2017-07-10 Agenda with Backup AGENDA
City Council Employee Benefits Ad Hoc Committee
July 10, 2017
A Work Session of the City of Denton City Council Employee Benefits Ad Hoc Committee
(formerly"Employee Leave Ad Hoc Committee") on Monday, July 10, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. in the
City Manager's Conference Room, 215 E. McKinney, Denton, Texas at which the following
items will be discussed:
NOTE: Work Sessions are public meetings, and citizens have a legal right to attend, they are not
public hearings, so citizens are not allowed to participate in the session unless invited to do so by
the Chair.
1. Select a chair for the City Council Employee Benefits Ad-hoc Committee.
2. Approve the minutes from the April 27, 2017, ad hoc committee meeting.
3. Review and discuss the feedback offered by employees on the sick and vacation benefits
as well as health insurance.
4. Review, discuss, and give staff direction on the employee benefits/policies for City of
Denton employees.
5. Set future meeting dates and topics.
CERTIFICATE
I certify that the above notice of meeting was posted on the bulletin board at the City Hall of the
City of Denton, Texas, on the day of , 2017 at o'clock
(a.m.) (p.m.)
CITY SECRETARY
NOTE: THE CITY OF DENTON CITY MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM IS
ACCESSIBLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT.
THE CITY WILL PROVIDE SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS FOR THE HEARING
IMPAIRED IF REQUESTED AT LEAST 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE SCHEDULED
MEETING. PLEASE CALL THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE AT 349-8309 OR USE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES FOR THE DEAF (TDD) BY CALLING 1-800-
RELAY-TX SO THAT A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER CAN BE SCHEDULED
THROUGH THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE.
CITY
OF
DENTON
Human Resources * 601 E. Hickory, Suite A * Denton,Texas 76205
Telephone(940)349-8340 *Fax(940)349-8348
Memorandum
Date: May 15, 2017
To: Employee Insurance Committee
From: Carla Romine, Director of Human Resources
Subject: Vacation, Sick, and Health Insurance Benefits
On February 14, 2017, at the request of Council, staff presented information on the City of
Denton's vacation and sick benefits. During that meeting, the Council discussed putting together
an ad hoc Council committee to review the vacation and sick benefits further and make any
recommendations they may have for changes to the entire Council. The establishment of the ad
hoc committee was approved through a resolution effective March 7, 2017. Kathleen Wazny,Sara
Bagheri, and Keely Briggs serve on the committee.The committee's role was broadened to review
all benefits through another resolution adopted on April 18, 2017.
The committee's desire is to ensure our benefits are better aligned with other DFW metroplex
cities. As we compare our benefits to other cities, it is clear that we are more generous in some
cases (as with vacation and some aspects of our health insurance) and less generous (as with sick
leave) in others. The committee has been considering decreasing the vacation benefits but
increasing the sick leave benefits. Attached are some options they have been discussing. Before
making a recommendation to the entire Council,they would like to have an employee committee
weigh in on the discussion. Knowing that they want to better align our benefits with the other
DFW metroplex cities, what options do you think would be most supported by our employees? A
survey of vacation and sick benefits offered by other DFW metroplex cities is attached.
We also need to make some recommendations regarding the health insurance benefits. As you
know from previous discussions, the amount of savings will vary depending on changes to
deductibles, copays, plan features, etc. We will discuss how much estimated savings each change
will generate, and potential changes to vacation and sick leave, during the EIC meeting on May
16, 2017.
Thank you.
Current Vacation and Sick Benefits
City of Denton
Vacation and Sick Benefits Summary
Police Civil Service and Fire
Civil Service Employees Fire Civil Service Employees
Benefit Non-Civil Service Employees* Working 40 hours** Working Shift**
VACATION
Monthly Accrual 10 hours 10 hours 15 hours
4 hours for each year of service, 4 hours for each year of service, 6 hours for each year of service,
Bonus Accrual beginning on the fifth anniversary beginning on the fifth anniversary beginning on the fifth anniversary
Maximum Annual Carry Over 320 hours 320 hours 480 hours
Pay Out Upon Termination^ Accrued hours up to 320 hours Accrued hours up to 320 hours Accrued hours up to 480 hours
SICK LEAVE
Monthly Accrual 8 hours 10 hours 15 hours
Maximum Annual Accrual 720 hours Unlimited Unlimited
Pay Out Upon Termination none AA Accrued hours up to 720 hours Accrued hours up to 1,080 hours
* Benefits presented in this chart are for regular, full-time employees. Regular 1/2 time and 3/4 employees receive prorated benefits.
**Many of the sick and vacation benefits are mandated by Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code.The mandated benefits per statute
are highlighted in yellow.
^Pay out upon termination is only allowed if the employee has completed 6 months of employment, has not been terminated for gross
misconduct, and has returned all City property on or before issuance of the employee's final pay check
^^Exeption: per policy 111.01, employees who die while in service of the City or while on authorized military leave of absence shall be paid for all
unused sick leave not to exceed 90 working days.
