CHENEY – The City Council deliberated on whether to add Juneteenth as a paid holiday during a Jan. 9 meeting.
Juneteenth is a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery on June 19.
Juneteenth is a part of a proposed contract for city employees in 2024.
“The estimated cost from adopting Juneteenth is roughly $50,000 for that day,” City Administrator Mark Schuller said.
The proposal sparked council discussion.
“Generally, there’s 11 holidays,” Councilman Paul Schmidt said. “With this holiday added in, the city of Cheney would be at 13 holidays.
“We are losing $50,000 per holiday.”
He also mentioned that if Juneteenth was added to the contract, employees will expect it next year.
Schmidt then mentioned the wellness day program, where employees could earn a paid day off by participating in wellness activities such as joining a gym, taking a nutrition class or monitoring their blood pressure.
“We should take away one of the floating holidays and give it back for something like the wellness program,” Schmidt said.
“We should be hesitant to go overboard with the days off,” added Councilwoman Teresa Overhauser.
“Let’s table it until the next meeting,” Councilwoman Jacquelyn Belock said.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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