Select Board moves to finalize personnel policy changes on holiday pay, vacation accruals
July 19, 2026 | Hardwick, Caledonia County, Vermont
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The Woodbury Select Board spent a large portion of its June 22 meeting reviewing proposed updates to the town personnel policy, including changes to holiday pay, town-meeting leave and vacation accruals.
Staff outlined the key edits and said the town will eliminate a clause that required unpaid leave for employees who needed to attend a town meeting on a different day. The staff member summarized the immediate change as removing "the employees have to take unpaid time" language and replacing it so employees can take paid leave to attend town meeting. The board agreed that removing the unpaid-leave language would be appropriate and directed staff to prepare the revised draft for adoption at the next meeting.
The board also discussed holiday and overtime pay rules. A staff member said the draft clarifies that "in no event shall holiday hours worked be paid at both the holiday premium rate and the overtime rate" and that holiday hours that qualify as overtime will be compensated at the applicable overtime rate only. Members questioned whether employees can unilaterally work holidays and whether supervisors must authorize holiday work; the meeting record shows the policy ties holiday pay to employees who are "required to work."
The draft also updates vacation accrual and payout rules. Staff described a graduated accrual schedule (for example: 40 hours after year one with a growing maximum accrual schedule that reaches higher caps after five and 12 years) and said separation-time payouts will be limited (payouts allowed up to specified hour caps). Board members asked clarifying questions about prorating vacation after a six-month probation period and how accrual caps interact with carryover; staff reiterated the draft’s approach of awarding prorated vacation upon successful completion of probation and aligning everyone to a July 1 cycle.
No final vote was taken at the June 22 meeting. The board instructed staff to remove the unpaid-leave language, refine wording on preexisting items (such as town-meeting-day observance), and return with a final draft for adoption at the next Select Board meeting.
What’s next: the Select Board expects a final updated personnel policy to appear on a future agenda for formal adoption.
Staff outlined the key edits and said the town will eliminate a clause that required unpaid leave for employees who needed to attend a town meeting on a different day. The staff member summarized the immediate change as removing "the employees have to take unpaid time" language and replacing it so employees can take paid leave to attend town meeting. The board agreed that removing the unpaid-leave language would be appropriate and directed staff to prepare the revised draft for adoption at the next meeting.
The board also discussed holiday and overtime pay rules. A staff member said the draft clarifies that "in no event shall holiday hours worked be paid at both the holiday premium rate and the overtime rate" and that holiday hours that qualify as overtime will be compensated at the applicable overtime rate only. Members questioned whether employees can unilaterally work holidays and whether supervisors must authorize holiday work; the meeting record shows the policy ties holiday pay to employees who are "required to work."
The draft also updates vacation accrual and payout rules. Staff described a graduated accrual schedule (for example: 40 hours after year one with a growing maximum accrual schedule that reaches higher caps after five and 12 years) and said separation-time payouts will be limited (payouts allowed up to specified hour caps). Board members asked clarifying questions about prorating vacation after a six-month probation period and how accrual caps interact with carryover; staff reiterated the draft’s approach of awarding prorated vacation upon successful completion of probation and aligning everyone to a July 1 cycle.
No final vote was taken at the June 22 meeting. The board instructed staff to remove the unpaid-leave language, refine wording on preexisting items (such as town-meeting-day observance), and return with a final draft for adoption at the next Select Board meeting.
What’s next: the Select Board expects a final updated personnel policy to appear on a future agenda for formal adoption.
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