About 80 San Antonians turned out Wednesday night for the second meeting seeking public input on proposed changes to the city’s paid sick leave ordinance in advance of the City Council’s vote next week.

“There are lots of cities who have fully functioning, fully implemented sick leave policies,” assured Jennifer Herriott, interim director of the Metropolitan Health District, which is charged with implementing the ordinance that has been renamed“safe and sick leave.”

Herriott and Jeff Coyle, director of government and public affairs for the city, led Wednesday night’s meeting, which took place at El Progreso Hall on the West Side.

The Metro Health director’s comment was in answer to several questions about the viability of San Antonio’s new ordinance and whether any sick leave policy can withstand a legal challenge. Those posing the questions pointed out that Austin’s ordinance was struck down by the courts.

A coalition of business organizations have filed suit against San Antonio’s ordinance, but that action is on hold as a result of an agreement between the coalition and the city to delay implementation from Aug. 1 to Dec. 1 to allow for changes to meet the business community’s concerns.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio’s paid sick leave law will cost small businesses but bring many benefits, study finds

Deputy City Attorney Ed Guzman agreed with one questioner who pointed out San Antonio’s ordinance as approved last year is similar to Austin’s.

“That’s why it’s vitally important there is some change made to it,” Guzman said, noting the council will vote on proposed revisions at its Oct. 3 meeting. He added that changes will make the ordinance “more reflective of the city of San Antonio.”

Under the proposed revisions, all employers, no matter how few employees they have, would be required to provide at least 56 hours of paid sick leave annually beginning Dec. 1. It applies to all employees: full-time, part-time, permanent and temporary.

Herriott noted that if a company is employing a worker through a temp agency, it’s the temp agency’s responsibility to maintain the employee’s sick leave. But if the temporary employee is working directly for the company, the company has to provide the sick leave.

All employees would earn sick leave at the rate of one hour per 30 hours worked; full-time employees would earn the 56 hours faster than a part-time employee, but both would get sick leave, she said. Exempt employees — those who are on a salary instead of getting paid by the hour — also must receive sick leave, she said. It’s assumed exempt employees work 40 hours a week; they also will be earning at the rate of one hour per 30 hours, based on a 40-hour workweek.

Some of the questions were very specific. One asked whether an employer who grants all of an employee’s vacation leave at the beginning of the year would have to grant all the sick leave at the beginning of the year, too.

Herriott said that, yes, the employer would.

Others asked what would constitute “reasonable verification” that an employee was actually sick when he or she requests leave. Herriott said her agency is working on developing details but for now a letter from a doctor or an affidavit from the employee would be accepted as proof the leave is needed.

On ExpressNews.com: Paid sick leave debate has real-life consequences for San Antonio workers and businesses

A person who requests sick leave on a Saturday when they would have received overtime would receive regular pay for that day, not overtime, Herriott said in answer to another question.

As for questions about companies who have employees who work in San Antonio but don’t live here, Herriott said that is something for the council to consider Oct. 3.

“If you spend any time working in San Antonio, your employer would be required to provide sick leave,” as the law is written now, Herriott said, adding, “but that could change.”

The proposed changes were developed by the Paid Sick Leave Commission — a 13-member panel of business owners, progressive activists, chamber of commerce officials and labor attorneys that worked for the past several months to revise the law with an eye toward easing concerns from the local business community and giving it a better chance of surviving the pending legal challenge.

San Antonians who didn’t make it to either of the public meetings can still comment on the plan by responding to an online survey on the city’s website, sanantonio.gov

Public comment also will be accepted at the council’s meeting next week.

Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio city government and politics. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFReports