Just had a baby? You can get 8 weeks of paid time off if you work for Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County employees will now have the option to take up to eight weeks of paid time off after they welcome a new child into their family.

The County Commission adopted the parental leave policy Wednesday, extending a new benefit to the county’s roughly 2,700 employees.

Effective immediately, county workers can put in for paid time off within six months of their child’s birth or adoption or after taking in a foster child. The new policy does not differentiate by gender.

Previously, employees could take up to 12 weeks off under the Family and Medical Leave Act but they would not be paid during that stint after exhausting their personal and sick days.

Commissioner Sarah Lopez, who earlier this year participated in a county Zoom meeting the day after giving birth to twins, said the new benefit sends the right message to employees. She thinks that it will help the county recruit and retain more workers.

“When I had my first daughter, I went back to work within a week,” Lopez said. “When I had my second daughter, I quit my job because I didn’t want to go back to work within a week, and I would hate to put our staff in a position where they feel like they would have to do something because they have to have a paycheck to support not only them but their new child.”

The city of Wichita does not offer any paid time off for new parents.

The parental leave policy passed by a vote of 3-1 with the support of Lopez, Ryan Baty and Pete Meitzner. Commissioner David Dennis, who said he supported four or six weeks of paid leave, voted against the motion, and Jim Howell left the meeting early to attend a funeral. His motion to defer the discussion to a later meeting failed.

Dennis and Howell both questioned Chief Financial Officer Lindsay Poe Rousseau’s assessment that the new policy would have a minimal financial impact on the county.

“If someone’s at work, we’re paying them. If they’re not at work and they’re sick or on vacation or in this case, family leave, we’re still paying them,” Dennis said. “Granted, it’s not going to impact the budget but it impacts our citizens.”

Howell said that based on his own calculations, the lost productivity and additional overtime pay necessary to make up for employees on parental leave could cost the county up to $1 million annually. He did not explain how he reached that figure.

“Maybe I’m way off, but for us to provide a benefit for people to stay home and be paid and not provide services — there’s a cost to taxpayers one way or the other,” Howell said.

County Manager Tom Stolz said the sheriff, EMS chief, fire chief, and emergency communications director are all supportive of the parental leave policy.

“When we talk about cost to the citizens, I think the argument could be made the other way,” Lopez said. “What could happen if we don’t pass this and then we lose someone down the line because they don’t have the time that they need to take off with their children when they arrive?”

She said the county can’t compete with private industry when it comes to pay, making it all the more important to offer enticing benefits. According to the Brookings Institute, about 13% of private sector employees have access to paid parental leave.

Dennis said even with the adoption of a paid parental leave policy, many county employees will still be left without adequate access to childcare.

“No matter what we solve today, that’s only a temporary solution to the long-term issue that we have,” Dennis said. “We work 24-7, 365. We have to have childcare 24-7, 365.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 2:14 PM.