[Adopted as Title 2, Ch. 2.72, of the 1998 Township Code]
The Township Committee does declare the following principles to constitute the personnel policy of the Township:
A. 
The New Jersey State Civil Service Law and the Civil Service Rules of the State of New Jersey, which shall be applicable to municipalities in said state, provide the basic framework for employment in the municipal government.
B. 
Employment in the municipal government shall be based on merit and fitness, free of personal and political considerations.
C. 
Just and equitable incentives and conditions shall be established and maintained in order to promote efficiency and economy in the operation of the municipal government.
D. 
Positions with similar duties and responsibilities shall be classified and compensated on a uniform basis.
E. 
Appointments, promotions and other personnel actions requiring the application of the merit principle shall be based on systematic tests and evaluations of knowledge and performance, and, where appropriate, these shall be carried out through the municipality's participation in the New Jersey State Civil Service System.
F. 
Every effort shall be made to stimulate high morale by fair administration of this article and by consideration of the rights and interests of employees, consistent with the best interest of the public and the municipality.
G. 
Continuity of employment shall be subject to good behavior, satisfactory performance of work, necessity for the performance of work, and availability of funds.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 2.72.010H of the 1998 Township Code, regarding residency in the Township, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 6-16-1999 by Ord. No. 10-99.
The Township Committee may by ordinance abolish, increase, decrease or modify the terms and compensation of any office of the Township, except that the Township Committee may not abolish or alter the terms of an office that has been, or is, created by general law. Except where an office is abolished, no decrease or modification of its terms and compensation shall affect any incumbent holding such office for the duration of the term for which he was appointed.
A. 
General allocation. All offices and positions of the municipality shall be and are allocated to the classified service and unclassified service.
B. 
Unclassified service. The unclassified service shall include the following:
(1) 
All elected officials and members of citizen boards and committees;
(2) 
Administrator, Clerk, Assessor, Collector, Chief Financial Officer, and department directors, together with any legal assistants, including the Prosecutor;
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
(3) 
Volunteer personnel and personnel appointed to serve without compensation;
(4) 
Consultants and counsel rendering temporary professional service;
(5) 
All other offices or positions that are so listed as unclassified by N.J.S.A. 11A:3-5.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
C. 
Classified services. The classified service shall include all other positions in the municipal service that are not specifically placed in the unclassified service by the above positions of this article, or which are not excluded from the classified service by N.J.S.A. 11A:3-5.
D. 
Scope of article. The provisions of this article, hereinafter set forth, shall apply to the classified and unclassified services unless otherwise specifically provided herein.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
A. 
Establishment. The Administrator shall make, or cause to have made, an analysis of the duties and responsibilities of all full-time positions in the municipality except his own position. He shall recommend to the Mayor, for transmission to the Committee, a position-classification plan. Within 30 days after adoption of a position-classification plan by resolution of the Committee, the Administrator shall assign each employee to an appropriate class in accordance with the position-classification plan and with the approval of the Civil Service Commission of the State of New Jersey.
B. 
Basis of position classification. Each position shall be assigned or allocated to an appropriate job classification on the basis of the kind and level of its duties and responsibilities, to the end that all positions in the same classification shall be sufficiently alike to permit the use of a single descriptive title, the same test of competence and the same salary range, thus carrying out the basic principle of classification, which is equal pay for equal work. A job classification may contain one position or a number of positions. The Administrator shall, from time to time, review the job classification and submit a report thereof to the Mayor and Committee.
C. 
Change in classification plan.
(1) 
The classification plan may be amended from time to time by resolution of the Committee. Such changes may result from the need for creating new positions, changes in organization or changes in assigned duties and responsibilities and will be effected in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission of the State of New Jersey.
(2) 
The Administrator shall review all requests for creation of new positions, the abolition or consolidation of present positions, reclassification of positions to different job classes, or the reallocation of positions to new salary ranges. In such review, he shall study the current duties and responsibilities of the position concerned and, with the consent of the Township Committee, take appropriate action necessary to insure the correct classification and allocation of the position.
(3) 
Each department head shall report to the Administrator any changes in his organization or assignment of duties and responsibilities to a given employee which would result in changes in the position-classification plan or in the classification of any of the positions in his department.
