Under the authority granted to the City Council by law the following personnel principles and policies are established:
(A) 
Employment in the City government shall be based on merit, and shall be free of personal and political considerations;
(B) 
Just and equitable incentives and conditions of employment shall be established and maintained to promote efficiency and economy in operation of the municipal government;
(C) 
Positions having similar duties and responsibilities shall be classified and compensated for on a uniform basis;
(D) 
Appointments, promotions and other personnel actions, requiring the application of the merit principle, shall be based on systematic tests and evaluations;
(E) 
Every effort shall be made to stimulate high morale by fair administration of this chapter and by every consideration of the rights and interest of employees consistent with the best interests of the public.
(Prior code § 2.50)
(A) 
The City Manager shall transmit to the City Council, with his recommendations, the Personnel Board's recommendations for revisions or amendments to the personnel system, or the personnel rules and regulations.
(B) 
The City Manager may require each department head to furnish such information as is necessary to make the personnel system effective. These reports shall be submitted on such forms as the City Manager deems necessary.
(C) 
The City Manager shall prescribe employment standards for all positions within the classified service. The City Manager may amend all or any part of the employment standards for any position included in the classified service.
(D) 
The City Manager shall have primary responsibility for the execution of the terms of any memorandum of understanding with a recognized employee organization.
(Prior code § 2.53)
In addition to all his duties under the Santa Rosa City Charter, the City Manager or his designated representative shall perform the following:
(A) 
Attend all meetings of the Personnel Board and act as Secretary thereto;
(B) 
Submit appropriate recommendations to the Personnel Board;
(C) 
Recommend allocation of positions to classes;
(D) 
Conduct an annual salary survey;
(E) 
Administer the employee selection program for the City;
(F) 
Administer the City personnel program in accordance with the rules and regulations;
(G) 
Perform classification studies as necessary; and
(H) 
Maintain position control, personnel records and related records for each employee.
(Prior code § 2.54)
(A) 
Any employee of the classified service may be dismissed, suspended or reduced in rank or compensation by the appointing authority with the approval of the City Manager. Such action shall be in writing, stating specifically the reasons for the action. A copy of the order shall be filed with the Chairperson of the Personnel Board within five calendar days after the effective date of such action.
(B) 
The employee shall have the right to request a conference with his immediate supervisor within 48 hours of the grievance.
(C) 
If the conference with the supervisor fails to resolve the grievance, the matter may be appealed to the City Manager provided the matter is appealed within five days of the grievance.
(D) 
If the conference at the City Manager's office fails to resolve the grievance, then the matter may be appealed to the Personnel Board, provided the appeal is filed within 10 days from the last action taken.
(E) 
Hearing before the Personnel Board shall be within 10 days from the date the appeal before the Board was filed.
(Prior code § 2.56)
(A) 
The personnel rules and regulations may be amended by the City Council by resolution upon receiving recommendations from the Personnel Board and the City Manager.
(B) 
The Personnel Board may recommend the amendment of any part of the rules and regulations after holding two public hearing on the proposed amendment.
(C) 
The Board will notify employee organizations and affected City departments prior to holding said public hearings. In addition to the above, notices of the hearings will be placed on all department bulletin Boards.
(D) 
Public hearings on the proposed revisions of the personnel rules and regulations shall be held not less than 10 days apart.
(Prior code § 2.57)
By resolution the City Council shall adopt a basic salary plan establishing salaries for all City employees, except as otherwise provided by the City Charter. The basic salary plan shall set forth job classifications for employees and shall provide for merit increases. All salaries for officers and employees of the City shall be fixed by a salary schedule, except for the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk and City Auditor, and shall be established by resolution adopted by the City Council.
(Prior code § 2.145)
Each position in the City's classified service shall be assigned a salary schedule.
(A) 
The first step of the salary schedule of the particular job classification shall apply to employees upon original appointment. However, the City Manager may appoint at any step authorized in the range if it is not practical or possible to recruit qualified personnel at the first step; prior to employment at the fourth or fifth step, Council is to be advised.
(B) 
A permanent or probationary employee who moves to another classification with a higher salary range without a break in service shall be granted the first step in the salary range; except that if the increase resulting from such adjustment amounts to less than a one-step increase over his previous salary, the employee shall be entitled to the next higher step in range.
(Prior code § 2.146)
A permanent or probationary employee who is transferred to a classification with a lower salary without a break in service may receive, upon determination by the City Manager, the same rate of pay he received prior to the transfer. If granted, such salary shall not be increased until the time that the highest salary of the classification to which he was transferred equals or exceeds his salary. Such transfer may be departmental or inter-departmental, and may be made by appointment from an employment list, temporary appointment, voluntary demotion, reclassification of position, or reorganization of department, and shall be in accord with the personnel rules and regulations. The provisions of this rule do not apply in cases of disciplinary demotion, or demotion in lieu of layoff.
(Prior code § 2.147)
Every officer and employee shall be eligible to be considered for a merit increase, if any, within his classification's salary schedule, provided that:
(A) 
His performance, as determined by the City Manager, meets the requirements for such advancement;
(B) 
He has completed 12 months of qualifying service following his appointment to his present position, last merit increase, or movement between classes which resulted in a salary increase in excess of one full step;
(C) 
The City Manager may authorize a one-step increase in advance of the one-year term for exceptional service or as a condition of the original appointment.
