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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdministrativeEmployeeHandbook TOWN OF SOUTHOLD ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK Version Date: April 11, 2006 Page 1 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD ADMINISTRATIVE HANDBOOK Introduction This handbook is designed to provide administrative employees who are not members of a collective bargaining unit, not elected by the general public and not a member of a Board appointed by the Town Board, with a brief summary of the Town of Southold’s benefits, policies and procedures. This handbook governs employees holding the full-time positions of Town Attorney, Assistant Town Attorney, Town Comptroller, Deputy Town Comptroller, Deputy Superintendent of Highways, Director of Human Services, Solid Waste Coordinator, Town Planning Director, Executive Assistant, Chief Building Inspector, and Network & Systems Administrator. Confidential employees, including those holding the positions of Secretary to the Supervisor, Senior Stenographer assigned to the Supervisor’s office, Account Clerk Typist assigned to the office of the Town Attorney, Administrative Assistant and Senior Account Clerk Typist assigned to the Town Comptroller, Secretarial Assistant assigned to the Chief of Police, and two of three Deputy Town Clerks may also be guided by this administrative handbook. All of these employees will be referred to in this handbook as administrative employees. Salary will be determined by the Town Board on an annual basis and will be based on responsibility, longevity and job performance and other criteria determined relevant by the Board in its discretion, subject to applicable provisions of law. Other benefits, such as pension rights, will be in accordance with applicable provisions of law. It should be understood that this document does not constitute an employment agreement between the Town and its employees, and should not be relied upon by the employees as though it were a binding contract. Certain rights, such as job security for administrative employees, are provided for in various provisions of state law including the Civil Service law. This handbook does not expand or diminish such rights. What is Expected of you as a Town of Southold Administrative Employee As a government employee of the Town of Southold, you have a responsibility to ensure our residents that their tax dollars are well spent. In order to carry out this responsibility, you should become familiar with the basic functions of all offices and departments within the Town for proper referrals. As a taxpayer yourself, you should be aware of this need for efficient and courteous service in the conduct of Town business. Your job may require the handling of information which is highly confidential. It is important that you keep such matters to yourself and not discuss them either inside or outside the office. Page 2 Dress Code The Town of Southold has not adopted an official dress code. However, the Town does expect its employees to be suitably dressed to meet the residents for whom we work. The Town, your employer, is not unreasonable in its expectations of employees dressing properly and displaying a personal and professional standard of neat grooming and good hygiene. Standard Work Week Administrative employees will be available during the entire workday of their respective departments and are required to put in any additional time before and after the workday as needed to ensure an efficient department. If you are going to be late or are sick, you must notify your office prior to the start of your working day. In case of emergencies, someone in your department should be assigned the responsibility of knowing how you can be reached at all times. This employee should also be responsible for managing the office in your absence. Compensatory Time Administrative employees are entitled to earn compensatory time as outlined in the Overtime section of the CSEA collective bargaining agreement. Administrative employees may be paid for any unused accumulated compensatory time without limitation, but must sell any compensatory time on the books as of the end of the year and in excess of 40 hours back to the Town. Buy back payments shall be made on the second payroll in February. Vacation Vacation entitlement for administrative employees will be based on the year of service the employee is in and will be computed as follows: Year of service shall be defined as the number of years an individual has been employed by the Town. Previous employment with the Town shall be considered in determining the year of service, with one-year credit provided for each prior year of full- time service and one-half year credit provided for each prior year of part-time service. Start of the 1st through the start of the 4th year = 15 days per year Start of the 5th through the start of the 9th year = 18 days per year Start of the10th through the start of the 14th year = 20 days per year Start of the 15th through the start of the 19th year = 25 days per year Start of each year starting with the 20th year = 30 days per year Page 3 Vacation entitlement will be credited on the first day of employment and annually thereafter on the employee’s anniversary date. There is no prorating for separating employees. Up to 12 vacation days may be carried over to the following year. For example, the total number of vacation days an employee with greater than 20 years of service may carry over into the ensuing year cannot exceed 42 days. Unused vacation time that cannot