Board reworks city employee absence policy
Published 5:00 am Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Brookhaven Board of Aldermen Tuesday reworked an cityemployee unexcused absence policy to include a warning provisionbefore suspension and an avenue for appeal in the event oftermination.
Also, Mayor Bob Massengill rewrote the policy – presented at theFeb. 20 meeting – to have unexcused absences issues addressed bythe city board rather than by department heads. Contrary to boarddiscussion and intentions at last month’s meeting, the mayor saidthe authority to suspend an employee could not be delegated todepartment heads.
During last night’s discussion, Ward Five Alderman D.W. Maxwellreiterated his strong belief there should be a warning clause inthe policy. Other aldermen offered no objections to including awarning provision in the policy.
City Attorney Joe Fernald also mentioned the need for an avenuefor recourse should an employee be terminated for excessiveunexcused absences.
“There needs to be a procedure to appeal before the board,” saidFernald, suggesting that it be added as a note to the finalpolicy.
As it stands, an employee with one unexcused absence will beissued a warning and the next unexcused absence will bringsuspension without pay. After three unexcused absences in a runningone-year period, the employee will be brought before the board fortermination.
An unexcused absence is described by the policy as failure toshow up for work at the normal time without having called to informa supervisor of extreme circumstance. All city employees will havethe policy read to them and will sign a statement that theyunderstand.
Massengill will add the warning step and the appeal procedure,and the board is expected to vote on the final policy at the April3 meeting.
In other business, a quarterly activities report from RecreationDepartment Director Terry Reid ended up focusing on little leaguebaseball and a lack of participation in one of the localprograms.
“Hansel King registration is going great,” said Reid, referringto the Dixie Youth program that has its games at the Hansel KingSportsplex. “But at A.L. Lott, we didn’t even have enough kids tomake one team in any age group.”
Reid also said there were no applications filed for coaches orofficials in the Lott program, which has its games played at thesports facility on Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Dr. Earlier this year,the recreation department held two organizational meetings in aneffort to drum up interest and support in the Lott program.
Ward Two Alderman Terry Bates, who was at both meetings, raisedconcerns about entry fees and who would be paying them.
“We discussed one thing at the meetings, then said another tothe public,” he said.
Bates was referring to a $30 enrollment fee for the Lottbaseball program. However, it was announced at the meeting that ifa child could not find the money, there would be scholarshipsavailable.
Bates said he felt there were still people who did notparticipate because of the enrollment fee.
Maxwell, who was also in attendance at the meetings, took issueswith Bates’ comments.
“Well, you were there at the meetings. What’s the answer?,”Maxwell asked Bates. “Everyone has worked hard on this.”
Bates said more input from community leaders is needed and newthings should be tried. Reid said he thought this year’s concertedeffort would be the difference needed in the program, and many ofthe aldermen agreed.
Also last night, Building Inspector Walter Temple presented hisrecommendations for overgrown and dilapidated properties that wereaddressed at a public hearing last Monday. In most cases, theowners were given 30 days to renovate or demolish the buildings onthe properties and to clean up the lots.