[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Pequannock 7-22-1997 as Ch. 029 of the 1997 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
For the purposes of this chapter the following words and terms are defined:
AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS
Calculated as the arithmetic mean of the weekly hours, excluding overtime hours, worked by an employee for 12 workweeks immediately prior to the benefit period in question. Average weekly hours for newly hired employees will be calculated for a six-month period from their date of hire for the benefit period in question.
CLASS I EMPLOYEE
Employment for a period of at least 35 hours per week for 52 weeks per year.
CLASS II EMPLOYEE
Employment for a period less than 35 hours but more than 10 hours per week for 52 weeks per year.
CLASS III EMPLOYEE
Employment for a period more than 10 hours per week at least 26 but not more than 51 weeks per year.
CLASS IV EMPLOYEE
Employment for a period less than 11 hours per week or less than 26 weeks per year.
HOURLY
Compensation paid an employee for work performed in the identified job description computed on the basis of every hour or part thereof.
SALARIED
Fixed compensation for work performed in the identified job description computed on a fixed number of hours or fixed job description.
The Township Manager shall prepare or have prepared under his direction all payroll vouchers showing distribution of charges, to the Township Treasurer, who is hereby authorized to issue one-signature checks to the parties and in the amount so certified.
At each regular meeting of the Township Council, the Township Treasurer shall submit for confirmation and ratification the necessary payroll for the amount paid the officers and employees for compensation. The payroll shall be considered by the Township Council and in due course approved. In case of error or adjustment in the payroll, the Township Treasurer shall see that such error or adjustment is properly corrected and an appropriate record made thereof.
All employees of the Township of Pequannock shall be paid in accordance with the salary schedule as adopted by ordinance of the Township Council based upon their classification. Applicants with outstanding qualifications or experience may be hired above the minimum with the approval of the Township Manager.
An employee shall be eligible for a salary increase on the first year anniversary date of the employee's hire and thereafter on January 1 of each year. Additional salary adjustments resulting from hiring, promotion, demotion, individual merit, or negotiated contracts may be provided as approved.
A salary increase, within the limits authorized by the Township Council, before becoming effective must be approved by the Township Manager based upon merit and satisfactory job performance. All compensation for the Township Manager and all other unclassified positions shall be approved by the Township Council.
Employees represented by recognized collective bargaining units shall be paid such wages and receive such benefits as set forth in agreements between the Township and said bargaining units, such agreements being incorporated herein by reference as negotiated and executed in accordance with applicable state law.
[Amended 8-26-1997 by Ord. No. 97-1; 1-27-1998 by Ord. No. 97-21; 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-9; 5-26-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-10; 7-25-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15]
A. 
Class I employees earn paid time off with pay for each full calendar month of service in accordance with the following schedule or as provided for in approved agreements:
Months of Continuous Service
Days of Paid Time Off Leave Earned
(days per month)
1 to 48
1.83
49 to 108
2.25
109 to 192
2.67
193 to 228
2.75
229 to 240
2.83
241 to 252
2.92
253 to 264
3.00
265 plus
3.08*
*
Class II employees shall earn prorated paid time off with pay based on the above schedule. Prorating for Class II employees shall be determined by calculating the average workweek during the prior twelve-month period of, or from, the employment start date, whichever is lesser.
B. 
Earned paid time off may be taken only at such time as the employee's department head and the Township Manager may approve.
C. 
Paid time off may be taken in increments not less than 1/2 day as approved by the employee's department head and the Township Manager. A minimum of one-week written notice is required to request paid time off in excess of two consecutive days. Paid time off in excess of 21 consecutive workdays is prohibited in any twelve-month time frame unless approved by the Township Manager.
D. 
Any employee who is terminated from the service of the Township for any cause not involving moral turpitude shall be paid for unused paid time off accumulated under this section at their current rate of pay up to a maximum of 35 days.
E. 
In case of death in the immediate family, a Class I, II or III employee shall be granted up to three days of bereavement leave. "Immediate family" shall be defined as the employee's spouse, child, stepchild, mother, father, brother or sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, and maternal and paternal grandparents. In the event of a death in the immediate family in which extenuating circumstances exist, additional days may be granted by the Township Manager.
F. 
All vacation and sick leave benefit time accumulated prior to the enactment of this chapter will be converted to paid time off.
[Amended 5-26-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-10]
A. 
