The Ludowici City Council took care of several matters of in-house business during its first meeting of the year Tuesday.

On Mayor James Fuller’s recommendation, the council approved a measure whereby employees would be required to take their vacation leave in one-week blocks.

The council also adopted a policy stating that employees would not accrue any vacation time until after they had been employed for one year. At that point, they would receive five days of leave and after two years, they would receive 10 days.

With regard to sick leave, Fuller said employees would continue to earn sick leave days immediately upon being hired. However, the council did approve a measure prohibiting employees from swapping or borrowing sick leave from each other. Fuller also emphasized that employees who used all of their sick leave and regular leave and had to take a day off would have to do so without pay.

The council also approved a measure stating that employees could not bring their personal cellphones to work. Fuller said he had received complaints from several residents in the city about employees being on cellphones during work hours, and this was a way of dealing with the issue. Fuller said that to ensure the Police Department had cellphones with the officers who were on duty, two smartphones would be purchased.

With regard to the Police Department, the council approved a measure requiring that officers attain their continuing education and training on their off-duty days. Fuller said that in the past, the officers were paid overtime for this time, but that would now cease.

“It’s going to be up to each officer to get their continuing education,” Fuller said.

The council also terminated employee Wesley Smith for turning his water back on at his residence after it had been cut off for not paying his bill. Fuller questioned Smith during the meeting, asking him whether his water had been turned off for nonpayment, and whether he then turned the water back on. Smith replied to both questions by saying, “Yes, sir.”

In other business, the council approved Palm Coast Utilities to complete work on the sewage system on Horne Street. According to City Clerk Tina Skipper, Palm Coast was the lowest bidder on the project, submitting a bid of $341,534. A Community Development Block Grant would pay for the project, she said.

The council also rehired Bob Pirkle as the city attorney, reappointed Larry Fowler as the Ludowici Municipal Court judge and reappointed Michael Phillips to the Ludowici/Long County Planning and Zoning Board.