[HISTORY: Adopted by the Municipal Council of the City of
Taunton as Rev. Ords. 1964, §§ 14-1 to 14-12 and 14-14
(§ 2-4 and Ch. 2, Art. IV, of the 2010 Code). Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Amended 5-23-2000]
Salaries shall be paid on a weekly basis. All employees, officers
and positions shall receive the salaries set forth in the most recently
agreed upon and signed union association contract or agreement between
the City and the applicable bargaining unit. Agreements for upgrade
or creation purposes of employees, officers or positions shall be
allowed during contract periods.
[Amended 2-13-1979; 5-23-2000]
A.
All prospective employees of the City shall be required to complete
a pre-employment physical.
B.
This physical examination report must be submitted to the prospective
employee's department head, the Chairperson of the Safety Committee,
and the Mayor's office for review prior to commencing employment.
An endorsed copy of said physical examination report shall be forwarded
to and received by the City Auditor prior to the placing of the new
employee on the City payroll.
[Amended 7-22-1969; 5-23-2000]
In addition to the salaries paid to the officers and employees
of the City, there shall be allowed and paid for necessary expenses
of travel from place to place within the City travel allowances to
City employees and officers as approved by the Municipal Council and
stipulated in the applicable bargaining unit contract if the employee
or officer is covered by a union or association contract or in City
ordinance if the employee or officer is not covered by a bargaining
unit contract.
[Added 8-27-1974; amended 7-17-1979; 3-15-1988; 9-5-2000]
A.
Requests for travel money shall be made by department heads and included
in their department budget.
B.
Travel reimbursements shall be at the following rates:
(1)
Payment for transportation shall be paid in full for regular fare
when traveling by air, train or bus. Flight reimbursement shall be
at the lowest available fare with a minimum of three quotes.
(2)
Payment for travel in private motor vehicles shall be at the current
IRS rate plus all tolls, ferry and parking charges unless contractually
negotiated otherwise.
(3)
Where more than one person travels in the same motor vehicle, only
the owner shall be paid the travel allowance.
(4)
All requests for travel allowances shall be paid only after a detailed
voucher is submitted and approved by the department head and the City
Auditor.
C.
The following shall apply to any use of money for trips of more than
one full day in length:
D.
Requests for reimbursement of travel expenses shall be made by department
heads and all requests shall include the following:
[Amended 5-23-2000]
With the exception of part-time and seasonal employees and members
of boards or commissions, employee vacation time, where applicable,
shall be accrued, utilized and reimbursed in the manner stipulated
in the most recently agreed upon and applicable union or association
contract with the City which covers said employee. Employees not covered
by a collective bargaining agreement shall accrue, utilize and be
reimbursed for vacation time in accordance with the personnel policy
for the City of Taunton.
[Amended 8-15-1972; 3-22-1977; 5-23-2000]
A.
Generally.
With the exception of part-time and seasonal employees and members
of boards or commissions, employee sick time, where applicable, shall
be accrued, utilized and reimbursed in the manner stipulated in the
most recently agreed upon and applicable union or association contract
with the City which covers said employee. Employees not covered by
a collective bargaining agreement shall accrue, utilize and be reimbursed
for sick time in accordance with the personnel policy for the City
of Taunton.
[Amended 7-11-2000]
B.
Records.
Whenever any employee is absent because of personal illness, the number
of days of absence with pay shall be charged against his or her sick
leave credits on records kept in each department for all employees
under the supervision and direction of said department.
C.
Members of armed forces not to lose accumulated sick leave during service. An employee in the categories listed in Subsection A who is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be entitled to all sick leave benefits after having resumed his/her duties as an employee of the City, and no sick leave which the employee may have accumulated shall be lost or lapsed because of military leave.
[Amended 5-23-2000]
There shall be a personnel policy established by the Mayor and
approved by the Municipal Council. This policy shall contain all required
notifications, statements and policies required for conformance with
state and federal labor laws as well as any City requirements, procedures,
and notifications. In the event of a conflict between a contract duly
approved by the City and any item contained in the personnel policy,
the provisions of the contract shall prevail. In addition, the personnel
policy shall specify all benefits for employees and officials not
covered under a contract with the City.
[Added 5-15-2001]
A.
Policy statement.
(1)
The City of Taunton's compensation program is designed to achieve
the following goals:
(a)
Ensuring fair and consistent pay practices;
(b)
Complying with applicable federal and state laws and regulations;
(c)
Operating within the constraints of the City of Taunton's budgetary
process and financial resource limitations;
(d)
Ensuring administrative efficiency; and
(e)
Allowing the City of Taunton to offer competitive salaries relative
to the labor markets in which the City of Taunton recruits.
