Source: http://publicpersonnellaw.blogspot.com/2012/04/payments-for-vacation-credit-upon.html
Timestamp: 2014-12-21 02:31:34
Document Index: 428620078

Matched Legal Cases: ['§92', '§92', '§92', '§7', '§92', '§92']

New York Public Personnel Law: Payments for vacation credit upon retirement or resignation must be authorized by formal resolution by the governing body
Payments for vacation credit upon
retirement or resignation must be authorized by formal resolution by the
A board of education resolution appointing its school superintendent included a clause stating that the superintendent would
"continue to receive and be eligible for all contractual benefits accrued
over his years of service with the District."
When the superintendent resigned he expected to be paid for his
accumulated but unused vacation credit and had submitted his resignation
"subject to (his) vacation pay." The Commissioner of Education,
however, ruled that this was not sufficient to overcome the need for the type
of formal resolution required by §92 of the General Municipal Law.*
After holding that paying prior administrators for unused
vacation could not be relied upon to support such a payment, the Commissioner
concluded that the Board's resolution appointing the superintendent "is
not the type of resolution contemplated by §92" as is was not "an act
clearly declarative of the will of the Board...to pay any administrator cash in
lieu of unused vacation." The Commissioner also ruled that the superintendent had not proved the existence of an "oral contract" to
provide for such a payment.
Typically §92 is strictly construed as it expresses a
statutory exception to the prohibition against gifts of
public monies set out in Article VII, §7 of the State Constitution. Accordingly, the resolution authorizing expenditure such as
those to "liquidate" vacation credits**
must be clear and unequivocal.
Where a contract, such as one resulting from Taylor Law
negotiations, provides for such payments, the prevailing view is that such
payments are lawful.
* §92.1 of the General
Municipal Law, in pertinent part, provides that “Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, any such governing board or mayor may also in like manner
provide for cash payment of the monetary value of accumulated and unused
vacation time or time allowances granted in lieu of overtime compensation
standing to the credit of its officers and employees at the time of their
separation from the service, or in case of death in service, to be paid to
their beneficiaries.” ** N.B. §92.1, however, is
silent with respect to the liquidation of “unused sick leave” upon separation
from service or in the case of death while in service.