HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.E.3. Adoption of Payroll Policy .S: F`.3
CITY OF SHAKOPEE a
Memorandum
TO: Mayor and City Council
Mark McNeill, City Administrator
FROM: Kris Wilson, Assistant City Administrator
' SUBJECT: .Adoption of Payroll Policy
DATE: February 15, 2008
Introduction
The Council is asked to adopt the attached Payroll Policy.
Background
When the City revised its Personnel Handbook last year, our attorneys at Kennedy and
Graven suggested that the level of detail found in the old handbook on some subjects was
more appropriate for an administrative policy than for the Personnel Handbook.
Therefore, staff is working on a number of administrative policies related to our human
resources activities. The first such policy is the attached Payroll Policy, outlining key
dates and deadlines on our payroll calendar and the responsibilities of employees and
.supervisors.
The attached policy has been reviewed by the City's Department Heads and our attorneys
at Kennedy and Graven. It largely reflects current practice, but does contain a few policy
changes. The policy changes are as follows:
1. The new policy states that timesheets shall be approved by the employee's direct
supervisor, which may or may not be a Department Head. Currently our
timesheets provide a signature line only for the Department Head's approval. As
the City staff has grown, an increasing number of employees have a direct
supervisor who is not a Department Head. It is recommended that direct
supervisors be authorized to approve timesheets because they are in the best
position to know each employee's work schedule, vacation and sick days, etc.
2. The new policy authorizes use of electronic timesheets, and provides that they
shall be used by alI full-time employees, unless the employee does not have
regular access to a computer or there is a valid business reason to continue with
paper timesheets. The City has been testing an electronic timesheet feature that is
part of our payroll software and is now ready to roll it out to all full-time
employees. There are several advantages of moving to an electronic system.
Most notably it eliminates the need for our HR Technician to key in each
employee's time into the payroll system. This frees up her time to do other things
and reduces the potential for typographical and mathematical errors. The
electronic system also allows an employee's timesheet to be routed to their
supervisor and then on to payroll without the need to physically transport it from
one City building to another.
Relationship to Vision: Adoption of the attached Payroll Policy is intended to
contribute to Goal E: a Financially Strong City.
Requested Action: If it concurs with the contents of the proposed policy, Council is
asked to offer Resolution 6730, A Resolution Adopting a Payroll Policy for the City of
Shakopee, and move its adoption.
RESOLUTION No. 6730
A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A PAYROLL POLICY
FOR THE CITY OF SHAKOPEE
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SHAKOPEE,
MINNESOTA, that the attached Payroll Policy for the City of Shakopee is hereby
adopted, effective February 20, 2008.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all Resolutions in conflict with this
resolution are hereby repealed and terminated effective February 20, 2008.
Adopted in adjourned regular session of the City Council of the City of Shakopee,
Minnesota, held this 20`'' day of February, 2008.
Mayor of the City of Shakopee
ATTEST:
City Clerk
Payroll Policy .for the City of Shakopee
Application. The following policy applies to all employees of the City of Shakopee, except
paid-on-call firefighters.
Pay Periods. The pay period shall be a fourteen (14) day period beginning on Monday at 12:01
a.m. and continuing to the second following Sunday at 12:00 a.m. (midnight). All hours worked
shall be credited to the day and pay period when the shift began.
For the purpose of computing overtime under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the work
period for all employees, except sworn police officers, is a seven-day period. Unless otherwise
specified in writing by an employee's supervisor, the work period shall begin on Monday and
end on Sunday. For sworn police officers, the work period is a 28 day period, with the first work
period of the year corresponding to the first two pay periods of the payroll year and subsequent
work periods following every 28 calendar days.
Paydays. Employees shall be paid on a bi-weekly basis. Payday shall be the first Friday
following the close of a pay period. When a payday falls on abank-recognized holiday,
employees shall receive their pay the preceding workday.
Direct Deposit. As permitted by Minn. Stat. 471.426, direct deposit of payroll. is required for all
employees. Employees may elect to have their paycheck divided amongst a maximum of four
(4) bank accounts. Employees may change the bank account(s) to which their paycheck is
deposited as necessary by filing a new Direct Deposit Agreement with the HR Technician no
Later than the close of business ten calendar days prior to payday (i.e. the second Wednesday of a
pay period.)
Pay Stubs. A paper document detailing the hours worked, pay received, taxes and deductions
withheld, and current leave balances shall be provided to all employees for each pay period.
