Fiscal Note
Used leave time is reflected in the payroll system to the extent it is noted on an employee's time sheet. Earned but unused leave time is accrued until used. This includes the Mayor and department/division heads. A Mayor, like most City employees, is paid based on 77.5 hours biweekly times an hourly rate of pay. There are no provisions that require a Mayor, upon an absence, to formally utilize any leave time such as vacation or sick leave, in order to receive full salary compensation
Under the current MGO 3.50, a Mayor earns vacation time at the same rate as other non-Comp Group 21 City employees under MGO 3.32 (6) -- 10 days through 3 years; 12.5 days for 4 through 7 years; 15 days for 8 years through 11 years, etc The City has chosen to credit a Mayor with vacation hours that a Mayor may choose to formally record or not; any unused hours may be carried over. When a Mayor leaves office, the unused balance is paid out.
Under the proposed ordinance, a Mayor would receive 20 days of vacation annually in a first term and 25 days annually in any subsequent four year term. Up to 10 unused days could be carried over to the subsequent year. The only fiscal effect, since a Mayor is paid a salary regardless of leave status, is related to accrued (i.e., carried over) vacation days that would be paid out when leaving office. The proposed ordinance would allow a maximum of 40 accrued days in a first four year term compared with a maximum of 42.5 days under the current ordinance (assuming, under the current ordinance, that no vacation days were taken in that 4 year period). After two four-year terms, the proposed ordinance would allow a maximum of 80 accrued days compared with a maximum of 95 days under the current ordinance.
However, another comparison might be if a Mayor used vacation that maximized the carryover under the proposed ordinance. For example, if a Mayor used 10 days of vacation annually, then during the first four year term 40 days would accrue under the proposed ordinance, while 2.5 days would accrue under the current ordinance. If in a second term a Mayor used 15 days of vacation annually, then over the course of two four year terms, 80 days would accrue under the proposed ordinance and 0 days would accrue under the current ordinance.
Given the above, the fiscal effect of the proposed ordinance compared with the current ordinance would range from a savings of $1,300 to a cost of $19,600 at the end of a first four year term and from a savings of $7,700 to a cost of $40,900 at the end of two four year terms. A savings would occur if a Mayor uses no vacation time under the proposed ordinance. The maximum cost would occur if a Mayor uses 10 days of vacation annually in the first four years and 15 days of vacation in the second four years. These estimates are based on the mayoral salary with the term of office that begins in April 2015.
Title
SUBSTITUTE Amending Section 3.50(1) of the Madison General Ordinances to clarify vacation time paid to the Mayor.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This amendment clarifies the amount of vacation time paid to the Mayor. Section 3.32(6) referenced in the current ordinance applies to City civil service positions where probation periods apply and vacation is based on continuous years of service, none of which are applicable to the Mayor. The revision brings Mayoral vacation time in line with the number of vacation days, and vacation carryover, given to Compensation Group 21 Department and Division Heads. This ordinance will apply to the Mayor taking office on April 16, 2019.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
Subsection (1) of Section 3.50 entitled "Salaries of Mayor and Officials" of the Madison General Ordinances is amended by amending herein the following:
"(b) Mayor:
Effective the term that begins April 20, 2011, the Mayor's salary shall be $125,500.44. Effective the term that begins April 21, 2015, that amount shall be adjusted by a percentage equal to the combined four (4) annual percentage changes calculated for managerial employees in the previous four (4) years pursuant to Sec. 3.54(9)(c), MGO. Thereafter that amount shall be adjusted by a percentage equal to the resultant percentages calculated four years previously for managerial employees pursuant to Sec. 3.54(9)(c), rounded to the nearest whole percentage, and shall be effective the second pay period in April of each year of the mayoral term. Effective April 16, 2019, tThe Mayor shall accrue vacation as provided in Sec. 3.32(6) of these ordinances be entitled to twenty (20) days of vacation in each year of the first four (4)-year term in office and twenty-five (25) days of vacation in each year of any subsequent consecutive four (4)-year term in office. Credited but unused vacation in excess of ten (10) days may be carried forward to the succeeding year. The Mayor shall be paid in full for credited but unused vacation existing on the day the Mayor leaves office. In addition to this salary and vacation time, the vacation benefit provided for in Sec. 3.54(2927) of these ordinances shall be afforded to qualifying Mayors."