(Prior code § 2.148)
The City Manager or his authorized representative shall review the merit increase recommendations of the department head, shall approve or disapprove the merit increase, and shall direct the Personnel Department to notify the employee in writing of the action taken.
(Prior code § 2.149)
In the event of a denial of a merit increase, the employee shall have 30 days in which to file a written appeal to the Personnel Board stating reasons why he believes he should be granted a merit increase. The Board shall afford the officer or employee a hearing and shall certify its findings and recommendations to the City Manager. Failure to receive a salary increase as herein provided shall not preclude any officer or employee from thereafter receiving such increase.
(Prior code § 2.150)
Authorization to compensate an employee at a rate above the maximum for his/her classification shall be terminated when:
(A) 
Such employee leaves the City service;
(B) 
Such employee refuses a bona fide offer or makes himself/herself unavailable for permanent employment in a classification in the same line of work with a salary range commensurate with the salary he/she is receiving.
(Prior code §2.151)
Any dispute or question of fact as to the normal workweek required for the employment of an officer or employee shall be decided by the City Manager, and his decision shall be final.
(Prior code § 2.158)
Overtime pay, at the rate of one and one half times (time and a half) the regular rate of pay or compensating time off at the rate of one and one-half hour of compensable time for each hour worked shall be paid or allowed each employee at the option of the employer. Neither overtime pay or overtime compensatory time shall be pyramided or compounded. The City Manager shall furnish rules and regulations governing distribution, use, scheduling and application of overtime pay to the various departments of the City.
(Prior code § 2.152)
Department heads, assistant department heads, and such other employees as may be designated by the City Manager shall not be eligible for overtime pay. Each new employee shall be advised in writing at the time of appointment to the present position, if the position is not eligible for overtime pay. Present employees on the payroll shall be notified within 30 days of the adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter, if their position is not eligible for overtime pay.
(Prior code § 2.153)
No compensating time shall be granted unless it is reported to the finance department on forms provided by the City Manager. No employee shall accrue or be compensated for more than 20 days of compensating time or overtime. At the convenience of the department, a department head may grant time off to an employee upon his written request. Time off must be taken within 180 calendar days of the time accrued. Uniformed police and fire personnel shall have the right to request pay for accrued time 30 days after accrual; provided, that any time not granted or paid as provided above shall be paid within six months of accrual.
(Prior code § 2.156)
Any employee who leaves the employ of the City who has performed compensable overtime work without having been compensated for such work, shall be paid for such overtime work on the basis of the salary received by him at the time of termination of his employment. Such overtime payments shall not be approved for more than 20 working days.
In the case of any employee whose service is terminated by his death, such payment will be made to the person entitled thereto by law.
(Prior code § 2.157)
Payroll deduction shall be made for an employee's contribution to the State Employees Retirement System, Old Age Survivor Insurance and Federal Withholding Tax. With the employee's consent, payroll deductions may be made for United States Savings Bonds, Employees' Credit Union, Employees' Health and Accident Insurance, Life Insurance, Employees' Association Dues and charitable contributions. No other deductions shall be allowed without prior approval by the City Council.
(Prior code § 2.159)
Every classified City employee who serves as a trial juror or is compelled to appear on behalf of the City under service of process, shall be entitled to absent himself from his/her duties with the City during the period of such service or while necessarily being present in court as a result of such call. The employee shall be paid the difference between his full salary and any payment received by him, excepting travel pay, for such duty. Time served as a juror or under subpoena for irregular shift employees shall be considered as time worked so that an irregular shift employee shall not be required to appear in court under service of process and also work a shift for the City during any 24 hour period.
(Prior code § 2.160)
All employees shall receive a meal period during each work shift as near the middle of the shift as possible. Any employee who is required to work more than five hours without a meal period shall be paid one-half hour (30 minutes) at the overtime rate of time and one-half for that shift in addition to his regular wages for that shift unless a Cityadopted memorandum of understanding or resolution implementing benefits and working conditions states otherwise.
(Prior code § 2.164)
(A) 
Severance age for miscellaneous City employees shall be 70 years or such other number of years as provided by personnel rules and regulations subsequently adopted by the City Council by ordinance or as provided by agreements subsequently approved by the City Council. In case of conflict with this section or the personnel rules and regulations, the agreement controls. A miscellaneous employee may be retained beyond the severance age with the employee's consent and upon certification of the employee's competence in the employee's position by the appointing authority and the City Manager pursuant to the personnel rules and regulations adopted by the City Council by ordinance.
(B) 
Severance age for public safety City employees shall be 65 years.
(Prior code § 2.217)
With the approval of the City Manager or the City Council, a department head is authorized a period not exceeding five working days per fiscal year at no loss in pay, for educational leave for the purpose of improvement of his proficiency in his chosen profession.
(Prior code § 2.218)
In addition to the performance of their regular and ordinary duties, it shall be the duty of all Police Officers and Firefighters at all times and under all circumstances, to go to the aid of all persons or animals in distress or danger and render them such help and assistance as lies within their power, and to protect property from sudden injury or destruction.
(Prior code § 2.70)
In the performance of any duty as provided in the preceding sections, if any Police Officer or Firefighter should be injured while rendering such services, he/she shall be deemed to be injured in the course of his/her employment and shall be entitled to worker's compensation therefor, as provided by law.
(Prior code § 2.71)