Paystubs shall be distributed to the employee's home department via inter-office mail the
morning of payday. An employee's home department is responsible for distributing paystubs to
employees, including mailing paystubs to employees who work off-site or are on an extended
leave.
Corrections. In situations where an employee believes there is an error in his or her pay, the
employee shall contact the HR Technician as soon as possible, and not in excess of 30 days after
receiving the pay amount in question. In cases where an error is confirmed, the error shall be
corrected as part of the next payroll cycle.
Deductions /Withholdings. Deductions /withholdings for insurance premiums (medical,
dental, AFLAC, supplemental life), for Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending
Account (FSA) contributions, and court-ordered payments (such as child support) shall be
processed out of the first two paychecks of each month. State and federal taxes, PERA, deferred
compensation and contributions to Post-Employment Health Care Savings Plans shall be
processed out of every paycheck.
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Changes to Deductions /Withholdings. In cases where elections impacting payroll deductions
and/or withholdings are not limited to the annual open enrollment period, an employee may
make changes as necessary by filing the appropriate paperwork with the HR Technician no later
than the close of business ten calendar days prior to payday (i.e. the second Wednesday of a pay
period.) This includes filing a new W-4 form and making changes to deferred compensation or
HSA contributions.
Recording Hours Worked
A record of all hours worked shall be maintained by all employees, in the format most
appropriate for their position.
Whenever possible, full-time employees shall record their time to an electronic timesheet, while
part-time and seasonal employees shall utilize a timeclock. Paper timesheets shall be utilized
only in those cases where employees do not have regular access to a computer/timeclock or in
cases where there is a valid business purpose for the use of paper timesheets. Employees
instructed to use a paper timesheet must complete the timesheet in blue or black ink and sign it in
the location indicated.
All time worked shall be recorded against the specific day on which the shift began and shall be
charged to the appropriate business unit and, where necessary, the appropriate sub-ledger
account.
Using Leave Time
Employees wishing to use leave time, including vacation, sick and comp time, must submit an
Absence Request Form to their direct supervisor. For leaves that are foreseen, such as vacation
days, the Absence. Request Form must be submitted prior to the absence. In cases where an
absence was not foreseen, such as a sick day, the employee is still obligated to submit an
Absence Request Form upon their return. Once acted on by the supervisor, all Absence Request
Forms must be forwarded to the HR Technician no later than the first Monday following the
close of a pay period.
Employee Responsibilities
All employees must prepare their own record of hours worked and must do so in the assigned
format (paper timesheet, electronic timesheet or timeclock -hereafter referred to as "timesheet").
Unless otherwise directed by their supervisor, employees are to submit their completed timesheet
to their direct supervisor no later than 10:00 a.m. on the Monday morning following the close of
a pay period.
Except in the case of shortened work weeks or other unusual circumstances, time should not be
recorded to timesheets until after it has been worked and timesheets should not be submitted to
supervisors until the employee has completed all scheduled shifts for the pay period. However,
employees taking vacation time or other extended leaves that will run up to and/or past the close
of a pay period, can and should prepare and submit timesheets in advance of their leave.
All employees are obligated to report hours worked accurately and completely. Employees
found to have falsified their record of hours worked in any way shall be subject to discipline, up
to and including termination.
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Supervisors' Responsibilities
Timesheets shall be approved by the employee's direct supervisor and submitted to the HR
Technician no later than 1:00 p.m. on the Monday following the close of a pay period.
Supervisors are responsible for reviewing timesheets to ensure that all hours worked are recorded
appropriately, paid leave time has been used and recorded appropriately, and that all relevant
provisions of the City's personnel handbook and applicable union contracts have been adhered to
in terms of overtime, comp time, holiday pay, etc.
Supervisors are also responsible for:
1. Correcting any errors on an employee's timesheet and communicating those changes or
corrections to the employee; (In the case of a paper timesheet, changes made by a
supervisor must be done in ink and initialed. "White-out" should not be used on
timesheets.)
2. Tracking down and obtaining a timesheet from any employee who has not submitted a
timesheet by the 10:00 a.m. deadline;
3. Arranging for a qualified alternate to approve timesheets in cases where the supervisor
will be or is absent on the Monday morning of a payroll week.
Timesheets Not Submitted by Deadline
In cases where an employee does not submit their timesheet as instructed and by the deadline,
the employee may have to wait until the next payroll cycle in order to be paid for those hours
worked. The City will not run a special or interim payroll process for individual employees who
have failed to complete and submit their timesheet as instructed.
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