Survey Information
VACATION Full-time, General Employees
City Annual Vacation Accrual Maximum Carry Over Hours Hours Paid When Employee Leaves
Arlington 80 to 160 hours, depending on years of 240 hours After 6 months, any unused accrued
service hours
Executive employees receive 160 hours Executive employees receive 480 hours
Carrollton 84 to 160 hours, depending on years of 288 hours Hired on or before 1/1/2011 with 5
service years of service = up to 288 hours
Hired on or before 1/1/2011 with 6
months to 5 years of service = up to
160 hours
Hired after 1/1/2011 with 6 months of
service= up to 120 hours
Frisco 120 to 160 hours, depending on years of 240 hours After 1 year, up to 240 hour
service
Garland 80 to 160 hours, depending on years of 160 hours After 6 months, any unused accrued
service hours
Grand Prairie 96 to 160 hours, depending on years of 120 or 160 hours, depending on years of Up to 320 hours
service service
Irving 96 to 176 hours, depending on years of 192 to 352 hours, depending on years of After 6 months, up to the maximum
service service allowable accrual
Lewisville 80 to 160 hours, depending on years of 160, 240, or 320 hours, depending on After 1 year, up to 2 times annual
service years of service accrual
McKinney 80 to 200 hours, depending on years of 300 hours Any unused accrued hours
service
Mesquite 80 to 200 hours, depending on years of 240, 320 or 400 hours, depending on After 1 year, up to 160 hours
service years of service
Plano 120 to 192 hours, depending on years of 480 hours After 5 years, up to 480 hours
service
Denton 120 hours, plus 4 additional hours each 320 hours After 6 months of employment, up to
year beginning on 5tn anniversary 320 hours
Vacation-Full-time,General Employees
Arlington* Carrollton Frisco Garland Grand Irving Lewisville McKinney Mesquite Plano AVG Denton^
Years of Prairie
Service Hours Accrued Per Year
0-1 80 84 120 80 96 96 80 80 80 120 91.6 120
1-2 96 84 120 80 96 96 80 80 80 120 93.2 120
2-3 104 84 120 80 96 96 80 120 80 120 98.0 120
3-4 112 84 120 80 96 96 80 120 80 120 98.8 120
4-5 120 84 120 80 96 120 80 120 80 120 102.0 120
5-6 120 120 120 88 120 114.4 124
6-7 120 120 120 120 120 117.6 128
7-8 118.4 132
8-9 119.2 136
9-10 121.6 140
10-11 132.8 144
11-12 136.8 148
12-13 138.4 152
13-14 140.0 156
14-15 142.4 160
15-16 148.0 164
16-17 152.0 168
17-18 152.0 172
18-19 152.0 176
19-20 153.6 180
20-21 167.2 184
21-22 167.21 188
22-23 167.2 192
23-24 167.2 196
24-25 168.8 200
25-26 172.8 204
26-27 172.8 208
27-28 172.8 212
28-29 172.8 216
29-30 172.8 220
30-31 172.8 224
31-32 172.8 228
32-33 172.8 232
33-34 172.8 236
34-35 172.8 240
35 192 172.8 244
*Executive employees accrue 160 hours per year,regardless of years of service
^10 hours per month accrual+4 hours of bonus time for each year,beginning on 5th year(cumulative)
VACATION Police and Fire Employees
City Annual Vacation Accrual Maximum Carry Over Hours Hours Paid When Employee Leaves
Arlington Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift After 6 months, any unused accrued
120 to 160 hours, depending on years of 240 to 320 hours, depending on years of hours
service service
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 to 240 hours, depending on years of 360 to 480 hours, depending on years of
service service
Carrollton* Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 or 160 hours, depending on years of 288 hours After 6 months, up to 288 hours
service
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 or 240 hours, depending on years of 432 hours After 6 months, up to 432 hours
service
Frisco Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 to 160 hours, depending on years of 240 hours After 1 year, up to 240 hours
service
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 to 240 hours, depending on years of 360 hours After 1 year, up to 360 hours
service
Garland* Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 to 160 hours, depending on years of 160 hours After 6 months, any unused accrued
service hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 to 240 hours, depending on years of 240 hours After 6 months, any unused accrued
service hours
Grand Prairie* Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
96 to 160 hours, depending on years of 120 or 160 hours, depending on years of Up to 320 hours
service service
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
144 to 240 hours, depending on years of 180 or 240 hours, depending on years of Up to 480 hours
service service
City Annual Vacation Accrual Maximum Carry Over Hours Hours Paid When Employee Leaves
Irving* Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 to 176 hours, depending on years of 240 to 352 hours, depending on years of After 6 months, up to maximum
service service allowable accrual
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 to 264 hours, depending on years of 360 to 528 hours, depending on years of Fire (24 hour shift)
service service After 6 months, up to maximum
allowable accrual
Lewisville Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 or 160 hours, depending on years of 240 or 320 hours, depending on years of After 1 year, up to 2 X annual accrual
service service
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 or 240 hours, depending on years of 360 or 480 hours, depending on years of After 1 year, up to 2 X annual accrual
service service
McKinney Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 to 200 hours, depending on years of 300 hours Any unused accrued hours
service
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 to 300 hours, depending on years of 450 hours Any unused accrued hours
service
Mesquite* Police and Fire,40 hour shift 240, 320, or 400 hours, depending on Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 to 200 hours, depending on years of years of service After 1 year, up to 160 hours
service
Fire (24 hour shift)
Fire (24 hour shift) After 1 year, up to 240 hours
180 to 300 hours, depending on years of
service
Plano* Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 to 192 hours, depending on years of 480 hours After 5 years, up to 480 hours
service
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 to 288 hours, depending on years of 720 hours After 5 years, up to 720 hours
service
City Annual Vacation Accrual Maximum Carry Over Hours Hours Paid When Employee
Leaves
Denton* Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police
120 hours, plus 4 additional 320 hours After 6 months, up to 320 hours
hours each year beginning on
5th anniversary
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
Fire (24 hour shift) 480 hours After 1 year, up to 480 hours
180 hours, plus 6 additional
hours each year beginning on
5th anniversary
*Chapter 143 Civil Service City
Vacation-Police and Fire 40 Hour Sworn Employees
Arlington Carrollton* Frisco Garland* Grand. Irving* Lewisville McKinney Mesquite* Plano* AVG Denton*A
Prairie
Hours Accrued Per Year
0-1 120 120 120 120 120 117.6 120
1-2 120 120 120 120 120 117.6 120
2-3 120 .0 120
3-4 120 .0 120
4-5 120 .0 120
5-6 120 .0 124
6-7 120 .0 128
7-8 120 .0 132
8-9 120 .0 136
9-10 120 .6 140
10-11 128 .8 144
11-12 136 .8 148
12-13 144 .4 152
13-14 152 .0 156
14-15 160 .4 160
15-16 160 .0 164
16-17 160 .0 168
17-18 160 .0 172
18-19 160 .0 176
19-20 160 .6 180
20-21 160 .2 184
21-22 160 .2 188
22-23 160 .2 192
23-24 160 .2 196
24-25 160 .8 200
25-26 160 .8 204
26-27 160 .8 208
27-28 160 .8 212
28-29 160 .8 216
29-30 160 .8 220
30-31 160 .8 224
31-32 160 .8 228
32-33 160 .8 232
33-34 160 172.8 236
34-35 160 172.8 240
35 160 1921 172.8 244
*Chapter 143 Civil Service City
A10 hours per month accrual+4 hours of bonus time for each year,beginning on 5th year(cumulative)
Vacation-Fire Shift Employees
Grand
Arlington Carrollton* Frisco Garland* Prairie* Irving* Lewisville McKinney Mesquite* Plano* AVG Denton*A
Hours Accrued Per Year
0-1 180 180 180 180 180 176.4 180
1-2 180 180 180 180 180 176.4 180
2-3 180 180 180 180 180 180.0 180
3-4 180 180 180 180 180 180.0 180
4-5 180 180 180 180 180 180.0 180
5-6 180 180 180 180 180 180.01 186