(4) 
An employee may submit a request, in writing, to the Administrator at any time for a review of the duties and responsibilities of his position. Such a request shall be submitted through his division head and shall include the employee's own description of his current duties and responsibilities. The Administrator shall then make an investigation of the position to determine its correct allocation. He shall report his findings, in writing, to the Mayor and shall furnish a copy to the employee requesting the review and to his department head.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
All employees, officers and department heads of the Township shall be appointed as provided in the Administrative Code, except as may be otherwise provided by general law. The Mayor and the Administrator are to be governed by the provisions of this article in their appointments and hiring practices.
Original appointments to fill vacancies or for new positions shall be limited to qualified persons who have been interviewed or tested concerning such factors as education, experience, aptitude, knowledge, character and physical and mental fitness.
[Amended 4-28-2003 by Ord. No. 6-2003]
On or after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this article, and unless otherwise provided by law, and subject to the provisions of Chapter 63 of the Laws of 1978 (N.J.S.A. 40A:9-1 et seq.), all officers and employees employed by the Township in the classified service of Title II (Civil Service) shall, where possible, be bona fide residents of the county, and preference in employment shall be given to bona fide residents of the county. A "bona fide resident" is defined to be a person having a permanent domicile which has not been adopted with the intention of again taking up or claiming a previous residence acquired outside of the boundaries of the county. Whenever a person is to be appointed to a position of employment in the Township, there shall first be a preference for residents of Burlington County, then and subsequently a preference for residents of New Jersey, and, finally, nonresidents of the State of New Jersey shall be appointed only in the event that nonqualified residents of the county or state are not available.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
Applicants for employment shall apply on forms provided by the Township and which have been designed to obtain pertinent information concerning the applicant's education, training, experience, character and other factors necessary to determine his fitness and qualifications for service to the Township. All applications shall be filed with the Township Administrator.
The department head shall be charged with processing all applications for appointment to vacancies and new positions and shall report thereon to the official having the power of appointment.
A. 
Physical examination. Employment as a full-time employee in any capacity requires, prior to employment, successful passing of a physical examination to assure that the work required to be performed will not cause injury to the employee and that the person is physically fit to meet the requirements of the job. Prospective employees in all casual or temporary part-time Township jobs may be required to produce a certificate of health from a licensed physician of the State of New Jersey as a prerequisite for such employment. Periodic physical examinations may be required thereafter for all employees of the Township. All required examinations, except for certification of health for casual or temporary part-time employees, shall be at the Township's expense and shall be made by a physician designated or approved by the Township.
B. 
In addition to the above examination, the Township Committee may require a psychiatric evaluation of any applicant for employment in the Police Department of the Township.
An applicant for employment may be rejected where he:
A. 
Is not qualified for appointment to the position for which he has applied;
B. 
Is physically unfit to perform the duties of the position for which he has applied;
C. 
Is addicted to the habitual or excessive use of drugs or intoxicants;
D. 
Has been convicted of any crime or offense, including disorderly person offenses, involving moral turpitude;
E. 
Has been dismissed from previous employment for delinquency, insubordination or misconduct;
F. 
Has practiced or attempted to practice any deception or fraud in his application or in furnishing other evidence of eligibility for appointment; or
G. 
Is not within age limits that have been established for the position for which he seeks appointment.
Except when provided by law, every person appointed to a new position shall be deemed to be on probation in the position to which he shall have been appointed for a period of three months, but such probation shall not affect permanent status of any other Township employment that such person may have achieved. Prior to his completion of the probationary period, the employee or officer shall be evaluated by the department head to determine whether he shall be granted permanent status or dismissed. The appointing authority may require reports and recommendations from the immediate superiors and department heads for this purpose. In accordance with N.J.S.A. 52:17B-69, a probationary or temporary appointment as a police officer may be made for a total period not exceeding one year for the purpose of enabling a person seeking permanent appointment to take a police training course as required by law.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
The Township Administrator shall initiate a personnel file for each new employee, and all records of such employee concerning qualification, permanent status, work history, accumulated vacation and sick leave, leave time and the like shall be maintained for such employee in such file. The Township Administrator shall make such files available for inspection by the employee on a reasonable basis.
A. 
Hours. The official hours of the Township are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., prevailing time, Monday through Friday. The hours of work for employees, including lunch hour, shall be specified by the department head. Full-time department heads shall be available in their offices from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and, in the event that Township business requires them to leave their office, they shall provide the Township with their itinerary and information as to where they may be reached in the event of an emergency.
[Amended 2-24-1999 by Ord. No. 4-99]
B. 
Holidays.
(1) 
Due to the emergency nature of the work of the Police Department, the provisions of this subsection shall not be applicable to members of the Police Department.
