Gov. Bill Ritter has signed an executive order establishing a fair and clear policy regarding the accrual, capping and tracking of vacation, sick and other annual leave for department heads.
"This executive order sets forth clear and equitable guidelines for leave accrual, removing any ambiguities and placing the executive directors on equal footing with other state employees," Gov. Ritter said. "These rules are fair and they protect taxpayer dollars."
The order allows 15 executive directors to accrue 13.33 annual leave hours per month, or 20 days per year. It also allows for the accrual of 6.66 hours of sick leave per month, or 10 days per year.
For executive directors with fewer than five years of total Colorado
Annual leave in excess of those amounts will be forfeited each year on July 1.
Regarding sick time, the maximum accrual for any executive director regardless of years of service is 360 hours (45 days). Sick leave in excess of that amount will be forfeited each year on July 1.
The executive order requires department heads to track their annual and sick leave and report it in writing to the governor's chief of staff. Records will be reconciled at least once a year.
The complete text of the executive order, which Gov. Ritter signed Thursday, follows this news release.
D 007 07
EXECUTIVE ORDER
Annual and Sick Leave Policy for Executive Directors
Pursuant to the authority vested in the Office of the Governor of the State of Colorado , I, Bill Ritter , Jr., Governor of the State of Colorado
1. Background and Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide clear guidance for the accrual and tracking of annual and sick leave for Executive Directors, and to ensure that such leave is accrued and tracked in a fair and equitable manner that is consistent with the policies applicable to other state employees.
This Executive Order applies to the following individuals, who are referred to below as "Executive Directors": Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture; Executive Director of the Department of Corrections; Executive Director of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing; Executive Director of the Department of Higher Education; Executive Director of the Department of Human Services; Executive Director of the Department of Labor and Employment; Executive Director of the Department of Local Affairs; Executive Director of the Department of Military Affairs; Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources; Executive Director of the Department of Personnel and Administration; Executive Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment; Executive Director of the Department of Public Safety; Executive Director of the Department of Regulatory Agencies; Executive Director of the Department of Revenue; and Executive Director of the Department of Transportation.
2. Directive
- Each Executive Director shall accrue 13.33 hours of annual leave per month, which equates to approximately 20 days of annual leave per year. Each Executive Director shall also accrue 6.66 hours of sick leave per month, which equates to approximately 10 days of sick leave per year. Leave is credited on the last day of the month in which it is earned and is available for use on the first day of the next month.
- All Executive Directors shall track their use of annual and sick leave in their respective departments. In addition, Executive Directors shall contemporaneously report use of annual leave and sick leave to the Chief of Staff or his or her designee in writing or via email, where a record of Executive Director annual and sick leave will be maintained.
- At least once each calendar year the records for executive director annual and sick leave maintained by the department and those records maintained by the Chief of Staff shall be reconciled. Such records may only be reconciled in favor of the Executive Director if documentation is provided to substantiate that less leave was taken than is reflected in the records or the Executive Director can provide written documentation to substantiate the accuracy of the departmental records.
- For Executive Directors with fewer than five years of total service in
- The maximum sick leave that any Executive Director may accrue is 360 hours (45 days). Sick leave in excess of the maximum set forth in this paragraph is forfeited each year on July 1st.
- Upon separation from State service, each Executive Director shall be paid his or her earned and unused annual leave, which may not exceed the maximum accrual set forth in paragraph D above.
- For any Executive Director with five or more years of total service in Colorado state government and who is 55 years of age or older at the time of his or her separation and/or retirement from state service, accrued and unused sick leave shall paid out at the rate of 25% of accrued and unused sick leave, subject to the maximum accrual set forth in paragraph E above.
- This Executive Order does not restrict an Executive Director from exercising or requesting to exercise other types of leave that may be available by policy or statute, including but not limited to maternity leave, paternity leave, bereavement leave, military leave, jury leave, administrative leave, or unpaid leave. However, no type of leave other than annual leave and sick leave shall accrue, carry over, or be paid out upon termination.
3. Duration
This Executive Order shall remain in force until further modification or rescission by the Governor.
GIVEN under my hand and
the Executive Seal of the
State of Colorado
day of March, 2007.
Governor
