In order to be in line with Texas House Bill 471, which requires towns to provide full pay to first responders who are injured or fall ill in the line of duty, Hollywood Park City Council voted to draft an ordinance that would bring the provided compensation package in line with state requirements Nov. 11.

In a nutshell

Hollywood Park Fire Chief Eric Burnside said that prior to the bill first responders who are injured on the job and fall under the workman’s comp plan receive 70% of their salary from the state, with the additional 30% of their salary covered through sick and vacation leave. However, with the passing of HB 471, cities are now required to cover the remaining 30%.

“What that [law] requires the town to do is any first responder that has an on the job injury and that falls under the workman’s comp plan, the city has to make that first responder whole,” Burnside said. “So normally, whenever you fall under workman’s comp, they cover 70%, and anything to get the person to whole is usually coming out of some type of sick sick vacation, sick pay, vacation, paid personal leave, something like that for the other 30%. Well, the new state law now requires the municipality to cover the additional 30% on top of the workman’s comp, so the individual’s leave does not have to be used.”

Place 3 council member Dale Randol said drafting the ordinance will require care due to the fact that multiple aspects of the law are open for interpretation.

“I think we got to be very, very careful,” Randol said. “We can’t be nonchalant because we could end up defining something as a workplace injury, where work comp doesn’t, and all of a sudden we’re on the hook. They don’t define any of that in the bill. They don’t define what is a workplace injury. They also don’t define you [how the city has to] pay 100% of the lost salary.”

After further discussion, the City Council voted to table a motion, while research is conducted and an ordinance is drafted.

Mayor Chester Drash spoke in favor of tabling the motion so proper research could be conducted.

“Let’s draft an ordinance and make sure it addresses the concerns that have been indicated,” Drash said. “Obviously we’ll review it before, but I think let’s go ahead and draft that so we can research it, and then we’ll bring it to council.”

Stay tuned

City staff will conduct research and draft the ordinance, which will be placed on a future meeting agenda.