This City Council may, under unusual circumstances, grant to any city employee or officer, a personal leave without pay for a period of time not to exceed 30 working days or shifts. Additional time over the 30 days may be approved by the City Council.
(A) Standards. Personal leave without pay shall be granted only if no substantial hardship to the municipality will result from the absence of the employee applying for the leave of absence. Leave of absence without pay shall be granted to avoid serious hardship to the employee in cases where the required time is for personal reasons, health reason, non-occupational disease or injury, or for the purposes of obtaining additional education. Non-occupational disease or injury shall mean a disease, condition or injury not incurred in the course of employment with the city.
(B) Education relating to the employee’s work. It is the policy of the city to encourage and assist employees to obtain education that will improve the employee’s performance in his or her work for the city. Every effort will be made to arrange an employee’s work schedule so that such education and training may be obtained without the necessity of the employee taking a leave of absence.
(C) Continuation of benefits.
(1) During the period of leave of absence the employee shall not continue to accumulate and be eligible for other benefits of employment including vacation, sick days, personal days, funeral leave and holiday time.
(2) In the event an employee has been granted a leave without pay as a result of non-occupational diseases or injury, the employee shall return to work if the city makes modification or adjustments to the work environment, or to the manner or circumstances under which the position held or desired is customarily performed that enables a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential function of that position.
(D) Military leave of absence. Any member of the Illinois National Guard or any member of any branch of any armed forces reserve who is placed on active duty status, including annual training, shall be afforded a leave of absence without pay in accordance with the Public Employee Armed Services Rights Act (ILCS Ch. 5, Act 330, §§ 1 et seq.). An employee may utilize accrued vacation consistent with the procedures established in § 35.15.
(Ord. 1254, passed 7-19-06; Am. Ord. 1358, passed 12-3-08; Am. Ord. 1410, passed 6-2-10; Am. Ord. 1456, passed 10-19-11; Am. Ord. 1465, passed 1-18-12)