3.02.01 Compensation & Pay Practices

I.   General

a.  To the degree that funds permit, employees shall be paid compensation that:

i. Is commensurate with the skills and abilities required of the position;

ii.     Achieves equal pay for equal work;

iii.    Achieves market comparability and is reasonably competitive with the compensation paid by other public and/or private employers with whom the city most directly competes for personnel. To this aim, the city will seek guidance from the Citizens’ Compensation Advisory Committee.

b.  When applicable, compensation surveys used to determine comparability shall include a cross section of comparable benchmark positions from organizations with whom the city competes for personnel.

c.  The city shall pay employees within the approved pay range established for each respective job classification. Wages and salaries shall not be less than the established range minimum or higher than the range maximum, unless otherwise approved by the mayor or mayor’s designee.

d.  Job classifications are re-evaluated periodically to ensure that assigned pay levels (grades) reflect current market trends. Salary range widths may vary to reflect the normal growth and productivity potential of employees within particular types or groups of job classifications.

e.  Department management is responsible for defining an employee’s job duties and specific performance expectations. Job descriptions are approved, updated and maintained by the human resources department with input from department representatives.

f.   When making pay decisions, including job offers for new hires, department management is responsible to ensure that there is reasonable comparability of pay among all employees based upon similar responsibility and experience within their respective work groups. Department management shall provide human resources with appropriate justification, including analysis and confirmation of budgetary review, to support pay decisions.

g.  For any employee in a position represented by a recognized bargaining unit, department management is responsible for setting wage rates in accordance with the terms established in the bargaining unit labor contracts.

h.  The mayor may distribute appropriated monies to city employees as discretionary retention incentives or retirement contributions; or special lump sum supplemental payments. Specific requirements associated with retention incentives or special lump sum payments are subject to approval as per the city’s bonus & incentive awards policy.

i.   Policy exceptions require authorization and approval by the mayor or the mayor’s designee.

II. Overtime Compensation

a.  The city will pay FLSA non-exempt employees overtime compensation as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act, as follows:

i. The city will pay for overtime hours at 1 ½ times the regular hourly rate or, at the employee’s request and department director’s approval, provide compensatory time off at a rate of 1½ hours for each overtime hour.

ii.     Employees may accrue compensatory time up to a maximum as determined by the department director. The city reserves the right to pay an employee cash for any or all accrued compensatory hours, including when an employee’s status is changed from FLSA non-exempt to exempt.

iii.    The city will include all holiday leave hours when calculating overtime.

iv.    The city will pay out all accrued compensatory hours whenever an employee’s status or position changes from FLSA non-exempt to exempt.

b.  The city may pay FLSA exempt employees overtime only when all of the following conditions are met:

i. The mayor or the city council issues a “Proclamation of Local Emergency” or the city responds to an extraordinary emergency;

ii.     Exempt employees are required to work over forty (40) hours for one or more workweek(s) during the emergency period; and

iii.    The mayor and/or the city council approve the use of available funds to cover the overtime payments.

c.  When approved or authorized, exempt employees may receive overtime pay for any hours worked over forty (40) hours in a workweek during an emergency period at a rate equivalent to their regular base hourly rate of pay.

d.  The city shall distribute any overtime payments consistently with a pre-defined standard that treats all exempt employees equitably. Hours worked under a declared or extraordinary emergency must be paid hours and cannot be accrued as compensatory time.

III. Longevity Pay

a.  With the exception of elected officials, appointed employees and justice court judges, the city will pay a monthly longevity benefit to full-time employees based on the most recent date an employee began full-time employment as follows:

i.   Employees who have completed six (6) consecutive years of employment with the city will receive $50;

ii.  Employees who have completed ten (10) consecutive years of employment with the city will receive $75;

iii. Employees who have completed sixteen (16) consecutive years of employment with the city will receive $100; and,

iv. Employees who have completed twenty (20) consecutive years of employment with the city will receive $125.

b.  Longevity pay will be included in base pay for purposes of pension contributions.

c.  Employees do not earn or receive longevity payments while on an unpaid leave of absence. When an employee returns from an approved unpaid leave of absence, longevity payments will resume.

