'Incredibly insulting': COVID-19 clause in Wichita Falls' sick leave policy draws fire
The City of Wichita Falls’ sick leave policy came under fire from a resident Tuesday when she claimed city employees vaccinated against COVID-19 receive benefits that unvaccinated employees do not get.
Resident Annie Jackson told councilors she believes an updated sick leave policy is “incredibly insulting” because it was conceived by City Manager Darron Leiker and City Attorney Kinley Hegglund without consultation with city council members.
The policy allows city employees who do not use all their accrued sick leave to contribute their unused time to a Sick Leave Pool for use by other employees.
Human Resources Director Christi Klyn confirmed employees requesting the leave for a COVID-related event must meet certain eligibility requirements.
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“An employee that is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine series but has not received all levels of CDC approved COVID-19 vaccine series, would not be eligible for the pool for a COVID-related illness,” she said.
The same employee could be eligible for leave-pool time for a non-COVID related or non-chronic health ailment.
“Public servants are being discriminated against. Who runs the city? Do our elected officials have control – or do you?” Jackson asked, addressing the question to Leiker and Hegglund, who are paid staff members rather than elected representatives.
“I find it incredibly insulting that you would issue a policy, Darron and Kinley, because I’m sure you had something to do with it, without notifying our representatives first," she said.
Jackson claimed Leiker and Hegglund usurped parents’ role over their children and a father’s role over a his family.
Klyn said Mayor Stephen Santellana and members of the council were all notified at the same time about the policy change, which she said was administrative in nature, not public policy. She said the program is entirely voluntary and is overseen by a committee of employees from various departments.
“No one is mandating that employees get vaccinated,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: COVID clause in Wichita Falls' sick leave policy under fire
