The Town Administrator shall maintain a uniform and equitable pay plan which shall consist of minimum and maximum rates of pay for each pay grade as well as such intermediate steps between the minimum and maximum rates as are deemed appropriate. The Town Administrator shall periodically prepare an analysis of prevailing rates of pay for positions comparable to those covered by this bylaw.
An employee hired by the Town will normally be placed at the minimum step of the pay grade to which his/her position is assigned. However, in instances in which it proves difficult to hire a qualified applicant at the minimum rate, the employee may be hired at a higher step of the pay grade, provided that the department head documents the efforts made to hire a candidate at the minimum rate and submits such documentation to the Town Administrator for review and approval.
A.
Step increases within an established pay grade are not automatic but require certification by the employee's department head that the employee is performing at an acceptable level of competence, as demonstrated in the performance evaluation system. More particularly, no employee will receive a step increase unless he/she has received an overall written evaluation of at least "Satisfactory" in his/her annual evaluation. All employees shall receive written evaluations by June of each year. Step increases based on a satisfactory evaluation shall be effective July 1.
B.
Employees hired between July 1 and December 31 will be evaluated in May or June of following year and eligible for a step increase July 1; employees hired between January 1 and June 30 will not be eligible for a step increase until July 1 of the next calendar year.
C.
Employees promoted will be eligible for consideration for a step increase (based on "Satisfactory" evaluation or better) the following July 1.
D.
An employee who is on an unpaid leave of absence (or is otherwise not in pay status) for more than six months during the preceding fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) shall not be eligible for a step increase on July 1 but shall, instead, be required to wait until the following July 1 to receive a step increase.
Upon promotion to a position with a higher pay grade, the employee shall be placed at the step of that grade that is closest to (but higher than) the rate at which the employee was being paid prior to the promotion.