[Amended 2-26-1991]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
SUGGESTER
One eligible for participation in the plan who makes a suggestion.
SUGGESTION
A constructive proposal for a new procedure or change in existing procedure in the operation of a City department or division thereof, whose employees are eligible for participation in this plan, which makes possible the reduction, elimination or avoidance of expenditures of public money or results in improvement in the operation of the functions of the City of Lowell. All suggestions, with the exception of those in § 56-18, which accomplish or tend to accomplish any of the following objectives shall be considered suggestions within the meaning of this article:
A. 
Saving of time, space, material or supplies.
B. 
Improvement of service to the public.
C. 
Improvement of methods and procedures resulting in increased output or efficiency, or both.
D. 
Improvement of safety conditions.
E. 
Improvement of tools and equipment.
F. 
Elimination of unnecessary procedures, records and forms.
There is hereby created a Suggestion Award Plan.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
A. 
The following persons shall be eligible for participation in the plan:
(1) 
All permanent full-time employees and provisional and temporary employees, all of whom have actually worked at least one year in the aggregate for the City of Lowell.
(2) 
Any retired employee who has been retired one year and whose suggestions have been acted upon within one year of such retirement.
B. 
Department heads and chief deputies and members of boards and commissions of the City of Lowell are excepted from the provisions of this article and ineligible for participation in the plan.
The following suggestions are not eligible for awards under the Suggestion Award Plan:
A. 
Propositions which call attention to a problem but do not suggest a solution.
B. 
Suggestions dealing with normal maintenance, unless such suggestions contribute to a solution of maintenance problems.
C. 
Suggestions dealing with salary adjustments and job classifications.
D. 
Suggestions that are not original with the suggester or which are submitted for other employees who would be ineligible because the suggestions would be within the scope of their normal job responsibilities.
E. 
Suggestions which are basically duplicates of suggestions submitted within the preceding twenty-four-month period.
F. 
Suggestions which are within the scope of the normal job responsibility of a suggester.
A. 
Cash awards shall be made for suggestions which the Suggestion Award Board finds will result in tangible beneficial savings to the City. Such awards shall be divided into two categories as follows:
(1) 
Tangible - budgetary savings.
(2) 
Tangible - no budget reduction savings.
B. 
For tangible - budgetary savings the Suggestion Award Board must be advised by the department head involved or the City Manager that the suggestion will result in a budgetary saving. For tangible - no budget reduction savings the Suggestion Award Board will make a finding that the suggestion will result in tangible benefit to the City although it will not result in a specific reduction in the budget.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
A. 
Budgetary savings. Cash awards for budgetary savings shall consist of 10% of one full fiscal year's net savings.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
B. 
No budgetary savings
(1) 
When the total value of estimated, or appraised, tangible - no budget reduction savings is less than $1,000, the cash award for such savings shall be the same as for similar tangible - budgetary savings.
(2) 
When the total value of realized, or appraised, tangible - no budget reduction savings exceeds $1,000, the award shall not be less than 50% of the scale of awards for tangible - budgetary savings in the same amount and in no event shall be less than $100, based upon the findings of the Suggestion Award Board as to the merit of the suggestion and probable realization of the estimated savings. The decision of the Suggestion Award Board as to the percentage shall be final.
C. 
Minimum amount. The minimum cash award shall be a sum of money which, after deduction of the income taxes therefrom, will leave a net cash remainder of $10 to be paid to the suggester. The Award Board is authorized to approve awards in an amount up to and including $100 for each award without further authority from the Council. Awards in an amount exceeding $100 shall be recommended by the Award Board and shall not be paid unless approved by the City Council.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
D. 
Not exceeding $100. Payment of a cash award up to a maximum of $100 may be made and/or the Board may award up to two additional days off with pay with respect to each suggestion on the basis of an estimate by the Award Board of actual monetary savings over one full fiscal year.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
E. 
Exceeding $100. Payment of cash awards in excess of $100 for any suggestion shall not be made until the suggestion has been installed for a period of one full fiscal year and shall be based on savings actually realized during the twelve-month period; however, an initial award of $100 may be paid in accordance with Subsection D, such payment, however, to be deducted from the final award made for the suggestion.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
[Amended 2-26-1991]
A. 
After a suggestion has been installed in a department or division thereof and an award has been made for the installation, a supplemental cash award may be authorized by the Award Board if the suggestion is installed in other departments or units and additional savings or intangible benefits accrue. The supplemental award shall be in an amount which, when added to the original award and all other supplemental awards for the same suggestion, will equal the amount to which the suggester would have been entitled if the suggestion had originally been applied to all departments to which it now applies.
B. 
Maximum cash awards. In no event shall any cash award to an individual under this article, including supplemental cash award, exceed $500.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
The Award Board shall not make any cash award unless sufficient funds are available in the appropriation authorized by the City Council. An award based on a tangible savings shall not be paid for any suggestion if the estimated full one fiscal year's savings is less than the minimum award.
Special scales to help in the evaluation of adopted suggestions which show intangible or safety benefits shall be developed and adopted by the Award Board.
