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Severe Weather Policy
Human Resources Administration, Policy 3-10-18
Purpose of Policy
To establish a consistent policy to be used for non-emergency employees when a closure or delay in opening of City Hall and/or other facilities to the public has been declared by the Mayor and/or City Council due to severe weather conditions, natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, etc) and/or unforeseen circumstances for a period not to exceed 3 days.
Excluded from this policy are essential (emergency) employees who are required to work in order to provide essential services to the public involving health, welfare and public safety (Police / Fire / Public Works as designated) and Management - Professional employees as designated.
Policy
When severe weather conditions, natural disasters and/or unforeseen circumstances could result in the closure or delay in the opening of City Hall and other public facilities to the public, by the Mayor or City Council, it shall be the responsibility of all non-emergency city employees to determine if and when City facilities will be open to the public for business prior to reporting to work.
Procedure
- When a closure or delay in opening has been declared by the Mayor and/or City Council, it will be announced in the Kitsap Sunday
- Non-emergency employees should monitor the radio and/or television reports closely when severe weather conditions are forecast for Bremerton and surrounding communities, or natural disasters and/or other unforeseen circumstances occur.
- If a non-emergency employee is unable to monitor radio and/or television reports, he/she should call phone 360-473-4020 to verify the closure or delay in opening of City Hall and/or other city facilities to the public. Non-emergency employees have the following options:
- Not reporting for work, coming in late and/or leaving early and utilizing accrued leave time to cover their absence or to request an adjusted work schedule (as per attachment) as mutually agreed to by the employee and the supervisor. Make-up time cannot result in an overtime situation. Therefore, for those non-emergency employees who normally work 40 hours per week and are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), make-up time needs to be completed in the employee's 7-day work period in which the time off was taken.
Any work hours not made up during the employee's 7-day work period should be charged to accrued vacation, comp-time or approved as leave without pay (leave without pay may be used only if no vacation or comp time leave is available); or - To report to work at their scheduled starting time and work their regular scheduled hours.
- Not reporting for work, coming in late and/or leaving early and utilizing accrued leave time to cover their absence or to request an adjusted work schedule (as per attachment) as mutually agreed to by the employee and the supervisor. Make-up time cannot result in an overtime situation. Therefore, for those non-emergency employees who normally work 40 hours per week and are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), make-up time needs to be completed in the employee's 7-day work period in which the time off was taken.
Example
Due to a severe snow storm, city facilities are closed to the public at 11 am. Non-emergency employees that were able to get to work continue to finish out their regular work day or are permitted to go home early; however, they must use either vacation or comp time or may request an adjusted work schedule during that same workweek to make up that time for the remainder of that work day.
Non-emergency employees that did not come to work shall be required to use vacation or compensatory leave to cover their absence for that entire day or they may request an adjusted work schedule to make up that time during that same work period.
Emergency employees required to work will be compensated pursuant to their respective collective bargaining agreement.