Council adopts employee handbook amendments and a purchasing and surplus-property policy

The Middleton City Council adopted Resolution 524‑25, approving amendments to the employee handbook and adding an exhibit that sets out a city purchasing and surplus‑property policy.

Human resources and city staff explained the handbook changes were limited and targeted. One amendment adjusts paid time off (PTO) accrual so employees who work 2,184 hours annually (mainly sworn police officers) receive PTO on the same per‑hour basis as employees who work 2,080 hours; staff said 13 officers fall under the 2,184‑hour schedule. The change corrects a prior oversight and restores proportional accrual parity.

Separately, staff presented a purchasing policy as an exhibit to the handbook that establishes delegated purchasing thresholds and a clear approval cascade for budgeted items (department leader, treasurer, city administrator, mayor, council as appropriate). The policy is intended to expedite purchases already authorized in the annual budget while maintaining checks for unbudgeted or higher‑value expenditures. The exhibit also documents the city’s surplus‑property procedures.

Why it matters: The PTO amendment addresses a pay‑and‑benefits parity issue for employees working different annual hour schedules. The purchasing policy provides consistent rules for staff authority to approve budgeted purchases and clarifies oversight steps to avoid repeated approvals for pre‑budgeted items.

Ending: With adoption of the resolution, staff will implement the PTO adjustments for eligible employees and apply the purchasing and surplus‑property policy. Department designees will sign acknowledgement forms before making purchases under delegated authority.