Wilmington Mayor John Carney signed an ordinance Thursday expanding paid leave for city employees.
City Councilmembers unanimously approved the ordinance sponsored by Councilmember Latisha Bracy.
The new ordinance increased parental leave for parents who give birth and expands paid leave for those addressing medical issues or caretakers for people with serious medical issues.
Mayor Carney said he hopes the new policies relieve staff of stress during difficult times.
“It's mom and apple pie,” Carney said. “It's about children and families and having a really good start. We know that's important… And so it's not surprising that all the men and women that Council saw the positivity here.”
Carney added while the city doesn’t offer the highest pay scales compared to other municipal governments, he hopes the updated paid leave policies attract and retain new employees.
The city needed to pass legislation to adhere to state law but went beyond requirements for paid leave.
Previously, Wilmington gave employees 20 days of paid parental leave following childbirth or adoption of a child under 6 years old.
Now, the city offers six to eight weeks paid leave to parents who give birth on top of 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
“I hope it has the positive effect of reducing maternal mortality, which is really important,” Carney said. “Obviously, we're not a huge workforce. So how many women that work for us that have children each year is not a large number, but if you save one mother or save one baby, that's pretty important.”
The ordinance follows in the footsteps of the Healthy Delaware Families Act, which Carney signed into law as governor in 2022.
The HDFA requires employers with more than 25 employees to provide them 12 weeks of paid parental leave during the first year after birth, adoption or foster placement.