(2)
The City of Taunton generally recruits in the local and regional
labor markets to fill exempt positions and in the regional and national
labor market to fill executive positions. While pay practices reflect
local living costs, they are competitive with pay practices in the
relevant labor markets.
B.
Exempt staff.
(1)
Exempt staff shall consist of all employees of the City of Taunton,
whether part time or full time, who are not covered by the terms of
a collective bargaining agreement and who are not seasonal and/or
special employees of the City of Taunton. This definition excludes
the chief executive officer and the legislative officers and the Police
and Fire Chiefs whose remuneration is defined by statute and any employee
whose terms and conditions of employment are set by an individual
employment contract.
(2)
Exempt staff compensation shall be made by appropriation made by
the Mayor and approved by the Municipal Council in accordance with
normal appropriation procedures and shall be adjusted annually, July
1, by the CPI-U, the consumer price index urban, as published annually
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the immediately preceding calendar
year.
[Added 10-28-2014; amended 11-29-2016; 9-11-2018]
The base salary for the Mayor of the City of Taunton shall be
$125,500 per year.
[Amended 2-13-1968]
No person shall be offered or shall accept temporary employment
with any department, agency, board, commission or other instrumentality
of the City without the prior approval of the Mayor and Municipal
Council.
[Amended 11-22-1966]
No officer or employee of the City shall do any act which has
the purpose or effect of causing any office or position of the City
to be placed within the classified civil service provided for by MGL
c. 31, and the rules made thereunder, without the prior authorizing
vote of the Municipal Council.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 2-183, Residency requirement,
amended 8-30-1977, and § 2-184, Restricted duty capacity
for employees partially disabled in course of employment, added 4-27-1971,
which immediately followed this section, were repealed 3-23-1999 and
2-20-2001, respectively.
[Amended 8-11-1970; 11-17-1970; 5-11-1971; 6-22-1971; 7-23-1974; 8-20-1974; 5-23-2000]
All eligible employees shall be granted longevity pay as stipulated
in their most recently agreed upon and applicable union or association
contract with the City. Employees not covered by a collective bargaining
agreement shall be granted longevity pay in accordance with the personnel
policy for the City of Taunton.
[Amended 11-14-1978]
A.
Violation rate schedule. The following violations shall be subject
to disciplinary action based on the rate of seriousness indicated:
|
Rate
|
Violation
|
|---|---|
|
A 1
|
Drinking or use of drugs leading or contributing toward an accident
|
|
A 1, 2 or 3
|
Incompetence leading or contributing toward an accident
|
|
A 1 or 2
|
Insubordination contributing toward an accident
|
|
A 1 or 2
|
Misconduct contributing toward an accident
|
|
A 1 or 2
|
Abuse of property, materials and/or equipment contributing toward
an accident
|
|
A 1, 2 or 3
|
Failure to comply with health and safety regulations or policies
|
|
A 1, 2 or 3
|
Failure to obey rules concerning proper care and use of tools
and materials, etc., which contributes toward an accident
|
(1)
Explanation
of rate system. Safety violations will result in disciplinary action
as indicated below based on the rate of seriousness of the violation:
(a)
A 1 violations: three-day suspension, first violation; dismissal,
second violation.
(b)
A 2 violations: written warning, first violation; three-day suspension,
second violation; dismissal, third violation.
(c)
A 3 violations: verbal warning, first violation; three-day suspension,
second violation; dismissal, third violation.
(2)
Any
verbal or written warning or suspension for a violation will be taken
into consideration if there is another violation of that rule or any
other policy.
(3)
Violations
listed with more than one rate will be considered by the degree of
seriousness of that particular violation as to what disciplinary step
will be taken for first violation.
(4)
Records
of disciplinary action will be entered into the involved employee's
personal file.
(5)
Warnings
will be removed from an employee's personal file after a reasonable
length of time. This procedure is initiated by the employee and is
subject to approval of the department safety officer, employee's direct
supervisor and Chairperson, City Safety Council. The length of time
prior to the initiation of this procedure is in accordance with the
seriousness of the violation. The following schedule or waiting period
shall commence with the date of violation. Immediate dismissal is
to remain a permanent part of the employee's personal file.
(6)
At
no time will safety be disregarded to accelerate the completion of
a job regardless of the situation.
B.
Safety notices.
(1)
Compressed air used for cleaning must not exceed 30 psi per federal
statute, and any department that uses air compression that exceeds
100 psi will ensure that it will not be used for cleaning. To accomplish
this, department superintendents will provide specially designed nozzles.
