To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
Title
Discussion/Direction: Christmas Eve Holiday
Body
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Executive Summary
A 2017 Town Council action made Christmas Eve a half-day holiday for Town staff. Council in 2020 granted staff the full day off in recognition of their efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Council at their September 21 meeting raised the issue of what staff’s Christmas holiday schedule should be for 2021. Staff was not immediately prepared to provide detailed information and told Council that information would be brought back for tonight’s meeting for potential Council action.
Discussion
Ordinance 2017-026, which established a half-day holiday on Christmas Eve, says: “Christmas Eve shall only be considered a holiday when it falls on Monday through Friday.” The ordinance further specifies that when a designated holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday will be observed on the adjacent Friday or Monday. The language in this ordinance is also reflected in the Town’s Personnel Guidelines.
Because Christmas is on a Saturday in 2021, it will be observed on Christmas Eve, the adjacent Friday. So, staff will already have off the full day on Christmas Eve in observance of the Christmas holiday. Staff’s interpretation of the 2017 ordinance is that the half-day observance of Christmas Eve should shift to the day prior. Staff’s pay and holiday calendar was published last fall showing a
half-day off on Thursday, December 23, in observance of Christmas Eve.
Should Council wish to provide additional holiday time in 2021, Council could grant the full day of December 23 as a paid holiday in observance of Christmas Eve. The budget impact of a full-day holiday as opposed to a half-day one is approximately $35,000 - roughly $30,000 of which would be incurred in the General Fund. This cost could be absorbed within existing 2021 appropriations due to personnel vacancies and other savings that have occurred this year.
The cost relates to paying employees required to work on the holiday, including those in Fire, Police, Parks and Recreation and Water. Fire, Police and Water are 24/7/365 operations. Even while other Town offices are closed on December 23, the Recreation Center will be open its normal 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Miller Activity Complex from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Both of those facilities also will be open for limited hours on Christmas Eve, while other Town offices are closed in observance of Christmas, but will be closed on Christmas Day.
Staff has provided Council this information so Council may further discuss this issue and provide staff any direction regarding adjustments. If Council wishes to provide additional holiday time for staff, a potential motion is below.
Potential Motion
“I move to approve a one-time holiday adjustment to provide a full-day holiday for Town staff for Christmas Eve, to be observed on Thursday, December 23, 2021.”