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Town of Newton, NJ
Sussex County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (5) Index Notes (1)
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Newton 10-11-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-24.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 25, Personnel, adopted 6-8-1970 as Ch. 4 of the Revised General Ordinances, as amended.
A Policy Manual, referred to as the "Town of Newton Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual and Employee Handbook" ("Handbook") of the Town of Newton has been generated as a guide for employees, volunteers, and elected officials of the Town of Newton. The Handbook is subject to amendments, changes, interpretations, and supplementations by the Mayor and Council, as shall be made in the best interests of all concerned. Changes to said Handbook will be forwarded to all applicable parties upon adoption by the Council. The administration of the Handbook is the responsibility of the Town Manager and Department Heads. In all sections that are in conflict with union contracts, the union contracts shall take precedence and be binding upon the union members and the conflicting sections shall be inapplicable for the affected union members. The purpose of the Handbook shall be:
A. 
To provide all employees with the proper supervision, instructions, and the best possible working conditions, so they may render the best possible service.
B. 
To make the best possible use of employees' skill and abilities.
C. 
To consider qualified Town employees first when there is an opportunity for advancement, in accordance with New Jersey Civil Service Commission policies and procedures.
D. 
To treat every employee with respect and consideration.
E. 
To expect all employees to consistently perform to the best of their ability in the areas of: job knowledge, fiscal responsibility, communication, productivity, teamwork, dependability, accountability, leadership, creativity, and customer service, while conducting themselves appropriately and treating others with courtesy and respect.
F. 
To impress upon all employees that, at all times, they are serving the taxpayers and citizens of the Town of Newton and must therefore provide exceptional customer service, both internally and externally.
A. 
It is the policy of the Town to ensure equal opportunity for all persons, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, political affiliation, age, marital status, sex, affectional and/or sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability that does not interfere with the ability to do the work required, or liability for service in the armed forces of the United States.
B. 
Age or sex shall be a factor for employment only where there are bona fide occupational qualifications as provided by law.
C. 
In addition, it is the intent of the Town to comply with the provisions of Subtitle A of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, where and if applicable.
D. 
The Policy herein established herein shall be applied to all employment practices, such as recruitment, selection, appointment, placement, promotion, demotion, transfer, training, salaries and wages, benefits, working conditions, reductions in force, recalls, disciplinary and dismissal actions, job performance evaluations and the utilization, accessibility, and accommodation to all municipal buildings and facilities within the Town.
E. 
The Town Manager or designee is the Town's affirmative action public agency compliance officer and equal employment opportunity officer (PACO/EEOC), who will receive any complaints of alleged discrimination from contractors, employees, and/or applicants, respectively. Upon receipt of a complaint, the Town Manager or designee shall immediately meet with the appropriate Department Head concerning the nature and content of the complaint. It is the responsibility of the PACO/EEOC officer to investigate the validity of an alleged complaint and to prepare a report of findings and determination, to be reviewed by the Mayor and Town Council for appropriate action, if deemed necessary. If the Town Manager is the focus of the complaint, the Town Council of the Town of Newton shall, as a board, function as the PACO/EEOC officer.
A. 
The minimum and maximum salary for each full-time and part-time position is established by ordinance. All annual salary increments must be approved by resolution of the Town Council, after recommendation by the Town Manager.
B. 
Any officer or employee of the Town of Newton who is at any time receiving less than the maximum compensation or salary as hereinabove provided may be given a single increment of salary increase during the calendar year by the Town Manager at his discretion.
C. 
The Town Manager of the Town of Newton may hire any new employee at any hourly or annual rate between the minimum and maximum salary provided for such office or position.
All personnel shall be paid biweekly on Thursdays, or the closest day thereto, if said payday falls on a holiday. All payments shall be made by direct deposit or check, accompanied by a check stub which shows detailed deductions from employee wages.
A. 
All full-time permanent personnel are granted 15 paid holidays annually. These holidays are as follows:
New Year's Day
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Obs.)
Presidents' Day
Good Friday
Memorial Day (Obs.)
Juneteenth (Federal Holiday)
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day (Obs.)
November General Election Day
Veterans' Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day After Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
B. 
If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it shall be observed on either the preceding Friday or the following Monday. The Monday Holiday Law shall also be observed for those holidays so designated.
C. 
In the event an official holiday is observed during an employee's vacation, the employee shall be entitled to an additional vacation day and should an official holiday occur while an employee is on sick leave, the employee shall not have the holiday charged against the employee's sick leave.
The Town Manager may grant an employee a leave of absence without pay for a period of up to 30 calendar days. The Town Manager and Town Council must both approve a leave of absence for any longer period of time. A leave of absence longer than 12 months must be approved by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The appropriate leave request form may be found in the Handbook.
A. 
In addition to designated salary or hourly wages, all full-time permanent non-union employees hired before January 1, 2002, may be eligible for additional longevity pay at the following rates:
Amount Equal To
Total Cumulative Service w/Town of Newton
(years)
2%
5
4%
10
6%
15
8%
20
10%
25
B. 
This pay is to be effective the first pay on or near January 1 or the first pay on or near July 1 following the anniversary date of employment. The following exceptions apply to full-time permanent employees by work areas:
(1) 
Non-union employees hired after January 1, 2002, are not eligible for longevity pay.
