2017/08/22 City Council Resolution 2017-109RESOLUTION NO. 2017-109
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
AMENDING THE CATASTROPHIC LEAVE PROGRAM FOR ELIGIBLE,
ACTIVE EMPLOYEES
WHEREAS, the City has established a system and pool whereby employees of
the City of Rohnert Park may donate and use annual leave and compensatory hours to
alleviate financial hardship in catastrophic circumstances; and
WHEREAS, the City wishes to expand employee eligibility for the program by
reducing the threshold for eligibility to one thousand forty hours (1040) or six months of
employment; and
WHEREAS, the City agreed in the meet and confer process with employee
groups to amend the threshold for eligibility to the Catastrophic Leave Program.
NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Rohnert Park hereby adopts and approves "Exhibit A" hereby attached as its Amended
Catastrophic Leave Program for eligible active employees.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City hereby establishes this Amended
Catastrophic Leave Program and that the City Manager is authorized to administer said
program.
DULY AND REGULARLY ADOPTED this 22nd day of August, 2017.
CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
kenzie, Mayor
ATTEST:
Caitlin Saldanha, Deputy City Clerk
Attachment: Exhibit A
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EXHIBIT "A"
AMENDED CATASTROPHIC LEAVE PROGRAM
Purpose
The purpose of the Catastrophic Leave Program is to establish a system and pool
whereby employees of the City of Rohnert Park may donate annual leave and
compensatory hours to a pool for an employee in need who meets the criteria to obtain
Catastrophic Leave to alleviate financial hardship.
Catastrophic Leave Pool
All regular full-time and part-time employees of the City of Rohnert Park may donate up
to forty (40) hours of his/her annual leave time per calendar year into the Catastrophic
Leave Pool. The donating employee must have an annual leave balance of at least
forty (40) hours after the donation of annual leave time.
All regular, full-time and part-time employees of the City of Rohnert Park may donate up
to forty (40) hours of his/her compensatory time per calendar year into the Catastrophic
Leave Pool. The donating employee is not required to have a compensatory time
balance after the donation of the compensatory time.
All time donated will be credited on an hour -for -hour basis regardless of hourly pay
differential. The Human Resources Department will account for the donation and
disburse catastrophic leave hours.
Catastrophic Leave
Catastrophic Leave is hours of time which have been donated into a pool and may be
used by an employee in need and who meets the criteria of this program.
Catastrophic leave may be used for an absence due to a verifiable long-term illness or
injury such as, but not limited to, cancer and heart conditions which clearly incapacitate
the employee; for a serious illness or injury to a spouse, child, parent or other
dependent who is in need of the employee's care.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for hours of catastrophic leave, an employee must be a regular,
full-time or part-time employee who has completed 1040 hours or six months of
employment with the City, and has exhausted all other benefits available for which they
are entitled.
Catastrophic Leave shall not be used in conjunction with any other long-term or short-
term disability programs, Social Security or Workers' Compensation Benefits.
Catastrophic Leave may not be used to extend a date of retirement. Should this
program conflict with any other provision of law, applicable Government Codes or
AMENDED CATASTROPHIC LEAVE PROGRAM
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CalPERS regulations, the City will comply with those provisions and not the Amended
Catastrophic Leave Program.
The City reserves the right to require the employee to provide medical or other
verification that they have met the criteria established in this policy. While an employee
is utilizing Catastrophic Leave, they do not accrue any annual leave benefits.
Leave Requests
Any employee who meets the above criteria may submit a request for Catastrophic
Leave through his/her Department Head to the City Manager. The City Manager will
determine eligibility and approve/deny leave requests as outlined in this policy.
Determinations made by the City Manager may be appealed to the Leave Appeal
Committee within ten (10) calendar days of the City Manager's decision. A majority
decision of the Leave Appeal Committee is final and binding.
The Leave Appeal Committee shall consist of one representative from each of the
following bargaining units: Rohnert Park Employees' Association (RPEA), Rohnert Park
Public Safety Officers' Association (RPPSOA), and the Service Employees'
International Union (SEIU).
Leave requests may be approved for up to 480 hours per employee, per catastrophic
need event.
APPROVED BY RESOLUTION NO. 97-165
AMENDED BY RESOLUTION NO. 01-270, DATED 12/11/01
AMENDED BY RESOLUTION NO. 2017-190, DATED 8/22/2017