The village recognizes that sometimes situations arise in which an employee feels that they have not been treated fairly or in accordance with village rules and procedures. For this reason, the village provides its employees with procedures for resolving complaints.
(A) Step one. An employee should first try to resolve any problem or complaint within the village department.
(B) Step two. When normal communication between an employee and another employees is not successful, or when an employee disagrees with the application of village policies and procedures, the employee should attempt to resolve the problem with the department head. The department head will respond to the employee in writing within five days after meeting with the employee, if possible.
(C) Step three. If the employee is not satisfied with the response from the department head, the employee may submit the problem, in writing, to the Village Board. The written complaint must contain, at a minimum:
(1) A description of the problem;
(2) A specific policy or procedure that the employee believes has been violated or misapplied;
(3) The date of the circumstances leading to the complaint or the date when the employee first became aware of those circumstances;
(4) The remedy sought by the employee to resolve the complaint; and
(5) The written complaint should be filed within ten working days of the occurrence leading to the complaint, or ten working days after the employee becomes aware of the circumstances.
(D) Decision of Board. The Village Board may meet with the parties, either individually or together, and the Village Board will respond in writing to the aggrieved employee within ten days of the meeting. The Village Board’s response and decision shall be final and binding.
(E) One process only. Employees may have more than one source of dispute resolution rights, i.e., a collective bargaining agreement, if any, and this complaint process. In all other cases, the procedures described in this section shall be used. Under no circumstance shall an employee have the right to utilize both this process and any other complaint or appeal procedure that may be available to an employee. Failure to follow this dispute resolution process may result in discipline or termination.
(Ord. 648, passed 11-9-2020; Ord. 688, passed 9-11-2023)