WEBB COUNTY PERSONNEL POLICIES

1 webb COUNTY PERSONNEL POLICIES Adopted August 24, 1998 With Revisions through September 11, 2017 Adopted August 24, 1998, with revisions through December 14, 2015 ii webb COUNTY PERSONNEL POLICIES INTRODUCTION .. 1 webb COUNTY .. 1 AUTHORITY .. 1 RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PERSONNEL POLICIES .. 1 PURPOSE .. 1 APPLICABILITY OF PERSONNEL POLICIES .. 2 DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONNEL POLICIES .. 2 COMMUNICATION .. 2 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES .. 2 GENERAL .. 2 TIMELINESS .. 2 OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT .. 3 CONFLICT OF INTEREST .. 3 POLITICAL ACTIVITY .. 3 NATURAL DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES .. 4 USE OF COUNTY -OWNED VEHICLES .. 4 TRAVEL FOR COUNTY BUSINESS .. 5 COMPUTER USE POLICY .. 5 EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS AND PRACTICES .. 7 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY .. 7 SEXUAL HARASSMENT .. 8 PHYSICAL STANDARDS .. 9 EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES .. 9 RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION.

2 9 GENERAL POLICY .. 9 VACANCIES .. 10 QUALIFICATIONS .. 10 PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS .. 10 APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT .. 10 CONSIDERATION OF CURRENT EMPLOYEES .. 11 DISQUALIFICATION .. 11 EMPLOYMENT AT WILL .. 11 HIRING PROCESS FOR DEPARTMENT HEADS .. 11 TYPES OF EMPLOYMENT .. 11 CATEGORIES .. 11 NEW EMPLOYEES .. 12 ASSIGNED STAFF .. 12 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND PERSONAL CONDUCT .. 13 EMPLOYEE CONDUCT 13 WORK SCHEDULE AND TIME REPORTING .. 16 ADMINISTRATIVE WORKWEEK .. 16 Adopted August 24, 1998, with revisions through December 14, 2015 iii SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS BY DEPARTMENT HEADS .. 16 OFFICIAL CLOSINGS OF COUNTY 16 NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED .. 17 OVERTIME AND COMPENSATORY TIME .. 17 FIRE DEPARTMENT .. 18 EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION AND ADVANCEMENT .. 20 webb COUNTY GOVERNMENT CLASSIFICATION/ STEP INCREASE POLICY .. 20 PAY PERIOD .. 23 PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS.

3 23 PAY PLAN .. 24 LATERAL TRANSFERS .. 24 DEMOTIONS .. 24 CALCULATION OF SEPARATION PAY .. 24 SUMMARY OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS .. 25 MEDICAL .. 25 SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE .. 25 (A) RETIREMENT PLAN .. 25 (B) webb COUNTY RETIREE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS POLICY .. 27 WORKERS COMPENSATION .. 29 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE .. 29 LEAVE AND HOLIDAYS .. 29 DEFINITIONS .. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. APPROVAL OF LEAVE .. 30 (A) ANNUAL LEAVE .. 30 (B) COLLECTIVE BARGANING AGREEMENT FOR webb COUNTY DEPUTY SHERIFF S 31 PERSONAL DAYS .. 31 SICK LEAVE .. 31 MILITARY LEAVE .. 32 CITIZENSHIP LEAVE .. 33 FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT .. 35 (A) HOLIDAYS .. 37 (B) COLLECTIVE BARGANING AGREEMENT FOR webb COUNTY DEPUTY SHERIFF S 38 LEAVE AND HOLIDAY RECORDS .. 39 FUNERAL LEAVE .. 39 LEAVE TIME FOR JJAEP 39 HEALTH AND SAFETY .. 40 SAFETY POLICY .. 40 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES.

4 40 EMPLOYEE SUGGESTIONS .. 40 ON-THE-JOB INJURIES .. 40 DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE POLICY .. 41 PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS .. 42 PURPOSE .. 42 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION 42 DISCIPLINE .. 43 FORMS OF DISCIPLINE .. 43 SUSPENSION FOLLOWING INDICTMENT .. 43 Adopted August 24, 1998, with revisions through December 14, 2015 iv SEPARATIONS .. 44 TYPES OF SEPARATION .. 44 RESIGNATION .. 44 RETIREMENT .. 44 REDUCTION IN FORCE .. 45 ELIMINATION OF POSITION .. 45 45 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT .. 45 EXIT INTERVIEWS AND RECORDS .. 46 GRIEVANCES .. 46 POLICY .. 46 GROUNDS FOR A GRIEVANCE .. 46 INFORMAL GRIEVANCE .. 47 COMPOSITION OF GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE .. 47 FORMAL GRIEVANCES .. 47 PERSONNEL FILES .. 49 GENERAL .. 49 PERSONNEL ACTION FORM .. 49 CONTENTS OF PERSONNEL FILES .. 50 LEAVE RECORDS .. 50 16. ADDITIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES .. 50 SUPPLEMENTARY POLICIES .