The following official holidays shall be observed by the Township for Class I employees: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. In addition, the Township Manager may, at his discretion, provide one floating holiday. Each Class II employee shall observe the above-referenced holidays on a prorated basis provided the employee was normally scheduled to work on the day of observance for the holiday.
B. 
In the event that a holiday falls on a Saturday, the holiday shall be observed on the preceding Friday. In the event that the holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday shall be observed on the following Monday or as designated by the Township of Pequannock.
[Amended 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-9; 12-27-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-24; 12-28-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-34; 12-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-28; 6-25-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15; 10-13-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-16]
A. 
All Class I employees shall receive health and insurance benefits as prescribed by the Township Council of the Township of Pequannock. All other employee classifications shall not be entitled to such benefits unless provided by approved agreement.
B. 
The Township shall implement the provisions of P.L. 2011, Chapter 78,[1] which requires employee contributions towards health benefit costs. The associated phase-in of contributions and percentage of premiums are hereby recognized and are established in accordance with state law.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40A:5A-11.1.
C. 
After 25 years of full-time service to the Township, a Class I employee upon retirement will be eligible to receive paid health benefits in effect at time of retirement and pursuant to Subsection B of this section (major medical and hospitalization) until he/she is eligible for Medicare/Medicaid coverage.
D. 
Effective January 1, 2002, all employees that qualify for hospitalization coverage upon retirement from the Township shall be entitled to receive the same coverage for the retired employee's spouse at a cost to the retired member of $4,200 per year payable at a rate of $350 per month. Said cost will be adjusted from time to time.
E. 
Effective January 1, 2011, all employees that qualify for health benefits (major medical and hospitalization) and are not covered by a separate employment contract are eligible to elect to opt out of the coverage. Each eligible employee who elects to opt out of the Township's health benefit coverage will be paid an incentive of $1,200 per year, paid in equal monthly payments. Should the employee elect to re-enroll in the Township-sponsored health benefits program the employee will be subject to the program as offered at the time of re-enrollment without preexisting conditions.
F. 
Effective January 1, 2014, accumulated paid time off benefit time in excess of 45 days may be used by the employee to buy back benefit time at the employee's current rate of pay to offset any mandatory health benefit costs. Benefit costs shall be calculated on a quarterly basis to allow the employee an opportunity to determine the employee's selected method of payment. At any time accumulated paid time off is reduced below the minimum 45 days, payroll deductions shall be made at the employee's then current rate of pay to cover the employee's mandatory health benefits costs, except the minimum of 45 days shall be waived when an employee either declares their retirement date and such date is accepted by the Township or the employee is pension eligible.
G. 
Retired employees who are eligible for health insurance as provided for in Subsection C of this section shall, when they become eligible for Medicare/Medicaid, be enrolled in such program and shall maintain that enrollment. The Medicare/Medicaid shall then become the primary health insurance program. The Township shall only provide reimbursement for secondary Part B coverage for the employee as a supplement to Medicare/Medicaid. However, should there be a younger spouse for whom the retired employee would otherwise be entitled to purchase continuing health benefits coverage under the provisions of Subsection D of this section, that provision shall continue until such time that the spouse is eligible for Medicare/Medicaid at which time the Township plan for the spouse shall be terminated.
H. 
Retired employees who are eligible for continued health coverage under the terms of Subsection C of this section and become eligible for a group health plan as a result of post-retirement employment shall enroll in the employer-sponsored health plan and notify the Township of the effective date of the alternate coverage. The retiree can resume coverage under the Township's plan in the event that group coverage is no longer available to them.
[Amended 8-26-1997 by Ord. No. 97-1]
In addition to the salaries as provided herein, all Class I employees not covered by agreements and hired prior to the effective date of this chapter shall be entitled to receive longevity payments in accordance with the following schedule, based upon continuous and complete years of service with the Township. Employees hired after the effective date do not qualify for longevity pay.
Years
Amount
(per year)
1 to 3
No compensation
4 to 9
$600 per year
10 to 14
$700 per year
15 to 19
$900 per year
Over 20
$1,400 per year
[Added 1-27-1998 by Ord. No. 97-21]
Employees who become reclassified from Class II, III, or IV to a Class I employee shall be entitled to service years credit according to the following formula for that period of uninterrupted service immediately preceding reclassification. Service years credit will be used for calculation of benefit days and longevity.
# years service x hours worked part time
_______
1,820
= service years credit