(A) Each full-time employee of the city shall be entitled to sick leave of 3.75 hours with pay for each completed work month of service or major fraction thereof (3.75 hours constitutes a major fraction). Employees who render emergency, part-time, per diem, or contract service shall not be entitled to sick leave. No employee shall be entitled to sick pay for days missed which were not regularly scheduled workdays. A sick day shall be considered that number of hours included in the individual employee’s normal workday, not to exceed eight hours. Unused sick leave may be cumulative up to 30 days.
(B) Sick leave time begins to accrue on the first day of employment. For periods of less than one month, such as at the beginning or end of employment, sick leave will accrue on a pro rata basis in minimum increments of 1/4 hour.
(C) On January 1 of every year, each employee’s sick leave account will be credited with the full amount of the annual sick leave due to the employee for the ensuing year. Each pay period, the employee’s sick leave account will be debited for sick leave used by the employee during the preceding period. If an employee ceases to be employed during the year, the employee must repay to the city the amount of sick leave used in excess of the leave that has accrued up to the date of termination. If possible, the value of the excess leave will be deducted from the employee’s final paycheck.
(D) An employee may use sick leave for any one of the following reasons:
(1) To avoid jeopardizing the health of other employees;
(2) Illness, disability, medical condition, or a medical or dental appointment of the employee, or a member of the employee’s immediate family necessitating the employee’s presence.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY shall mean the employee’s spouse, child, mother, father, or other permanent members of the employee’s household;
(3) Personal leave; or
(4) Because mental health is an integral part of overall wellness, the city allows employees to take advantage of sick leave for occasional “mental health days.”
(E) An employee using sick leave time shall notify their immediate supervisor, as soon as possible, of the need to use sick leave. For periods of leave longer than one full day, the employee shall notify their supervisor of each separate day that leave will be used unless prior arrangements have been made.
(F) Whenever an employee uses sick leave time, the employee shall submit an Absentee Request (HR Form Seven) in accordance with § 37.188 of this chapter. When possible, the employee shall submit the Absentee Request Form in advance of the leave. Otherwise, the employee shall submit the Absentee Request Form immediately upon return to work.
(G) A medical certification or physician’s statement will generally not be required to return to work after the use of sick leave. However, an employee’s department director may require medical certification or a physician’s statement, when there is a reasonable basis to believe the sick leave policy is being abused, to certify that the employee can perform the essential functions of the job without risking the safety of themselves or others, or the employee’s length of absence exceeds three full workdays.
(H) An employee may carry over an accumulated maximum of 30 days of unused sick leave time to the next calendar year. Any sick leave in excess of 30 days may be paid to the employee at the end of the calendar year. The applicable hourly rate for both exempt and nonexempt employees shall be calculated as provided in § 37.125 and subject to all required deductions.
(I) Upon termination of employment, the employee will be compensated at a rate of 50% of current compensation for up to 30 days of accumulated sick leave days.
(J) An employee eligible for sick leave with pay may use such leave, upon approval of their immediate supervisor, for absence due to illness, injury, exposure to contagious disease which could be communicated to other employees, illness or death in the employee’s immediate family (For this purpose,
IMMEDIATE FAMILY shall mean spouse, mother,
father, children, grandchildren, mother or father-in-law, grandparents, sister, or brother). An employee on sick leave shall inform their immediate supervisor of the facts and the reason therefore as soon as possible and failure to do so within a reasonable time may be cause for denial of sick leave with pay for the period of his/her absence. Sick/personal time can be used for doctor/dentist appointments, or any other reasonable appointment time as approved by their immediate supervisor.
(K) Absences for a fraction or part of a day are chargeable to sick leave in accordance with the provisions and shall be charged proportionately as time is used. Sick time to be recorded on last working day of the month. At the end of each calendar year, an audit of the employee’s accrued sick time will be made available to the employee. Each employee and their immediate supervisor personnel officer shall be required to sign the audit form stating that they agree with the calculation on the audit form.
(L) Any employee fraudulently obtaining sick leave, or department director/supervisor falsely certifying sick leave allowance for absence from work for other reasons, may be suspended, reprimanded, or dismissed. The Treasurer shall keep records of sick leave allowance, sick leave taken, and balance of sick leave allowance for the individual employees.
(M) In the event of sick leave for any purpose, the immediate supervisor may require a physician’s certificate or other suitable evidence giving information as to the circumstances involved.
(N) The immediate supervisor shall notify his or her employees of his or her accrued sick leave balance at the end of each calendar year, a summary of which shall be kept in the employee’s file.
(Ord. 5-11-2023-A, passed 6-8-2023)