This chapter and its subparts only apply to unrepresented employees, those which are not represented by a collective bargaining unit.
2-1. Establishment
A. The Village Council of the Village of Royal Palm Beach shall periodically adopt by Resolution, a pay plan. This plan may subsequently be amended by Resolution or budget appropriation.
B. The pay plan and associated salary structure has been created only for those employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The comprehensive pay plan salary schedule is available from either Human Resources or the Finance Department, which contains the salary ranges for those positions of employment by the Village. This pay plan is applicable to all classes of non-collective bargaining positions, except that of Village Manager.
2-2. Management
The Village Manager or designee shall be responsible for implementing and managing the pay plan.
2-3. Maintenance
A. The Village Manager or designee shall, occasionally conduct such comparative studies as deemed necessary on the factors affecting pay ranges prior to the preparation of the annual budget. On the basis of information derived from such studies, the Village Manager may recommend to the Village Council such changes necessary to maintain the adequacy and fairness of the salary structure, and to be consistent with community standards.
B. The Village Manager may re_classify positions within the established pay grades based upon adjustments in job responsibilities and job value of the new classifications.
C. Other miscellaneous benefits may be provided to employees in order to provide for the effective administration of Village affairs, as solely determined by the Village Manager. Other miscellaneous benefits may also be provided pursuant the Village Manager’s power and duties as set forth in Village Code Sec 2-2 in order to provide for the most cost effective and efficient administration of Village’s business affairs.
2-4. Minimum Rate
The pay grade and minimum step allocated to a classification takes into account the necessary experience and qualifications. On occasion, for highly skilled, technical, or managerial positions it may be necessary to hire above the minimum rate in the range. A recommendation to hire above the minimum rate in the range shall be documented by the department head and approved by the Village Manager. The amount shall not exceed 25% above the minimum rate in the range.
2-5. Compensation Plan
A. Pay Range – Each pay grade has 40 steps. Each step is an increment of 1% compounded.
B. Prospectively, any employee whose salary meets the maximum pay rate (step 40) will only receive a COLA (cost of living adjustment) increase.
C. Employee performance evaluations could result in a merit adjustment of 0% _ 5% for all non-temporary employees. Any merit adjustment will be effective October 1st of each fiscal year. The merit adjustment will apply only to those employees who have been employed a minimum of six (6) continuous months as of September 30th of the prior fiscal year.
D. Lump Sum Bonus
Should an employee receive an overall rating score on their Performance Evaluation which would indicate a merit increase that would place their step above the 40 step maximum grade, the employee will receive the difference of merit above step 40 in a Lump Sum Bonus. Bonus will not be added to the base salary.
Example: If an employee is 2% away from the maximum of their pay range and their performance review indicates they should receive a 3% increase, then the following will occur. They will receive a 2% increase, which increase their pay to the 40 step maximum. They will also receive the other 1% as a lump sum bonus, paid out in April of that fiscal year which will not be added to the base salary.
E. Automobile Allowance
Department Directors, the Mayor and Council are paid a monthly stipend for using their cars for business purposes. The Village Manager shall be authorized to increase that amount to reflect current economic conditions subject to the annual budget approval. This money is taxable income, and is treated as such. Those employees receiving an automobile stipend are not to put in for mileage reimbursement when using their car for business purposes unless they are driving to a business related function that is located outside the tri-county area; Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin County. Reimbursements on mileage must be requested on the proper accounting form and approved by the appropriate supervisory staff.
F. Cell Phone Allowance
Monthly cell phone stipends are given to certain employees. The stipend is for the purchase, use and costs related to the cell phone. Employees issued a stipend may use their cell phones for personal use. However, use of the phone in any manner contrary to Village policy or local, state or Federal laws will constitute misuse and will result in immediate termination of the cell phone service stipend. Employees given a cell phone stipend must submit monthly to their Department Head a copy of their prior month telephone bill showing all of the business related calls. The employee at their discretion may redact all of the personal phone numbers.
