Ordinance committee amends vacation-accrual rules for ordinance employees and forwards measure to council

The Brockton City ordinance committee on Nov. 25 approved amendments to ordinance-employee vacation and personal‑day policies and voted to forward the amended ordinance to the full city council.

Dr. Troy Clarkson, the city’s chief financial officer, said the change is intended to provide parity with other municipal employees, ease recruitment and retention by allowing ordinance employees to accrue vacation as they work, and align pay-and-leave practices with other city contracts. He presented a spreadsheet comparing accrual and personal-day provisions across collective bargaining agreements.

Councilor Bauer objected to proposed language in section k that would grant vacation credit for prior outside experience. He moved to strike section k entirely; the motion was seconded and passed. After discussion, members agreed to insert a substitute approach that would permit mayoral discretion to grant additional vacation credit to prior City of Brockton employees (drafting to be finalized with legislative counsel).

The committee then debated the timing for accrual eligibility. Staff noted many union contracts use a 30‑week threshold for eligibility to receive two weeks’ vacation; Councilor Rodriguez moved to amend the ordinance to set 30 weeks as the eligibility threshold. The amendment carried. The committee voted to send the ordinance, as amended (section k struck; 30‑week accrual eligibility), favorably to the full city council.

The committee did not provide a roll-call vote in the transcript; clerk recorded the motions and resulting committee directions. The ordinance will proceed to the council with the committee’s amendments and with drafting language for any mayoral‑discretion provision to be prepared by legislative counsel.