[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this subsection, was repealed 6-16-1999 by Ord.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:
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.
