City of Lanesboro Minnesota

City of Lanesboro, Minn.

City of Lanesboro, Minn.

HOME > DEPARTMENTS > CITY OFFICE > PERSONNEL POLICY

City of Lanesboro Personnel Policy

The City of Lanesboro and the Lanesboro Public Utilities Commission jointly adopt the following:

PURPOSE:

It is the purpose of this policy to establish a uniform and equitable system of personnel administration for employees of the City of Lanesboro and the Lanesboro Public Utilities Commission. The provisions of this personnel policy do not establish terms and shall not be construed as contractual provisions. This policy may be amended at any time at the sole discretion of the City / Utilities Commission.

INCORPORATION OF GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS:

The provisions of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and any other mandatory governmental regulations, to the extent they conflict with or are not contained in this document, shall be observed and are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Adoption of any such mandatory provisions shall not invalidate the remainder of this Personnel Policy.

SCOPE OF THE POLICY:

Personnel Covered, except as otherwise specifically provided, this policy applies to all employees of the City / Public Utilities except the following:

All elected officials;
The city attorney;
Members of city boards, commissions, and committees;
Emergency employees;
Other employees not regularly employed in permanent positions.

APPOINTMENTS:

The appointing authority on the basis of merit and fitness for the position shall make every appointment to municipal service. When required by law or by the City Council / Utilities Commission, merit and fitness shall be ascertained by written, oral, or other examinations designed to evaluate the ability of the candidate to discharge the position for which the examination is held.

DURATION OF EMPLOYMENT:

Except as restricted by statute or applicable labor agreement in particular cases, the City/Utilities may dismiss the employee at any time for any reason. Any employee may terminate city employment at any time, according to the latter parts of this personnel policy.

EVALUATION PERIOD:

The learning and probationary period is an integral part of the selection process and shall be utilized for observing the employee’s work, for securing the most effective adjustment of the employee to the position, and for rejecting any employee whose performance does not meet the required work standards. This probationary period shall be for six (6) months from their first day of employment.

EVALUATION:

The City Administrator/Clerk shall provide an evaluation policy. This policy will have an accurate job description, and will be based on job performance, specifically performance of goals established at and during the rated period. Employees with a supervisor will be rated by that supervisor and reviewed by the Administrator/Clerk. Employees without a supervisor will be rated by the Administrator/Clerk and reviewed by the City Council/PUC. In any event, the City Council/PUC will have the final authority if the reviewer and employee disagree on the evaluation.

EMPLOYEE TYPES:

Temporary employees are casual employees hired for a short, usually definite, length of time for a specific job. Temporary employees are not entitled to sick leave, vacation leave, or holidays with pay. Part-time employees are those personnel hired who work less than 20 hours on average. Part-time employees do not qualify for benefits. Permanent part-time employees are those personnel hired by the City, but who work 20 hours or more per week on average. Permanent part-time employees earn vacation and sick leave on a pro-rated basis. Regular full-time employees are those personnel hired for duties, which will require them to work a minimum of 32 hours per week. Full-time employees receive all benefits, unless otherwise refused

EMPLOYEE PAY TYPES:

Hourly employees are employees who are paid by the hour in a normal 40 hour per week position.
Salaried employees are employees who are paid according to their predetermined yearly salaried amount. Salaried employees are paid the same amount regardless of the hours worked.

PAY EQUITY:

All employee positions are subject to evaluation, according to the Local Government Pay Equity Act. With this plan, step increases will be provided for each position, through the State of Minnesota. The pay equity step increases will be used as a guide for yearly wage increases. The Administrator/Clerk, with approval from the City/PUC, will implement pay increases on a yearly basis, which will be in effect for the first pay period in calendar year. Step increases will be given to those employees showing improvements, completion of department goals and work ethic, based on yearly evaluations.

OVERTIME AND COMPENSATORY TIME:

Employees of the City and/or Utilities Commission shall be compensated according to schedule established by the City Council/Utilities Commission. Any wage or salary so established is the total renumeration for all employment, but shall not be considered as reimbursement for official travel or other expenses which may be allowed for the conduct of official business. Unless approved by the Council/Utilities Commission, no employee shall receive pay from the City in addition to the salary authorized for the position to which she/he has been appointed. Employees, paid hourly, shall receive time and a half for any hours over 40 hours in a week. No sick, vacation or compensatory time may be used to fill this 40 hours of work. Overtime will be paid only after 40 hours of actual work has been used. Each employee has the opportunity to accrue compensation time in lieu of receiving overtime pay. It is the employee’s option as to how they want to be compensated for their hours over 40 per week. If the employee chooses to be paid out overtime, the overtime will be paid in the payroll for which the overtime occurred. If the employee chooses to log compensatory time then it will be recorded in the City office at time and a half to be used as time off at a later date. Compensatory time shall not exceed 175 hours at any given time. Employees that are exceeding 175 hours must be paid for the current overtime and must make every effort to keep compensatory time under the 175 hours limit. The only exception to this compensatory policy is for call-ins or extraordinary circumstances. If the overtime occurred due to a call in, for emergency or extraordinary circumstances, then the employee is allowed to accrue compensation time. These emergency or extraordinary circumstances must be approved through the City Administrator/Clerk. Notice of compensatory time use should be 48 hours in advance, when possible, and reported directly to the City Clerk’s office and approved by the supervisor or City Administrator/Clerk.

PAYDAYS:

Employees shall be paid biweekly on alternate Tuesdays. When a payday falls on a holiday, employees shall receive their pay the preceding workday.

WORK HOURS:

The Administrator/Clerk, with the approval of the Council/Utilities Commission shall establish Work schedules for personnel. The regular workweek for employees is five (5) eight-hour working days in addition to a lunch period, scheduled Monday through Friday, except as otherwise established by the Administrator/Clerk. Time sheets shall be submitted in accordance with the City Administrator/Clerk’s directive.

REST PERIODS:

Every full-time regular employee, when working under conditions where a break period is practical, shall be granted a 20-minute break period in each half of the employee’s shift. Part-time employees shall have a 20-minute break for every 4 hours worked. Break times include travel to and from work site, not in addition to time allowed. Actual break times may need to be established by the supervisor when office coverage or shift coverage is inevitable. The supervisor of the department is responsible for notifying employees of possible break periods.

HOLIDAYS:

The following calendar days and such other days as the council may fix are paid holidays:

New Years Day; January 1
Martin Luther King Day; the 3rd Monday in January
Washington’s & Lincoln’s Birthday; the 3rd Monday in February
Memorial Day; the last Monday in May
Independence Day; July 4th
Labor Day; the 1st Monday of September
Christopher Columbus Day; the 2nd Monday in October or Veteran’s Day
Thanksgiving Day; the 4th Thursday in November
Friday after Thanksgiving
Christmas Day; December 25th

In addition, work day ends at noon on the following:

Good Friday
Christmas Eve, when falls Monday – Friday
New Years Eve, when falls Monday – Friday

These days qualify for 4 hours of Holiday pay if circumstances cause these closings not to occur, i.e. falling on a weekend, then employees shall have 4 hours to use at their leisure.
When a holiday occurs during an employee’s vacation, the employee shall receive another day off in its place. All employees in regular positions are entitled for part-time employees shall be pro-rated. The City Hall shall be closed for business on paid holidays, but employees may be required to work on paid holidays when the nature of their duties or conditions require. An employee that is required to work on a holiday has the option of being paid time and a half for hours worked or taking regular pay and substituting hour for hour time off on a normal work day, with the choice made within the current pay period. When New Year’s Day, Independence Day or Christmas Day falls on Sunday, the following Monday is a paid holiday, and if any such day falls on a Saturday, the proceeding Friday is a holiday. Holidays begin at midnight. Employees who would normally be working on a holiday shall be paid their normal salary for eight hours of work. If an employee is called out for an emergency during the holiday, the employee shall be paid time and a half for the period of time worked only. Police officer holidays shall differ from the above only in that they shall be compensated time and a half for any and all holidays worked.

PTO TIME:

PTO allows flexibility and allows employees to manage their own time off whether it is for vacation, sick time or any other type of time off. PTO accumulates the previous sick and vacation time together as one accrual.