be carried over to the following year will be paid out unless a carry over in excess of 12 vacation days is approved by Town Board resolution. Sick Leave Administrative employees shall be credited with 15 sick leave days per year. Credits are earned on the first day of employment and annually thereafter on the employee’s anniversary date. Sick leave may be accumulated up to 150 days. There is no prorating for separating employees. Administrative employees may be paid for any unused accumulated sick leave annually without limitation, but must sell all accumulated sick leave in excess of 150 days. Buy back payments shall be made on the second payroll in February. Personal Leave Administrative employees will be credited with personal leave on their appointment date. Personal leave will be pro-rated at a rate of two days for the first quarter and then one day per quarter from the employee’s appointment date through the completion of the first calendar year in which the employee is hired. Thereafter, employees will be credited with 5 personal days every January 1st. Any personal leave not utilized by the end of the calendar year shall be converted to sick leave accumulation. . Funeral Leave Upon the death of a member of the employee’s immediate family, administrative employees shall be entitled to bereavement leave with pay, not to exceed 4 consecutive working days commencing with the date of the family member’s demise; additional leave with pay may be granted at the discretion of the Supervisor. Members of employee’s immediate family are defined as husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, sister, brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandparents, sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Page 4 Holidays Administrative employees shall be granted all legal holidays as defined under the CSEA collective bargaining agreement. Should the employee be required to work on a legal holiday, the employee shall be entitled to regular pay for the holiday plus payment for the actual hours worked at a rate of time and one half. Jury Service Administrative employees shall receive full pay for jury service, provided the employee submits documentary proof of actual service as a juror to the Town Personnel Department. Leave of Absence Due to the important functions performed by administrative employees, leave of absences will only be granted in extraordinary cases. Approval for leave is at the discretion of the Town Board. There are three types of leave: personal, medical and childcare. A leave will not be granted to an employee to seek other employment during the leave. Town Vehicles Town vehicles are regularly maintained to include routine oil changes and annual inspections. All vehicles should be equipped with the necessary tools so that if one experiences a flat tire, it is expected that the driver will change it. Copies of the vehicle registration are to be kept in the glove compartment. Should an accident involving a Town vehicle ever occur, you must never leave the scene until instructed to do so by the appropriate law enforcement official. In addition, all accidents must be reported to the Accounting & Finance Department as soon as possible. Page 5 Vehicle Allowance Administrative employees who must use their personal vehicles on official Town business will be reimbursed at the rate set by Town Board resolution. If no Town car is available and an employee uses his or her own personal vehicle to do work for the Town, the employee is covered under the Town’s auto insurance policy; however, the employee’s personal auto insurance would be primary. Health Insurance The Town of Southold currently offers the same health insurance to its administrative employees as it does the CSEA employees, which is self-insurance administered by Island Group Administration. Contribution and continuation of health insurance upon retirement, if any, shall be determined by resolution of the Town Board. Health insurance benefits become effective the day on which the employee’s Town employment appointment becomes effective. Administrative employees may elect to reject or discontinue health care coverage each year and receive a cash payment as described in the CSEA contract. Disability Insurance Disability Benefits are temporary cash benefits payable to an eligible wage earner who is disabled by an off-the-job injury or illness. Supplementing the Workers Compensation law, the Disability Benefits Law ensures protection for wage earners by providing for weekly cash benefits to replace, in part, wages lost because of injuries or illnesses that do not arise out of and in the course of employment. For further information regarding your eligibility and benefits under disability insurance, please contact the Accounting & Finance Department. Dental & Optical Insurance Administrative employees are provided the same dental and optical insurance as CSEA employees, which currently are provided through the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund. This coverage becomes effective on the first day of the following month in which the employee starts working and submits the appropriate enrollment form to the Accounting and Finance Department. Page 6 Liability Insurance The Code of the Town of Southold, §8-2, provides, among other things, for the defense of any Town officer or employee in any civil action or proceeding arising out of the alleged act or omission in which it is alleged that the officer or employee has violated the civil rights of the claimant, petitioner or plaintiff under §§ 1981and 1983 of the United