Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts three personnel policies for education, bilingual pay and administrative leave; 9/80 alternate work week remains under study
Summary
Council approved three personnel policies covering education assistance, modest bilingual pay and administrative leave for eligible salary employees; separate discussions on a 9/80 alternate work week will continue with bargaining units before council action.
The City Council on March 4 adopted three personnel policies intended to support employee development and retention: an education assistance policy, a bilingual pay policy and an administrative leave policy for eligible personnel.
HR Administrator Shirley Beniz presented the items and told the council the city met staff in informational sessions and received strong interest in these benefits. The bilingual pay proposal would offer a 2.5% differential to eligible unrepresented employees whose position requires frequent public contact in Spanish; staff estimated roughly 32 employees might qualify and said two bargaining units already include a 5% bilingual differential in their memoranda of understanding.
The education-assistance policy would support eligible employees pursuing job-related education; staff estimated about 12 employees would benefit. The administrative leave policy addresses salaried personnel and provides administrative leave provisions for exempt employees. Finance staff estimated the near-term fiscal impact at about $38,000 for the remainder of the current fiscal year and roughly $92,559 for the following fiscal year if all eligible employees participate as projected.
Council discussed but did not adopt a related proposal to implement a 9/80 alternate work week (every other Friday off) because the work-week definition must be changed and bargaining-unit meet-and-confer sessions remain outstanding. HR staff said the 9/80 proposal affects payroll timing under the Fair Labor Standards Act, particularly for employees in police dispatch and other departments that operate 24/7; staff described options for moving the pay-period end date to Friday or running two payroll tracks while bargaining units decide. HR said it expects to bring work-week redefinition and an alternate work-week policy to council in early April after more bargaining-unit meetings.
Council voted to adopt the three personnel policies by resolution and asked staff to return with implementation details and coverage plans for absences under any alternate work-week schedule if approved in the future.