PTO time shall be granted as follows:

SERVICE	BENEFIT HOURS	TOTAL DAYS	HOURS ACCRUED Per Pay Period	MAXIMUM ACCRUAL HOURS	MAXIMUM ACCCRUED DAYS

0 to 1 year	136	17	5.23	80	10
1 to 4 years	176	22	6.77	240	30
5 to 9 years	216	27	8.31	480	60
10 to 14 years	256	32	9.85	640	80
15 plus years	296	37	11.38	800	120

PTO may be used for the following:

Vacation
Personal or family illness, including family and medical leave
Medical or dental appointments
Severe weather
Child care / elder care
Personal business
Observance of religious holidays
Military leave extending beyond 10 working days

Employees who are scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week receive a pro-rated benefit based on their full-time equivalency.

Maximum accrual will be calculated on December 31st of each year.

TIME OFF WITH PTO:

Employees are expected to request PTO in as far in advance as possible. If there are conflicts as far as scheduling, the supervisor must make a determination as to which PTO time will be granted. Factors to consider would be last time off taken, amount of notice and necessity of the leave. Supervisors may deny any PTO request if it conflicts with the scope of their projects or workload. If there is unplanned PTO, an employee must notify the immediate supervisor as soon as possible. PTO must be used in at least half-hour increments. It is expected that most of the PTO time shall be used in eight (8) hour increments to the best of the employee’s ability.

An employee may not receive payment in place of taking time off; PTO time is to be used for some rest and relaxation.

PTO ACCRUAL:

Employees may only accrue up to the maximum accrual and will use the remainder of PTO not used. The maximum for part-time will have a maximum accrual at a pro-rated percentage. Employees currently over the maximum accrual will not lose any time that has accrued to date. The maximum accrual will however remain at their current level of accrued time. In other words, their amount over is grandfathered in as accrued time, but once they fall below their maximum accrual, the maximum accrual will be their limit from there on out.

PTO FOR TERMINATION:

An employee, who is leaving employment for any reason, may not use PTO time in place of their notice.
An employee, retiring directly from active employment may use PTO to complete a full month prior to their retirement date.

Upon notice of voluntary termination, PTO is not available during the last two weeks of employment. Unused PTO will be paid in the final paycheck. PTO not used will be paid out at 75% of the amount of PTO time left.

In case of a death of an employee while employed by the City of Lanesboro/Lanesboro Public Utilities shall warrant payment of 100% of unused PTO time to the next of kin.

OTHER BENEFITS:

Full-time employees of the City of Lanesboro/Lanesboro Public Utilities will automatically be provided a Life Insurance Policy of $10,000 at no cost to the employee.

Also, all employees, who qualify, will be enrolled in the PERA plan of Minnesota; all employees that qualify must participate in this government sponsored retirement plan. The employee will have withheld 5.1% where the City will put in 5.53%. Guidelines for who qualifies for PERA are in the Minnesota PERA guide in the City Clerk’s office.

Dental Insurance is offered for full-time employees.

Disability/Cancer Insurance is available to employees with cost being fully provided by the employee.
The City of Lanesboro also offers a FSA Medical Plan for which employees may take pre-tax dollars and use them towards medical expenses. The employee may take up to $2,500 per plan year of June 1st – May 31st out pre-tax to be used for medical expenses. Proper paperwork must be filed with the office to contribute to this plan.

See Administration for any information on these items.

HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE BENEFITS:

The city will pay $450.00 towards City health insurance and/or dental insurance for any new full-time employee. Current employees are capped at the present rate the City is paying for them now. If the insurance would rise in the future, the employees will be responsible for the difference. Insurance is available for those full-time and part-time (working at least 20 hours per week) permanent employees. If working part-time the insurance cost is pro-rated.

EMPLOYEE CLOTHING ALLOWANCE:

The City/Utilities shall pay for up to $180.00 per year for uniforms for its full-time employees and those part-time employees as deemed necessary.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE:

Employees responding to an emergency such as a fire department or ambulance call shall not be penalized monetarily for his/her participation. A minimum of one-person staff person must remain on duty in case of a City emergency.

LEAVE BENEFITS:

During the first six months of service following an original appointment, an employee is not entitled to PTO leave time, unless stated in their contract. After the end of that period, an employee is entitled to PTO leave accrued from the start of employment.

MILITARY LEAVES:

Every employee to whom MN Stat. 192.26 or 192.261 or U.S.C.A., Title 38, Sec. 2021 applies is entitled to the benefits those sections list, subject to the conditions in the law.

