(a) Employee grievances shall, in the first instance, be discussed between the individual employee involved and his/her/their department head.
(b) If an employee grievance cannot be resolved by such discussion with the department head, or if the grievance is as a result of acts or omissions by the department head, the employee may submit such grievance, in written form, to the Mayor for his/her/their consideration and evaluation. A copy shall, at the same time, be provided to the department head involved, and the Mayor shall, within fifteen days after receipt of such a request for his/ her/their review, arrange for a meeting with the parties involved and shall attempt to resolve the dispute.
(c) If such grievance in question is not resolved within fifteen days after its submission to the Mayor, either the employee or the department head may submit the grievance in question to the Human Resources Committee with a request for its consideration. Such a request shall be made in writing and delivered to the Chairperson of the Committee. It shall set forth, as clearly and concisely as possible, the nature of the grievance involved and the facts necessary to show it has properly been presented through the preliminary steps required by this section. A copy of such request shall be delivered to both the opposing party and the Mayor, and each shall also be given the opportunity to submit to the Committee a written memorandum of his/her/their views on the request. Within fifteen days after receipt of such a request for review, the Committee shall arrange for a meeting with the parties involved for an oral presentation of the question. Following such a meeting, and within fifteen days thereafter, the Committee shall decide the question and reduce its decision to writing. Copies shall be provided to all parties involved, including Council. Any time limit specified in this section may be extended with the consent of all parties concerned.
(d) The decision of the Committee shall be final insofar as the department head is concerned. The decision of the Committee shall be reduced to writing and a copy delivered to the employee concerned. The employee may, if he/she/they submit the matter in dispute to the Fact-Finding Authority as provided for in Section 256.17.
(e) This section shall apply to only those employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement or civil service rules. All other employees shall be subject to collective bargaining agreements and/or civil service rules as applicable.
(f) Compliance with the procedures set forth herein is a prerequisite to filing any legal proceeding with a court or a charge with an administrative agency.
(Ord. 21-147. Passed 12-13-21.)