A. 
The compensation of an employee is determined by the following steps, unless the employee is a senior executive and the Council has established a senior executive service as part of the pay plan:
1. 
Identify the position that the employee is in;
2. 
Identify the class that the employee's position is allocated to;
3. 
Identify the grade that the employee's class is assigned to;
4. 
Identify the step that the employee is in;
5. 
Find the base salary in the pay schedule for the employee's grade and step;
6. 
Add to the base salary any adjustments to salary provided by the pay plan;
7. 
Add to the adjusted salary any bonuses provided by the pay plan.
B. 
An employee is placed in a position by the personnel officer when the employee is hired.
C. 
A position is allocated to a class by the department head with the approval of the personnel officer.
D. 
A class is assigned to a grade by the City Administrator. The assignment must be based on an objective evaluation of each class and a determination that the work done by every class in the same grade is comparable in its primary elements.
E. 
The step that an employee is in is determined by the personnel officer under this chapter.
F. 
The pay schedule is part of the pay plan. It is usually in the form of a chart.
G. 
The pay plan may adjust an employee's salary to compensate for shift work, working conditions and other conditions affecting employment. This section does not create a right to any adjustment.
H. 
The pay plan may add bonuses to an employee's salary. If any bonuses are given, they must be part of a program with a specific narrow purpose. This section does not create a right to any bonus.
I. 
The Council may establish a senior executive service as part of the pay plan. This service may have procedures for determining compensation that are different from the procedures in this section.
(Prior code § 8B-114)
A. 
The Council creates and abolishes positions by including or not including them in the City's annual budget. The Council can create new positions and abolish existing positions by amending the budget after it has passed.
B. 
The City Administrator prepares the job description for a new position. The City Administrator makes any changes to the job description after consulting with any incumbent of the position, the immediate supervisor of the position and the department head.
C. 
The City Administrator shall recommend to the Council the abolition of a position whenever the City Administrator deems it necessary and in the best interest of the City.
(Prior code § 8B-115)
The City Administrator shall prepare a position classification plan encompassing all permanent part-time and permanent full-time positions in the City service. The position classification plan shall consist of a list of all classes in the City's classified service and class specifications outlining the nature, duties, responsibilities and qualifications of each class.
(Prior code § 8B-116)
A. 
Subject to the approval of the City Administrator, the head of each department shall allocate every permanent position in the department to a class. The positions in a class must be so similar in the nature of the work and the required experience and training that the same pay grade is appropriate for all of the positions in the class.
B. 
For purposes of maintaining equity between employees, the personnel officer may allocate a position to a different class.
(Prior code § 8B-117)
A. 
Each class within the City service shall have a written statement outlining its principal characteristics. The personnel officer writes the class specifications with the assistance of the department heads. Specifically, each class specification shall include:
1. 
A class title;
2. 
A description of the duties and level of responsibility and authority of the work;
3. 
A set of illustrative work examples;
4. 
A statement of the required knowledge, skills and abilities;
5. 
A statement of the minimum qualification requirements.
B. 
The class specification is not to be construed as a prescriptive framework for any position within a class. The illustrated duties and responsibilities for a class shall not be construed as an exclusion of duties and responsibilities which are of a similar kind and level. The class specifications shall not infringe upon a department head's or the City Administrator's power and authority to direct, assign and control the work of their respective subordinates. Qualifications expected of all incumbents of positions (for example, required licenses and certificates; good physical condition, if the work of the position requires good physical condition; freedom from disabling defects which the personnel officer specifically finds would adversely affect work performance; integrity; sobriety; efficiency; concern for the public interest; courtesy; and productivity) shall be deemed to be implied in the qualification requirements of each class, even though not specifically mentioned in the class specification.
C. 
All City employees shall be given a copy of their appropriate class specification and shall be furnished new ones should their positions be reallocated. Copies of class specifications for all classes shall be available in the City Administrator's office and may be reviewed by the public and any City employee.
(Prior code § 8B-118)
A. 
Authority. The City Administrator may establish or abolish a class and may change a class specification to:
1. 
Accommodate the addition or removal of a position to or from the class;
2. 
Reflect changes in the job description of a position in the class; or
3. 
Ensure equity in the classified system.
B. 
Establishment of New Class. No newly created position(s) designed to be allocated to a new class shall be filled until the position classification plan is amended to incorporate the new class. The City Administrator establishes the new class, and the department head allocates positions to the new class with the approval of the City Administrator.
C. 
Abolishment of a Class. If the abolishment of a position under Section 4.04.150 results in the abolishment of a class, the City Administrator shall also amend the position classification plan abolishing the class.
(Prior code § 8B-119)
A. 
Annual Review of Job Descriptions. At the time of the employee evaluation and development discussion between the supervisor and employee, the employee's job description will be thoroughly reviewed to note any significant changes which may have taken place in the employee's job. The supervisor, with the employee's assistance, will prepare a description of proposed alterations, additions or deletions required in the job description and will forward these proposed changes to the City Administrator. The City Administrator will determine if the job description should be changed. With the department head, the City Administrator shall also determine whether the position shall be allocated to a different class. The City Administrator must approve any changes in the allocation of a position to a class.
B. 
Reconsidering Allocation to a Class. If there have been material changes in the level of duties, responsibilities or nature of work of a position, the department head may ask the City Administrator to change a job description. If the City Administrator changes the job description, the department head may consider allocating the position to a different class with the approval of the City Administrator. Apart from the semiannual employee evaluation and development discussion, an employee may request that the job description of the employee's position be changed or that the employee's position to be allocated to a different class by submitting a written justification for such change to the department head. It is also within the department head's and the City Administrator's authority to initiate a review of an employee's allocation to a class when just cause exists. A position can be allocated to a new class assigned to a higher pay grade, lower pay grade or the same pay grade. When a position is allocated to a different class, it shall be assigned to a pay grade in accordance with this chapter.
