Authority to fire township employees formerly reserved for the supervisor now lies with the entire Township Board.
The new personnel-manual policy, revised by human resources Director Carol Gabris, gives discharging authority to the Independence Township Board, based on supervisor or HR director’s recommendation.
‘The employee who would be subject to separation from employment would also have the opportunity to appeal their case here before the board, either prior to the decision or ultimately after the decision is made,? Gabris said.
The board debated at its July 21 meeting as to who had the authority to discharge personnel and how it should be handled. The board asked Gabris to amend the proposed personnel manual discharge policy.
Gabris returned Aug. 4 with the new language proposal, which was approved unanimously by the board.
The first draft gave discharging authority to the supervisor, after following a ‘series of disciplinary actions.?
It also allowed the HR director to make a recommendation to the supervisor. If the supervisor did not act upon the director’s recommendation within seven days, the matter was then brought to the township board by either the HR director and/or two board members.
‘My own concerns for the current language being proposed is that it may extend the separation process for a protracted period of time, which may not be a good thing for the employee,? Gabris wrote in a memo to the board.
She also noted there could be union contract and pay issues.
‘Do we suspend the employee with or without pay while we decide his or her fate,? she asked. ‘Do we let them continue working until a decision is made??
Clerk Shelagh VanderVeen asked what kind of situation would require a person to be separated prior to a board’s decision.
‘A situation if an employee was found to have stolen something from the township, something of great value we would suspend that person until the investigation was complete before the decision or recommendation would be rendered,? Gabris responded.
Trustee Neil Wallace said ‘the amendment demonstrates real progress by the township board and improving the way personnel is handled in the township.?
Wallace also tried to reemphasize that the HR director was not costing the township more money.
‘It was the fulcrum for me in the supporting the idea of having an HR director – I think it’s going to save us hundreds of thousands of dollars and provide us better advice than we ever have before and everything from union negotiations to the way we go about handling the discipline process,? he said. ‘I think that is going to be good not just for the township and the taxpayers, but for the employees that we depend on to make the township operate.?