PT Council looks at holiday pay ordnance

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The Port Townsend City Council was set to review an ordinance this week to add paid holidays for city staff.

The days that the city considered adding holiday pay for are Juneteenth (celebrated June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States); Native American Heritage Day (a holiday celebrated the day after Thanksgiving to honor the culture, accomplishments, history, and contributions of the numerous Native American Tribes and Nations of the U.S.); and Christmas Eve.

While Juneteenth is a newly-added holiday, Native American Heritage Day replaces the day after Thanksgiving, which is already a paid holiday. The Christmas Eve addition is an alteration to the city’s municipal code to make it a paid holiday regardless of what day it occurs on, including the weekend.

If approved, the ordinance will modify current city policies to incorporate Juneteenth and Christmas Eve as paid city holidays, and rename the day after Thanksgiving to Native American Heritage Day.