6-7 180 180 180 180 180 180.0 192
7-8 180 180 180 180 180 180.0 198
8-9 180 180 180 180 180 180.0 204
9-10 180 180 180 180 180 182.4 210
10-11 192 180 216 180 180 199.2 216
11-12 204 180 216 180 216 205.2 222
12-13 216 180 216 180 216 207.6 228
13-14 228 180 216 180 216 210.0 234
14-15 240 180 216 180 216 213.6 240
15-16 240 180 240 240 216 222.0 246
16-17 240 180 240 240 216 228.0 252
17-18 240 180 240 240 216 228.0 258
18-19 240 180 240 240 216 228.0 264
19-20 240 180 240 240 216 230.4 270
20-21 240 240 240 240 288 250.8 276
21-22 240 240 240 240 288 250.8 282
22-23 240 240 240 240 288 250.8 288
23-24 240 240 240 240 288 250.8 294
24-25 240 240 240 240 288 253.2 300
25-26 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 306
26-27 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 312
27-28 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 318
28-29 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 324
29-30 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 330
30-31 1 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 336
31-32 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 342
32-33 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 348
33-34 240 240 240 300 288 259.2 354
34-35 240 240 240 300 300 288 259.2 360
35 1 240 288r 259.2 366
*Chapter 143 Civil Service City
A10 hours per month accrual+6 hours of bonus time for each year,beginning on 5th year(cumulative)
SICK Full-time, General Employees
City Annual Sick Accrual Maximum Accrual Hours Paid When Employee Leaves
Arlington 120 hours 1,200 hours Retirees= up to 960 hours
Carrollton 84 or 120 hours, depending on years of No limit Hired on or before 1/1/2010 with 5
service years of service = up to 960 hours
Hired after 1/1/2010= none paid
Frisco 96 hours No limit After 1 year, up to 240 hour
Garland 40 to 160 hours, depending on years of 40 to 160 hours, depending on years of None paid
service service
Grand Prairie 120 hours No limit None paid
Irving 120 hours No limit None paid
Lewisville 120 hours 1,600 hours Any accrued time over 240 hours, up to
720 hours
McKinney 136 hours(11.37 hours per month) No limit If worked for City a minimum of 5
consecutive years, up to 160 hours
Mesquite 120 hours No limit 0—3 years= none paid
3—5 years= 1/3 of unused sick leave
5—6 years= 2/3 of unused sick leave
6+years= up to 90 days
Plano 120 hours No limit 0—5 years= none paid
5 years= pay 50%, up to 300 hours
6 years= pays 60%, up to 432 hours
7 years= pays 70%, up to 588 hours
8 years= pays 80%, up to 720 hours
9 years= pay 90%, up to 720 hours
10+years = pays 100%, not to exceed
720 hours
Denton 96 hours 720 hours None paid
Exception: employees who die while in
service of the City or while on authorized
military leave of absence shall be paid for all
unused sick leave not to exceed 90 working
days
Sick-Full-time, General Employees
Grand
Years of
Arlington Carrollton Frisco Garland Prairie I
Irving Lewisville McKinney Mesquite Plano AVG Denton
Service Hours Accrued Per Year
0-1 120 84 96 40 120 120 120 136 120 120 107.6 96
1-2 120 84 96 80 120 120 120 136 120 120 111.6 96
2-3 120 84 96 80 120 120 120 136 120 120 111.6 96
3-4 120 84 96 80 120 120 120 136 120 120 111.6 96
4—S 120 84 96 80 120 120 120 136 120 120 111.6 96
5-6 120 120 96 80 120 120 120 136 120 120 115.2 96
6-7 120 120 96 88 120 120 120 136 120 120 116.0 96
7-8 120 120 96 96 120 120 120 136 120 120 116.8 96
8-9 120 120 96 104 120 120 120 136 120 120 117.6 96
9—10 120 120 96 112 120 120 120 136 120 120 118.4 96
10—11 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 96
11-12 120 120 96 128 120 120 120 136 120 120 120.0 96
12—13 120 120 96 136 120 120 120 136 120 120 120.8 96
13—14 120 120 96 144 120 120 120 136 120 120 121.6 96
14—1S 120 120 96 152 120 120 120 136 120 120 122.4 96
15+ 120 120 96 160 1201 120 120 136 1201 120 123.2 96
SICK Police and Fire Employees
City Annual Sick Accrual Maximum Accrual Hours Paid When Employee Leaves
Arlington Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours 1,200 hours Retirees= up to 960 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hours shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours 1,800 hours Retirees= up to 1,440 hours
Carrollton* Police and Fire,40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours After 1 year, up to 960 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours After 1 year, up to 1,440 hours
Frisco Police and Fire,40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
96 hours After 1 year, up to 240 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
144 hours After 1 year, up to 360 hours
Garland* Police and Fire, 40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours Up to 720 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours Up to 1,080 hours
Grand Prairie* Police and Fire,40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours Up to 720 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours Up to 1,080 hours
City Annual Sick Accrual Maximum Accrual Hours Paid When Employee Leaves
Irving* Police and Fire, 40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours Up to 720 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Civil Service employees are eligible for
180 hours additional pay upon separation (up to a
maximum of 2,500 hours), if eligible to
retire, and if they have at least 500
additional hours in excess of 720 hours;
pay is equivalent to a percentage of the
employee's salary, based on hours
accrued
Fire (24 hour shift)
Up to 1,080 hours
Civil Service employees are eligible for
additional pay upon separation (up to a
maximum of 2,500 hours), if eligible to
retire, and if they have accrued at least
750 additional hours in excess of 1,080
hours; pay is equivalent to a
percentage of the employee's salary,
based on hours accrued
Lewisville Police and Fire,40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours 1,600 hours Any accrued hours over 240 hours, up
to 720 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours 2,400 hours Fire (24 hour shift)
Any accrued hours over 360 hours, up
to 1,080 hours
McKinney Police and Fire,40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
136 hours (11.37 hours per month) If worked for City a minimum of 5
consecutive years, up to 160 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
184 hours (15.4 hours per month) If worked for City a minimum of 5
consecutive years, up to 240 hours
City Annual Sick Accrual Maximum Accrual Hours Paid When Employee Leaves
Mesquite* Police and Fire, 40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours Up to 720 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours Up to 1,080 hours
Plano* Police and Fire,40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours Up to 720 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours Up to 1,080 hours
Denton* Police and Fire, 40 hour shift No limit Police and Fire, 40 hour shift
120 hours Up to 720 hours
Fire (24 hour shift) Fire (24 hour shift)
180 hours Up to 1,080 hours
*Chapter 143 Civil Service City
Sick-Police and Fire 40 Hour Sworn Employees
Grand
Years of
Arlington Carrollton* Frisco Garland* Prairie* Irving* Lewisville McKinney Mesquite* Plano* AVG Denton*
Service Hours Accrued Per Year
0-1 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
1-2 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
2-3 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
3-4 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
4-5 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
5-6 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
6-7 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
7-8 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
8-9 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
9—10 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
10—11 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
11-12 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
12—13 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
13—14 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
14—15 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