States Civil Rights Act. Further, the Town shall defend any administrative employee from any other civil action arising out of the discharge of their duties. The Town shall indemnify and save harmless such officer or employee in the amount of any judgment or settlement of claim excluding punitive damages obtained against such officer or employee. Such legal defense and indemnification shall be provided where the officer or employee at the time of such alleged act or omission was acting in good faith and within the scope of his/her public employment, powers or duties. The provisions of this section shall be in addition to any other statute, local law or enactment providing legal defense and indemnification in civil actions brought against such officer or employee. Life Insurance Death benefit coverage is provided by the New York State Retirement System only for those employees who are members of the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System. The death benefit is based on age, tier, salary and years of credited service in the New York State Retirement System. Retirement system information, including death benefit information, is available from the New York State Retirement System web page at www.osc.state.ny.us/retire. Code of Ethics As a Southold Town employee, you are subject to a Code of Ethics. You should be aware that the Town’s Code of Ethics prohibits Town employees from accepting gifts or favors in any amounts. Additionally, the Code of Ethics includes information concerning conflicts of interest and disclosure of confidential information. The code will be provided to you. Please familiarize yourself with it. Affirmative Action The Town of Southold has an Affirmative Action Program that is open for review to interested parties. The Town is an equal opportunity employer and includes the policy to provide equality of opportunity in employment to all persons regardless of race, creed, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin, both in Town government and in those contract agencies and other projects administered for the Town. Its hiring practices comply with all Federal, State and local laws. Page 7 Anti-Harassment Policy The Town of Southold has adopted an Anti-Harassment Policy which complies with state and federal laws and guidelines. This policy must be posted in each department and it is your responsibility to read and familiarize yourself with it. Financial Disclosure Statements Pursuant to §10-16 of the Town Code, all elected officials and appointees must file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of taking office or being appointed, and annually thereafter, no later than May 15th. This statement is filed with the Town Clerk’s Office. Health and Safety Safety is a vital consideration throughout the Town. For this reason, the Safety Committee has been established to rectify any unsafe or hazardous condition. If you should notice a dangerous situation, immediately report it to the Office of the Supervisor for corrective action. Employees under your supervision who encounter an on-the-job injury should be instructed to report the details of the accident to your immediately in order for you to complete a Quick-Fax Report, which must be signed by the employee. After faxing the report to PERMA, a copy of the report must be submitted to the Accounting & Finance Department. Time Sheets Administrative employees will submit monthly time sheets to the Accounting & Finance Department. Smoking Pursuant to State and local laws, smoking is not allowed in public areas, work areas or the halls of any Town facilities. Page 8 Deferred Compensation Deferred compensation is a means by which income is sheltered or exempt from taxation and is saved through payroll deduction. Through Deferred Compensation, you will be able to designate that your salary deferrals be invested in either a guaranteed interest account or a wide selection of popular mutual funds. For further information regarding deferred compensation, please contact the Accounting & Finance Department. Suffolk Federal Credit Union Suffolk Federal Credit Union (SFCU) allows an employee to save money through payroll deduction, but such savings are not tax exempt as are deferred compensation savings. The credit union also provides car loans, home improvement loans, home equity loans, personal loans, and education loans. Information may be obtained from the Human Resource Office. Retirement Retirement benefits are provided to enrolled employees by the New York State Retirement System and are based on the employee’s age, tier, salary and years of credited service in the New York State Retirement System. For further information regarding your eligibility and benefits under the New York State Retirement System, please visit the New York State Retirement System’s web page at www.osc.state.ny.us/retire. . All elected or appointed officials who are Retirement System members must be reported to the Retirement System with an accurate figure for days worked. Annually, a random month will be chosen for reporting days worked to the System. Conclusion This handbook and the policies and benefits contained herein are subject to unilateral change by the Town Board in its sole discretion, as needs dictate. It is the intent of the Town of Southold to provide administrative employees with the benefits commensurate of their position and responsibilities. Mindful of the fiscal constraints the Town must adhere to, every effort will be made to compensate its management personnel in accordance to the standards provided to all Southold Town employees.