Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Socorro updates employee handbook, extends mental‑health leave to telecommunicators and authorizes Paycom payroll system
Summary
The council approved a revised employee handbook that incorporates a mental‑health leave policy extension to telecommunicators (policy G‑11) and authorized Paycom as the city's payroll software provider for FY 2025–26 at a cost of $44,002.31, with staff citing efficiency and implementation by Oct. 16.
The Socorro City Council approved several personnel and human‑resources items on Aug. 21, including amendments to an employee handbook, expansion of mental‑health leave, and procurement of a payroll software system.
HR Director Carol Candelaria presented an updated employee handbook and explained on‑call compensation language that sets one hour pay per weekday on‑call, two hours for weekend on‑call days, and two hours for city holidays. City Attorney Jim Martinez recommended explicitly including the revised mental‑health leave policy (Policy G‑11) in the handbook motion to ensure consistency; council adopted the handbook amendment and included the G‑11 changes.
Chief Robert Rojas addressed council on the G‑11 change: "The state has recognized that telecommunicators also go through many of the tragic, incidents and events that police officers often see," he said, explaining that the law now allows mental‑health leave for telecommunicators similar to peace officers.
On procurement, the council authorized Paycom as the city's payroll and HRIS provider for FY 2025–26 in a contract totaling $44,002.31 plus change fees. Paycom account manager Sal Gonzalez described the product, implementation plan and timeline, and said, "We promise to be live by October 16." Staff said the platform centralizes timekeeping, payroll, benefits and reporting and could free staff to focus on other duties. Council approved the Paycom agreement by voice vote.
Why it matters: The handbook and policy changes extend statutory mental‑health protections to telecommunicators and codify compensation and on‑call practices, while the Paycom contract centralizes HR/payroll operations and is expected to improve reporting and compliance.
Next steps: HR will implement the revised handbook and coordinate Paycom setup and implementation for the targeted go‑live date in mid‑October.