15+ 120 120 96 120 120 120 120 136 120 120 119.2 120
*Chapter 143 Civil Service City
Sick-Fire Shift Employees
Grand
Years of
Arlington Carrollton* Frisco Garland* Prairie* Irving* Lewisville McKinney Mesquite* Plano* AVG Denton*
Service Hours Accrued Per Year
0-1 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
1-2 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
2-3 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
3-4 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
4-5 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
5-6 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
6-7 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
7-8 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
8-9 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
9—10 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
10—11 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
11-12 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
12—13 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
13—14 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
14—15 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 180 176.8 180
15+ 180 180 144 180 180 180 180 184 180 1801 176.8 180
*Chapter 143 Civil Service City
Vacation Accrual
Change Options
Vacation Benefits
Change Options
OPTION 1:
-No change to monthly accrual
-Cap bonus time at 20years
-No change in carryover
Denton Current Accrual Proposed
Years of Hours Accrued Per
Service Hours Accrued
Year (including Hours Lost
bonus time) Per Year
0-1 120 120 0
1-2 120 120 0
2-3 120 120 0
3-4 120 120 0
4-5 120 120 0
5-6 124 124 0
6-7 128 128 0
7-8 132 132 0
8-9 136 136 0
9—10 140 140 0
10—11 144 144 0
11-12 148 148 0
12—13 152 152 0
13—14 156 156 0
14—15 160 160 0
15—16 164 164 0
16—17 168 168 0
17—18 172 172 0
18—19 176 176 0
19—20 180 180 0
20—21 184 180 -4
21—22 188 180 -8
22—23 192 180 -12
23—24 196 180 -16
24—25 200 180 -20
25—26 204 180 -24
26—27 208 180 -28
27—28 212 180 -32
28—29 216 180 -36
29—30 220 180 -40
30—31 224 180 -44
31—32 228 180 -48
32—33 232 180 -52
33—34 236 180 -56
34—35 240 180 -60
35 244 180 -64
Vacation Benefits
Change Options
OPTION 2:
-Eliminate bonus time and have a graduated plan
0- 10years 3weeks 120 hours per year (10 hrs per month)
10+-20 years 4weeks 160 hours per year (13.3333 per month)
20+years 5weeks 200 hours per year (16.6666 per month)
-No change in carryover
Denton Current
Proposed
Accrual
Years of Hours Accrued Per
Service Hours Accrued Per
Year (including Hours Lost
bonustime) Year
0-1 120 120 0
1-2 120 120 0
2-3 120 120 0
3-4 120 120 0
4-5 120 120 0
5-6 124 120 -4
6-7 128 120 -8
7-8 132 120 -12
8-9 136 120 -16
9—10 140 120 -20
10—11 144 160 16
11-12 148 160 12
12—13 152 160 8
13—14 156 160 4
14—15 160 160 0
15—16 164 160 -4
16—17 168 160 -8
17—18 172 160 -12
18—19 176 160 -16
19—20 180 160 -20
20—21 184 200 16
21—22 188 200 12
22—23 192 200 8
23—24 196 200 4
24—25 200 200 0
25—26 204 200 -4
26—27 208 200 -8
27—28 212 200 -12
28—29 216 200 -16
29—30 220 200 -20
30—31 224 200 -24
31—32 228 200 -28
32—33 232 200 -32
33—34 236 200 -36
34—35 240 200 -40
35 244 200 -44
Vacation Carry-Over and Payout
Change Options
OPTION 1
Don't change carryover amount but change the number of hours eligible for payout. For
example, keep carryover at 320 (480 for Fire CS), but only allow payout up to 240 hours (360
for Fire CS).
As of 2/20/17, there are 214 employees who have more than 320 hours (480 hours for Fire CS):
NCS = 157 employees
Police CS = 53 employees
Fire CS = 4 employees
Changing the payout to 240 hours (360 hours for Fire CS) would affect a total of 392
employees; however 214 are already over the maximum allowable hours to be paid. An
additional 178 employees would be impacted by this change.
NCS = 281
Police = 81
Fire CS = 30
To implement with less negative impact on employee morale, could either:
A. Grandfather in existing employees and implement policy change to coincide with the
new fiscal year (with employees starting October 1, 2017).
OR
B. Don't grandfather, but to avoid employees potentially requesting a lot of time off in
order not to "lose" hours upon termination, could pay employees the difference in the
maximum hours allowed to be paid.
OPTION 2
Change carryover 240 hour (360 for Fire CS); maximum payout would reflect carryover.
Same comments as above for implementation.
OPTION 3
Implement a graduated carryover plan based on years of service as follows:
Less than 10 years = 240 hours
10+years = 320 hours
As of 2/20/17, the number of employees by years of service (through 9/30/17) are as follows:
Years of Service Non Civil Service Police Civil Fire Civil Service
through 9/30/17 Service
Less than 10 years of 678 (63.84%) 63 (37.28%) 58 (33.72%)
service
10+ years of service 384 (36.16%) 106 (62.72%) 114 (66.28%)
Maximum payout would reflect carryover.
Sick Accrual
Change Options
Non Civil Service Sick Benefits
Change Options
OPTION 1:
-Implement a graduated plan
0 to 5 years= 8 hours per month (96 hours per year)
5+to 10years= 9 hours per month (108 hours peryear)
10+years= 10 hours per month (120 hours per year)
Proposed
Years of Denton Current
Service Accrual per Year Hours Accrued Change in Hours
Per Year
0-1 96 96 0
1-2 96 96 0
2-3 96 96 0
3-4 96 96 0
4-5 96 96 0
5-6 96 108 12
6-7 96 108 12
7-8 96 108 12
8-9 96 108 12
9—10 96 108 12
10—11 96 120 24
11-12 96 120 24
12—13 96 120 24
13—14 96 120 24
14—15 96 120 24
15+ 961 1201 24
Non Civil Service Sick Benefits
Change Options
OPTION 2:
Change accruals from 96 hours per year to 120 hours per year to match Civil
Service (15 days per year).This would match 50%of the cities surveyed.
Proposed
Years of Denton Current
Service Accrual per Year Hours Accrued Change in Hours
Per Year
0-1 96 120 24
1-2 96 120 24
2-3 96 120 24
3-4 96 120 24
4-5 96 120 24
5-6 96 120 24
6-7 96 120 24
7-8 96 120 24
8-9 96 120 24
9—10 96 120 24
10—11 96 120 24
11-12 96 120 24
12—13 96 120 24
13—14 96 120 24
14—15 96 120 24
15+ 961 1201 24
Sick Leave(24 total comments*)
Option 1(implement a graduated plan;0-5 years=96 hrs/yr;5+-10 years=108 hrs/yr;10+=120 hrs/yr) 4
Option 2(change accruals from 96 hrs per year to 120 hrs per year;this would match Civil Service employees of 15 days per
year) 5
Payout Sick Upon Termination 12
Develop incentives not to use 2
Increase accruals 2
Eliminate the cap on accruals 3
Base accrual on years of service 3
Vacation Leave(37 total comments*)
Grandfather existing employees 12
Accrual Option 1(no change in accruals but cap bonus time at 20 years) 10
Accrual Option 2(0-10 years=3 weeks; 10+-20 years=4 weeks;20+years=5 weeks) 5
Cap accrual at 240 hrs 1
Reduce bonus time from 4 hrs to 3 hrs 1
Carryover&Payout Option 1(leave carryover at 320(480 for Fire CS),but maximum payout would be 240 hours(360 for Fire
CS)) 3
Carryover&Payout Option 2(change carryover to 240 hour(360 for Fire CS);maximum payout would reflect carryover) 3
Carryover&Payout Option 3(Implement a graduated carryover plan based on years of service as follows:Less than 10 years=
240 hours; 10+years= 320 hours;maximum payout would reflect carryover)
5
No changes to vacation 2
Reduce payout but don't change accruals 1
Develop a vacation buy-back program 1
Health Benefits(34 total comments*)
Support plan changes over premium increases 3
Agree with EIC recommendations 9
Widen benefit/premium gap between Gold plan and Silver plan 2
Base premiums on#of family members 2
Discounts for not using the health plan 2
Encourage more use of clinic 2
Re-evaluate the need for the clinic 2
Lower prescription drug copayments 1
Reduce bariatric surgery benefit 1
More training/education on cost of plan/how to best utilize the plan 4
General Comments(19 comments*1
Good benefits attract&retain good employees 7
Reward longevity 2
If comparing benefits with other cities we also need to raise those where we are lacking 2
Bring back Compensatory Time 1
Add Maternity/Paternity Leave 1
*Many of these comments are a summary of an employee group
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
Sick Leave
• Pay employees a percentage of their sick leave based on years of service when employee leaves.