(2) 
Longevity pay guidelines for union members are governed by the terms and conditions of their respective contracts.
A. 
In the first year of employment, a permanent full-time employee shall be entitled to one day of vacation leave for each month of employment commencing the first of the month following their date of hire. A vacation day is equal to the number of hours an employee works on a normal work day. The number of years of service is based on the current year minus the hire date year. The vacation schedule below will be used in determining the number of vacation hours each calendar year (unless provided in separate collective bargaining agreements or individual employment contracts):
Years of Service w/Town of Newton
Amount of Vacation Time
1 month to completion of 5th year
1 day per month (12 days)
6th year to completion of 10th year
1 1/4 days per month (15 days)
11th year to completion of 15th year
1 1/2 days per month (18 days)
Over 15 years
1 3/4 days per month (21 days)
B. 
Each vacation day is based on the number of hours an employee works during a normal workday. Employees are encouraged to take vacation during the calendar year in which it is earned. Vacation time shall not be accumulated for more than is earned in the current and preceding calendar year. No one can borrow vacation time from the year following the current calendar year.
C. 
Vacation time, as earned, may be taken at the convenience of the departmental work schedule and with the approval of the Department Head and Town Manager. Employees must submit a Request for Leave Form to their supervisor at least five business days in advance. The Department Head will then submit same to the Town Manager for approval. In case of emergency, the five business day advance notice may be waived by the Town Manager. Every effort will be made by Department Heads to review time off requests in a timely fashion.
D. 
An employee may not use more than 10 consecutive vacation days (the total does not include weekends) without written approval from the employee's Department Head and the Town Manager.
E. 
Any full-time employee who terminates their employment while having unused vacation days, and who is in good standing as per the Town Manager, will be paid for all unused and accrued vacation leave time. Vacation pay will be calculated using the employee's base hourly rate (which does not include longevity payments, education payments, or stipends, etc.). If an employee terminates their employment and has used more vacation time than they have earned up to the date of the employee's termination of employment, an amount of money equal to the employee's daily rate of pay, multiplied by the number of vacation days used in excess of earned vacation time, will be deducted from the employee's final pay.
All full-time employees may take up to three personal days each calendar year based on their normal workday hours not to exceed 10 hours per day. These days will be charged against accumulated sick leave. They cannot be accumulated year to year; however, any unused personal hours may be carried over into sick leave not to exceed three days. These three personal days are considered a part of an employee's accumulated sick leave, not in addition to same.
A. 
After three months of full-time employment (unless provided for by a separate contractual agreement), any new employee working a minimum of 30 hours per week becomes eligible for the following coverage through the North Jersey Municipal Employee Benefits Fund (NJMEBF):
(1) 
Hospitalization.
(2) 
Medical/surgical.
(3) 
Major medical which includes a prescription plan.
(4) 
Dental.
(5) 
Vision (not through NJMEBF).
B. 
Elected officials, serving as Council members as of December 31, 2013, shall be entitled to maintain their insurance benefits, at the same coverage as of December 31, 2013, subject to the contribution requirements of Chapter 78, P.L. 2011. All officials newly elected to the office after December 31, 2013, shall not be entitled to any insurance coverage from the Town.
C. 
This coverage includes employee (single), employee and spouse/partner or parent/child(ren), and/or family [employee/spouse/partner and child(ren)]. The Town shall pay the cost of insurance coverage for the employee and their eligible dependents subject to the employee contribution requirements of Chapter 78, P.L. 2011.
D. 
Chapter 78, P.L. 2011 impacts health care plans and employee contributions towards same. Therefore, all employees not covered by an existing collective bargaining agreement or individual contract are required to contribute a percentage of their health care premium or 1.5% of pensionable base salary, whichever is greater.
E. 
At no time will an employee pay less than the 1.5% of pensionable base salary for health benefits. But in no event will the employee be required to pay the percentage of the premium plus 1.5% of their pensionable base salary.
F. 
Full-time non-union employees hired after January 1, 2016, or current part-time non-union employees who become full-time after January 1, 2016, are required to take the lowest cost base medical plan plus pay the appropriate Chapter 78, P.L. 2011 costs. If a full-time non-union employee hired after January 1, 2016, or current part-time non-union employee who becomes full-time after January 1, 2016, elects a more expensive medical plan than the base medical plan, the employee shall be responsible for 100% of the additional premium cost in addition to the required Chapter 78, P.L. 2011 contribution.
G. 
By way of Town Resolution 101-2022, the maximum Chapter 78 contribution rate for all non-union staff and applicable retirees from a non-union position shall be set at 25% regardless of employee's salary level, the retiree's monthly retirement allowance level, or the type of insurance coverage.
H. 
For current staff and retirees covered by a collective negotiations agreement, changes to current staff and retiree contributions towards health care coverage shall be referenced in the applicable collective negotiations agreements.
I. 
The amount paid by employees and retirees towards health care contributions in the future is subject to legislative modification by the State of New Jersey. For further details on benefits, please contact the Human Resources Director.
The Town Council has adopted a "Cafeteria Plan" within the meaning of Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which shall be known as the Town of Newton Employees' Cafeteria Plan." The benefits which an employee elects to receive under the plan will be includable or excludable from the employee's income under Section 125(a) and other applicable sections of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.