The city of DeSoto became the first in North Texas to offer paid family leave to city employees as the City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a measure to offer three paid weeks off after the birth of a child.
Loud applause greeted the outcome after council member Candice Quarles made a motion to approve the measure, which passed after more than an hourlong discussion.
The policy also will include the city's police and fire departments, which generated some concern in discussions in the weeks leading up to the vote because those departments are governed by a three-person civil service commission.
Policy details:
- 3 weeks of leave for all employees.
- Employees are eligible after 1 year of Full- time service with the City of DeSoto
- Parental Leave is separate from sick or vacation and not required to exhaust the other PTO
- In the case of a married couple at the city of DeSoto, both parents will be allowed to take the designated time off as long the time is not concurrently.
