(A) The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines and procedures for the administration of the Sick Leave Donation Program. This program permits city employees to donate a portion of their accrued sick leave time for the use of other employees who are experiencing a medical emergency or for maternity or parental leave. A
MEDICAL EMERGENCY is a medical condition of an employee or their family member(s) that results in a prolonged absence from work and substantial loss of income due to the employee’s exhaustion of all available paid leave. Use of donated sick leave time by another employee is permitted after the City Treasurer determines the receiving employee’s eligibility.
(B) Employees may donate accrued sick leave hours to coworkers who have experienced either their own medical emergency or to care for a family member during a medical emergency, or for the recovery from the birth of a child, or for parental leave as stated in the Pregnancy and Parental Leave Policy. Employees wishing to receive donated leave must have exhausted their own paid leave time.
FAMILY MEMBER is defined as an employee’s spouse, child, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brothers, sisters, immediate in-laws, or other permanent members of the employee’s household.
(C) An employee wishing to donate sick leave hours to another employee must meet the following criteria:
(1) Employee must have at least 200 sick leave hours accrued prior to the donation of sick leave hours to another employee.
(2) Employee may not donate in excess of 160 hours per employee per calendar year. Sick leave may be donated in eight-hour increments only.
(3) Employee must sign a statement of understanding, Sick Leave Donation (HR Form Eight) regarding the sick leave donation and its effect on the employee’s accrued sick leave and have the donation approved by the employee’s immediate supervisor.
(D) An employee who meets the following criteria shall be eligible to receive donated sick leave hours after the first pay period in which the employee’s accrued leave (sick leave, vacation leave, and any other form of accrued leave) balance is zero.
(1) An employee may not solicit any other employee on their behalf to donate sick leave time.
(2) An employee must have worked for the city for 12 months or longer and must be an employee in good standing.
(3) An employee must be in a full-time position established by the City Commission.
(4) An employee must be off work due to a verifiable personal or family member’s catastrophic illness or injury, not including workers’ compensation.
(5) An employee must provide medical certification of inability to work or certification of a serious illness of a family member.
(6) Employee must sign a statement of understanding, Sick Leave Application (HR Form Nine).
(7) Provided an employee meets or exceeds the above criteria, the employee may receive donated sick time from other city employees as follows:
(a) An employee having a total of up to 120 months of accumulated service with the city shall be eligible to receive up to 100 hours of donated sick time in any calendar year.
(b) An employee having a total of 121 to 240 months of accumulated service with the city shall be eligible to receive up to 200 hours of donated sick time in any calendar year.
(c) An employee having a total of 241 to 360 months of accumulated service with the city shall be eligible to receive up to 250 hours of donated sick time in any calendar year.
(d) An employee having in excess of 360 months of accumulated service with the city shall be eligible to receive up to 300 hours of donated sick time in any calendar year.
(E) A receiving employee may use donated time at the same rate as the receiving employee is normally scheduled to work. For example, a 20 hour per week employee may not receive and be paid for more than 20 hours donated per week; an employee working 40 hours per week may not receive and be paid for more than 40 hours per week.
(F) There will be no accrual of vacation or sick leave as a result of using donated sick leave hours.
(G) An employee who has received donated sick leave time must return to work at the earliest possible date the employee is fit to work, regardless of the availability of sick leave donations. The city reserves the right to request an opinion from a medical professional of the city’s choice to attest to the continued need to be absent from work.
(H) the City Treasurer shall process donations of sick leave time on the next pay period upon the receipt of authorization from the human resources officer, ensuring that the hours donated will be transferred to the receiving employee’s sick leave account.
(I) An employee receiving sick leave donations will continue to receive all other benefits provided by the city in accordance with the city’s policies and procedures.
(J) Any pay received by the employee as a result of donated sick leave time will be subject to any usual deductions on incomes (e.g., federal and state taxes, retirement, etc.)
(K) Sick leave hours donated but unused shall be returned to the employees who donated the time on a prorated basis (e.g., an employee who donates 25% of the total sick leave hours donated shall receive 25% of the sick leave hours donated but not used).
(Ord. 5-11-2023-A, passed 6-8-2023)