IV. Call Back and Call Out Pay

a.  Upon department director approval, non-exempt employees will be paid call back or call out pay as follows:

i.   Call Back Pay: Non-sworn, non-exempt employees who have been released from normally scheduled work and standby periods, and who are directed by an appropriate department head or designated representative to return to work before their next scheduled normal duty shift, will be paid for a minimum of three (3) hours straight-time pay and, in addition, will be guaranteed a minimum four (4) hours of work at straight-time pay.

ii.     Call Out Pay for Police Sergeants (excluding Airport Police). Sergeants who have been released from their scheduled work shifts and have been directed by an appropriate division head or designated representative to perform work without at least 24 hours advance notice or scheduling, shall be compensated as follows:

1.  Sergeants who are directed to report to work shall receive a minimum of four (4) hours compensation at one and one-half times their hourly wage rate, or one and one-half times their hourly wage rate for actual hours worked, whichever is greater.

2.  Sergeants who are assigned to day shift, and who are directed to perform work within eight (8) hours before the beginning of their regularly scheduled shift shall receive a minimum of four (4) hours compensation at one and one-half times their hourly wage rate, or one and one-half times their hourly wage rate for actual hours worked, whichever is greater.

3.  Sergeants who are assigned to the afternoon or graveyard shifts, and who are directed to perform work within eight (8) hours following the end of their regularly scheduled shift shall receive a minimum of four (4) hours compensation at one and one-half times their hourly wage rate, or one and one-half times their hourly wage rate for actual hours worked, whichever is greater.

V.  Standby Pay

a.   Standby Pay for Non-Sworn Employees: Non-exempt, non-sworn employees who have been released from normally scheduled work but have not been released from standby status will be paid either two (2) hours of straight time pay for each 24 hour period of limited standby status, or two (2) hours straight time pay for each 12-hour period of standby status if they are department of airports or public Utilities Department employees.

i. First call to work. An eligible employee who is directed to return to his or her normal work site during an assigned standby period by a department head or designated representative without advanced notice or scheduling will be paid a guaranteed minimum of four (4) hours, which may include any combination of hours worked and/or non-worked straight-time pay.

ii.     Additional calls to work. An eligible employee will be paid an additional guaranteed minimum of two (2) hours, which may include any combination of hours worked and/or non-worked straight-time pay, for each additional occasion the employee is called to work during the same twenty-four (24) or twelve (12) hour standby period.

iii.    Exclusion for snow fighters. Any employee on standby as a member of the Snow Fighter Corps shall not receive standby/on-call pay or shift differential when on standby or called back to fight snow.

b.  Standby for Police Sergeants (excluding airport police):  Police sergeants directed by their division commander or designee to keep themselves available for city service during otherwise off-duty hours shall be compensated one (1) hour of straight time for each twenty-four (24) hours while on a designated standby status. This compensation shall be in addition to any callout pay or pay for time worked the employee may receive during the standby period.

VI. Extra-Duty Shifts for Police Sergeants

a. "Extra-duty shifts" are defined as scheduled or unscheduled hours worked other than the sergeant's normally scheduled work shifts. "Extra-duty shifts" do not include extension or carry over of the sergeant's normally scheduled work shift.

i.  Any sergeant required by the city to work extra-duty shifts shall receive a minimum of three (3) hours compensation at one and one-half times their regular base hourly rate, or time worked paid at one and one-half times their regular hourly base wage rate, whichever is greater.

VII.    Shift Differential for Non-Sworn Employees

a.  Only FLSA non- exempt employees assigned to perform afternoon/ swing or evening shift work are eligible to receive a shift allowance.

i.  The city will include all shift allowances when computing overtime. An employee who receives Snow Fighter Corps differential pay is not eligible to also receive shift allowance.

ii. No allowance will be paid for work hours that are part of a regular day shift.

iii. For each non-day shift hour worked between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., the city will pay an eligible non-exempt employee a differential of $1.00 per hour.

