(A) The Council shall establish a general schedule of municipal compensation for all offices and positions in the municipal service:
(1) The compensation of the municipality's regular personnel and the compensation of part-time, temporary and seasonal personnel shall be governed by a schedule established by the Council for such employees. The schedule shall provide a range of pay for each position.
(2) During the first year of employment in the municipal service, an employee shall be compensated at the lower end of the pay range unless the City Manager shall determine that a higher rate, not exceeding the maximum, is warranted by virtue of skill or experience. Such employee's rate of pay may thereafter be increased annually based on satisfactory performance as set by the City Manager in conjunction with the periodic evaluation of performance until the maximum rate is attained.
(B) Elected officials of the municipality shall be paid on a quarterly basis. Payroll periods for employees shall be weekly or bi-weekly as the City Manager shall designate.
(C) Medical.
(1) Each full-time employee shall be entitled to medical insurance coverage as established by City Council and subject to any negotiated benefits within a collective bargaining agreement. City Council shall choose the insurance carrier, or carriers, to provide such coverage, the plan options to be offered to employees, and the maximum contribution for such coverage to be paid by the city.
(2) If the cost to provide such insurance coverage exceeds the maximum contribution limits established by City Council, 50% of the cost in excess of such maximum contribution shall be paid by the city and 50% of the cost in excess of the maximum contribution shall be paid by the employee. Insurance cost payments to be paid by the employee shall be made by payroll deduction.
(3) (a) If the administration determines that it is necessary to change insurance coverages and/or if the anticipated cost of insurance coverage, as it exists or as proposed, will exceed the maximum contribution limits established by City Council, then these issues shall be referred to the Employee/Management Healthcare Benefits Committee for review and recommendation to the City Council. The Committee shall be comprised of five members, one of whom shall be appointed by the Police Department bargaining unit, one of whom shall be appointed by the Fire Department bargaining unit, one of whom shall be appointed by the Public Works Department bargaining unit, and one of whom shall be appointed by the administrative employees who are not members of an organized and recognized bargaining unit. The fifth member of the Committee shall be appointed by the City Manager.
(b) The Committee shall have the authority to recommend a change in either the level of, or provider for, comprehensive major medical coverage and such additional healthcare benefits as may be authorized by City Council including dental insurance, optical benefits, life insurance or other related benefits. The Committee shall have the authority to recommend to City Council that Council continue the current plan benefits, even if such plan benefits exceed the maximum contribution limits, if the Committee determines that such health care benefits at such cost are in the best interest of the city and employees. The Committee shall not have the authority to modify the maximum contribution limits on employer paid health care benefits. A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum and it may take action or make recommendation only by a consensus vote of its Committee members. If the Committee is unable to reach a consensus after exhausting all efforts to do so, their recommendation may be made by a majority of the Committee members. Council may consider but is not bound by the recommendations of the Committee.
(D) Salaried/exempt employees bonus program.
(1) Effective January 1, 2008, there is hereby established the salaried/exempt employees bonus program. The purpose of the program is to appropriate to the City Manager a sum of money annually to be used to award discretionary bonuses to department heads, highly compensated employees, and other salaried/exempt employees. This group of employees are exempt employees as defined in the Fair Labor Standards Act and the regulations promulgated under the authority of the Act. As exempt employees, they are not entitled to overtime compensation when they work in excess of their work week hours. Many of these employees work far in excess of 40 hours per week attending after-hour meetings or answering the call to address problems arising after work hours.
(2) This bonus program will allow the City Manager, in his or her discretion, to award bonus compensation to such employees for their exempt work from the bonus pool appropriated by City Council. City Council may or may not appropriate monies to the bonus pool on an annual basis.
(3) The bonus awarded by the City Manager shall not be based upon hourly compensation at time and one-half, nor shall eligible employees lose their exempt status by participating in the program. The amount and timing for compensation solely shall be within the discretion of the City Manager. The exempt employees who shall participate also shall be determined in the discretion of the City Manager. The amount of any bonus and the exempt employees who shall receive such bonuses may vary from year to year. Any bonus awarded shall not increase the employee's base salary in the determination of annual compensation nor shall the failure to award a bonus or the award of a lesser bonus from year to year be considered as disciplinary action.
(4) The City Manager shall report to City Council not less than annually the amount of each bonus awarded, the list of exempt employees to whom such bonuses are paid, and the basis for awarding an individual bonus.
(E) Wellness incentive program. The city shall offer a wellness incentive program for its full-time and part-time employees. This program shall be developed by the City Manager with the assistance of an employee committee. The program shall allow eligible employees to qualify to receive an annual wellness incentive payment in an amount established by City Council. Employees who qualify for an incentive award shall receive their incentive pay no later than March 1 of the year after acceptable levels of program participation by the employee have been achieved.
(F) In addition to the wage compensation, medical insurance and wellness incentive as provided herein, Council from time to time may authorize additional non-compensatory benefits such as dental insurance, vision benefits, life insurance, accidental death and disability and/or similar benefits.
(G) The compensation and benefits prescribed herein shall constitute the total remuneration for the work performed in the public service by a municipal officer or employee unless otherwise provided by Council.
(Ord. 30-1973, passed 12-27-73; Am. Ord. 27-1981, passed 10-7-81; Am. Ord. 20-1987, passed 9-2-87; Am. Ord. 12-1989, passed 5-3-89; Am. Ord. 11-1999, passed 7-7-99; Am. Ord. 14-2001, passed 11-7-01; Am. Ord. 4-2012, passed 3-7-12; Am. Ord. 6, 2018, passed 6-6-18; Am. Ord. 7, 2020, passed 6-3-20)