To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
Title
Ordinance Amending Section 2.06.010 of the Castle Rock Municipal Code Regarding the Designation of Juneteenth National Independence Day as a Town Holiday (Second Reading - Approved on First Reading on May 3, 2022, by a vote 7-0)
Body
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Executive Summary
Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated each June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. It became a federal holiday in 2021, and the Colorado General Assembly in its 2022 session adopted a bill designating Juneteenth a state holiday.
According to the Colorado Municipal League, 33 Colorado municipalities as of December 2021 had designated Juneteenth as a municipal holiday. CML expects this number to grow now that Juneteenth is a state holiday.
Council at its April 19 meeting directed staff to bring back information about how the Town can honor and acknowledge Juneteenth. The purpose of this memo is to provide information in that regard.
Discussion
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the end of slavery in states that were in rebellion with the Emancipation Proclamation. Two months after the end of the Civil War, on June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston to find that news of the proclamation had not yet reached there and that 250,000 African-Americans were still being held as slaves in Texas.
The leader of the Union troops, General Gordon Granger, on that day announced the emancipation from the balcony of the former Confederate Army headquarters. Accordingly, each June 19 since has been celebrated as Juneteenth, which is a blend of the words June and nineteenth.
Since Juneteenth has become a federal and state holiday, Council may find it appropriate to designate it as a Town holiday, as well. In addition to Colorado, the states of Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington observe Juneteenth, along with the District of Columbia.
Looking locally within Douglas County, the Town of Parker is observing Juneteenth, while the cities of Castle Pines and Lone Tree and Douglas County itself have not decided to do so at this time.
Chapter 2.06 of Town Code currently specifies 10.5 holidays annually and states, “Town Council may grant other holidays as it deems fit.” Council can acknowledge Juneteenth as a Town holiday by approving an ordinance (Attachment A) to amend this section of the Code to include this holiday. If Council adopts the ordinance, staff recommends that - on years when June 19 falls on a weekend - the holiday be observed on the closest working weekday. This is consistent with how the Town observes other holidays.
Budget Impact
There is a cost associated with establishing an additional Town holiday, mainly related to providing holiday pay for employees on duty on the holiday. These employees consist of public safety and water staff, though employees from a few other departments would be on call and receive holiday pay. The Finance Department estimates the total additional cost of acknowledging Juneteenth as a Town holiday would be about $61,000 in 2022 - including about $41,000 within the General Fund to compensate Fire ($21,000) and Police ($14,500) employees on duty. Staff believes this cost could be accommodated within existing 2022 appropriations. If Council adopts the ordinance recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday, staff would budget this additional expense in future years.
Potential Motions
“I move to approve the ordinance as introduced by title.”
“I move to approve the ordinance as introduced by title, with the following conditions: (list conditions).”
“I move to continue this item to the Town Council meeting on (date) to allow additional time to (list information needed).”
Attachment
Attachment A: Ordinance