(2) 
The official holidays for the Township shall be as authorized by state law and/or by the Civil Service Commission, with the approval of the Governor, and shall be allowed as days off, with pay, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 36:1-1, as supplemented and amended.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
C. 
Sick leave.
(1) 
As used in this subsection, "sick leave" shall mean paid leave that may be granted to any employee who, through sickness or injury, becomes incapacitated to a degree that makes it impossible for him to perform the duties of his position or who is quarantined by a physician because he has been exposed to a contagious disease. Part-time and temporary employees are not eligible for sick leave.
(2) 
Sick leave with pay will be allowed, provided that the employee provides satisfactory proof of his illness or disability or a licensed physician's certificate, as herein provided, and notifies his supervisor promptly of his illness, provided further that the employee's illness or disability is, in the opinion of a physician of the Township's choice, the result of events or acts beyond the employee's control.
(3) 
Sick leave shall be computed on the basis of the applicable rules and regulations of Civil Service, and those employees who are not filling civil service positions shall nevertheless, for the purpose of sick leave only, have their sick leave computed pursuant to the Civil Service Rules and Regulations.
D. 
Outside employment. Employees shall not accept outside employment or engage in outside business activities, unless there is reasonable probability that such outside employment will not interfere with the employee's performance or compromise his position with the Township through a conflict of interest.
E. 
Compensation time.
(1) 
As hereinafter referred to in this section, compensation time shall be referred to as "comp time." Comp time may only be authorized in the Police Department by the Chief of Police or the lieutenant in charge in the event of the absence of the Chief of Police. Comp time for other employees can only be authorized by the department head or, in the event there is no department head, then by the Township Committee person in charge. A monthly report shall be submitted to the Mayor and Committee and Township Clerk of all comp time accrued during the preceding month. This report shall be submitted no later than the fifth day of the next month covering the preceding month.
(2) 
Where an employee elects to avail himself of comp time with the approval of the Committee person in charge of the department, such election and the scheduling of said time shall be within one year of the accrual of said comp time. If the time is not utilized within the aforesaid one year, all time accrued in excess of one year shall be forfeited. For the purposes of this section it is understood that comp time is determined from the date that the comp time was earned and not the calendar year.
A. 
Full-time classified and full-time unclassified employees shall earn vacation on the basis of the following schedule:
Years of Service
Number of Days
0 to 1 year of service
7 working days
2 to 5 years of service
12 working days during each year of service
5 to 10 years of service
14 working days during each year of service
10 to 15 years of service
16 working days during each year of service
15 to 20 years of service
18 working days during each year of service
20 years of service
22 working days during each year of service
(1) 
For purposes of earning vacation leave, anyone whose date of employment falls between January 1 and October 1 is entitled to count that period as a year of service. Vacation shall be computed on a calendar-year basis, that is, January 1 to December 31.
B. 
Because of the emergency nature of the work of the Police Department, and the fact that members cannot be given normal holiday allowance, each member of the Police Department shall be entitled to be compensated for all legal holidays, as herein defined, by a lump sum payment equal to the number of legal holidays times their daily rate, which shall be payable in November of each year.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
A. 
Disciplinary actions enumerated. An employee who has acquired permanent status may be disciplined in accordance with this article by any of the following actions, which are stated in order of severity, for causes stated in this section by the department head or, in the case of a violation by department head, then by the appointing authority, and no employee shall be suspended or dismissed without the approval of the department head, except in the case where the department head is the person subject to the disciplinary action:
(1) 
Informal, verbal reproof;
(2) 
Written reproof;
(3) 
Suspension from duty;
(4) 
Dismissal.
B. 
Causes of disciplinary action. The causes for which disciplinary action may be invoked are the following:
(1) 
Neglect of duty;
(2) 
Absence without leave or failure to report after authorized leave has expired, or after such leave has been disapproved or revoked; provided, however, that any employee who shall be absent from duty without just cause for a term of five days continuously and without leave of absence shall, at the expiration of the five days, cease to be an employee of the Township;
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
(3) 
Incompetency or inefficiency or incapacity due to mental or physical disability;
(4) 
Insubordination or serious breach of discipline;
(5) 
Intoxication while on duty;
(6) 
Commission of a criminal act;
(7) 
Disobedience of a rule or regulation of the Township;
(8) 
Conduct unbecoming a public employee;
(9) 
Leaving post without notice;
(10) 
Negligence in the use of, or unauthorized use of, Township equipment;
(11) 
Falsifying important records;
(12) 
Absence without leave.
