City of Summerville employees could receive an additional paid holiday beginning in 2027 if the city council approves a proposal to recognize Juneteenth as an official city holiday.

The idea was raised during Monday night’s Summerville City Council meeting by Councilwoman Simone Adams, who asked fellow council members to consider adding the federal holiday to the city’s list of paid days off for employees.

“I would like to see possibly put on next month’s agenda for us to vote for the staff to be off on June 19 of 2027,” Adams said during the meeting.

Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved African Americans that they were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

The holiday became a federal holiday in 2021 and is already recognized as a state holiday in Georgia. Most state offices close in observance of the day, and many local governments and private employers now provide Juneteenth as a paid holiday.

According to the proposal, adding Juneteenth would expand Summerville’s current list of paid holidays for city employees and bring the city’s holiday schedule more in line with other government entities across Georgia and the nation.

Adams suggested placing the matter on the council’s July agenda for formal consideration. No vote was taken during Monday night’s meeting, and city officials gave no indication whether the proposal currently has majority support from council members.

If approved, the change would not take effect until June 19, 2027.

For now, the proposal remains under consideration and is expected to return before the council at a future meeting.