The Village is not responsible for any cell phone contracts or fees associated with employee’s cell phones unless an employee no longer is required to have a cellular phone, and incurs a fee to cancel the service. In this case, the Village will reimburse such costs given the proper documentation.
2-6. Job Postings/Employment
A. In circumstances where a vacancy or newly created position will be filled by someone other than a current Village employee, such position shall be advertised publicly. Advertisements shall include job title, salary, department, minimum requirements, work schedule and application deadline. Such advertisements shall also be posted on Village bulletin boards and distributed to Village departments. Applications for Employment shall only be accepted for vacancies. It is the applicant’s responsibility to thoroughly and accurately complete the application which is available through either the Village Clerk’s Office, the Human Resources Department, or on the internet at www.royalpalmbeach.com. Resumes submitted
without the Village’s employment application form will not be accepted as a job application. Application forms are required; resumes are optional. No unsolicited resume and/or application will be considered. Applicants must possess the necessary qualifications and abilities to perform the job for which they are applying for at the time of application unless otherwise noted in the job description. (i.e. licensing requirements)
B. In order to develop career opportunities for Village employees, it is the Village’s policy to fill job vacancies by promotion from within whenever appropriate and in the Village’s best interest. For positions only open to current employees, the Human Resources Department shall distribute job announcements for departments to post for at least five (5) working days. Original application forms are required; resumes are optional.
C. The Human Resources Department shall forward applicants who meet the minimum job qualifications to the department filling the position. Applicants who are clearly overqualified maybe declined an interview. The department head shall coordinate job interviews, selection and hiring with the Human Resources Department. Prior to all job interviews, questions will be reviewed and approved by the Human Resource Department.
D. The Human Resource Department will arrange for background checks to be completed on applicants who have successfully interviewed and meet the minimum requirements. Upon completion of the background check, departments will be told if the applicant can move forward in the hiring process. In accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, applicants not hired are entitled to know if employment is denied because of information obtained by the Village from a Consumer Reporting Agency. Upon written request, such applicant shall be provided information about the report including the name of the agency or sources of information and scope of the investigation. Applicants not hired shall be notified by the Human Resources Department.
E. Applicants should never be offered or be made any promise of employment without approval from the Human Resource Department. Any job offer extended to an applicant is conditioned upon the successful completion of a pre-employment physical examination and drug screen. The Human Resource Department will arrange for both the physical and the pre-employment drug test.
F. Upon approval from the Human Resource Department, applicants may be contacted and a start date agreed upon. Departments are responsible for coordinating the new hire orientation with the Human Resource Department. No employee can start work until a new hire orientation is completed on the first day of employment.
G. Current employees selected for another job must be released from his/her current position within two (2) weeks from the date of selection, unless a different time period is mutually agreed upon by the current and requesting departments.
2.7. Promotion
An employee promoted to a position with a higher pay grade will receive the starting rate of pay for that job or a 5% increase, whichever is greater, unless the Village Manager determines that a higher pay level is appropriate. Accordingly, the Village Manager may authorize a pay increase of up to 20%. The promoted employee will be on probation for the first 90 days. During the probationary period, the employee may be returned to his/her prior
position provided the position is still vacant. If is it decided that the employee is to return to his/her former position during the probationary period, he/she will receive his/her previous salary. All promotions require prior approval of the Village Manager.
2-8. Transfer
An employee who requests a voluntary or receives an involuntary transfer to another position in the same pay grade shall receive the same rate of pay. An employee transferred permanently without a promotion or demotion shall not receive a change in pay. All transfers require prior approval of the Village Manager. The transferred employee will be on probation for the first ninety (90) days, and may be returned to his/her prior position and salary if necessary.
2-9. Demotion
An employee who is demoted for disciplinary reasons will be assigned to the same step in the new (lower) classification as the employee’s former classification before the demotion. All demotions require prior approval of the Village Manager.
2-10. Temporary Assignments/Transfers
See Chapter 9, Section 9-2 (Temporary Job Classification).
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