(Prior code § 8B-120)
A. 
The City Administrator must assign each class to a pay grade by publishing a position classification plan. The City Administrator must assign a grade for each class. This assignment shall be based on the written report of a committee established by the City Administrator.
B. 
The committee shall objectively evaluate classes. In evaluating classes, the committee shall use a written job evaluation system that considers the following factors. The committee's written job evaluation system may use additional factors if the Mayor and Council approve the factors:
1. 
Required education;
2. 
Required experience;
3. 
Complexity of duties;
4. 
Risk of financial loss;
5. 
Contact with others;
6. 
Working conditions;
7. 
Supervision of others.
(Prior code § 8B-121)
A. 
Except for senior executives, the pay plan must specify base salaries for the pay steps referred to in Sections 4.04.240 and 4.04.250 for each pay grade. The pay plan may specify adjustments to the base salaries to compensate employees for unusual working conditions. Evening and night work may be one of these adjustments. The pay plan may also specify bonuses to be paid to employees as part of programs with specific narrow purposes. The section does not create a right to any bonus or adjustments.
B. 
The base salaries for different grades should maintain the relative worth of work done by employees in classes assigned to different grades.
C. 
The City Administrator shall prepare a pay plan covering all pay grades in the City's service. The plan must be based on the written report of the evaluation committee established by the City Administrator under Section 4.04.210.
D. 
The pay plan and any amendments to the pay plan are not effective until adopted by the Mayor and Council by ordinance.
(Prior code § 8B-122)
A. 
Length of Pay Period. The pay period for all:
1. 
Salaried employees is 2 weeks.
2. 
Full-time hourly employees is one week.
3. 
Part-time employees is governed by the procedures of their department.
B. 
Payment for Work Done During Pay Period. An employee is only paid for work that has already been performed. The City must pay employees for the work done during a pay period as soon as practical after the end of the pay period, but never later than one week after the end of the pay period. The City Administrator may adjust pay dates to implement this section.
(Prior code § 8B-123)
A. 
Date of Pay Increases. Pay increases associated with promotions take effect on the date of promotion. Employees will become eligible for step increases or performance awards on July 1st if they were hired prior to July 1, 1999, and persons hired after July 1, 1999, will receive step and performance increases on their anniversary date of employment. The Mayor and Council may defer the effective date of increases by ordinance.
B. 
Performance Increases.
1. 
The City Administrator is responsible for establishing appropriate Personnel Regulations to govern the award of pay for performance increases.
2. 
If the employee took leave without pay for more than 10 regularly scheduled work days during the prior year, any performance increase that the employee is entitled to will be postponed for a corresponding period of time.
C. 
Market Adjustments.
1. 
A market adjustment is a percentage increase applied to the pay scale.
2. 
The Council determines whether the City will give a market adjustment in any year and the size of the adjustment. The City Administrator will recommend annual market adjustments as part of the budget process. The market adjustment may be based on an actual market survey or the Bureau of Labor Statistics "Employment Cost Index for State and Local Government Wages and Salaries."
(Prior code § 8B-124)
A. 
Promotions and Upward Reallocations. If an employee is promoted or is an incumbent of a position that is reallocated to a class in a higher grade, the employee's new pay step will be the first step in the new grade that is at least 6% higher than the employee's current step.
B. 
Salaries Above Maximum. When an employee's salary is at or above the maximum, the increase above the maximum will be awarded as a lump sum bonus and will not be included in the employee's base pay. Employees whose pay is currently above the maximum will continue to receive their current pay. Any increase which they become eligible for will be awarded as a bonus.
C. 
Downward Allocations. If an employee is an incumbent of a position that is reallocated to a class in a lower grade, then the employee's new step will be the lowest step that exceeds the employee's current salary. If the maximum in the new grade exceeds the employee's current salary, the employee's salary will not change until:
1. 
The maximum in the new grade exceeds the employee's salary (the employee will be placed at the maximum in the grade);
2. 
3 years pass (the employee will be placed at the maximum in the new grade);
3. 
The employee is promoted; or
4. 
The employee is demoted.
D. 
Demotions. When an employee is demoted, the City Manager shall determine the employee's step in the new grade. The City Manager shall base his or her decision on the reasons for the demotion and the employee's record of performance with the City.
(Ord. 2009-30 § 1, 2009/prior code § 8B-125)
An employee shall continue to be paid at the same rate if an employee is permanently transferred from a position in one class to a position in another class assigned to the same pay grade; or to another position in the same class.
(Prior code § 8B-126)
When the City Administrator hires a new employee, the City Administrator may assign the employee to any step in the grade that the employee's class is assigned to. The assignment must be based on objective criteria established by regulation.
(Prior code § 8B-127)
A. 
It shall be City policy to make every effort to eliminate overtime work. However, recognizing that emergencies do occur which require overtime payment to be made, the City shall compensate employees in accordance with the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1974, as amended, and the Maryland Wage and Hours law, as amended.
B. 
All full-time employees shall be paid time and one-half for any hours worked over their normal work or regular duty hours, except that this section shall not apply to the incumbents of the positions enumerated below:
1. 
The City Administrator;
2. 
The department heads and Assistant Directors of Departments;
3. 
The Assistant City Administrator(s);
4. 
The City Clerk and Deputy City Clerk;
5. 
The Economic and Community Development Coordinator; and
6. 
The Police Captain and Police Lieutenant(s).
(Prior code § 8B-128)