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HomeMy WebLinkAbout13.E.1. Appointment of a Fire Chief 13..~~ ~ CITY OF SHAKOPEE ~ Memorandum TO: Mayor and City Council Mark McNeill, City Administrator FROM: Kris Wilson, Assistant City Administrato`~~~ SUBJECT: Appointment of Fire Chief DATE: May 16, 2008 INTRODUCTION: The City Council is asked to authorize the hiring of Richard Coleman as the City's first full-time Fire Chief. BACKGROUND: The Fire Department's 2008 budget includes funding for the City's first full-time Fire Chief. Over the past six months the City has undertaken an extensive recruitment and selection process with the help of Personnel Decisions, Inc. (PDI). Members of the Council, the Fire Department and City Administration have all been involved in the selection process and the candidates have undergone psychological and management testing through PDI and an extensive background check conducted by the Police Department. Following this extensive process, I recommend that Richard Coleman be hired as the City's first full-time Fire Chief. Mr. Coleman is a lifelong Shakopee resident and has been a Shakopee firefighter since April of 1987. In his 21 years with the Department, Mr. Coleman has served as Assistant Engineer, Second, Third and Fourth Captain, and Training Officer. From 2003 - 2007, Mr. Coleman held the position of Assistant Chief. Outside the Fire Department, he has worked as the Service Manager for Quality Forklift for the past twelve years. He obtained atwo-year degree in auto mechanics from Hennepin Technical College in 1985 and is currently working on an Associate's Degree in Fire Sciences. VISIONING RELATIONSHIP: Hiring qualified individuals to serve and lead the City's Fire Department contributes to Goal B - ahigh quality of life for residents and Goal D - a vibrant, resilient and stable city. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that Richard Coleman be hired for the position of Fire Chief, at Step G of Grade 11 of the City's Full-Time Pay Plan ($81,984), contingent upon successful completion of apre-employment physical /drug test and subject to a one-year probationary period. The anticipated start date for Mr. Coleman is Tuesday, May 27, 2008. It is further recommended that the Council authorize the appropriate officials to enter into the attached employment agreement with Mr. Coleman, which includes details regarding compensation, benefits, use of a City vehicle, uniform allowance, and retirement benefits. ACTION REQUESTED: If the Council concurs, they should offer a motion to hire Richard Coleman for the position of Fire Chief, at Step G of Grade 11 of the City's Full-Time Pay Plan ($81,984), contingent upon successful completion of apre-employment physical /drug test and subject to a one-year probationary period; and authorize the appropriate officials to enter into the attached employment agreement with Mr. Coleman. It is further recommended that the Council authorize the appropriate officials to enter into the attached employment agreement with Mr. Coleman, which includes details regarding compensation, benefits, use of a City vehicle, uniform allowance, and retirement benefits. ACTION REQUESTED: If the Council concurs, they should offer a motion to hire Richard Coleman for the position of Fire Chief, contingent upon successful completion of apre-employment physical /drug test, and authorize the appropriate officials to enter into the attached employment agreement with Mr. Coleman. TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT This Agreement is made as of May 20, 2008 for the purpose of putting into writing the terms of employment by and between the City of Shakopee ("Employer") and Richard J. Coleman ("Employee") in his employment as Fire Chief for the City of Shakopee. The Employee shall be subject to all provisions of the City's Personnel Handbook. In case of conflict between the City's Personnel Handbook and this Agreement, the terms of the Agreement shall prevail. The following terms of employment are agreed upon between the Employer and Employee. Hire Date /Anniversary Date The Employee's date of hire shall be May 27, 2008. Employment anniversaries shall be based on this date. Probationary Period The employee shall serve aone-year probationary period beginning the date of hire. During this probationary period, the employee shall be an at-will employee and maybe disciplined or discharged for any reason or for no reason at all. Employment Status Upon successful completion of the probationary period, the Employer may discipline the Employee for just' cause. Discipline may take the following forms: written reprimand, suspension, demotion or discharge. The position of Fire Chief is afull-time, department head position. The Employee shall be an exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not entitled to overtime pay. The Employee's work schedule shall be that which best fits the duties and. responsibilities of the job. The job includes evening and weekend hours and may regularly require more than 40 hours in a work-week. Salary The Employee's starting salary shall be Step G of Grade 11 of the City's Full-Time Pay Plan ($81,984 per year). Assuming satisfactory completion of the probationary period, the Employee shall move to the mext successive steps