FAMILY LEAVE:

An employee who works 20 or more hours per week and has been employed more than one year is entitled to take an unpaid leave of absence in connection with the birth or adoption of a child or care of immediate family members. The leave may not exceed twelve weeks, unless more time is approved by the City Council/PUC, and must begin not more than six weeks after the birth or adoption of the child. The employee is entitled to return to work at the same position and at the same rate of pay the employee was receiving prior to commencement of the leave. Group insurance coverage may remain in effect during the leave at the employee’s expense.

LEAVE WITHOUT PAY:

The Council/Commission may grant any employee, with at least six months of service as an employee of the City/Utilities, a leave of absence without pay for a period not exceeding 90 days. Except that it may extend such leaves to a maximum period of one year in case the employee is disabled or where extraordinary circumstances warrant such extension. No PTO benefits shall accrue during a leave of absence without pay.

JURY OR WITNESS DUTY:

When any employee performs jury duty, is subpoenaed as a witness in court, or voluntarily serves as a witness in a case in which the City/Utilities is a party, the employee is entitled to compensation from the City/Utilities equal to the difference between the regular pay and the amount received as a juror or a witness.

BONE MARROW DONATIONS:

Employees who average 20 or more hours per week may take paid leave, not to exceed 40 hours, and subject to verification, to undergo medical procedures to donate bone marrow.

SCHOOL CONFERENCES AND ACTIVITIES:

Employees will attempt to schedule all such activities after normal working hours. The supervisor or City Administrator/Clerk must approve all such leaves.

RESIGNATION:

Any employee wishing to leave the municipal service in good standing shall file with the City Administrator/Clerk, at least 14 days before leaving, a written resignation stating the effective date of the resignation and the reason for leaving. Failure to comply with this procedure may be considered cause for denying the employee future employment by the City and denying terminal leave benefits. Unauthorized absence from work for a period of three working days may be considered as a resignation without such benefits.

GRIEVANCE POLICY:

It is the policy of the City/Utilities Commission, insofar as possible, to prevent the occurrence of grievances and to deal promptly with those that occur. When any employee grievance comes to the attention of the City Administrator/Clerk, the City Administrator/Clerk shall consider and examine the causes to the extent of his/her authority. If the Administrator/Clerk determines that he/she is unable to solve the grievance or the grievance is not dealt with satisfactorily at that level, the grievance may be carried to the next higher administrative level. The City Administrator/Clerk shall discuss all relevant circumstances with the City Council/Utilities Commission; the employee and their representative, if the employee so desires to be present. If the grievance relates to sexual harassment this procedure shall not apply. The grievance procedure set out in the sexual harassment policy shall take precedence.

LAYOFFS:

After at least two weeks notice to the employee, the Council/Utilities Commission may lay off any employee whenever such action is necessary because of shortage of work or funds, the abolition of a position, or changes in organization. No regular employee shall be laid off while there is a temporary employee serving in the same class or position for which the regular employee is qualified, eligible, and available.

DISCIPLINE:

In general, city employees shall be subject to disciplinary action for failing to fulfill their duties and responsibilities, including observance of work rules adopted by the City Council. It is the policy of the City to administer disciplinary penalties without discrimination. The appropriate official shall investigate any allegation on which disciplinary action might be based before any disciplinary action is taken. Discipline will be based on the nature and severity of the infraction and conditions surrounding the incident where possible, using generally accepted principles of progressive discipline where practical. Disciplinary action may include oral reprimand, written reprimand, and involuntary demotion, forced transfer to a comparable position under a different supervisor, withholding a salary increase, or decreasing the employee’s salary, suspension, and dismissal.

SUSPENSION:

Subject to state law on veterans’ preference, the appointing authority may suspend an employee without pay for disciplinary reasons. An employee may not be suspended for more than 30 days in any calendar year.

DISMISSAL:

Subject to state law on veterans’ preference and subject to MN Stat. 181.931 to 181.935 any employee may be dismissed from municipal service by the City Council for any reason. In the case of a veteran, removal may be made only for incompetency or misconduct shown after a hearing on due notice. (MN Stat. 197.46)

WORK RULES:

Violation of the following rules shall be cause for dismissal:

Incompetency or inefficiency in the performance of duties.
Physical or mental incompetency.
Any use of alcoholic beverages or controlled substance while on duty or any use of such substances within any time prior to work that could cause impairment.
Conviction of a felony, or gross misdemeanor, or conviction of a misdemeanor or an ordinance violation involving moral turpitude.
Willful misconduct or insubordination.
Carelessness or negligence in handling or controlling City property.
Discourteous, insulting, abusive, or inflammatory conduct toward public, a fellow employee or employees while on or off duty.
Absent from duty without cause.
Proven dishonesty in the performance of duties.
Unauthorized use of City/Utility vehicles or equipment.

