(1) Regular full-time employees shall receive the following holidays off with pay at their regular hourly rate of pay:

If a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as the holiday. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as the holiday.

(2) In addition to the observed holidays listed above, each regular full-time employee shall receive two floating holidays per calendar year. Floating holidays shall accrue as of January 1st of each calendar year, and upon a new employee’s date of hire. Floating holidays must be used in the year during which they accrue and may not be carried over into the following year; floating holidays which are not used in the year in which they accrue shall not be cashed out to the employee and shall be forfeited. Floating holidays should be requested as far in advance as possible and will be scheduled on a “first-come, first-served” basis, in consideration of the operational and staffing needs of the district. Floating holidays must be taken in eight-hour increments. The board of commissioners may, in its discretion, authorize all district employees to coordinate the taking of a floating holiday on the same day, effectuating a close of the district’s office and operations.

(3) To be eligible for holidays, an employee must be an employee of the district on both the regular work day preceding and following the holiday. Part-time and temporary/seasonal employees shall not be eligible to receive paid holidays or floating holidays.

(4) In addition to the holidays set forth above, each district employee shall be entitled to two unpaid holidays per calendar year for a reason of faith or conscience or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church or religious organization. An employee, in consultation with his/her supervisor, may select the days on which the employee desires to take the two unpaid holidays; provided, that such holidays are taken in a manner consistent with the purpose of this leave. Employees may use their accrued PTO benefits in connection with these otherwise unpaid holidays. Requests for an unpaid holiday provided by this policy should be submitted in writing to the employee’s supervisor a minimum of four weeks prior to the requested day. Requests for such holidays shall be considered on a case-by-case basis, based upon the specific objective facts and circumstances presented at the time of the request. The district reserves the right to disallow any holiday request if it would unduly disrupt operations or otherwise impose an undue hardship for the district, or if the employee is necessary to maintain public safety. For purposes of this policy, the term “undue hardship” shall have the same meaning established by rule by the office of financial management, as codified in WAC 82-56-202. The unpaid holidays provided under this policy shall not carry over from one year to the next.

(5) Employees working a 9/80 alternative work schedule shall receive eight hours of holiday or floating holiday pay for each observed holiday or floating holiday. If the observed holiday falls on a day where the employee is scheduled to work nine hours, the employee must use one hour of paid time off. If the observed holiday falls on the employee’s “flex day” off, the employee shall accrue eight hours of floating holiday in lieu of the observed holiday in the employee’s floating holiday leave bank. If a floating holiday in lieu of an observed holiday is accrued in the month of December, the employee may carry eight hours of floating holiday to the next fiscal year. [Res. 831 § 2 (Exh. 2), 2022; Res. 821 § 1 (Exh. 1), 2021; Res. 767 §§ 5.1 – 5.4, 2018; Res. 331 § 5, 1977.]