The following regulations are hereby established for absence from work by all full-time employees of the City:
(a) Holidays. Full-time employees shall be paid for the holidays hereinafter set forth, but shall not be required to work on such holidays, unless, in the opinion of the employee's responsible administrative superior, failure to work on such holidays would impair the public service. Part-time employees who have been regularly scheduled to work for twenty hours a week and regularly scheduled to work the day of the holiday on the day that the holiday falls on for a period of three months immediately preceding the holiday shall also receive holiday pay on the same basis as a full-time employee. All employees who are required to work by their supervisors shall receive regular pay in addition to the holiday pay for services rendered on a holiday. Such holidays are as follows:
(1) New Year's Day;
(2) Martin Luther King Day;
(3) Presidents Day;
(4) Memorial Day;
(5) Independence Day;
(6) Labor Day;
(7) Columbus Day;
(8) Veterans' Day;
(9) Thanksgiving Day; and
(10) Christmas Day.
If any of such holidays falls on a Saturday, the Friday immediately preceding shall be observed as the holiday. If any of such holidays falls on a Sunday, the Monday immediately succeeding shall be observed as the holiday.
(b) Vacation Leave.
(1) All full time non-union employees are eligible for paid vacation leave according to the following schedule:
A. After one year of continuous service - 80 hours vacation;
B. After seven years of continuous services - 120 hours vacation;
C. After fourteen years of continuous services - 160 hours vacation;
D. After twenty-one years of continuous services - 200 hours vacation.
(2) Vacation leave will be taken in a minimum of eight hours increments unless the department head/appointing authority approves a lesser number of hours in advance, provided however, that employees earning two weeks or more of vacation annually, must take vacation in a forty-hour increment at least once each calendar year. Employees who earn four weeks or more of vacation annually must take vacation leave in forty hour increments at least twice in each calendar year. In lieu of taking the second forty hour vacation leave, employees earning at least four weeks of vacation leave annually may request to be paid for forty hours of vacation leave. Such request must be submitted to the City no later than December 13 of each calendar year. Payment shall be at the employee's hourly rate on December 31 of the calendar year in which the request is made. The City shall make the payment to the employee no later than January 31 the following calendar year.
(3) Employees who resign or retire are entitled to compensation, at their current rate of pay, for any earned but unused vacation leave at time of separation. To be eligible, the employee must have given two weeks notice.
(4) Request for vacation must be made by March 1 of any calendar year. In such event, employee's seniority and operation considerations shall be used in determining which employee shall be entitled to the vacation time. After this date employees must submit requests for vacation leave of forty hours or more at least fourteen days in advance. Vacations will then be granted on a first come first serve basis with operation considerations.
(Ord. 166-07. Passed 10-18-07.)
(c) Sick Leave. Employees shall accrue sick leave at the rate of four and six-tenths hours per eighty hours in an active pay status with a maximum accrual of four and six-tenths hours per pay period.
(d) Leave Without Pay. Absence without proper authorization or approval shall be considered sufficient cause for suspension or dismissal. Leave without pay may, where necessary, be granted by the Board of Public Utilities or by the director of any department, but shall not exceed two months in any one calendar year.
(Ord. 146-85. Passed 9-5-85; Ord. 122-88. Passed 3-17-88; Ord. 128-92. Passed 3-19-92; Ord. 116-97. Passed 3-20-97; Ord. 127-02. Passed 4-18-02.)
(e) Payment in Lieu of Leave. Except as hereinafter set forth, no cash payment to employees shall be made in lieu of unused vacation or sick leave, except when an employee is permanently separated from employment and in special circumstances when the director of each department and/or the Board of Public Utilities determines that it would be in the best interest of the City. No such payment shall be made to an employee dismissed for cause. Any employee who has accumulated 1,120 hours of sick leave as of November 1 of each year shall be entitled to one week's payment at the employee's current hourly rate in exchange for reduction of three weeks of unused sick leave. A request for such exchange may be made only once each calendar year and must be submitted not later than November 1.
(Ord. 150-87. Passed 12-3-87.)
(f) Retirement Adjustments. Each employee of the City with ten or more years of service shall, at the time of his or her retirement, receive a payment for twenty-five percent of unused sick leave based on the employee's accrued but unused sick leave at retirement, up to a maximum of 120 days, which is equal to 960 hours. Payments authorized by this subsection shall be made from the appropriate fund.
(Ord. 208-96. Passed 11-7-96.)
(g) Personal Day. All non-union employees are entitled to three and one-half personal days off with pay during each year of employment. Such days shall be requested in advance in the same manner as vacation days. Employees who desire to use a personal day in December must submit a request no later than November 30. If the personal days cannot be scheduled due to the operational needs of the Department, the employee shall be paid for such days not used in the first pay period after January 15. The parties shall make a reasonable effort to cooperate to schedule the personal leave days. Any time periods set forth in this Section may be waived with the mutual consent of the parties.
(Ord. 119-97. Passed 2-20-97; Ord. 127-02. Passed 4-18-02; Ord. 166-07. Passed 10-18-07.)