§ 15-1-14. Longevity pay.

(a)

Each full-time city employee, including directors and the chief administrative officer, who has completed one full year of continuous service, as of the beginning of the fiscal year, shall be eligible for longevity pay. In addition to the salary set by the applicable pay schedule, eligible employees, shall receive an annual benefit equal to $10.00 longevity pay for each full month of completed, continuous service as of the beginning of the fiscal year after they become eligible, not to exceed 20 years of continuous service. For the purposes of this section, the term "continuous service" shall be defined so as to apply to and include any employee who left the city service (other than for disciplinary reasons) and returned to city service no later than 12 calendar months after leaving, or any employee who left city service due to privatization of his work position, and who returned to city service no later than 24 calendar months after leaving.

Such longevity pay shall be paid to eligible current employees in accordance with the method which said employees have previously elected and which may be changed only once, which change must be made in writing and within 12 calendar months of the employee's original election. For new employees, the election whether to receive longevity pay, upon eligibility, on a biweekly or annual basis shall be made in writing by the new employee within two weeks of beginning of employment, and may be subsequently changed only once by said employee, which change must be made in writing and within 12 calendar months of the employee's original election. Any employee that fails to make such an election within the time period specified shall be deemed to have elected to receive longevity payments on a biweekly basis. If longevity pay is paid biweekly, the annual amount, computed as of October 1 of each the current fiscal year, shall be divided by 26 and the quotient shall be included in each employee's pay for each pay period in the fiscal year, not to exceed 20 years of continuous service. One twenty-sixth of each employee's annual amount of longevity pay shall vest with the employee each pay period. If any employee terminates service with the city for any reason, including but not limited to resignation, retirement and termination for cause, the employee will forfeit the remainder of the unpaid annual longevity pay amount.

If longevity pay is paid in a lump sum, the payment for vested longevity pay shall be included in that employee's salary payment for the first pay period of the month of December, not to exceed 20 years of continuous service. One twenty-sixth of each employee's annual longevity pay amount shall vest with each employee for each pay period of service of the fiscal year. If an employee terminates service prior to payment of longevity pay in a lump sum, the employee will receive the vested portion of the annual longevity pay amount determined by dividing the annual amount by 26 and multiplying the quotient by the number of pay periods of service since the beginning of the fiscal year, not to exceed 20 years of continuous service.

(b)

The foregoing provisions notwithstanding, any employee who was being paid longevity pay on October 2, 2009, for more than 20 years of continuous service shall continue to receive said benefits but those benefits will be capped at that level, however, all other employees who have not already accrued this level of incentive compensation will be subject to the 20-year service cap set out above.

(Ord. No. 1856, § 1, 6-18-98; Ord. No. 1886, § 1, 7-20-99; Ord. No. 1897, § 1, 9-14-99; Ord. No. 2113, § 1, 9-30-08/veto, Res. No. 627-08, overrode 9-30-08; Ord. No. 2138, § 1, 10-20-09; Ord. No. 2157, § 1, 5-25-10)