11-08-2023 Workshop Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

WORKSHOP MINUTES CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 8, 2023 start preparing to apply for and an open house could be held on November 29 to get community feedback. There was Council consensus for Bolton & Menk to continue pursuing grant funding towards a project improving this intersection. PERSONNEL POLICY UPDATES The City Clerk/HR Manager explained that staff is proposing some personnel policy updates. She explained that a new Minnesota law was passed requiring businesses to provide Earned Safe and Sick Time (ESST) for most employees. She stated that the City does not currently offer paid leave to part-time staff working less than 20 hours per week and temporary/seasonal staff. She explained that the current PTO offered for staff far exceeds the requirements for ESST. She stated that the current PTO plan is being renamed to PTO/ESST and a new ESST plan is being added for part-time employees working less than 20 hours per week and temporary and seasonal staff. She noted this policy change must be completed by year end as the law goes into effect on January 1, 2024. The City Clerk/HR Manager explained there are several places in the Personnel Policy where the PTO/ESST and ESST language change is needed. She stated the state statute outlines the specific reasons that ESST can be used for, and the definition of family as it relates to ESST. She noted this same state statute language is being added to the Policy under the ESST plan. T. Miller asked if a reason had to be provided for ESST time. The City Clerk/HR Manager outlined that staff normally wouldn't ask unless someone is abusing it. She noted the Personnel Policy currently states that PTO time can be used for any reason. The City Clerk explained that unused ESST time would not be paid out if an employee leaves, however, if an employee returns with 180-days, the ESST balance would be reinstated as required by law. Gutierrez asked about daycare closure, or weather closure. The City Clerk outlined that ESST would include that type of time and the Personnel Policy already allowed PTO use for that. The City Clerk reviewed other changes, including adding two more levels to the PTO accrual rates so employees would increase their PTO accrual rate quicker. She noted that clarification was also added for when those next accrual levels would begin. The City Clerk/HR Manager also noted that Juneteenth was added to the paid holiday schedule as the State adopted it as a holiday in 2023, and cannabis use was into the no smoking section. The City Clerk outlined that employees are able to carry over 240 hours of PTO each year and anything over that would be lost unless the City Administrator approves a higher carry-over amount. She noted that many employees end up taking time off at the end of the year in order not lose PTO< which causes short staffing. She explained that staff is proposing another option for the extra PTO hours could be to place those hours into a sick bank. She noted these hours 2