Janesville tables paid medical family leave

During their meeting on Oct. 13,, members of the Janesville City Council tabled making a decision about how the city will handle the newly implemented family medical leave (FML) which state law says employers must have in place by Dec. 1. The council remanded work on the topic to the personnel committee. 

 

City administrator Clinton Rogers clarified a number of points saying the family leave is “a state-run program, benefits will be coming through the state,” Rogers said. “If on paid leave, your check is not going to be one hundred percent of what your wages are, you know, it’s a graduated percentage of what you’re earning.”

 

Under state law, he added, people on FML will receive somewhere between 55 and 90 percent of their usual wages. The state-wide program will be funded by a payroll deduction. Employees will have just under half a percent of their pay deducted toward it, and employers will pay a corresponding amount for each worker.

 

Earlier, he continued, the personnel committee talked about the city covering the entire 88 percent. After he looked into it a bit more, he discovered, if the employer pays more than the required minimum .44 percent, the employee has to pay additional income tax.

 “I’m thinking that would be a payroll nightmare for software,” Rogers added.

 

Council member Sarah Johnson expressed displeasure that the new law disrupts the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) policy that she believed had been working well. 

“We’re kinda in a budget crunch right now,” Johnson added.

 

In other business, the council approved a request from Jeremy Erlerto increase the city’s annual contribution to the Fire Department Relief Association from $2,400 to $2,800 after weighing other options. But effective fiscal year 2026, the council will determine whether the Fire Department Relief Association needs any additional increases.

 

“I love what the fire department does for the city, but we’ve constantly done $100-200,” Mayor Andy Arnoldt stated. “That’s a big jump to $400.”

 

“While we project a conservative five percent rate of return on our investments, this is not guaranteed and can fluctuate,” Erler stated. “The other part is recruitment and retention. To remain competitive and properly reward the firefighters, we need to ensure our benefits remain robust. Current contribution level is no longer sufficient to keep pace with these factors.”

 

Arnoldt said he had on paper in front of him how many times Erler has approached the city over the last five years and asked for increases. 

 

“As mayor, I’m wondering if there’s a simpler way to do it where we would set a percentage and just do it every single year like a cost-of-living type raise,” he commented. “That way, you don’t have to keep coming to us and increase a small percentage each year. What is council’s thoughts on that?”

 

Johnson noted she served on the fire department for 24 years and couldn’t pinpoint a negative investment since she has been on.

 

“Definitely firefighters shouldn’t come and beg to be taken care of,” Councilor Kyle Luitjens stated.

 

In other news, the council approved and adopted the ordinance for the exemption of the grain dryer from franchise fees which includes the recent example from Traynor Farms, LLC.

 

“I had some concerns and questions earlier, regarding the whole ordinance or when it was first proposed to us, talking about tariffs, why the city had to be part of it,” Maas said. “CenterPoint Energy does pay royalties to the city to do business inside their community, along with all the other utilities – Clinton showed me the amount that CenterPoint has paid so far this year. It is a sizable amount, and it changes my opinion on the whole deal.”

 

During the meeting, the council approved a permit for the Waseca Hockey Foundation to allow charitable gambling at Purple Goose.

 

The council approved $9,000 for some sanitary sewer repairs on 125 North Main Street after the city received signatures for all involved parties.