HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Resolutions 1708 RESOLUTION NO. l~l D `E
A RESOLUTION DECLARING THE NINETEENTH OF JUNE AN OFFICIAL CITY HOLIDAY
AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO AMEND THE CITY EMPLOYEE MANUAL
Recitals:
A. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation, setting in motion the end of slavery in the United States.
B. The Civil War ended with the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox Court House
on April 9, 1865.
C. The news reached Texas when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston
Bay with Union troops. It was on June 19, 1865,that he announced: "The people of
Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of
the United States, all slaves are free".
D. Celebration of the end of slavery, which became known as Juneteenth, is the oldest
known public celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.
E. The candid acknowledgment of this history is necessary if we, as a nation, state, or
city, are successful in our effort to build a truly equitable community that
exemplifies and promotes the fundamental American values of freedom, diversity,
equality, liberty, and justice.
F. In its 2021 term,the Oregon legislature adopted House Bill 2168 declaring
Juneteenth a paid state legal holiday.
G. In May 2022, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved Juneteenth as
an official paid County holiday.
H. The City Council of Central Point finds that the important principles underlying the
Juneteenth holiday demand that the City not delay the dedication of the nineteenth
of June as an official holiday for one more year.
I. In order to implement the City's recognition of the Juneteenth holiday as a day of
remembrance,the City personnel manual will need to be timely updated to reflect
the new paid official holiday.
Res.No. I-U:S' ;June 9, 2022 Page 1
J. The City's collective bargaining agreements require a Memorandum of Agreement
with the respective local unions to implement the City's recognition of the
Juneteenth holiday among those employees covered by collective bargaining
agreements.
The City of Central Point resolves as follows:
Section 1. Consistent with actions taken by the Oregon legislature, and the Jackson County
Board of Commissioners, effective June 19, 2022, the City declares the 19th of June as a paid
legal holiday, to be known as "Juneteenth", a day of remembrance for the day the slaves
learned of their freedom.
Section 2. The City Manager is authorized to amend the City's Employee Manual to add the
19th day of June to the list of observed holidays.
Section 3. The City Manager is further directed to negotiate Memorandums of Understanding
with the local labor unions to reflect the additional observed holiday.
Section 4. Where a conflict exists between the City's personnel policies and this Resolution, this
Resolution shall control.
Passed by the Council and signed by me in authentication of its passage this qday
of April, 2022.
ayor Hank Williams
ATTEST:
City Recorder
Res.No. 17D ; June 9, 2022 Page 2