A. Leave without pay not authorized by other sections of these rules may be granted to any employee by the mayor upon recommendation of the employee’s department head. Each request for such leave will be considered in light of the circumstances involved and in regard to the needs of the city. Leave without pay may be granted to an employee after all PTO earned by the employee has been exhausted. Upon approval, leave without pay shall be deemed to run concurrently with, and shall not augment any other period of unpaid leave to which the employee may otherwise be entitled. During leave without pay, the employee on leave may be covered by the employer’s group health, accident and life insurance policies for a period not to exceed six months, provided the premiums are paid by the employee in advance of the city’s payroll date for premiums withholding.

B. Not more than 120 hours of leave without pay within the previous 12 months may be accumulated. Exceptions may be allowed by the mayor under circumstances wherein the city may be expected to benefit by virtue of the employee’s acquisition of advanced or specialized training.

C. In addition to leave without pay authorized under subsection (A) of this section, an employee in a recognized collective bargaining unit who has been designated to represent the unit in collective bargaining negotiations with the city shall take union leave for the time that the employee is engaged in those negotiations during regular working hours. (Ord. 15-12(AM) § 3, 2015; Ord. 09-06 § 2, 2009; Ord. 05-41 § 3, 2005; Ord. 03-33(SUB)(AM) § 2, 2003)