Library Rules and Regulations Policy

LEBANON-LACLEDE COUNTY LIBRARY DISTRICT 

REVISED RULES AND REGULATIONS 

Full-time Employee………………………………………………………………………….. 4 

Part-time Employee …………………………………………………………………………. 4 

Temporary Employee……………………………………………………………………….. 4 

Professional Librarian………………………………………………………………………. 4 

Promotion……………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 

Demotion………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 

Transfer…………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 

Layoff/Position Elimination ……………………………………………………………… 5 

Notification of Absence……………………………………………………………………… 5 

Abandonment…………………………………………………………………………………… 5 

Resignation………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 

Retirement……………………………………………………………………………………….. 6 

Full-time Employees……………………………………………………………………….. 10 

Part-time Employees……………………………………………………………………….. 10 

All Employees…………………………………………………………………………………. 10 

How to Use PTO……………………………………………………………………………… 10 

Bereavement Leave………………………………………………………………………….. 11 

Tardiness……………………………………………………………………………………….. 19 

Absenteeism…………………………………………………………………………………… 19 

General Provisions………………………………………………………………………….. 19 

Initial Written Warning…………………………………………………………………… 27 

Advanced Written Warning……………………………………………………………… 28 

Decision-Making Leave…………………………………………………………………… 28 

To Grieve Discipline……………………………………………………………………….. 29 

The Lebanon-Laclede County Library District is committed to the principles of nondiscrimination to assure equal opportunity in all categories of employment and to provide opportunity for advancement so all employees can perform at their highest potential. In compliance with state and applicable federal regulations, the Library maintains an employment policy in which no procedure, policy, or practice shall unfairly or adversely affect the interests of any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information in employment or programs. 

The Library Director is authorized to hire all staff employees of the Library and to discharge same, subject to the employee’s right of appeal to the Library Board. Any employee hired by the Library shall be an employee at will. 

Full-time Employee–defined as an employee who is hired to fill a full-time position and who works 40 hours per week. 

Part-time Employee–defined as an employee who is hired to work less than 40 hours per week. Part-time employees are not entitled to any of the employee benefits described in this personnel policy. 

Temporary Employee–defined as an employee hired to fill a full-time or part-time position for a limited period of time. Temporary employees are not entitled to any of the e employee benefits described in this personnel policy. 

Professional Librarian–defined as a full-time employee who has successfully completed the requirements for a Master of Library Science degree at an ALA-accredited Library graduate school and who is hired to fill a position established as requiring or preferring an MLS. 

Promotion: A promotion is an advancement to a position which offers a higher salary range than the employee’s current position. It is the philosophy of the Library to encourage the promotion and/or transfer of current employees to open positions. Eligibility for promotion will  be based solely on skill, ability, and work performance. 

Demotion: An employee may be demoted to a position of lesser responsibility with a reduction of salary. 

Transfer: A transfer is a change of position within the same salary range. If the transfer involves a change from one department to another, both Department Heads must consent unless the Library Director orders the transfer for purposes of economy and efficiency. A voluntary transfer requires a written request for the transfer by the employee. An involuntary transfer requires the approval of the Library Director. 

Layoff/Position Elimination: A layoff/position elimination may occur if a position is abolished due to lack of funds, lack of work, reorganization, or other related reasons. The Library will make every effort to transfer affected employees to other positions within the Library. Competition for retention will be limited to those employees holding identical positions. Selection will be based on performance and then on seniority of service in position. A notice of layoff will be given to affected employees with as much notice as possible. Unused vacation leave will be remunerated in the employee’s final paycheck. 

Notification of Absence: All employees are required to work their scheduled hours unless prior approval has been given by the Library Director. In the event of illness, notification must be made to the Library Director or employee’s supervisor. Repetitive use of unapproved absence may result in dismissal. 

Abandonment: An employee who fails to properly notify the Library Director or supervisor of his/her absence from work for two consecutive days will have voluntarily resigned from his/her position without proper notice. An employee who abandons his/her position without just cause will forfeit eligibility for future employment by the Library. One incident of no show/no call will result in a write-up. 