VIII.   Shift Differential for Police Sergeant & Lieutenant (excluding airport police)

a.  The city will pay police sergeants and lieutenants shift differentials according to the shift actually worked. Actual shift differential rates are determined as follows:

i.  Day Shift: No differential pay for hours worked during day shift, which begins at 0500 hours until 1159 hours.

ii. Swing Shift: A differential of 2.5% in addition to the regular day rate shall be paid for swing shift, which begins at 1200 hours until 1859 hours.

iii. Graveyard Shift: A differential of 5.0% in addition to the regular day rate shall be paid for graveyard shift, which begins at 1900 hours until 0459 hours.

IX. Acting/Working out of Classification

a.  A department head may elect to grant additional compensation, not to exceed the pay range maximum or ten percent of the current pay rate, to an employee for work performed on a temporary basis in an acting capacity or otherwise beyond the employee’s regular job classification for any period lasting 20 or more working days.

b.  Compensation adjustments may be retroactive to the start date of the temporary job assignment.

c.  Acting pay shall be limited to no more than 90 calendar days from the start date and paid separately from regular earnings on each employee’s wage statement. Exceptions may be approved by the mayor or mayor’s designee.

d.  Acting pay shall be excluded when calculating any leave payouts, including vacation, holiday, and personal leave.

X.   Snowfighter Pay

a.  The city will pay employees designated by the department head, or designee, as members of the Snow Fighter Corps a pay differential equal to $200 per pay period for the snowfighter season not to exceed $2,000 during each fiscal year for work related to snow removal. This pay shall be separate from regular earnings on each employee’s wage statement.

XI.  Education and Training Pay

a.  The mayor may adopt programs to promote employee education and training, provided that all compensation incentives are authorized within appropriate budget limitations established by the city council.

b.  Police sergeants, lieutenants, and captains are eligible for a $500 per year job-related training allowance.

c.  Fire department employees not covered by a memorandum of understanding are eligible for incentive pay following completion of degree requirements at a fully accredited college or university and submission of evidence of a diploma to the fire chief or designee. The city will pay monthly allowances according to the educational degree held, as follows:

i.  For a doctorate degree, an eligible employee may be paid $100.00.

ii. For a master’s degree, an eligible employee may be paid $75.00.

iii. For a bachelor’s degree, an eligible employee may be paid $50.00.

iv. For an associate’s degree, an eligible employee may be paid $35.00.

v. No employee shall be entitled to compensation for an educational degree required for their position of employment, or for any degree not specifically related to the employee's actual employment duties.

XII. Meal Allowance

a.  When approved by management, an employee may receive meal allowances in the amount of $10.00 each when the employee works a minimum of two or up to four hours beyond their normally scheduled shift. An employee may be eligible to receive an additional $10.00 each when the employee works more than four hours beyond their normally scheduled shift.

i.  Fire department employees shall be provided with adequate food and drink to maintain safety and performance during emergencies or extraordinary circumstances.

XIII.   Business Expenses

a.  City policy shall govern the authorization of advancement payment or reimbursement to employees for actual expenses reasonably incurred while performing city business.  Advance payment or reimbursement for expenses shall be approved only when the amounts are documented and within the budget limitations established by the city council.

XIV.   Vehicle Allowance

a.  The mayor may authorize, subject to the conditions provided in city policy, an employee to use a city vehicle on a take-home basis, and may require an employee to reimburse the city for a portion of the take-home vehicle cost as provided in city code.

b.  Employees who are authorized to use privately-owned automobiles for official city business will be reimbursed for the operation expenses at the approved mileage reimbursement rate.

c.   A car allowance may be paid to department directors, the RDA chief operating officer, and up to three employees in the mayor’s office at a rate not to exceed $400 per month as determined by the mayor.

d.  A car allowance may be paid to the council executive director at a rate not to exceed $400 per month as determined by the council chair.

e.  A car allowance may be paid to specific appointed employees at a rate not to exceed $400 per month as recommended by the mayor and approved by the city council.