on the Pay Plan annually on the anniversary of hire. Uniform Allowance Beginning in 2009, the Employee shall receive an annual uniform allowance, paid once a year in January as a taxable lump-sum. The amount of the allowance shall be as established in the City's Uniform Policy and shall be equal to the amount provided to other full-time employees of the Fire Department.. At the time this contract was entered into, that amount equals $500 per year. In the first six months of employment, the Employee may purchase an initial set of uniforms for daily wear and submit the receipts for reimbursement, not to exceed a total of $750 during calendar year 2008. Eligible items for this initial set of uniforms shall include pants, shirts, belt, tie, jacket, hat, and work shoes or boots. The Employer shall provide turn-out gear for the Employee in the same manner as for other firefighters. The cost of turn-out gear shall not be subject to the uniform allowance. Vehicle The employee shall be provided with a City vehicle for use in commuting to and from the Employee's primary residence and the workplace. The vehicle may be used for travel to and from emergency scenes, as well as to and from training and other Departmental business within the State of Minnesota. Under no circumstances shall the vehicle be used for personal travel outside the Shakopee Fire District. The Employee shall follow all policies and procedures established in the City's Vehicle Policy, including, but not limited to, policies regarding the use, care and maintenance of the vehicle and the carrying of passengers. Response Time While the Employee is not expected to respond to all fire calls, he shall be expected to respond to major incidents whenever possible, regardless of the time of day or day of the week. As such, the position requires that the Employee reside within a 30-minute response time of an existing or planned fire station. The Employee currently resides within such a response time and is expected to retain his primary residence within this response time for the duration of his employment in the position. Retirement Benefits The Employer shall make the usual contributions to the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA), in accordance with Federal and State laws. The Employee shall also be provided an opportunity to defer compensation, as allowed by law, into qualified IRS Section 457 plans as may be provided by the City to other non-contract employees. The Employee understands that he is accepting a position that requires participation in the PERA Police and Fire Fund, and that as a result, the position is not subject to Social Security withholdings. The Employer will not contribute to both PERA and the Shakopee Fire Relief Association for a salaried employee. Therefore, the Employee agrees to retire from the Shakopee Fire Relief Association, effective May 26, 2008. Insurance Benefits The Employee shall have access to the same insurance benefits offered to all other full-time, non-contract employees. At the time this contract was entered into that includes medical, dental, life and long-term disability insurance, as well as the Post-Employment Health Care Savings Plan and flexible spending accounts offered under the City's Cafeteria Plan. The City shall contribute toward the cost of these benefits in the same dollar amounts and under the same terms and conditions as provided to all other full-time, non-contract employees. Completion of Associates Degree The Employee shall complete atwo-year Associate's Degree in Fire Science no later than June 1, 2013. Failure to complete such a degree by this date shall constitute just cause for discharge. The Employee is strongly encouraged to complete the degree in a shorter period of time and to continue on to pursue afour-year degree. Upon hire, the Employee shall be eligible for tuition assistance in accordance with the City's Personnel Handbook. Membership Fees Upon approval of the City Administrator, the Employer will pay for membership in professional organizations and service clubs where membership is required by law or is deemed beneficial to the City. Holidays The Employee shall receive 92 hours of paid holiday Leave per year. Of that, 8 hours is a floating holiday to be used on a day of the Employee's choice. The remaining 84 hours shall be used for those holidays designated in the City's Personnel Handbook, unless the nature of the position of Fire Chief or other exceptional conditions or circumstances warrant otherwise. In cases where the requirements of the job prevent the Employee from using holiday hours on City designated holidays, the Employee may elect to use the holiday hours on an alternate day. Vacation and Sick Leave The Employee shall accrue vacation and sick leave in accordance with the City's Personnel Handbook. The Employee shall be granted a starting balance of 120 hours of vacation leave and 40 hours of sick leave upon hire. Severance Pay Unless otherwise negotiated and approved by the City Council at the time of separation, the Employee shall be entitled to severance pay as provided by the City's Personnel Handbook. EMPLOYEE: RICHARD J. COLEMAN EMPLOYER: CITY OF SHAKOPEE BY: BY: Richard J. Coleman John J. Schmitt, Mayor BY: Mark McNeill, City Administrator BY: Judith S. Cox, City Clerk