Peachtree City proposes personnel‑policy updates including emergency double pay and promotion rule changes

Peachtree City staff presented a package of proposed personnel policy revisions intended to modernize HR practices, improve recruitment and retention, and align written rules with current practices.

Dr. Tia Alston Bigg reviewed several changes scheduled for council consideration: provide double pay for hours worked during extended emergencies; permit promotions during an employee's probationary period; ensure that a promotion does not disqualify an employee from receiving a merit increase; remove one redundant level of oral discipline to create clearer documentation trails; set police overtime calculations to an 84‑hour threshold to account for field‑training workloads; codify current practice on take‑home vehicles (removing charges where the city already absorbs them); convert bereavement allowances from calendar days to hours to reflect differing shift schedules; add June 10 as a holiday to align with federal calendars; and increase retirement awards to account for inflation.

Councilmembers asked procedural questions about timing, packet distribution (a councilmember said a 140‑page packet arrived while many were on holiday), and whether any recommendations were unusual; Dr. Alston Bigg said the changes follow local government best practices and legal compliance. Council did not take final action at the work session and staff said the item would return for a vote at the Jan. 15 meeting.