The City of Denton sick leave policy provides absolutely no incentive to employees to stay well
or not use up all of their sick leave before they terminate. It sends the wrong message to
employees.
• Non Civil Service Sick Benefits: Option 2
• Sick accrual Change Option 2
• 1 believe adopting additional sick time whose balance remains uncompensated at
retirement/departure will result in additional use it or lose it practices among non-police/fire
employees.
• 1 think a flat-rate plan is more efficient to administer than a graduated plan. I vote for option 2
because operationally I think it is better choice. And if the goal is to attract better employees by
offering more in terms of sick-time benefits (to better compete with those other Cities),than I
think it's obvious that Option 2 does that more effectively than Option 1.
• Prefer current vacation and sick policies do not change. However, 7 of the 10 cities surveyed
paid out some sick.
• Sick Leave-Option 2, but there needs to be a payout of some sick based on years of service.
• Sick Accrual Change Options—option 1
• The EIC rep polled the group and Option 1 (24 in favor of) was preferred over Option 2 (16 in
favor of).
• Agree to additional sick time, but would like to see a pay incentive for those that don't use it.
• Option 1 for sick leave, with payout of accrued hours upon separation for employees with more
than 5 years of service.
• The sick time payout is an incentive for employees to use good judgement on how much time
they use.
• Why was adding a payout for sick time not considered when 6 out of the other 10 city have
some sort of payout for sick time
• Our limit on sick time is 720 hours when 9 out of the 10 other cities surveyed have either a
higher accrual limit (2 cities) or no limit at all on sick time accrual (7 cities). Why are we not
falling in line with the majority of other cities surveyed and eliminating a sick time accrual cap?
People generally like to have a large number of hours banked in case something catastrophic
happens to them.This does not mean the city has to pay all of those hours when a person
leaves the city.
• Denton has a cap on sick time, majority don't. Denton does not pay out for any sick time,
majority do. Hmmm... I wonder why they want to up the sick time?
• Many of the North Texas municipalities polled offered some sort of cash-out upon termination
of accrued sick leave.
• Most of the North Texas municipalities polled did not have a cap on the number of hours that
could be accrued for sick time.
• If the spirit of the initiative in visiting the City of Denton's employee benefit package is to work
toward the mean of North Texas cities,then it seems reasonable that a sick-leave cash-out
option for long term employees and the elimination or at least increasing the present 720 hour
sick leave accrual cap would both be part of the policy-making discussion.
• Option 2 for sick leave with payout of accrued hours upon separation for employees with more
than 5 years of service.
1
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
• Start new employees at a 96 hrs of sick,then increase and cap at 120
• Look into some sick payout
• Start employees off with 96 hours,then increase 4 hours per year until 120 hours are reach and
cap off at that point. Starting with new employees, lower the maximum amount of sick time one
can accrue.
• Sick leave:
0 96 hours up to 5 years of employment
0 120 hours over 5 years
o Police and fire appear to be in line with other City's already
• Regarding the Sick Leave, Option 1 with a modification that new employees would not accrue
sick leave until 6 months of being hired.
Vacation Leave
• On vacation options-Comment need to grandfather in employees that currently have the
maximum amount of vacation hours and pay them for any difference if one of the new plans
takes effect-these are valuable long term employees that deserve this benefit.
• Prefer Option 1-leave the maximum at 320 hours. As a long term employee, prefer Grandfather
Option B-to be paid out for any vacation time that exceeds the maximum yearly amount.
• Vacation Benefits: Option 2
• Carry-over and payout: Option 3
• Vacation Benefits Change Option 2
• Vacation Carryover& Payout Change Option 3
• 1 would like those of us carrying the current 320 hours of vacation to either be grandfathered in
at that number or paid out versus required to take extensive time out to reduce our hours.
• 1 prefer Option 1 under Vacation Benefits. This option would probably have little-to-no impact
on morale and turnover. I think most employees have the 20 year time frame in their
heads. This is in line with how long most of us expect to be working before we collect
retirement(and maybe move on to a new job). Of course some of us will stay beyond that, but
by then I don't think a few hours of vacation here or there will make much difference.
• Option 2 under Vacation Benefits encourages turnover in my opinion. There are enough Cities
in the Metroplex that grant extra vacation time after 5 years, not 10. Couple this with a
negative work environment here (for some) and better pay elsewhere (for some), and turnover
will probably increase. Turnover comes with its own costs (sometimes as much as 200%of the
employee's salary). It would be cheaper to just leave the benefits as they are than to go down
that road.
• Vacation payout-Grandfathering existing employees (Option 1.A) is always a good idea versus
taking something away from existing employees. Let new employees come in under the new
rules. As existing employees leave the organization the old system is "sunsetted" and phased
out. Morale is unaffected. Turnover is unaffected. The City starts to see savings as soon as one
existing employee leaves and a new employee is hired on. It just compounds after that until the
old system is gone.
• Please do not reduce our vacation benefits.
• Vacation Accrual: Option 2 with no change in carryover
• Vacation Carry-Over and Payout: Option 1 but grandfather in existing employees
• Vacation Accrual Change Options—option 1
• Vacation Carry-Over and Payout Change Options—option 1A
2
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
• The EIC rep polled the group and Option 1 was preferred (11 in favor of). Most were in favor of
Option 1A, Grandfather existing employees at 320 and 240 on future employees for vacation
carryover
• The EIC rep polled the group and Option 3 was preferred (29 in favor of)
• No change to monthly accrual, and carryover, agree to a 20 year cap.
• Option 1 for vacation changes, with a cap of 200 hr.
• Option 1A, Grandfather existing employees at 320 and 240 on future employees for vacation
carryover.
• When looking at reducing vacation time,was the number of holidays other cities receive
considered?Some cities may give less vacation time but more holidays.
• Was an option of changing the bonus ours accrued after 5 years from 4 hours to 3 hours
discussed?
• 1 personally do not mind reducing the total number of vacation hours paid out by the city upon
separation. So long as the total accrual is not reduced.
• The bonus time that we pay to keep seasoned, loyal employees to serve our citizens here in
Denton should be kept.
• If there has to be a cap on number of vacation hours allotted annually,then make it 200 hours.
• The number of hours of vacation carry-over was not a big concern, 240 hours a year maximum
carry-over seems reasonable.
