§ 35.06 SICK LEAVE, PERSONAL LEAVE AND BEREAVEMENT LEAVE.
   (A)   Each employee of the city shall be entitled to sick leave as provided in R.C. § 124.38.
   (B)   Sick leave payment upon retirement. An employee, upon retirement from active service with the city, with ten or more years of service with the state, any political subdivision or any combination thereof, may elect to receive payment of his or her accrued, but unused sick leave.
      (1)   Employees hired prior to June 1, 2012 shall have a maximum amount to be paid at 1280 hours of accrued but unused sick leave. The payment shall be based upon the employee's rate of pay at the time of retirement. Such a payment eliminates all sick leave credit accrued, but unused by the employee at the time the payment is made. Such a payment shall only be paid once to an employee, even if he or she is subsequently employed by the city following retirement.
      (2)   A retirement-eligible employee hired on or after June 1, 2012 shall be entitled to compensation for one-fourth the value of the employee's accrued but unused sick leave credit. The payment shall be based on the employee's rate of pay at the time of retirement and eliminates all sick leave credit accrued but unused by the employee at the time payment is made. The sick leave credit that is paid shall not exceed the value of 480 hours of sick leave. Such a payment shall only be paid once to an employee, even if he or she is subsequently employed by the city following retirement.
   (C)   Sick leave payment upon death. A retirement-eligible employee with ten or more years of service with the state, any political subdivision or any combination thereof, upon death shall be paid his or her accrued but unused sick leave. The payment shall be made to the employee's beneficiaries as designated for his or her life insurance benefit. The value of the sick payment shall be consistent with date of hire provisions identified above in division (B).
   (D)   Other forms of separation (e.g., resignation, removal). An employee who separates employment with the city in a manner other than retirement or death is not eligible for a payment of accrued but unused sick leave.
   (E)   (1)   A full-time city employee with one or more years of continuous service with the city shall be entitled to three personal leave days per year. Employees shall accrue personal leave days on January first. Newly-hired probationary employees shall receive a pro-rated amount of personal leave at the time of the initial appointment in the following manner.
 
Date of Hire
Pro-rated Personal Leave
January through April
2 Personal Days
May through August
1 Personal Days
September through December
0 Personal Days
 
      (2)   Personal leave must be taken in increments of one day. Personal leave days are forfeited if not used by the end of the year. Any unused accumulated personal leave days at the time of separation of employment shall be forfeited.
   (F)   Each employee entitled to sick leave shall also be entitled to bereavement leave for a death in the employee’s immediate family. The immediate family for the purposes of bereavement leave shall be defined as the employee’s spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild, parents, parents-in- law, stepparents, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparents and siblings. Up to three consecutive bereavement leave days may be taken, one of which is the day of the funeral. In the discretion of the appointing authority, an appointing authority may grant additional days of bereavement leave. All days of bereavement leave taken shall be deducted from the employees’ accumulated sick leave balance.
   (G)   Each appointing authority may establish a donated leave policy that allows employees to voluntarily donate accrued vacation or personal leave to another employee, subject to such rules and restrictions as the appointing authority may establish.
(‘65 Code, § 139.07) (Am. Ord. 05-158, passed 12-20-05; Am. Ord. 06-064, passed 7-5-06; Am. Ord. 07-058, passed 4-17-07; Am. Ord. 12-034, passed 5-15-12)