Resignation: A written notice of resignation to the Library Director is required of all employees. No additional leave will be approved once a written notice of resignation has been received. Professional positions (Library Director) must give a minimum of four weeks notice. All other Library employees must give a minimum of two weeks notice. An employee who fails to give adequate notice may have the notation “resignation accepted with prejudice due to inadequate notice” placed on permanent record in his or her personnel file. Failure to give adequate notice may be sufficient grounds to deny an applicant consideration for re-employment at a later date. 

The final paycheck is released on the next pay period following the employee’s last working day. Unused annual leave will be remunerated in the employee’s final paycheck based on his/her last working day. Any outstanding fees/charges owed to the Library by the employee will be deducted from the final paycheck. All Library property must be returned to the Library Director before the final paycheck will be issued. 

Retirement: Library employees planning to retire should notify the Library at least three (3) months prior to the retirement date to review retirement benefits. Unused vacation leave will be computed on the last working day and remunerated in the employee’s final paycheck. Employees with 10 or more years of service with the Library will receive 100% of accumulated Paid Time Off (PTO) upon retirement if in compliance with the procedures set forth in this policy. 

The Library may employ no person related within the 3rd degree of consanguinity by blood or marriage to any Library Board member or the Library Director. No employee may be in direct supervision of an immediate family member. 

Applications for all positions will be made in person at the Library. All applications must be upon forms provided by the Library. Applications will be kept on file for six (6) months by the Library Director and/or the circulation manager. 

Any employee who resigns and reapplies for employment will be subject to the same application procedures as other applicants and will not be entitled to any benefits or accruals from previous service. Employees who resign without proper notice, or who are discharged for misconduct or unsatisfactory job performance, are not eligible for rehire. (If the employee participates in the LAGERS program and chooses to take a refund of his accumulated contributions, he forfeits his credited service. If he is re-employed within four years from the time his membership last terminated, he has the option to repay to the system the amount he was refunded, plus any regular interest thereon, and reinstate the service he had previously forfeited.) 

An employee holds probationary status for the first 90 days of employment. Employees will be evaluated at the discretion of the Library Director during the probationARY period to determine the employee’s suitability for the position. At the completion of the employee’s probationary period, the Library Director will complete a work review and make a determination to retain or to terminate the employee, or if circumstances warrant, to extend the probationary period. This determination becomes part of the employee’s personnel folder. 

The employee shall remain probationary until written notice of successful completion of probation. The passage of time shall not constitute removal from probationary status. 

An employee is subject to limited benefits during the probation period. Details of such limitations are specified in the outline of benefits in this policy. 

Employees who are promoted or transferred will also be considered on probation for the first 90 days in the new position. Benefits are not affected by this secondary position. 

All regular employees will be formally evaluated annually in October in the following manner. 

The Library Director or person designated by the Library Director conducts the evaluation. 

Upon completion of the written evaluation from the Library Director (or designee), the employee will be given an opportunity to read and consider the evaluation in private and be allowed to add written comments before the interview with the Library Director. 

The evaluation will then be discussed between the employee and the Library Director/designee before signing. The form shall indicate that the employee is signing to acknowledge having reviewed and discussed the contents and not as any agreement as to the accuracy of the contents. Refusal to sign shall subject the employee to discipline up to and including termination. 

Following the evaluation interview, and after the evaluation has been signed by all appropriate parties, the form will become a part of the employee’s permanent personnel file. 

The Library will protect the confidentiality of information pertaining to applicants, current employees, and past employees. 

Personnel records of all Library employees are maintained in the Library Director’s office. Each personnel record will contain the following: 

II.       PERSONNEL BENEFITS 

Full-time employees will be granted  13 days of holidays. They are the following: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday following Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. 

In the event an employee is called for jury duty, the employee must notify the Library Director immediately upon receipt of such notice. For those days that the employee must serve on jury duty, which were regularly scheduled work days, the employee will be paid regular pay, on an hour for hour basis, for each hour of jury duty. The employee will be required to submit proof of service to the Library Director. The employee shall be required to work when he/she is not required to be in court, The Library will pay for up to ten (10) days of jury duty annually. Jury duty beyond this time is without pay from the Library unless the Library Director grants an exception. If possible, the employee’s supervisor will adjust the work schedule; however, the employee may not be guaranteed a different work schedule to accommodate the jury duty obligation. 

Employees who are in the military reserve corps and ordered to temporary active duty will be granted leave without pay. 

Lebanon-Laclede County Library District (LLCLD) provides Paid Time Off (PTO) to eligible employees. PTO is an all-purpose time off policy. Eligible employees can use PTO for vacation, illness or injury, and personal business. PTO combines traditional vacation and sick leave plans into one flexible, time off policy. 

Regular full-time employees are eligible for PTO. Regular part-time employees working an average of 20 or more hours per week are also eligible for PTO. 

Once an employee enters an eligible employment classification, the employee will begin to earn PTO according to the following schedule. Employees will earn a portion of their annual PTO each pay period. Employees can request to use PTO after it is earned (i.e. PTO balance may not be negative). 

For full-time employees, the amount of PTO received each year depends on how long the employee has been employed. PTO will accrue according to the schedule below (new accrual begins on indicated anniversary): 

*A leave slip must be submitted for any use of PTO, expected or unexpected. 

*Employee must inform his/her supervisor as soon as it is known that PTO is needed. If the absence is unexpected, the employee must inform his or her supervisor prior to the beginning of the scheduled shift. 

*If the employee is scheduled to work on a day that the library is open but cannot get to work because of weather constraints, the employee must submit a written PTO request to be paid for the scheduled hours. 

*To schedule planned PTO, employee must submit a leave request to the supervisor at least two weeks in advance. Each request will be reviewed based on a number of factors, including business needs, staffing requirements, timeliness of request, and previous requests. Requests for extended leave (greater than two weeks) will be escalated to the Library Director for review and approval. Requested PTO which falls on the day before or the day after a holiday may or may not be approved. 

*Employee will be paid for PTO at the base pay rate as of the time of the absence. PTO pay does not include overtime or any special forms of compensation such as incentives, commissions, bonuses, or shift differentials. 

*If PTO is used for an extended absence because of an illness or injury, the employee must also apply for any other available compensation and benefits, such as worker’s compensation. PTO can be used to supplement any payments that the employee is eligible for from state disability insurance or worker’s compensation. The combination of these disability payments and PTO may not be more than normal weekly pay. 

Bereavement Leave 

Five days with pay is allowed in the case of the death of an employee’s immediate family member (parents, spouse, children, siblings, in-laws, grandparents, step-families, grandchildren, or other family member living in the home). PTO may be used to supplement Bereavement Leave, if necessary. LLCLD may require proof of death if Bereavement Leave is abused. Other situations may be reviewed and leave granted at the discretion of the Library Director. 

Absences due to sickness are recorded and charged in 30-minute increments against Paid Time Off. At the request of the Library Director, sick leave in excess of three consecutive working days will require a doctor’s excuse in writing. 

Employee doctor and dentist appointments scheduled and approved in advance by the Library Director may be counted against PTO. 

If an employee is obliged to stay home on account of illness in his/her immediate family (parents, spouse, children, siblings, grandparents, step families, grandchildren, or other family members living in the home), such absence is allowed as PTO. 

Any employee discovered misusing PTO privileges will be subject to dismissal. 

An employee must first use any annual PTO accumulated, as appropriate, before being able to request a leave without pay. With the approval of the Library Director, however, an employee may take two (2) days leave without pay in a month’s time and not lose benefits (annual and PTO) for that month in special situations. If an employee feels that he/she needs more than two days, the Library Director and Library Board shall consider the reasons for such leave, and it will be at their discretion whether the employee shall lose their benefits for that month. Repeated use of leave without pay is grounds for dismissal. 

Emergency leave with pay may be allowed up to a maximum of five (5) workdays in case of serious illness or death of a member of the immediate family (parents, spouse, children, siblings, grandparents, step families, grandchildren, or other family member living in the home). Emergency leave is handled on a case by case basis, and decisions will be based upon the distance of travel and the relationship of the employee and the deceased or stricken family member. In no event is the maximum leave time automatic. All emergency leave requests should be addressed to the Library Director. All accrued vacation and sick leave must be used before Emergency Leave pay will be granted. 

The Library provides health insurance coverage for those full-time employees wishing to participate. The employee pays a percentage with the employer (LLCLD) paying the remainder. The coverage is available to spouses and dependents with the employee paying the full premium. 

The Library is a member of the Missouri LAGERS Retirement Plan. This is a noncontributory plan in which the Library Board pays the full amount. The Library also provides a payroll deduction plan for retirement savings. 

All staff will be paid on the 15th of the month (or closest work day prior to such) and on the last day of the month (or closest work day prior to such). 

If situations arise requiring employees to work more than 40 hours per week, the Library requires that the employee receive compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay. This time must be taken within 30 days. 

Staff members are encouraged to belong to and attend meetings of their professional organizations. They will be encouraged to attend Library meetings on a local, district, and state level as the budget allows. 

The professional staff will have the opportunity to attend the annual meeting of the Missouri Library Association. The Library will pay their annual dues and expenses. 

Missouri Library Association (MLA) dues are paid for all Board Members. 

Provision will be made for attendance at MLA by Board Members, and in the event of an official delegate to the American Library Association, his/her expenses will be paid by the Library. 

With the approval of the Library Board, attendance at other meetings of interest to the Library will be allowed as budget permits. 

Employees and Board Members attending state and national conferences shall present a written report to the Library Board. 

All travel and training and associated expenses must have the prior approval of the Library Director. Employee travel claims will be approved by the Director before reimbursements are made. Director travel claims will be approved by either the Library Board President or Library Board Treasurer before reimbursements are made. 

Expenses incurred by Library representatives at workshops, seminars, training sessions, conferences, or other authorized Library business will be reimburse to the e employee if not charged on the Library’s credit card or paid in advance or billed to the Library.  All employees seeking reimbursement must file a complete travel reimbursement request. 

Mileage will be reimbursed at the rate currently issued by the Internal Revenue Service. Employees who must use a personal vehicle to conduct Library business such as running errands or picking up supplies may be reimbursed for mileage on completion of a travel reimbursement request. 

No meal reimbursement will be paid if the employee is absent from the Library for four hours or less, unless the meal is part of the function attended. Receipts are required for all meal reimbursements. The Library will not reimburse expenditures for alcoholic beverages. Reasonable tips will be reimbursed. 

For overnight trips, reservations should be made in advance, taking advantage of special rates. Receipt for lodging is required. The Library will not reimburse for extraneous room charges, such as pay-per-view television or personal phone calls. 

Plane reservations should be made in advance to take advantage of special rates and should be charged to the Library credit card, if possible. Receipt is required for reimbursement for any transportation, including cab fare. 

Registration fees for reimbursement should be charged in advance to the Library credit card, if possible. 

Return travel to the primary work location for emergency purposes, such as fire alarm or computer malfunctions, or holiday-related duties, such as clearing book drops, may be reimbursed from the employee’s residence. 

Employees may seek reimbursement for membership fees to professional and/or civic organizations, subject to Board approval. 

III.    PATRON BEHAVIOR 

The following patron behaviors and actions will be enforced on Library property: 

      B.  Drugs, Alcohol, & Food 

   C.  Disruptive Behavior  

    D.  Soliciting 

    E.  Cell Phones & Technology 

    F. Other Prohibited Items & Behaviors 

 G.  Sexually Explicit Materials & Misconduct 

H. STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING PATRON SEXUAL  

      MISCONDUCT 

As stated in item G, public display of explicit sexual materials is prohibited. Staff should take prompt action to instruct patrons to remove such a display. If at any time the patron should become threatening or dangerous, the police will be called immediately and measures will be taken to protect patrons and Library staff. An incident report will be filed with the Library Director. The Library will request the patron to leave at the first incident. Library privileges will be suspended indefinitely. Reinstatement of library privileges must be approved by the Library Director. 

Explicit sexual material, as defined by Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 573, Sec. 573.010, is any pictorial or three-dimensional material depicting human masturbation, deviate sexual intercourse, sexual intercourse, direct physical stimulation or unclothed genitals, sadomasochistic abuse, or emphasizing the depiction of post-pubertal human genitals; provided, however, that works of art or of anthropological significance shall not be deemed to be within the foregoing definition. 

