site.
(3) In the absence of a severe weather conditions declaration, all employees leaving work early, reporting to work at a later or different time, or not reporting to work at all because of weather conditions, must use their own accrued paid leave time in order to receive pay for any hours not worked. All applicable departmental and city policies and procedures concerning notice and leave must be followed.
(4) During a severe weather conditions declaration period, employees working for the Department of Public Works, Department of Parks and Recreation, or Lawrence Utilities who have continuously remained at work during the declaration period, shall receive compensation at a rate of one and one-half times their normal rate of pay for any hours worked outside their regularly scheduled work hours. If such employees have continuously remained at work during the declaration period, they shall receive compensation at a rate of one and one-half times their normal rate of pay from the end of their initial regularly scheduled work time in the declaration period until they leave the work site.
(Ord. 3, 2007, passed 3-5-2007; Am. Ord. 9, 2022, passed 3-7-2022)