RETIREMENT POLICY:

All City/Utility employees, including law enforcement officers and firefighters, shall be required to retire at 70 years of age, unless the job requirements would allow an extension authorized by the department due to duties performed.

UNLAWFUL ACTS:

No person shall knowingly make any false statement, certificate, mark, rating, or report in regard to any test, certificate, or appointment held or made under the City personnel system, or in any manner commit or attempt to commit any fraud preventing the impartial execution of the provisions of this ordinance.

RENDERING OF CONSIDERATION:

No person seeking employment to or promotion in the municipal service shall either directly or indirectly give, render, or pay any money, service, or other valuable consideration to any person, or on account of or in connection with the test, appointment, or promotion, or proposed appointment or promotion.

WORK CONDITIONS:

All employees shall be trained before being assigned or reassigned work exposing the employee to hazardous substances, according to OSHA standards and as required for their specific job. Training shall include an explanation of how and where information about hazards is stored in the work place, how the hazards are labeled, and they’re to obtain specific information. The City Council/Public Utilities or other designated official shall provide for such training and for compliance with the “Minnesota Employee Right to Know Act of 1983”, including the establishment of specific policies to insure compliance with the state law and regulations. An employee acting in good faith has the right to refuse to work under conditions, which the employee reasonably believes present, an imminent danger of death or serious physical harm to the employee.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT:

The City/Utilities is committed to providing a work environment that is free of discrimination. In keeping with this commitment, the City/Utilities maintain a strict policy prohibiting unlawful harassment, including sexual harassment. This policy prohibits harassment in any form, including verbal and physical harassment.

An employee who believes he or she has been harassed by a co-worker, supervisor, or agent of the City should promptly report the facts of the incident or incidents and names of the individuals involved to the City Administrator/Clerk. The Administrator/Clerk should immediately report any incidents of sexual harassment to the City Council/PublicUtilities Commission. They will in turn investigate such claims and take appropriate action.

SUPPLEMENTAL EMPLOYMENT:

Employees must devote all work time to City/Utility business. No work relating to supplemental or outside employment may be performed during work time. Employees may accept supplemental employment while a City/Utility employee only if the following conditions are met:
1. The employee submits a notification from describing in detail the duties of the supplemental position and the potential conflict of interest with City/Utilities employment.
2. The City Council/Utilities Commission shall approve the supplemental employment.

HIRING OF POLICE OFFICERS:

Because of the sensitive nature of their work, any person working as a police officer must adhere to the following standards:

The appointing authority will review the job seeker(s) qualifications to include a standard application.
The applicant will be required to submit to an interview.
Candidates will be subjected to a thorough background investigation, physical and mental exams.
Successful candidates will be brought before the city council for final interview and hiring.
The Lanesboro evaluation policy will be in effect for the term of employment.

SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE:

The City of Lanesboro and the Public Utilities have enacted an AWARE policy for the safety of the employees and citizens of Lanesboro. All safety related questions shall be answered according to the AWARE policy. There is also an Emergency Plan for the Lanesboro City Hall Building. Both of these documents can be found in the City Clerk’s office and each employee should have general knowledge of the workplace safety rules and must have access to these documents.

All full-time employees must attend monthly safety meetings. Employees will be notified of these meetings in advance. There may be other safety classes for which the Administrator/Clerk or supervisor will request one yearly all-day safety training session specific to their duties and requirements of their employment position.

REIMBURSEMENTS:

Employees may be reimbursed for mileage and food and lodging expenses for work related training. Employees must have prior approval from supervisor and City Administrator/Clerk before submitting expense sheets. City Administrator/Clerk shall have prior approval from City Council or PUC for expenses related to training. Mileage shall be reimbursed at rate set by council in annual meeting. All other related expenses must be pre-approved.

City of Lanesboro, Minn.

City of Lanesboro
Steven L. Rahn, Mayor | Bobbie Vickerman, City Administrator
202 Parkway Avenue South - - Lanesboro, MN 55949
507-467-3722 | lanesboro@acegroup.cc