XV.   Uniform Allowance

a.  The city will provide non-sworn employees who are required to wear uniforms in the performance of their duties a monthly uniform allowance as follows:

i. Airport police supervisory employees, $100.00

ii.       Parking enforcement field Supervisor, $65.00

iii.      Non-sworn fire department employees, $65.00

iv.      Watershed management division employees, $65.00

b.  Fire battalion chiefs will be provided uniforms and other job-related safety equipment, as needed. Employees may select uniforms and related equipment from an approved list. The total allowance provided shall be $600 per year, or the amount received by firefighter employees, whichever is greater.

i. Appointed fire employees shall be provided uniforms or uniform allowances to the extent stated in department policy.

ii.       Dangerous or contaminated safety equipment shall be cleaned, repaired, or replaced by the fire department.

c.  Police sergeants, lieutenants and captains in uniform assignments, as determined by their bureau commander, will be enrolled in the department’s quartermaster system.

i. In addition to uniform and equipment received from the quartermaster system, police sergeants, lieutenants and captains will be paid the sum of $100 each fiscal year for the purpose of independently purchasing any incidental uniform item or equipment not provided by the quartermaster system.

ii.       The city will provide for the cleaning of uniforms as described in department policy.

iii.      Police sergeants, lieutenants and captains in plainclothes assignments, as determined by their bureau commander, are provided a clothing and cleaning allowance totaling $39.00 per pay period.  Sergeants, lieutenants and captains who are transferred back to a uniform assignment will return to the quartermaster system upon transfer.

d.  Uniforms or uniform allowances for appointed police employees will be provided to the extent stated in department policy.

XVI.              Allowances for Certified Golf Teaching Professionals

a.  The mayor may, within budgeted appropriations and as business needs indicate, authorize golf lesson revenue sharing between the city and employees recognized as certified golf teaching professionals as defined in the Golf Division’s Golf Lesson Revenue Policy. Payment to an employee for lesson revenue generated shall be reduced by: 1) a 10% percent administrative fee to be retained by the Golf Division, and 2) the employee’s payroll tax withholding requirements in accordance with federal and state law.

XVII.             Other Allowances

a.  The mayor or city council, within budgeted appropriations, may authorize the payment of other allowances in extraordinary circumstances.

XVIII. Pay Decreases & Red Lining

a.  Department management may decrease an employee’s actual base wage or salary under, but not limited to, the following conditions:

i.   Voluntary transfer or job bid to a position with a lower salary range maximum.

ii.  As part of a demotion.

iii. Administrative salary decrease for non-disciplinary reasons such as previous written agreements between the department and the employee, reasonable accommodation, or other unique situations or considerations approved by a department director.

b.  The city red lines an employee's salary when an employee’s salary exceeds its assigned pay range maximum.  Reasons for red lining may include job reassignment, reclassification, reorganization or inclusion of pay premiums and/or allowances into the base rate of pay.

c.  No base pay increases are allowed until the top of the assigned pay range exceeds the red lined salary unless approved by the mayor or mayor’s designee.

d.  When an employee’s base pay is reduced as part of a voluntarily move to a position of a lesser pay level or a demotion, the employee’s new base pay must be less than the salary range maximum. Use of red lining is not allowed.

XIX.   Pay Increases

a.  A department director, or approved designee, may authorize any new hire pay offer, promotion, or other base pay adjustment within an approved pay range as follows:

i. A pay increase for any non-represented employee up to and including the established city market rate, or salary range midpoint.

ii.         Any pay increase necessary to adjust an employee’s pay rate to the range minimum.

b.  Approval by the mayor or mayor’s designee is required for the following position changes and/or salary actions:

i. Any promotional pay increase, merit or equity pay adjustment, or new hire pay offer above the established city market rate, or salary range midpoint, for employees classified in non-represented positions; or,

i. Reclassification, including a change in pay level assignment for an existing job classification.

c.  Except as required by an approved memorandum of understanding (MOU) of a collective bargaining unit, no salary increase shall be granted to an employee who transfers from one position to another position with an equal or lesser salary range maximum.