Child pornography, as defined by the same statute, is any obscene material or performance depicting sexual conduct, sexual contact, or a sexual performance which has as one of its participants, or portrays as an observer of such conduct, contact, or performance, a child under the age of eighteen. 

When a patron is observed engaging in sexual misconduct, including but not limited to acts of exposure, public masturbation, sexual harassment, offensive touching, sexual solicitation, etc., staff should immediately contact a supervisor. If a staff member or another patron can positively identify the offender and describe the activity observed, staff should first contact the police and then the supervisor. 

As outlined by Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 566, Sec. 566.083, a person commits the crime of sexual misconduct involving a child if the person: (1) knowingly exposes the person’s genitals to a child less than fourteen years of age in a manner that would cause a reasonable adult to believe that the conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm to a child less than fourteen years of age; (2) knowingly exposes the person’s genitals to a child less than fourteen years of age for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of any person, including the child; or (3) coerces a child less than fourteen years of age to expose the child’s genitals for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of any person, including the child. 

IV. WORK RULES/RULES OF CONDUCT 

The Library expects employees to exhibit regular and prompt attendance and cooperative attitudes and actions. Certain rules of conduct are essential for fairness, equity, and productivity of all personnel. 

Misconduct that will subject employees to discipline, up to and including dismissal, include, but is not limited to, the following: 

It is recognized that other behavior not specifically covered in the preceding material may warrant discipline up to and including dismissal. Activities not expressly covered in these rules will be handled on a case by case basis. All employees are expected to act with good common sense and in a totally professional manner. 

B. ATTENDANCE 

All Library staff members are expected to be punctual and to keep absences and tardiness to a minimum. Employees should be at their workstation on time and ready to begin work at the beginning of each shift. When this is not possible, employees should follow specific guidelines for notification provided by their supervisor or department manager. 

Tardiness. Tardiness is defined as any occasion when an employee is expected to have started his/her shift at a given time, ready to work, and is not present. Excessive tardiness is defined as two or more occurrences in a calendar month. When an employee expects to be late because of illness or an emergency, the employee should notify his/her supervisor before the start of work and give a projected arrival time. 

Desk and office staff are expected to present a professional appearance. In general, the following types of attire are inappropriate for all desk and office staff: 

Employees are expected to exercise good judgment in selecting attire. 

Personal hygiene is an important aspect of patron service and must be properly maintained to avoid creating an environment that is offensive to patrons and fellow employees. 

 
The Supervisor has the right to remove an employee from the workplace to correct major deficiencies in dress, appearance, or personal hygiene. The Supervisor will consult the Library Director prior to removing any employee from the workplace for violation of this policy. 

D. HARASSMENT 

The Lebanon-Laclede County Library District intends to provide a work environment that is pleasant, professional, and free from intimidation, hostility, or other offenses that might interfere with work performance. Harassment, in any form or fashion, by a patron, employee, supervisor, Library Director, or Library Board member will not be tolerated. 

All Library employees have a responsibility for keeping the work environment free from harassment. Any employee who becomes aware of an incident of harassment, whether by witnessing the incident or being told about the incident, or feel they are being victimized themselves, must report it as soon as possible to his/her supervisor or the Library Director. 

All employees are responsible for notifying the Operations Manager before depleting the supply of any item. 

Every employee using the photocopier is responsible for the refilling of paper trays, replenishing of paper supplies, and maintaining the order of the paper storage areas. The Operations Manager will be responsible for calling for service on the copiers. 

Employees are discouraged from using the photocopy machines for personal use. 

Employees may send personal mail from and receive packages at the Library. Employees should not use the Library address for bills, subscriptions, or any other regularly received personal mail. 

Any employee using the Library postage meter for personal mail will be subject to dismissal. 

H. PHONE CALLS AND GENERAL PHONE USE 

Personal phone calls are a distraction to coworkers, as well as an impediment to the employee’s own work. 

Personal phone calls should be limited and brief. Employees should place personal phone calls only on breaks or during meal periods. 

Under normal circumstances, a patron should not be able to hear a personal phone conversation. 

The break room is reserved for the use of the Library employees and volunteers. 

Any type of disciplinary action, including immediate suspension or dismissal, may be invoked for serious misconduct. 

