The Bastrop City Council last week decided to pass on making Juneteenth a city holiday, opting instead to add a floating holiday to its roster of employee benefits. The move sparked debate and discussion among council members, residents and people who want the city to formally recognize Juneteenth an annual holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S.
The council’s discussion on April 27 centered around how Bastrop could provide city employees with an additional holiday, after the council was presented two weeks earlier with the results of an employee classification and compensation study.
The study revealed that Bastrop lagged behind neighboring city governments, the county and the state in how many holidays it observed.