By Lee Weyhrich
City of Pinson employees may be eligible for vacation time in the near future.
The Pinson City Council, with the help of City Attorney Shane Black, is still trying to work out the details of the new employee benefit program. The effort has been largely spearheaded by Councilman Joe Cochran.
“I just want us to be the standard bearers in terms of employment,” Cochran said. “From a council standpoint, we should set the example.”
Many city employees have worked for years without vacation. Cochran hopes the plan will also include paid holidays
. Cochran and Councilman Robbie Roberts have both proposed plans to the council.
“I came up with a calculation procedure to simplify the process,” Roberts said. “Basically, you would be able to calculate your vacation time based on the hours worked.”
Roberts proposed employees with unused vacation time have an option of taking pay for the unused time, or transferring that time to the next year. Sick time could accrue to a maximum of six months of time. However, employees must work for at least six months before qualifying for benefits.
One of the details left to work out is how to calculate vacation time for long-time employees in a way that is fair and legal. The council hopes to have a comprehensive plan hammered out by the April 18 6:30 p.m. meeting.