PARKER — The Parker City Council approved a modification to its personnel manual prohibiting departing employees from leaving sick leave to a current employee on Tuesday.
The item was inspired when Chief Keith Sweatt left 2,000 hours of sick leave to current public works director Cecil Brunson, almost a year’s worth of time. Brunson suffered two brain aneurisms on July 24 and is slowly recovering at a hospital in Tallahassee, but it will be some time before Brunson can return to the job. Sweatt retired in August.
The council said this sick leave transaction will stand because it has been grandfathered in and Brunson has a legitimate medical condition. City Clerk Nancy Rowell said there was a previous case where a disgruntled employee left her sick leave to a friend who just banked the time for future use.
The change to the personnel manual also requires any future sick leave donations to be approved by the City Council and requires a doctor’s note from the recipient. Unless they have worked for the city for more than 20 years, employees have a maximum of 240 hours of sick leave they can rollover from year to year.
The council also approved dock and RV storage permits for James and Rhonda Mitchell. who live at 4333 E, Bus Hwy 98.