(A) The City of Lawrence shall recognize the following as paid legal holidays for all full-time, regular employees:
(1) New Year's Day – January 1;
(2) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – third Monday in January;
(3) President's Day – third Monday in February;
(4) Good Friday – Friday before Easter Sunday;
(5) Memorial Day – last Monday in May;
(6) Juneteenth – June 19;
(7) Independence Day – July 4;
(8) Labor Day – first Monday in September;
(9) Columbus Day – second Monday in October;
(10) Veteran's Day – November 11;
(11) Thanksgiving Day – fourth Thursday and following Friday in November; and
(12) Christmas Day – December 25.
(B) In addition, the Mayor may designate and declare any other day as a legal holiday for any or all departments.
(C) Divisions (D) through (G) of this section do not apply to police officers, firefighters, full-time EMTs and paramedics and Communications Division personnel.
(D) If any of the enumerated holidays in division (A) above falls on a Saturday, the previous Friday will be treated as the holiday. If any of the enumerated holidays in division (A) falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be treated as the holiday.
(E) A full-time employee must work his or her last scheduled workday prior to the holiday and his or her first scheduled workday after the holiday in order to receive compensation for the holiday if that employee does not work on the holiday; provided that any employee absent from work, for any reason, in a full pay status qualifying for vacation credit shall receive compensation for any holiday which falls within the period of paid leave.
(F) Any full-time employee who works on any holidays listed in division (A) or works on any holiday designated and declared by the Mayor shall receive pay at one and one-half times his or her regular rate. Employees who are off work due to the observance of one of the enumerated holidays listed in division (A) of this section or any holiday designated and declared by the Mayor shall receive only their regular rate of pay for that day.
(G) Part-time and seasonal employees are not eligible for paid holiday leave. However, any part-time employee who works on any holiday listed in division (A) or any other holiday designated and declared by the Mayor will be paid at a rate of one and one-half times his or her regular rate of pay.
(H) This division (H) applies only to paid, full-time EMTs, and paramedics and Communications Division personnel. Due to the need for these public safety employees to work on holidays, all such personnel shall be credited with "bonus hours". In consideration for their work on holidays, all paid, full-time EMTs, paramedics and Communications Division personnel shall be credited with eight "bonus hours" per holiday listed in division (A) above. These "bonus hours" shall be credited to each paid, full-time member of the appropriate department at the beginning of the calendar year, regardless of how many holidays are actually worked by each such member. The paid, full-time member of the appropriate department shall be permitted to use these "bonus hours" as additional vacation time. For employees hired on or after January 1, 2019, "bonus hours" generally may not be carried over to the following year. However, an employee may, with the approval of the employee's department head, carry over a maximum of 96 bonus hours from the calendar year in which the "bonus hours" were awarded to the succeeding year. The "bonus hours" 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. Department heads shall determine the scheduling of "bonus hours" for all employees of their department. If an employee leaves or otherwise terminates employment with the city, the holiday hours credited will be adjusted to reflect only the time worked past those holidays listed in division (A) above.
(I) This division (I) applies only to paid, full-time police officers and firefighters. Due to the need for these public safety employees to work on holidays, all such personnel shall be credited with "bonus hours". These bonus hours shall be accrued in a manner consistent with the collective bargaining agreements with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 159 and/or the Lawrence Professional Firefighters Association Local 416. The paid, full-time member of the appropriate department shall be permitted to use these "bonus hours" as additional vacation time. For employees hired on or after January 1, 2019, "bonus hours" generally may not be carried over to the following year. However, an employee may, with the approval of the employee's department head, carry over a maximum of 96 bonus hours from the calendar year in which the "bonus hours" were awarded to the succeeding year. The "bonus hours" 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. Department heads shall determine the scheduling of "bonus hours" for all employees of their department. If an employee leaves or otherwise terminates employment with the city, the holiday hours credited will be adjusted to reflect only the time worked past those holidays listed in division (A) above.
(J) 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. 3, 2005, passed 2-7-2005; Am. Ord. 13, 2006, passed 7-3-2006; Am. Ord. 27, 2006, passed 1-2-2007; Am. Ord. 17, 2018, passed 10-1-2018; Am. Ord. 8, 2021, passed 8-2-2021; Am. Ord. 7, 2022, passed 3-7-2022)