Lincoln Defines Police ‘Work Day’

LINCOLN — Lincoln City Council approved two ordinances at its June 15 meeting, one for the police department and the other for tethered animals.

In accordance with state Act 655 of 20021, one ordinance establishes what is considered a “working day” for the accumulation of sick leave for municipal police officers.

Lincoln’s current personnel policy did not clarify this point. The new ordinance defines a “working day” for a Lincoln police officer as one 12-hour shift.

Rhonda Hulse, city business manager, last week said the state legislature passed a law, effective July 1, that public entities had to pay sick days based on a working day. Because police officers work 12-hour shifts, the city had to define the working day for those employees, Hulse said.

The council approved an emergency clause for the ordinance, noting the state mandate immediately “impacts the budget for the city and the working conditions for critical public safety personnel.”

The council also adopted an

ordinance that animals cannot be tethered if they are unattended. This restriction was in the city’s former land use and planning code but was inadvertently omitted from the current law.

The ordinance defines tethering as an attachment of an animal to a fixed point such as a structure, pole, fence or tree by means of a chain or rope.

The code makes it unlawful for anyone to tether an animal unless a person over the age of 12 is physically present with the animal and within eyesight and earshot of the animal.

The council also discussed changes for the police department and police policies, based on state laws that have been adopted over the years. A proposed ordinance with the changes will be considered at the July council meeting.

Hulse said the proposed ordinance basically will mirror state law.

In other news, it was reported the city received $ 33,678 in sales tax revenues for the May distribution for sales in March. This compares to $25,453 received in local sales tax revenues in May 2020.

Hulse said this is one of the city’s highest months for sales tax revenues.