Current References:         

3.02.02 Bonus & Incentive Awards

Compensation Plan

Job Descriptions

Mileage Reimbursement

Approved and passed this 1^st date of December, 2017

VI. General

a.  To the degree that funds permit, employees shall be paid compensation that:

i. Is commensurate with the skills and abilities required of the position;

ii.     Achieves equal pay for equal work;

iii.    Achieves market comparability and is reasonably competitive with the compensation paid by other public and/or private employers with whom the city most directly competes for personnel. To this aim, the city will seek guidance from the Citizens’ Compensation Advisory Committee.

b.  When applicable, compensation surveys used to determine comparability shall include a cross section of comparable benchmark positions from organizations with whom the city competes for personnel.

c.  The city shall pay employees within the approved pay range established for each respective job classification. Wages and salaries shall not be less than the established range minimum or higher than the range maximum, unless otherwise approved by the mayor or mayor’s designee.

d.  Job classifications are re-evaluated periodically to ensure that assigned pay levels (grades) reflect current market trends. Salary range widths may vary to reflect the normal growth and productivity potential of employees within particular types or groups of job classifications.

e.  Department management is responsible for defining an employee’s job duties and specific performance expectations. Job descriptions are approved, updated and maintained by the human resources department with input from department representatives.

f.   When making pay decisions, including job offers for new hires, department management is responsible to ensure that there is reasonable comparability of pay among all employees based upon similar responsibility and experience within their respective work groups. Department management shall provide human resources with appropriate justification, including analysis and confirmation of budgetary review, to support pay decisions.

g.  For any employee in a position represented by a recognized bargaining unit, department management is responsible for setting wage rates in accordance with the terms established in the bargaining unit labor contracts.

h.  The mayor may distribute appropriated monies to city employees as discretionary retention incentives or retirement contributions; or special lump sum supplemental payments. Specific requirements associated with retention incentives or special lump sum payments are subject to approval as per the city’s bonus & incentive awards policy.

i.   Policy exceptions require authorization and approval by the mayor or the mayor’s designee.

VII.    Overtime Compensation

a.  The city will pay FLSA non-exempt employees overtime compensation as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act, as follows:

i. The city will pay for overtime hours at 1 ½ times the regular hourly rate or, at the employee’s request and department director’s approval, provide compensatory time off at a rate of 1½ hours for each overtime hour.

ii.     Employees may accrue compensatory time up to a maximum as determined by the department director. The city reserves the right to pay an employee cash for any or all accrued compensatory hours, including when an employee’s status is changed from FLSA non-exempt to exempt.

iii.    The city will include all holiday leave hours when calculating overtime.

b.  The city may pay FLSA exempt employees overtime only when all of the following conditions are met:

i. The mayor or the city council issues a “Proclamation of Local Emergency” or the city responds to an extraordinary emergency;

ii.     Exempt employees are required to work over forty (40) hours for one or more workweek(s) during the emergency period; and

iii.    The mayor and/or the city council approve the use of available funds to cover the overtime payments.

c.  When approved or authorized, exempt employees may receive overtime pay for any hours worked over forty (40) hours in a workweek during an emergency period at a rate equivalent to their regular base hourly rate of pay.

d.  The city shall distribute any overtime payments consistently with a pre-defined standard that treats all exempt employees equitably. Hours worked under a declared or extraordinary emergency must be paid hours and cannot be accrued as compensatory time.

VIII.   Longevity Pay

a.  With the exception of elected officials, appointed employees and justice court judges, the city will pay a monthly longevity benefit to full-time employees based on the most recent date an employee began full-time employment as follows: