The Clearwater City Council Monday voted 4-0  to establish a holiday pay schedule for permanent part-time employees.

 

Permanent, part-time employees work regular, consistent hours, but less than a full-time employee. Seasonal maintenance and temporary snow removal employes are not included in the classification.

 

Administrator Kevin Kress said he felt permanent part-time employees should receive some compensation for paid time off (PTO) or holiday pay. They work 52 weeks a year and typically between 25 and 32 hours a week, but are not currently eligible for holiday pay.

 

Kress had proposed a new schedule for PTO based on time employed, which would have compensated employees 20 hours a year for up to 90 days employed; 40 hours from 91 days to a year; 60 hours for those employed one to two years; 80 hours for two to five years; 100 hours for six to 10 years and 120 hours for over 11 years.

 

Members of the council were not interested in changing the PTO formula. They discussed offering paid holidays instead.

 

The formula presented by Kress recommended eight hours of holiday pay for the 10 holidays observed by the city.

 

“I used a finite number because it was easy. I could have picked six hours if they always worked six hours a day. But that’s not always the case,” said Kress.

 

“Holiday pay is difficult because you’re talking about somebody who isn’t working the same amount of hours as a full time person.”

 

Councilman Vern Scott wasn’t in favor of a straight formula of eight hours per holiday. He felt the holiday pay should be based on the average number of hours worked during the prior pay period. So if an employee worked fewer hours two weeks before, their holiday pay would be based on that amount.

 

That could get complicated if an employee worked more hours or fewer hours two weeks earlier. Then there wouldn’t be a consistent amount for holiday pay. 

Kress said it was up to the council to choose an amount.

 

“You have to decide what’s reasonable for a permanent part-time employee that typically works between 25 and 32 hours a week,” he said. “If that’s the case, the number would be between five and eight hours for holiday pay. But we have to have something (in place) so as we get more permanent part-time people and we’re going to offer them holiday pay, it should be consistent across the board.”

 

After further discussion, the council agreed to offer four hours of holiday pay after 90 days employed, with the compensation increasing to six hours per holiday beginning in year five.

 

 

The council passed a resolution in a 4-1 vote giving Administrator Kress discretion to hire temporary seasonal maintenance workers as needed. He said the city typically needs workers for lawn mowing and snow removal, and rather than seek council approval, it is more convenient and timely to have the administrator and public works supervisor make the decision to advertise and hire workers. Councilman Scott voted against the resolution.

 

 

In other action the council:

 

* Approved a Temporary On-Sale Liquor License and a Temporary Tax Exempt Gambling Permit for Rejoice Lutheran Church for its Fall Festival Sept. 28;

 

* Accepted a donation of an electronic scoreboard from the Clear Lake Area Youth Baseball Association to be used at Sportsman’s Park.