(A) Every employee holding a regular full-time position with the city and hired on or after January 1, 2019 shall be entitled to a specified number of paid vacation hours as provided in division (C). These employees will be eligible for vacation time beginning on the last day of the month following one full month of employment and will accrue additional vacation leave on the last day of every subsequent month thereafter. For determining years of experience, an employee is considered to be an employee with one year of experience on January 1 following that employee's most recent hire date and then considered to have another year of experience on each following January 1 thereafter.
(B) Every employee hired on or before December 31, 2018 and holding a regular full-time position with the city shall be entitled to a specified number of paid vacation hours as provided in division (C). These employees will accrue vacation leave on January 1 of each year of employment. For purposes of determining years of experience, an employee is considered to be an employee with one year of experience after one year of continuous service and then considered to have another year of experience on each following January 1 thereafter.
(C) Vacation time is determined as indicated in the table below:
Years of Service | Annual Hours by Category (employees hired on or before December 31, 2018) | Monthly Hours by Category (employees hired on or after January 1, 2019) | ||||
A | B | C | A | B | C | |
Years of Service | Annual Hours by Category (employees hired on or before December 31, 2018) | Monthly Hours by Category (employees hired on or after January 1, 2019) | ||||
A | B | C | A | B | C | |
0 - 1 | - | - | - | 8 | 8 | 6.7 |
1 - 3 | 96 | 96 | 80 | 8 | 8 | 6.7 |
4 - 7 | 145 | 168 | 120 | 12.1 | 14 | 10 |
8 - 15 | 193 | 240 | 160 | 16.1 | 20 | 13.3 |
16 - 19 | 240 | 336 | 200 | 20 | 28 | 16.7 |
20+ | 288 | 384 | 240 | 24 | 32 | 20 |
NOTES TO TABLE: Category A - consists of all police officers. Category B - consists of all firefighters. Category C - consists of all full-time employees not listed in Category A or B. | ||||||
(D) An employee must work at least 50% of any calendar month in order for that month to be credited toward vacation time. Any full pay leave of absence will be credited toward vacation time.
(E) An employee may not accrue vacation credit while on an unpaid leave of absence if that leave exceeds 50% or more of scheduled working time in any calendar month.
(F) An employee utilizing sick leave benefits shall accrue vacation credit, provided that when an employee exhausts his or her accumulated sick leave, any absence from work in excess of the allowable sick leave shall be treated as a leave of absence ineligible for vacation credit, as prescribed in division (E) above.
(G) An employee who dies, resigns, is terminated, or otherwise ceases employment for any reason shall be allowed payroll credit for the vacation time accrued but unused as of the date of termination of the employee.
(H) Vacation time generally may not be carried over from one year to another. However, an employee may, with the approval of the employee's department head, carry over vacation time from the calendar year in which the vacation time was awarded to the succeeding year as follows: all police officers may carry over a maximum of 102 hours, all firefighters may carry over a maximum of 120 hours and all other employees may carry over a maximum of 80 hours. The vacation time must then be utilized in that year and may not be carried over again. The employee's department head shall notify the Controller's Office in writing in the event that the department head approves any carryover request.
(I) Vacation pay shall be at the employee's regular rate of pay at the time it is used.
(J) Department heads shall determine the vacation schedule for all employees of their department.
(K) In determining vacation dates to be awarded, department heads shall consider essential work coverage and the necessity of maintaining efficient work operations within the department for continuous service at an optimum level to the public. Department heads may prohibit vacation in peak seasons, if necessary, to maintain an optimum level of service to the community. In the event of a departmental emergency, an employee may be required to work during a scheduled vacation period.
(L) Any deviation of a department vacation schedule shall be determined and approved by the department head.
(M) If this section is at any time inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreements with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 159 and/or the Lawrence Professional Firefighters Association Local 416, then in effect and as approved by the Common Council, the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements shall prevail.
(Am. Ord. 13, 2006, passed 7-3-2006; Am. Ord. 27, 2006, passed 1-2-2007; Am. Ord. 8, 2007, passed 8-6-2007; Am. Ord. 1, 2009, passed 1-5-2009; Am. Ord. 22, 2012, passed 12-3-2012; Am. Ord. 20, 2014, passed 12-17-2014; Am. Ord. 17, 2018, passed 10-1-2018; Am. Ord. 7, 2022, passed 3-7-2022)