Inclement weather policy (WTHR)

When inclement weather is a concern, employees who are regularly scheduled to report to work at 8 a.m. on a weekday should seek information from one of the following sources beginning at 5:30 a.m. to learn whether or not a delay or cancellation has been announced. All other employees should seek information from one of those sources approximately 1.5 hours prior to the beginning of their scheduled shift.

• Media outlets including radio, TV and print
• City of Lexington website (lexingtonky.gov/snowupdates)
• City of Lexington social media accounts (@LexingtonKyGov)
• BeReady Lexington website (bereadylexington.com)
• Everbridge Emergency Notification System (phone/text/email)
• Division of Emergency Management radio (1620AM)
• LFUCG Urban County Council email distribution lists

Any early dismissal or work cancellation on weekdays after 8 a.m. and before 5 p.m. will be communicated directly from the mayor or CAO to department commissioners, division directors, or to other appropriate supervisory personnel for employees who work outside of those hours.

Each department commissioner shall work with division directors to designate Non-Emergency and Emergency personnel for inclement weather purposes. The reporting expectations of these designations are provided below:

• Non-Emergency Personnel – Employees who are expected to report to and/or remain on duty only as provided under the terms of the delay, early dismissal or cancellation of work as prescribed by the Mayor or CAO.
• Emergency Personnel – Employees, as defined and identified within each department or division, who are expected to report to and/or remain on duty regardless of any inclement weather-related decision affecting the work schedule unless released by the Mayor or CAO.

Within the context of this policy, employees who telework may be designated as non-emergency or emergency personnel and have the same reporting requirements as defined by their designations.

There are many essential government functions and services that must continue to operate during inclement weather conditions. No employee shall lose pay due to the Mayor’s or CAO’s declaration of an inclement weather-related work delay, early dismissal or cancellation.

Only those employees who were scheduled to work on-site or remotely and not: scheduled to be off work (with or without pay), serving a suspension or absent without leave (AWOL) during the delay, early dismissal or cancellation may be eligible for the inclement weather pay (WTHR) or comparable time off as provided for under this section. Employees who are out-of-town attending a work-related convention, training, etc. are not considered to be working remotely – i.e. the following subsections do not apply except for the any portions of time outside of the out-of-town convention, training, etc. that they were scheduled to work remotely.

• Non-Emergency Personnel
  
  Employees with this designation who are scheduled to work on-site or remotely should only work within the parameters defined by the declaration. Those who are asked by their supervisor or approved by the supervisor to work outside of those parameters should, with proper documentation from the supervisor, account for their time as Emergency Personnel, described below. Those who volunteer to cover non-routine duties related to the inclement weather emergency (such as staffing the Emergency Operations Center) should also account for their time as Emergency Personnel, described below.
  
  All other Non-Emergency Personnel should use time reporting code REG for all hours actually worked for the day and WTHR for the hours of the day covered by a delay, early dismissal or cancellation. The number of WTHR hours should be reduced such that the total REG and WTHR hours does not exceed the total hours in the employee’s normal daily schedule. With the exception of those described in the first paragraph of this subsection, Non-Emergency Personnel may not bank unused WTHR hours.
   
• Emergency Personnel
  
  Employees with this designation who are required to work on-site or remotely during a work delay, early dismissal or cancellation will, in addition to compensation for actual hours worked (including overtime, if eligible), be allowed comparable time off work with approval of the employee’s supervisor. Employees should use time reporting code REG for all hours actually worked.
  
  Comparable time off shall be calculated based on those hours worked by the employee as part of the employee’s normal daily schedule during periods of work delay, early dismissal or cancellation due to an inclement weather event as prescribed by the Mayor or CAO and which Non-Emergency Personnel are eligible to report as WTHR. Comparable time off should not exceed an employee’s normal daily schedule and hours worked must occur during the work delay, early dismissal or cancellation.
  
  Emergency Personnel should track all comparable time off with their director or payroll coordinator and use the banked time within the six-month period following the work delay, early dismissal or cancellation. However, in no event shall time off be authorized in such as manner as will result in the payment of overtime compensation.
  
  No payment will be made for any WTHR time accrued under this policy which is not taken by the employee as comparable time off.

For general questions about this policy, contact Human Resources at (859) 258-3030 or hr-customerservice@lexingtonky.gov.

For questions about time reporting codes, contact the division of Accounting, payroll section at (859) 258-3034 or payroll@lexingtonky.gov.

Reference:
CAO Policy 14: Inclement Weather Policy