(a) Starting Rate. An original appointment to any position or the placement of an employee under the Compensation Plan shall be made at the entrance rate, and advancement from the entrance rate to the maximum rate within a pay range shall be by successive steps. Upon recommendation of the department head, the City Manager may approve compensation at a rate higher than the minimum rate in the pay range for the class when the needs of the service so require, provided that any such exception is based on the outstanding and unusual character of the employee's experience and ability over and above the qualification requirements specified for the class, when an employee is unfairly affected by changes from one pay plan to another or when a critical shortage of applicants exists. In the latter case, any incumbents in the same class and grade receiving a lower rate shall have their rates increased to the rate established for entrance of new employees. Should an employee start at a higher rate due to one of the enumerated reasons, such employee shall receive future step increases as if they had equivalent prior service credit at the step in which they are placed.
(b) Starting Rate on Return to Duty. When an employee returns to duty in the same class of position after a separation from the City service of not more than one year, which separation was not due to discreditable circumstances, such employee shall receive the rate in the pay range at the step corresponding to the step of the rate received at the time of separation and shall subsequently serve thereat for at least such period as is normally required for advancement to the next higher rate.
(c) Starting Rate on Return From Military Service. Any employee who leaves or has left the City service to enter the active service of the Armed Forces of the United States, and who subsequently is reinstated to a position previously held by him or her, shall be entitled to receive the rate of compensation at the step to which he or she would have been entitled had his or her service with the City not been interrupted by service in the Armed Forces.
(d) Starting Rate in a New Position. Whenever an employee is assigned to duty in a position not previously held by him or her, and such change is not in the nature of a promotion, he or she shall receive the entrance rate in the range established for such position or such other rate within the applicable range as he or she may be entitled to by reason of crediting him or her in his or her new position with such prior service that is found to meet the following conditions:
(1) The character and nature of the duties of the position to which the employee was assigned are similar to those of the new position; and
(2) The service in the former position provided experience valuable to the performance of the new position.
(e) Rate of Pay on Promotion. In any case where an employee is promoted to a class with a higher base maximum rate, the entrance rate shall be at the lowest step in the higher range that will provide an increase of about ten percent over the rate received immediately prior to such promotion, provided that in cases where the maximum rate of the position to which the employee is promoted is only five percent above the maximum rate of the former position, the increase on promotion shall be about five percent. Advancement to the maximum rates subsequent to promotion will be on the same basis as described in Section 290.05(b).
(f) Starting Rate on Demotion. When an employee is demoted to a position for which he or she is qualified, he or she shall receive the rate in the lower pay range which provides the smallest possible decrease in pay if the action was not for cause, or, if the action was for cause, any lower step in the range deemed appropriate by the department head involved and approved by the City Manager.
(1977 Code §23-104; Ord. 90-34B. Passed 6-18-90; Ord. 2008-29. Passed 5-5-08; Ord. 2017-56. Passed 7-17-17.)