§ 2-217.09. Accumulation/pay out—Sick leave.

(a) There is no limit on the number of hours of sick leave which an employee may be eligible to accumulate for use for illness or injury.

(b) Accumulated sick leave will be payable upon termination at the rate of one-half (½) the sick leave hours accumulated up to a maximum of one-half (½) of four hundred (400) hours (½ × four hundred (400) hours = two hundred (200) maximum hours payable upon termination). This policy shall apply only to those employees hired after 10/1/85. Sick leave payable upon termination for those employees hired prior to 10/1/85 shall be one-half (½) of the total hours accumulated. Employees who have more than six (6) months of service with the city and leave in good standing shall be paid accrued but unused sick leave pay upon cessation of their employment regardless of which policy applies.

(1) With the exception of the employee hired on July 26, 1968 pay out accrued and unused sick leave shall not be granted prior to cessation of employment except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3). This provision shall create no precedent as to any other employee.

(2) Upon application to the human resources director, an employee hired prior to 10/1/85 who has entered a deferred retired option plan (DROP) may be paid for up to five hundred (500) hours of accrued and unused sick leave (up to one thousand (1,000) hours × one-half (½)) prior to cessation of employment provided said accrued and unused leave was accrued prior to the employee's entrance into the DROP and provided, in the sole discretion of the city manager, the city's cash position will not be adversely affected by such pay out. An employee shall be eligible for pay out of unused accrued sick leave as specified in this paragraph only once during each year of participation in the DROP until the payable leave balance is fully paid. The city's record of accrued and unused leave shall be adjusted to reflect the pay out of accrued leave (i.e., a pay out for five hundred (500) hours shall result in a reduction of one thousand (1,000) hours from the employee's accrued sick leave balance).

(3) Upon application to the human resources director, an employee hired after 10/1/85 who has entered a deferred retired option plan (DROP) may be paid for up to two hundred (200) hours of accrued and unused sick leave (up to four hundred (400) hours × one-half (½)) prior to cessation of employment provided said accrued and unused leave was accrued prior to the employee's entrance into the DROP and provided, in the sole discretion of the city manager, the city's cash position will not be adversely affected by such payout. An employee shall be eligible for payout of unused accrued sick leave as specified in this paragraph once during each year of participation in the DROP until the maximum payable leave balance is fully paid. The city's record of accrued and unused leave shall be adjusted to reflect the pay out (i.e., a pay out for two hundred (200) hours shall result in a reduction of four hundred (400) hours from the employee's accrued sick leave balance). An employee who has received the maximum allowable pay out while participating in the DROP shall not be eligible for additional pay out upon cessation of employment.

(Ord. No. 2001-08, § 1, 6-19-01; Ord. No. 2002-15, § 1, 8-20-02; Ord. No. 2005-49, § 1, 10-18-05)