• Option 1 for vacation changes, with a cap of 200 hr.
• Option 3 on vacation carryover.
• Start new employees at the same vacation as of now, but do not add bonus 4 hrs until they are
vested at 5 yrs.Then continue to add bonus hours until 25 yrs and cap at 200 hrs vac.
• Possibly look into vacation payout earlier in career at a lower cost than when they retire at a
higher payout cost
• Grandfather existing employees in with the current policy.
• Offer Vacation Buy-Back- Lower the maximum amount accrued and that can be saved as well as
allow employees to cash out some of their vacation time. Most companies allow a max of 1-2
weeks per year to be cashed out if not taken.This saves money in the long run because they will
get the time paid out at their current pay(which is often lower than it would be in the future). It
also prevents employees from saving up so much time, as many people would like to have the
cash in hand now.
• Start employees at a lower rate -Start new employees with 2 weeks paid vacation for year 1,
earning 4 hours each year until 5 years where they bump to 3 weeks. Employees then earn an
additional 4 hours per year until 10 years, when they bump up to 4 weeks. Employees then earn
4 hours more per year until 20 years,where they max out at 5 weeks. Graphically demonstrated
below:
Years of Employment Vacation Hours Earned
1 80
2 84
3 88
4 92
3
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
5 120
6 124
7 128
8 132
9 136
10 160
11 164
12 168
13 172
14 176
15 180
16 184
17 188
18 192
19 196
20+ 200
• Vacations:
0 2 weeks up to 5 years
0 3 weeks 5 to 15 years
0 4 weeks 15-20 years
0 5 weeks over 20 years
• Use Option 1 for carry overs and payouts and grandfather in existing employees and start new
vacation and sick with new hires October 1, 2017
• Regarding Vacation Time, Option 1 with a modification that new employees (new physical year)
would not accrue vacation time until 6 months of being hired. Current employees would be
grandfathered in.
• Option 3 on carryover hours seems very logical based on the#of employees outlined.
Health Plan Changes
• Specific to Health Care, I'd like to see more documentation distribution. I suspect that that
lowering our benefits through higher employee contributions and higher deductibles will not
lead to better health outcomes but we never see anything related to how anything the city does
in health care benefits, policy, and activities that leads to better health outcomes. If the City
4
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
wants more buy-in to improve our health outcomes then let employees see/interact with more
of what is happening in employee health. Knowledge is empowerment.The only thing we do get
to see is punitive strategies for all based on actions of a few. So, for example, now that they are
charging for Clinic no-shows has the no-show issue been reduced? Better still,why didn't they
choose to try strategies that were positive reinforcement instead of punitive that would have
also reduced no-shows? It feels like they did not choose the second options because they are
problem focused and do not hold employees in high-esteem.
• If the proposed changes keep the premiums down,then they may be acceptable.
• The Employee and Family plan comparisons needs to take into account the$50/month addition
if the spouse is offered insurance.
• Be in favor of the Sliver Plan increasing in price if the following items are addressed to be
consistent with the other cities surveyed.
o A decrease in Out of Pocket Maximums
o Adding Out of Network Benefits back
o Decreasing the copayments of physician, specialist, urgent care and ER
o Removing the RX deductible
• We agree with the insurance changes that were most favored by the EIC Committee, PCP/SPC
Co-Pay increase and deductible increase for Tier2 &Tier 3 prescriptions.
• 1 think there needs to be a more drastic difference between the Gold &Silver plans. Many
employees choose Silver to lessen the amounts taken from their checks in hope to not have to
use it. Some choose the Gold to make sure they're better represented as needed. If there isn't
much difference between the two,why have two options? Suggested Options:
o Premiums: Increase Gold 5% &Silver 10%
o Co-Pays: Gold: $25/$40
Silver: $35/$55
o ER: Gold: $350
Silver: $450
o Co-Insurance: Gold: 85%/80%
Silver: 75%/70%
o Deductibles: Gold: $1000/$2000
Silver: $2000/$3250
• 1 use the health clinic for myself and my children whenever possible. It allows me convenience,
no charge and familiarity with the personnel. Seeing how it is City owned/run, I don't think there
should be ANY charges for any reason regarding this clinic. Its purpose was not to make money,
but to save money. I do wish they would issue more shots in the office and not always prescribe
pills (to have to go to the pharmacy) when possible.
• If you want to cut costs, do away with the Health Clinic, the paper says it costs $1million.
• Look at what it costs to run the Health Clinic and compare the cost to what it saves in insurance
savings to see if it is still viable.
• The Health Clinic doesn't seem to get the diagnosis right the majority of the time. They would
rather give prescriptions, than a shot to help get you well quicker.
• The Healthies Incentive Program has become a joke, it takes way too much time to enter
everything you have to now, so most people I have talked to in our department do not do it
anymore.
• Why do we need two different plans (Gold and Silver)when they are not all that different, either
widen the gap between the two or only offer one.
5
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
• The Water Meter Shop is on board with the four options for health insurance benefits increases,
but express a short term fix.
• We agree with the insurance changes that were most favored by the EIC Committee, PCP/SPC
Co-Pay increase and deductible increase for Tier2&Tier 3 prescriptions
• Premiums should be based on number of family members on the plans such as Employee only,
E+1, E+2, E+3, etc.
• It's bad enough that insurance rates continue to deplete our paychecks. Do we really want to
take away benefits that make Denton shine above other cities?
• The preference is to have the copays/deductible amounts increased rather than an across the
board increase in insurance premiums to cover the projected 2018 short-fall of funding.
• The EIC insurance changes favored were the PCP/SCP copay increase and the Tier 2 &Tier3
prescription deductible increase in order to help achieve the 6% reduction.
• If there are going to be increases to our benefits package I hope there's a discussion for a cost of
living increase too. As it stands for some employees our annual salary review/increase is only
enough to cover the cost of the annual insurance increase(s). I think it's important for EIC to
remember a lot of employees (new and current) consider the benefits package, salary, distance
and cost of living before accepting/leaving positions with the City of Denton.
• Increase the Prescription Drug Annual Deductible
• Increase Emergency Room Copayment
• Increase Copays
• Also, it would be nice to have a discounts for employees who do not have a claim. I'm sure there
are employees who have our health plan and have not had a claim for years, however they are
paying health insurance for their family as a precaution.
• Do not increase premiums
• Personally, I think our co-pays for medications are too high. Most of my generics cost the exact
same without any insurance, or may even cost less if I don't use my insurance. Another
prescription I use isn't on the covered list and despite a letter from my doctor stating I have side
effects from the generic and need this specific brand for one, I am denied coverage at all and am
having to seek coupons from the manufacturer. I again have to file outside of insurance to save
money. I think our insurance is not as good as most private companies,though I am not sure
how it compares to other cities exactly. I just got on it a month ago and am seriously regretting
it. I can't wait until open enrollment to get off of it and go on my husband's so I can have
something that really benefits me.The cost of one prescription is so high without any coverage
from our plan that I can afford to lose my healthy incentive discount I would have next year and
afford the increase in premium to my husband's plan and as long as the prescription is less than
$90 (which I have paid $4 per month for this med with both Aetna and BCBS), I still come out
saving money to get off of our plan.
