Leave Time

Sick Leave

Full-Time: Receive a grant of 44 hours of sick leave on January 1. If an employee reports a minimum of 65 hours of work/PTO time in a bi-weekly pay period, they will receive 2 hours of sick leave in addition to the January grant of 44 hours. Bi-weekly accruals are granted on the last day of the pay period. 

Benefited Part-Time: Receive 48 hours of sick leave on January 1, or a prorated amount on date of hire for new hires.

Non-benefited and Seasonal: Receive 40 hours of sick leave on January 1, or a prorated amount on date of hire for new hires.

Fire Personnel Working A Twenty-Four (24)-Hour Shift: Receive a grant of 61.6 hours on January 1. If an employee reports a minimum of 54 hours of work/PTO time in a bi-weekly pay period, they will receive 2.8 hours of sick leave. Bi-weekly accruals are granted on the last day of the pay period. Employees do not accrue sick time while on dock status.

Fire Personnel Working A Twelve (12)-Hour Shift: Receive 46.2 hours of sick leave on January 1, or a prorated amount on date of hire for new hires. If an employee reports a minimum of 40.5 hours of work/PTO in a bi-weekly pay period, they will receive 2.1 hours of sick leave. Bi-weekly accruals are granted on the last day of the pay period. 

Full-time and benefited part-time employees may begin using sick time hours upon accrual.

Non-benefited and seasonal employees cannot begin using sick time hours until the ninetieth (90th) calendar day after their date of hire. These employees can use up to a maximum of forty (40) paid sick time hours per calendar year. The ninety (90)-day waiting period does not apply to returning/reactivated non-benefited/seasonal employees, nor does it apply to non-benefited/seasonal employees who met the 90-day waiting period prior to separation and are rehired within nine (9) months of separation.

Discretionary Time Off

Employees hired after July 1 receive Discretionary Time Off (DTO) upon hire and/or status change from non-benefited to benefited. Additionally, based upon City Manager/Council approval, employees working for Mesa on July 1 will receive DTO each year (on July 1).

Sworn Fire Employees - Instead of the discretionary time off benefit they receive a Deferred Compensation contribution of $50.00 for unit members and $43.20 for non-unit members per pay period. Sworn Fire Department employees must also be enrolled in Deferred Compensation and contributing $10.00 per pay period to receive this benefit.

Those sworn Fire Department employees who receive executive benefits will receive an additional 8 hours of discretionary time off, plus the Deferred Compensation contribution.

If an employee is hired after July 1, DTO time will be granted based on the following criteria:

Bereavement Leave

Regular or probationary full-time and benefited part-time employees may be granted paid bereavement leave due to a death in the employee's immediate family (spouse, child, stepchild, mother, father, sister, brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, step-parent, step-parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, and former legal guardian, or a minor child or an adult for whom the employee is a legal guardian).

For full-time employees, an absence up to fifty (50) work hours will be allowed for bereavement leave for funerals/memorial services. Forty (40) work hours will be paid as bereavement leave; however, the additional ten (10) hours, if taken, will be charged to any paid or unpaid time off category at the employee’s discretion. For Fire personnel working a twenty-four (24) hour shift, an absence of up to forty-eight (48) work hours (two [2] consecutive work shifts) will be allowed and paid as bereavement leave for funerals / memorial services.

For benefited part-time employees, up to twenty-five (25) work hours will be allowed for bereavement leave for funerals/memorial services.  Up to twenty (20) work hours will be paid as bereavement leave; however, the additional five (5) hours, if taken, will be charged to any paid or unpaid time off category at the employee’s discretion. 

Jury Duty

A full-time employee who is subpoenaed as a witness in the performance of their job or a member of a jury will be paid the difference between the employee's salary and any fee received for the days served. The employee also retains any travel pay received.

Benefited part-time employees are eligible for Jury Duty or Witness Leave for scheduled work hours only.

Military Leave

We follow the The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) and is a participating member of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). Employees are granted military leave with pay for Active-Duty training for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days in any two (2) consecutive federal fiscal years. An employee who requests absence with pay on military leave pursuant to A.R.S. 26-168, 26-171 or 38-610 shall submit a copy of the orders for duty with the request for military leave. 

The amount received from the armed services for active duty will be retained by the employee. Employees returning from extended military service will be reinstated pursuant to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).

FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)

Subject to the other provisions of the Human Resources Rules and in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employees are eligible to take up to twelve (12) weeks of unpaid (or paid, if the employee has leave accruals available) Family and Medical Leave in any consecutive twelve (12) month period [The twelve (12) month period is measured forward from the date the employee's FMLA leave begins] if the following conditions are met:

The employee has been employed by Mesa for at least twelve (12) months and has worked at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours in the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding the commencement of leave.

Parental Leave

Paid leave for an employee to enable the employee to care for and bond with a newborn or newly adopted or newly placed foster child. This policy will be in effect for births, adoptions, or placements of foster children.

Hours granted

Full-time Employees

Up to 160 hours

First 80 hours without a match requirement

Up to an additional 80 hours will be provided after the employee contributes an equal amount

Part-time Benefited Employees

• Up to 80 hours
• First 40 hours without a match requirement
• Up to an additional 40 hours will be provided after the employee contributes an equal amount

Fire Employees working a 24-hour shift

• Up to 224 hours
• First 112 hours without a match requirement
• Up to an additional 112 hours will be provided after the employee contributes an equal amount

Fire Employees working a 12-hour shift

• Up to 168 hours
• First 84 hours without a match requirement
• Up to an additional 84 hours will be provided after the employee contributes an equal amount