When an original suggestion is a partial solution of a problem, or a solution of part of a problem, and must be revised or developed before it can be installed, it shall be evaluated for the purpose of determining the amount of the award on the basis of its proportionate importance to the final suggestion that is actually installed.
A. 
Creation; membership. There shall be created a Suggestion Award Board consisting of three members who shall be appointed by the City Manager and whose appointments shall be approved by the City Council. The Board members shall be appointed for a period of two years. Vacancies created by death, resignation or removal shall be filled in the same manner as appointments to other boards of the City. Removals for misconduct or any other reason shall be in accordance with the proceedings in relation to other City boards.
B. 
Functions. The functions of the Award Board shall be as follows:
(1) 
To exercise general supervision and control over the plan set forth in this article.
(2) 
To determine the eligibility of suggestions and suggesters.
(3) 
To determine the type and amount of awards within the prescribed limit of $100.
(4) 
To assure that each suggestion is thoroughly and fairly investigated and reported upon.
(5) 
In the case of suggestions which the department has rejected in whole or in part, in its discretion to refer the suggestion back to the department head or City Manager for further consideration.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
(6) 
To authorize the actual payment of awards in amounts up to and including $100.
(7) 
To encourage employees to make suggestions and to explain the plan to the various departments and divisions.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
(8) 
To waive procedural rules in individual cases in the interest of fairness and equity and to report periodically on such cases to the City Council rules governing the amount of cash award.
(9) 
To recommend changes in the plan to the City Council.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
(10) 
To submit periodic reports and recommendations to the City Manager and the City Council on the functioning of the plan.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
(11) 
To call upon any City officer or employee for information and recommendation on any suggestion or suggester.
[Amended 2-26-1991[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also deleted original § 15-147, Departmental responsibilities, which immediately followed this section.
A. 
Suggestions shall be prepared on special forms provided by the Award Board and shall be submitted directly by the suggester to the City Manager's office.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
B. 
The Award Board shall review and record all suggestions received and refer them to the appropriate department for investigation.
C. 
The Suggestion Award Board may require suggesters to submit sufficient data and supporting material to justify consideration of their suggestions, as they apply to their own departments. If either or both time and money are claimed as savings, these should be expressed as estimates in terms of dollars. Source of data should be indicated wherever possible.
D. 
All suggestions shall be signed by the suggester, but the Award Board shall not disclose the name of a suggester to the investigating department at the time the suggestion is transmitted, if the suggester so requests.
E. 
With the consent of the Award Board, an employee may submit a suggestion at an early stage in its development in order to establish his priority of right to such suggestion.
F. 
Suggestions shall be considered submitted when they are received by the Award Board.
G. 
Suggestions may be submitted jointly by two or more employees and monetary awards shared equally or as requested by the employees.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
A. 
Each department shall investigate and estimate the savings on suggestions submitted by its employees or affecting its activities and shall adopt and install suggestions whenever feasible
B. 
Each City department and governmental agency shall be responsible for investigating and taking action on suggestions submitted by its employees or affecting its activities and may request technical assistance from and consultation with any other department or officer.
C. 
Within 45 days from date of receipt of a suggestion from the Award Board the department shall submit a final or a progress report to the Award Board.
D. 
If a department rejects a suggestion in whole or in part, the Board may request the department to reconsider its rejection but shall have no authority to reverse a departmental decision.
E. 
All completed investigation reports of a department shall bear the signature of the department head or his authorized representative and the immediate supervisor responsible for the activity with which the suggestion deals.
F. 
Departmental investigation or suggestions shall seek the following information:
(1) 
The identity of persons and operations affected.
(2) 
An estimate of the savings in time, labor, material, space, hazard, inconvenience and other factors.
(3) 
A report on action taken or planned on the complete or partial installation of the suggestion within the department.
(4) 
The eligibility of suggestions and suggester.
(5) 
Complete reasons for a rejection of the suggestion in whole or in part.
(6) 
An estimate of the cost of installation and recommendation on the amortization of the cost of installation of the suggestion.
(7) 
An estimate of the possible effect of the suggestion on other units of the department.
(8) 
An estimate of the period of time over which the savings or advantages of a suggestion are expected to accrue or have effect.
G. 
Departmental procedures for handling suggestions include provision of personal contact between departmental superiors and the suggester.
A. 
All suggestions which are adopted shall become the property of the City of Lowell, except that, if the Award Board approves, the suggester may apply for patents if the City and all other public agencies whose employees are eligible for participation in this plan are given a nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use the patented suggestion as long as the patent, or any renewal thereof, remains in effect.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
B. 
Neither the City nor any other public agency whose employees are eligible to participate in this plan is liable to any suggester for any sum of money other than that which the Award Board shall in its sole discretion see fit to award, subject to the provision of § 56-20C.
[Amended 2-26-1991]
C. 
Upon submission of a suggestion the suggester shall waive any claim for compensation for such suggestion other than as herein provided for, and each suggestion blank submitted by a suggester shall contain such a waiver.