• Insurance:
o Gold Plan:
■ Ee only-$110.00
■ Ee-Spouse-$242.00
■ Ee+child up to 2-$308.00
■ Ee+children 3 or more-$374.00
■ Ee+Family up to 2 children-$448.00
■ Ee+Family up to 3 or more children-$514.00
6
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
o Silver Plan
■ Ee only-$42.00
■ Ee+Spouse-$138.00
■ Ee+child up to 2-$170.00
■ Ec+child 3 or more-$236.00
■ Ee+Family up to 2 children-$248.00
■ Ee+Family 3 or more children-$294.00
• Reduce benefits for Bariatric Surgery and instead have employee use nutrition and fitness
coaches
• Increase drug deductible from $50.00 to$75.00
• Set up a required HR class for all employees to attend throughout the year that covers our costs
in more details with direction on how to find the lowest costs for medical tests; don't use
another provider referred to by your physician or our clinic until you have UHC confirm they are
in-network or have Compass check or who to contact for assistance; what after hours doctor
facilities are our best cost savings and their locations and hours; etc. Any topic that can save
employees and the City money.
• Or send an email out to all employees covering the above topics so we can have this information
saved on our phones when something does arise at night or on the weekend.
• Or a wallet sized card to carry with our insurance card that lists phone numbers for Compass or
the clinics around town that offer the most cost effective services and lowest co-pays.
• I'm in agreeance with the following potential savings plan:
o Increase the Prescription Drug Annual Deductible
o Increase Emergency Room Copayment
o Increase Copays
• If this plan does goes in affect, HR can provide a training class to educate our employees on
when to use the ER and how to locate in network physicians and specialist.
• Also, it would be nice to have a discounts for employees who do not have a claim. I'm sure there
are employees who have our health plan and have not had a claim for years, however they are
paying health insurance for their family as a precaution.
General
• The City of Denton attracts exemplary employees partly due to their benefit. As a recently rated
non-exempt employee I have lost the ability to gain discretionary time. Pair this fact with the
possibility of reducing vacation days effects my moral negatively.
• Preference on vacation/sick benefits would be no change at all but if a change has to be made
the option should promote longevity. There are benefits to having employees staying
committed to the City of Denton which include enhanced experience and knowledge of
Denton's programs and operations. As we have seen recently, when there is a constant
turnover in employees, City staff and the citizens have to deal with learning curves, additional
hiring and training costs, and policy/procedural changes. Public service is not known for
competitive pay when compared to the private sector but the City can make up the void by
offering good benefits and therefore, allow us to compete with other cities, public entities, and
the private sector.
7
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
• As a hardworking, dedicated person with a strong work ethic the idea of adding extra sick hours
and reducing vacation hours sends a mixed message that degrades the principal of a strong
work ethic and a job well done.
• If the goal is to save money then a graduated increase for sick and vacation in 5 year increments
(0-4, 5-9, 10-14...) seems to be most common.
• Is the City's goal for our Health Insurance plan to promote good health? If that is a correct, then
making changes that promote good health and reward individuals by considering a percentage
of the sick benefits to be paid out upon separation.This would work well with a graduated plan
and could still save money.
• In general, I would like to advocate that any decisions are based on how the change is an asset
to the City and to the employee rather than how employees will take advantage of the benefit.
Cost savings cannot be the only consideration. 1. If adjustments are made to bring us in
alignment with other Cities benefits then that should be equitable across both benefit. Don't
reduce vacation and then not increase sick leave. 2. If there must be a change, I would prefer
that it be grandfathered option so that you are not removing benefits from existing employees
who are already committed to the organization regardless of current tenure.
• 1 am not trying to lump everyone into the same perceptions and I am aware that this
assumption would not apply to all but right or wrong my perception is that there are too many
people in that room making decisions based on the assumptions of the worst of employees
rather than seeing the best of employees with a commitment to supporting and honoring
employee contribution. Honestly, it feels like some important leaders have forgotten that their
role is build up the workforce, make us better: better performers, better leaders, better
employees, better in service to our clients,the citizens.
• 1 think current staff should be Grand-fathered in on any changes made to leave benefits. A lot of
people accepted the position with the City of Denton due the benefit package that was offered
at the time of their start date. I understand the need for adjustments in insurance premiums,
deductibles etc.from time to time, but I don't agree with some of the amounts on the attached
documents. We have a lot of staff members that are uncertain of the future they may have with
the City of Denton due to all the current changes taking place, I do know that a lot of these
changes will be beneficial down the road but sometimes that's hard to see right away. It's a
time of unrest and I think throwing this in the mix may be too much at one time.
• In looking at the vacation and sick time accrual, carryover, and payout options from the ten
other cities here are my observations;
1) Denton has the best accrual, 41h best carryover and we are tied for 51h best payout programs
when it comes to vacation.
2) Denton has the worst(tied for 10th) accrual, 10th best carryover and we are tied for worst
(with three other cities) for payout program when it comes to sick.
To achieve what the council has stated as the goal in this study,to bring Denton to an average of
these other cities we would have to be between the 5th and 6th ranked cities in each
category. Taking an average of what each city offers is not a true average because of the wide
difference between the cities at the bottom,who choose to be there, and the top performing
cities,who also choose to be where they are.
8
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
VACATION-
• Accrual #5 is Irving who has a graduated plan from 96 to 176 hours depending on years
of service.
• Carryover#5 is Lewisville who has a graduated plan from 160, 240, or 320 hours
depending on years of service.
• Payout#5 is Grand Prairie who allow up 320 hours as does Denton.
SICK-
• Accrual #5 is a tie from#247 (Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving, Lewisville, Mesquite and
Plano) each with 120 hours.
• Carryover#5 is a tie from#1-#7 (Carrollton, Frisco, Grand Prairie, Irving, McKinney,
Mesquite and Plano) each with no limit.
• Payout#5 is Mesquite who has a graduated plan of 0-3 yrs none, 3-5 yrs 1/3 of unused,
5-6yrs 2/3 of unused and 6+yrs up to 90 days or 720hrs.
If the council truly wants to ensure our benefits are better aligned with other DFW metroplex
cities this would be what needs to be done. I am sure that some employees would be upset,
others would be indifferent and still others would be happy. This would only make Denton's
employees' compensation "Average" and not Leading. As you can see this would cost the city
more $ in payout and actually not save any hard $ with the reduction in vacation hrs accrued.
Take that just a little further, and if the council would like to make Denton a true Leader among
DFW Metroplex Cities, move these benefits into the top 3 in each category (top 25%). This
would go a long way in proving that our council is concerned about the city's employees and
wants to continue to attract and retain the best employees in the future. This would also be a
cost but should also be viewed as an offset in production. It is proven if you have a happy work
force you gain productivity through employees taking less time off, improved morale, more
attention to detail, and safer work habits. The biggest increase that I think the council would
see is in each employee's attention to SAFETY due to a decrease in distractions and an increase
in morale. It's always nice when and employee can take off on vacation for several weeks to
relax and unwind.