5 50 POLICIES PERTAINING TO THE webb COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY (CAA) .. 50 17. EXEMPTION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS .. 51 EXEMPTION FROM MANUAL .. 51 18. POLICIES AND REGULATIONS REQUIRED BY LAW .. 52 STATE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS .. 52 INTRODUCTION webb COUNTY webb COUNTY 's governmental organization is established by the Constitution of the State of Texas and by State Statutes. Its operations are governed by state and federal law and by actions of the Commissioners Court. The Commissioners Court consists of four COUNTY Commissioners, each elected by the voters of a Commissioner's precinct, and the COUNTY Judge, elected by all of the voters of the COUNTY . The Commissioners Court is the primary policy-making body of the COUNTY . COUNTY operations are conducted through departments each administered by an Elected Official or appointed Department Head. As used herein, Department Head shall be construed to include Elected Officials where appropriate.

6 AUTHORITY These POLICIES are established by the Commissioners Court of webb COUNTY and replace all previously approved POLICIES . They are applicable in their entirety to all departments under the direct authority of Commissioners Court. Further, these POLICIES are applicable to all COUNTY employees to the extent that Commissioners Court has authority over the subject matter of any particular policy including, but not limited to, issues of pay, leave, employee benefits, and fiscal matters. Certain of these PERSONNEL POLICIES may be contingent upon available funds in each COUNTY department s budget and in the general webb COUNTY Operating Budget as well as any other funding sources. RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PERSONNEL POLICIES Each Department Head, elected or appointed, is responsible for the administration of the PERSONNEL POLICIES within their department and may issue detailed departmental operating procedures to implement these adopted POLICIES as long as they are consistent with these POLICIES .

7 PURPOSE Subject to the webb COUNTY Civil Service Rules and Regulations, these POLICIES set forth the primary rules governing employment with webb COUNTY . The POLICIES contained herein inform employees of the benefits and obligations of employment with the COUNTY . They have been prepared and adopted in order to promote consistent, equitable, and effective practices which will result in high quality public service by both employees and supervisors. These POLICIES may be revised at any time without notice to employees. The POLICIES contained in this manual do not constitute any type of employment agreement with webb COUNTY . Adopted August 24, 1998, with revisions through December 14, 2015 2 APPLICABILITY OF PERSONNEL POLICIES The PERSONNEL POLICIES apply equally to all employees and officials of the COUNTY unless a class of employees is specifically exempted. In cases where federal law or regulation supersedes local policy for specific groups of employees, such laws or regulations will substitute for these PERSONNEL POLICIES only insofar as necessary to comply.

8 Elected officials are personally exempt from the PERSONNEL POLICIES but must abide by the PERSONNEL POLICIES in the administration of their Departments. DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONNEL POLICIES Complete copies of the PERSONNEL POLICIES manual will be maintained by the COUNTY Clerk s Office as an official record of the Commissioners Court. Furthermore, copies of the current manual with all revisions will be maintained by the Human Resources Division of the webb COUNTY Administrative Services Department which shall make copies of this manual available to employees upon request and shall ensure that his/her employees are notified of this availability. A copy of the manual will be placed on webb COUNTY s website. Each new employee will be provided with a copy of the manual and shall acknowledge receipt of the manual in writing. COMMUNICATION Employees are encouraged to make constructive suggestions for improvements in these POLICIES or in work procedures or conditions to their immediate supervisors or Department Heads.

9 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES GENERAL webb COUNTY is an organization supported by public funds. webb COUNTY officials, Department Heads and employees must adhere to high standards of public service that emphasize professionalism, courtesy, and avoidance of even the appearance of illegal or unethical conduct. Employees are expected to carry out efficiently the work items assigned as their responsibility, to maintain a good moral conduct, and to do their part in maintaining good relationships with the public, with other governmental employees and officials, with their supervisors, and with fellow employees. TIMELINESS Employees are to be punctual in maintaining work hours, keeping appointments and meeting schedules for completion of work. Adopted August 24, 1998, with revisions through December 14, 2015 3 OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT An employee who engages in employment outside the COUNTY must notify his or her Department Head.

10 Such employee must also provide notification for any change of outside job. Outside employment is prohibited and is cause for disciplinary action if it: 1. is inconsistent or incompatible with employment with the COUNTY ; 2. results in tardiness, absenteeism, or refusal to work overtime when deemed necessary by the Department Head; or 3. adversely affect the employee's job performance. COUNTY -issued uniforms or apparel, other than that issued for law enforcement PERSONNEL , may not be used in the outside employment activities. COUNTY -issued uniforms or apparel may not be worn while engaging in political activities. CONFLICT OF INTEREST An employee may not: 1. solicit, accept, or agree to accept a financial benefit, directly or indirectly, other than from the COUNTY , that might reasonably tend to influence his or her performance of duties for the COUNTY , or that he or she knows or should know is offered with intent to influence the employee's performance; 2.