Because this is a progressive system of discipline, failure to correct or improve after a disciplinary step will cause subsequent discipline to proceed to the next step. 

In determining the appropriateness of any disciplinary action, legitimate mitigating factors shall be taken into account. Mitigating considerations include, but shall not be limited to, length of service, previous work record, awareness of rules violated, impact of conduct on operations, and/or the Library’s handling of the offense. 

When informal counseling has failed to produce sustained satisfactory performance, or when informal counseling is determined to be an inappropriate first step in dealing with substandard performance or inappropriate behavior, the next step is to hold a formal discussion with the employee and issue a formal initial warning in writing. Given individual circumstances, not all situations requiring employee discipline will follow the same progression. However, in most instances, a written initial warning should be preceded by counseling. The warning will document the discussion with a statement including the supervisor’s account of circumstances, the employee’s version, agreed-upon plan for improvement, statement advising the employee of what action will be taken if he/she fails to improve, and signatures of both parties. Also, the supervisor should give the employee a copy of the written statement and advise him/her that this is the first formal step of discipline, and a copy will be placed in the personnel file. 

An employee receives an advanced written warning, usually after an initial written warning has been given. In some cases, the severity of an infraction may merit an advanced written warning, even when other steps have not been taken in the disciplinary process. 

At the time of the advanced written warning, an employee will be placed in a probationary period when it appears to management that the guidelines or description of the employee’s expected standards of performance are unclear. Probationary periods will not exceed 60 days in length and may be divided into 2-week increments in which specific goals must be met. 

If the date set for reviewing performance has arrived and the employee is found to be incapable or unwilling to perform satisfactorily, he or she may be placed on a paid, one-day decision-making leave. In some cases, a decision-making leave may be the first step of discipline. In other circumstances, a decision-making leave may not be considered appropriate. 

In administering a decision-making leave, the supervisor should: 

       4. To Grieve Discipline 

If at any stage in disciplinary proceedings an employee feels as though his/her supervisor is unjustly attempting to apply discipline, he/she may follow procedures set out in Grievance and/or Complaint Resolution Procedure. 

      B.  GRIEVANCE AND/OR COMPLAINT RESOLUTION  

PROCEDURE 

Ideally, grievance or complaint issues should be resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all parties at the lowest level of supervision. When this is not possible, the established grievance or complaint procedure shall be followed. Nothing in the grievance or complaint resolution procedure shall preclude the individual from seeking other legal remedies, including appeal to the policy making authority of the Library Board. 

A grievance is a written personal appeal presented by an employee to change a management decision or administrative practice affecting his/her work, working conditions, or employment status (including discharge). The grievance must state the reason for the belief that unfair or unequal treatment has resulted from the decision or practice. 

If an employee has good cause to believe that he or she has been treated or disciplined unfairly or in a manner inconsistent with Library policy, the following procedure should be utilized to achieve a fair and equitable resolution of the matter at the lowest possible supervisory level. 

Step 1: The employee should discuss the situation with her/his immediate supervisor, who will attempt to resolve the matter within the framework of established policy and administrative procedure. 

Step 2: If the employee’s supervisor is unable to resolve the problem, or if the problem is between the employee and the direct supervisor, the employee has the right to have her/his problem informally reviewed by the Library Director. 

Step 3: If the matter is still unresolved to the satisfaction of the employee, she/he may file a formal grievance or complaint. The grievance must be filed in writing within thirty (30) calendar days after the event or occurrence giving rise to the alleged grievance took place, or within thirty (30) calendar days from the date on which the employee should have reasonably known of its occurrence. 

The written grievance must include: 

A grievance will not be considered when based on any of the  

following: 

Step 4: The formal written grievance must be submitted to the Library Director within the time frame outlined in Step 3. If the grievance or complaint involves the Library Director, the written grievance should be submitted to the Library Board Personnel Committee. The Director or Personnel Committee will conduct any necessary interviews and respond in writing to the grievance within five (5) working days from the date of receipt. At this time, the Director or Personnel Committee may obtain an outside consultant to advise on human resource/legal issues. Step 4 should not exceed 15 days if outside council is sought in the matter.