Columbus, Georgia

Agenda Item #



Columbus Consolidated Government

Council Meeting

August 5, 2003

Agenda Report #



TO: Mayor and Council



SUBJECT: Military Leave Policy



INITIATED: Human Resources Department





Recommendation: Approve an ordinance adopting Human Resources Policy Number

220-401, Military Leave Policy and repealing ?16B-15-7 of the City Code.



Background: On May 15, 2003 Mayor Poydasheff received a suggestion from a City

employee requesting the Columbus Consolidated Government to consider an

expanded military leave policy that would pay the difference between the

military pay earned by our activated guard and reserve members and the salaries

and the pay they would otherwise have received as a City employee. This policy

would be similar to one just adopted by the City of Auburn, Alabama and also in

use by many other employers. Because the CCG has always supported the

membership of our employees in the various components of the National Guard and

military reserves we believed that the suggestion merited an evaluation. We

discovered that our country?s reliance on the guard and reserves for national

defense and domestic security has increased in recent years. This explains why

we are experiencing an increase in the frequency and numbers of our employee

guard and reserve members who are activated and deployed. The length of the

active duty periods we are now observing is about one year and our evaluation

indicates that the vast majority of our impacted employees hold sufficient

military rank that they do not suffer financial losses. However, we do have a

small number of employees that encounter significant reductions in their income

levels and it is this group that the suggested policy change would assist.



Analysis: We evaluated the 32 employees currently on Military Leave and only 4

are making less on military duty than when working their regular jobs with the

City. We only considered basic military pay and basic allowance for housing

(for married only). There is other supplemental military pay that many will

receive that was not considered such as subsistence, jump pay, combat pay,

etc., therefore the actual number might be less than estimated. As considered,

we estimate that the 4 employees noted would be entitled to about $337 per

month each, for a total expense to the CCG of only $1349 per month. This being

the case, the proposed policy change would cost little but would be a very

positive message of support to our employees who are members of the guard and

reserves. The repealed section of the City Code (?16B-15-7) is the current

personnel regulation governing military leave.



Legal: The Council must authorize changes personnel policies and procedures as

provided at ?8-303 of the Charter.



Financial Considerations: The estimated financial impact is minor and may be

covered by salary savings during the periods of time between the end of any

paid City leave and the temporary filling of the position vacated by the guard

and reserve members. Employees temporarily hired to fill in for activated

guard and reserve members may also be paid lesser salaries than those paid to

the employees they are replacing, resulting in additional offset savings.



Recommendation/Actions: The proposed Military Leave Policy was presented to all

CCG departments with 100% of the responses received supportive of the new

policy.