But if the council is actually only worried about the bottom line and cutting costs and all we as
employees have to choose from is the options sent out by the EIC, I would choose Option#2 of
the Vacation Benefits Change Options/Option#3 of the Vacation Carry-Over and Payout Change
Options with Option A Grandfather Existing Employees and implement the change October 1,
2017. The easiest and less controversial option is to leave them as they are.
• When considering changes to vacation time, did the committee ask if the other cities on the list
allow accrual or use of"comp"time for exempt and/or nonexempt employees?Some of these
cities do, which may be why they have less vacation accrual. For example, Garland allows
accrual of 90 hours of comp time for nonexempt employees and 160 hours for exempt
employees. Some City of Denton employees have to work over 40 hours per week due to the
nature of their jobs, staff shortages, a special project or event, weather event, etc, or regularly
take calls after hours and on weekends yet don't accrue comp time for this. We do have the
vague "discretionary"time policy, but since that is up to the supervisor's discretion the time off
given varies from supervisor to supervisor.There's no consistent policy.
9
Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
• 1 haven't had a ton of time to review. I think that it would be dreadful for people who have time
accumulated such at the 320/720 and those hours depleted due to a new policy is terrible for
morale and disrespectful to employees who have worked extremely hard and count on those
hours in case of a life crisis, medical emergency, etc. I understand the need for policy changes,
but I think strong consideration should be given to long term employees who have accumulated
those hours in their bank,to not remove hours earned.
• 1 am sending this email in concern to the newly proposed health care,vacation, and sick plans. I
have currently been with the City of Denton three and a half years. I really enjoy working for the
city as well as working with all the current city employees. I left my current job in 2013 to come
to the City of Denton strictly because of the great benefits the city had to offer. Since I have
been here,the health insurance has went up in some form or fashion every year. I completely
understand that today's healthcare costs are constantly changing. Is it changing drastically
enough to change our rates every year? As for comparing Denton to all the other cities listed in
the documentation, I don't feel it is necessary to compare. Ever since I have been here whether
it's been in meetings or new employee orientation, all I have heard is how the City of Denton
strives to be the best and offer the best for their employees among all the other surrounding
cities. I think there are plenty of other areas among the city that they can cut cost from, rather
than cutting it from their own people. As for the vacation and sick time, is there a city wide
problem with the way it is now? If they want to talk about other towns, it is clearly shown in the
comparisons of the other cities that there are some drastic changes from town to town. It's
clear that the majority of the other cities pay their employees for their accrued sick time when
they leave. I did not see that in any of these proposals to get on the same playing field as the
other towns. There are a lot of questions that I have, along with others that I'm sure have them
as well. It is shown that Denton has better benefits than most in the majority of areas. There
are some that clearly have better benefits in areas other than Denton's. Why can't Denton set
the precedent and uphold the reputation of being a city that everyone around would love to
work for?
• Leave everything as is,the sick increase will result in employees using sick in lieu of the vacation
that is lost.
• The benefit package is what lures potential employees to work for the City of Denton,we have
hard time filling jobs with the current marketplace and economy already.
• 1 had a little round table with my team this morning and we find these options unacceptable. If
you are looking for average employees then you have average benefits. Denton has always tried
to be a leader of cities and now we are wanting to go back to average?
• I'm not a fan of continuing to raise our insurance costs. I understand that it's expensive so I can
live with it for now. But, it really disturbs me that bonus vacation time will be capped at 25
years. I don't understand why the city would want to do this. I don't care to hear about
unfunded liability—if it's unfunded then fund it instead. One of the reasons people work for
municipalities is because of benefits such as this. If you start to cut these benefits, you'll lose
some well-qualified workers who'll decide to work in the private sector where they can make
more money. Or, as I suspect is the case,the council wants senior employees to just go ahead
and retire so that their higher salaries will be gone. Either way,the city isn't trying to take care
of their employees. You get what you pay for.
• Minimal to no changes to be made to Vacation/Sick
• Grandfather in existing options before making changes to Vacation/Sick
• Start offering some sort of maternity/paternity leave
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Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
Full Email from one employee:
Scott, I have several concerns about the Council looking into changing our benefits. With this being said I
do realize some change is coming but I just hope the Council will take into consideration that every
employee that works for the City of Denton is a person not just a number. Here is a little bit about
myself:
Years of Service: 28 years
Born and raised: Denton TX
High School: Denton High
As you can see above I know a little bit about Denton Texas. I've seen changes over the years here at the
City of Denton both as an employee and citizen, some good, some not so good. Here are a couple of
questions for the Council before they make their decisions on our benefits.
1. As a Denton Citizen and Employee I would like for Denton to be a leader not a follower among
Cities, is the Council ok with Denton just being average?
2. As a supervisor I am responsible for hiring,the positions I hire in most cases are very technical
positions, I can't stick just anyone in those positions. With this being said the pay for those
positions are competitive but not above market. So I need these benefits as a selling point to get
good quality personnel. Finding technical technicians is very difficult now, if we just have
average benefits then hiring just got more difficult. I would think the Council would want the
best possible employee we could get, not just an average Joe?
3. The Potential Benefit Change Talking Points states that the four(4) changes generate
$1,025,914 in potential savings. I would like to know what this potential savings would go to,
just curious?
4. Anytime you take benefits away from the work force you affect the morale of that work force.
Since these possible changes have come to light I know my team has been affected, and not in a
positive way.There are even a couple mentioned bringing in a Union, I know I don't want this
and surely the Council doesn't want this? I think it is just talk but what bothers me is I haven't
heard that talk before.
5. When looking at the different options on Vacation and Sick, it does look like we get more
vacation then most but not as much sick. I would rather my guys get more vacation for one
simple reason, SAFETY! What I mean by this, Substations is very busy(and so are all the other
departments), I want my guys to be able to take off and relax, rest, clear their heads, spend time
with their families,then come back and be focused and work SAFE! This job is very demanding
on each team member, they need and deserve their down time. If you take vacation away and
increase sick time, this could create another problem, some might take off sick when vacation is
really what they should be using. Council just keep in mind these team members need their
down time for themselves, other team members and most important their families.
6. If the Ad Hoc Committee wants to better align our benefits with those offered by other cities
then let's align all the benefits, not just the ones Denton is more generous in. Denton does not
pay for any Sick when you leave but 7 out of 11 Cities do pay for Sick time. So where in the
Options does it say what the City of Denton plan to pay for Sick?
7. Insurance is always going to go up, I just don't think we should increase it because other cities
have. If we can afford better insurance for the employees then they should have it.Again lets be
a leader among Cities!
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Full Employee Comments—Sick/Vacation Leave and Health Benefits
I have always bragged on working for the City of Denton and one major reason has always been the
benefits. I do appreciate all that the City of Denton has done for its employees over the years, I just
don't want to be just another Municipal.
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