SALEM — City council approved proposed updates to the city’s compensatory time policy in its meeting Tuesday.

Council first discussed an ordinance which would update the city’s compensatory time policy in its March 4 meeting and further discussed it in a subsequent meeting of the finance committee April 3. Previously the city’s policy allowed its non-represented employees to carry over 160 hours of compensatory time into the new year, with anything beyond that paid out in December. However, the updated policy will permit the city’s unrepresented employees to accrue compensatory time beyond the current cap throughout the year, with any excess time not used before the next year’s deadline to be paid out as normal.

At the March 4 meeting Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey explained that the current policy causes some city employees to hit the cap early in the year, meaning subsequently accrued hours are paid out as soon as they are earned rather than being available for employees to use for time off later in the year. She also said that when she was a member of city council it had been intended to implement the proposed update, but that through some oversight the change had never been made official.

“What happens now is that it is paid out after a certain limit in that first pay of December and you can only carry over 160 hours if you’re a non-bargaining employee. Some of our workers, when there’s snow or big projects in the first part of the year, they may carry over the max 160 hours, but the minute they get another one, payroll was paying it out because they were over the limit,” said Dickey.

Council voted unanimously to give the ordinance its second and third readings with the emergency clause. As the ordinance was passed with the emergency clause, it will take effect immediately.

Council also voted five to one to approve a resolution authorizing Dickey to enter a memorandum of understanding with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local #2701, the union which represents street department employees, that will extend the policy change to its represented employees. Councilman Jake Gano offered the dissenting vote, echoing concerns he raised in committee that while there has never been an issue, he is concerned that increasing the amount of compensatory time that could be accrued could lead to extended periods of leave.

“I have a general concern that a lot of comp time could be accumulated, and I don’t see the issue with paying overtime when people work overtime. You have the potential of people having long spans of time off on leave with a position that will need to be filled in the meantime,” said Gano.

Council voted unanimously to reschedule its next regular meeting, which would have been 7 p.m. May 6, the night of the upcoming primary election, for 7 p.m. the next night, May 7.