1. An employee must be approved for any leave without pay.

2. Under special circumstances employees may find it necessary to request leave without pay for a reason other than family or medical leave. These circumstances may include, but are not limited to, extended funeral leave and political leave.

3. Department heads consider individual requests for leave without pay in view of urgency, the employee’s length of service and the effect the employee’s absence will have on the operation of the department. All requests must be in writing and approved by the department head and Human Resource Office before submission to the City Manager for approval.

4. No benefits will be offered during leave without pay. Employees will not be able to accrue benefits, remain in State pension plan, or be able to contribute to defined contribution plan.

5. The City does not grant leaves without pay unless it believes that the employee will return to City employment at the end of the leave. However, the City has the right to fill the vacancy. At the end of the leave the employee may be rehired to his/her former position if available or apply for any open position available. If rehired the employees hire date will be adjusted to reflect the break in service. Failure to return to City employment at the end of the leave is considered abandonment of the position and will result in termination. The City Manager may waive the consideration of abandonment in the event of extenuating circumstances.

6. Employees must exhaust appropriate accumulated leave before using other leaves without pay, excluding military leave, and political leave.