These nozzles must be used and used as designed without modification.
Due to the potential hazards involved, violations of this safety notice
will be treated as follows:
(2)
In order to provide personal protection and in order to comply with
federal mandate, all City employees and all visitors to City facilities
must wear protective equipment when they are in hazardous areas. Hazardous
areas will be defined within each department by the department safety
officer and department superintendents. Employees will not be allowed
to work in these areas without suitable protection. Violations of
this safety notice will be dealt with as follows:
(3)
Due to the flammable and toxic nature of many of the materials used
by various departments within the City, "no smoking" regulations will
be rigorously enforced. Smoking will be permitted in specifically
designated areas as posted. Department heads along with their safety
officer will designate and post no-smoking areas within their departments.
In areas where smoking is permitted, only approved receptacles such
as ash trays or sand buckets will be used to dispose of matches and
cigarettes. Matches or cigarettes are not to be thrown into trash
receptacles. All employees are cautioned to never empty ash trays
before leaving from work. Smoking in prohibited areas and the unsafe
disposal of cigarettes or matches and the unsafe emptying of ash trays
are violations of this safety notice and will be treated as follows:
(4)
The City's garage and parking lot speed limits are to be strictly
enforced. This speed limit applies to all employees whether driving
personal or City vehicles. Violations of this safety notice will be
treated as follows:
C.
Fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers are to be used as follows:
(1)
Employees are to know where fire extinguishers are located, what
types of fire they are suitable for, and how to operate them.
(2)
Employees are to use correct type of extinguisher on fires as listed
on extinguishers.
(3)
Whenever an extinguisher is used, and even if only partly discharged,
the employee using the same is to return the extinguisher to the department
safety officer.
D.
Clothing safety. For reasons of personal hygiene and safety, the
following dress regulations are required of City employees:
(1)
Employees are not permitted to wear shorts or bermudas.
(2)
Employees will wear proper footwear in manufacturing areas, road
work, sewer/water main work, tree work, operating lawn mowers and
other hazard jobs or areas; employees are not permitted to wear sandals,
tennis or any open type shoe.
(3)
Employees doing special jobs (cleaning City pools/fountains, etc.)
may wear tennis shoes or waders.
(4)
It is required that all employees regardless of working indoors or
outdoors wear shirts or other suitable clothing above the waist at
all times.
E.
Hard hats. Employees will wear hard hats when working on:
(1)
Construction jobs and around moving or stationary heavy equipment.
(2)
Tree work.
(3)
Installing/repairing water/sewer mains/lines.
(4)
Operating brush chipper, stumper and chain saw.
(5)
Upon recommendation of department safety officer on any occasion
not covered by any of the above. The department safety officer will
be the determining authority in fringe areas of this safety notice.
Violations of this safety notice will be treated as follows:
F.
Operation of special equipment. No employees will operate any special
equipment (brush chipper, stumper, chain saws, jack hammers, welding
equipment and heavy equipment, etc.) unless they have been specifically
hired to perform this task or they have had adequate training on said
equipment to enable them to be proficient enough to ensure that no
accidents are likely to result when operating special equipment. Violations
of this safety notice will be treated as follows:
G.
Sewer/water mains installation or repairs. Whenever any repairs are
done on existing sewer/water mains or installation of new sewer/water
mains, proper shoring will be used at all times as required by state
law. Violations of this safety notice will be treated as follows:
H.
Safety signs and reflector vests/straps. Whenever any work being
done by any City department blocks, obstructs or hinders the passage
of vehicles on a City thoroughfare, proper signs and horses or barriers
will be placed in accordance with existing state regulations. Personnel
working on these jobs will wear approved reflector vests at all times.
Violations of this safety notice will be treated as follows:
I.
Sound protectors. Any employee working with equipment that produces
high noise, e.g. jack hammers, chain saws, brush chippers, etc., will,
at all times, wear sound protectors while working with or around said
equipment. Violations of this safety notice will be treated as follows:
J.
Reports. A report is to be made out at the time of accident by supervisor
and submitted to the safety officer, for review and comment.
K.
Effect of section on state and federal rules. These policies and
rules do not supersede state and federal rules.
L.
Suspended employees not to be paid for suspension period. All suspensions
and dismissal proceedings must follow the procedures as set down by
civil service regulations and/or City ordinances and various representing
unions.
[Added 1-4-1972]
The provisions of MGL c. 32B, §§ 3, 7A and 9B,
are hereby adopted for the purpose of allowing the municipal employees
covered by the terms of said sections to collectively bargain with
the City for the granting of said benefits.