C. 
Hearing. Any employee disciplined under the provisions of this section shall, upon request, be granted a hearing before the Township Committee; a reasonable opportunity for such hearing shall be granted before the imposition of disciplinary action, except that an employee may be summarily suspended if it is deemed that the circumstances so warrant. In such case, if after hearing it appears that the suspension was not proper, the Township Committee may order reinstatement with pay.
A. 
General policy. It is the policy of the Township that every employee at all times be treated fairly, courteously and with respect. Conversely, each employee is expected to accord the same treatment to his associates, supervisors and to the public.
B. 
Verbal grievance.
(1) 
Whenever an employee has a grievance, he should first present it verbally (or in writing, if the employee chooses) to his immediate supervisor. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to attempt to arrange a mutually satisfactory settlement of the grievance within three working days of the time when it was first presented to him or, failing in that, must within that time advise the employee of his inability to do so.
(2) 
When an employee is informed by his supervisor that he is unable, within the discretion permitted him, to arrange a mutually satisfactory solution to the grievance, the employee must, if he wishes to present the grievance to higher authority, do so in writing in the following manner.
C. 
Formal written grievance.
(1) 
The employee will prepare the grievance in writing, in duplicate. The grievance should be stated as completely and as clearly as possible in order to permit prompt handling. One copy of the grievance shall be immediately placed in the hands of the department head.
(2) 
A copy of the grievance shall be presented by the employee to his immediate supervisor (to whom the grievance was made verbally). The supervisor will report the facts and events which led up to its presentation in writing, including in his written report any verbal answer he may have previously given to the employee concerning this grievance. Within two working days after receipt of the written grievance, the supervisor must present it with the information required to the department head or Administrator.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
(3) 
The Administrator will attempt to find a mutually satisfactory solution to the grievance within five working days. Failing a solution, the complaint, accompanied by a written report on the matter by the Administrator, must be forwarded to the Mayor. The governing body will then consider and formally act on the complaint within five days.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
(4) 
Since it is intended that most, if not all, grievances can and should be settled without the necessity of reference to the governing body, no grievance will be heard or considered by the governing body which has not first passed through the above-described steps.
(5) 
All papers and documents relating to a grievance and its disposition will be placed in the employee's personal history file. Notification of all actions taken concerning the grievance shall be transmitted, in writing, to the employee.
A. 
Subject to the approval of the Administrator, a department head may, from time to time, establish, amend and supplement rules and regulations for governing the internal operations of his department and the conduct and decorum of its personnel. Such department rules and regulations shall not be inconsistent or in conflict with the provisions of any statute of the state, this article or any ordinance of this Township.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
B. 
The rules and regulations shall be in writing, signed by the head of the department, and approved by the governing body, and shall be filed in the office of the Township Clerk. They shall be binding on all persons subject to the jurisdiction of the department. A written copy of said rules and regulations shall be distributed to the personnel of the department affected thereby and shall be posted in the headquarters of the department.
It is declared to be the policy of the Township to recognize and encourage meritorious actions on the part of its officers and employees. To this end, letters of commendation concerning Township employees from their superiors and from members of the public with whom they deal shall be directed to the attention of the department head and then recorded in the employee's personnel file. In addition, the department head or the Township Committee may, on their own motion, commend the work of particular officers and employees and cause such commendation to be inserted in their personnel file.
A. 
A Township employee shall not engage in any political activities during working hours or on municipal property, and in the event they seek nomination or election to any municipal office, they may obtain a leave of absence.
B. 
Violation of any provisions of Subsection A of this section shall be deemed sufficient cause for suspension or dismissal from the Township service.
C. 
Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent Township employees from becoming or continuing to be members of any political party, club or organization; attending political meetings; expressing their views in private on political matters outside of working hours and off Township premises; or voting with complete freedom in any election.
[Added 4-24-2002 by Ord. No. 6-2002]
A. 
The Township Risk Management/Loss Control Program is hereby adopted, a copy of which shall be on file in the office the Township Clerk.
B. 
The Edgewater Park Personnel Policy Manual, dated April 1, 2002, is hereby adopted, a copy of which shall be on file in the office of the Township Clerk.
C. 
Either the Risk Management/Loss Control Program or the Edgewater Park Township Personnel Policy Manual, dated April 1, 2002, may be amended from time to time, as necessary, by a resolution of the Edgewater Park Township Committee.