Village of South Bloomfield

Employee
Handbook
Version 2015.1.3

I have read the following handbook and understand all the information found within this
handbook.

Signature: _________________________________________________ Date Signed: _________________

Printed Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________

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The Village handbook will be approved by First Council Meeting in

February of each year all revisions must be approved by council after
review of the HR committee, Mayor and Village Solicitor.
1. Employment Status
A. Full-Time: Min 40 hours per week
B. Part-time: Below 36 Hours per week
C. Nepotism
No person shall be hired who has a member of his or her immediate family already
employed with the Village of South Bloomfield. Immediate family is defined for the
purposes of this Section to include: spouse or significant other (significant other as
used in this Agreement is defined to mean one who stands in place of a spouse and
who resides with the employee), child, step-child, grandchild, parent, stepparent,
grandparent, great-grandparent, brother, sister, step-sibling, mother-in-law, father-inlaw, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, or legal guardian or other
person who stands in the place of a parent.

2. LEAVE
Leave Time
An employees anniversary date will be used to determine an employees years of
service.
A. Vacation Leave
1. All full-time Village employees are eligible for accrual of vacation leave.
2. Full-time Village employees accrual (hired prior to July 1, 2014) (see Table 1.A.2)
Table 1.A.2: Full-time Village employees accrual (hired prior to July 1, 2014)
Service Period
Vacation Accrual
Maximum
After satisfactory completion of a 6
1 week
1 week
month of probationary period
Between Probationary Period and 3
.8 hours/40 hours
1 week
years
worked
3 years or more
1.6 hours/40 hours
2 weeks
worked
7 years or more
3.1 hours/40 hours
4 weeks
worked
20 years or more
3.8hours/40 hours
5 weeks
worked
3. Full-time accrual for employees (hired after July 1, 2014) (See Table 1.A.3)
Table 1.A.3: Full-time Village employees accrual (hired after to July 1, 2014)
Service Period
Vacation Accrual
Maximum
After satisfactory completion of a 6
1 week
1 week
month of probationary period
Between Probationary Period and 5
1.6 hours/40 hours
2 weeks
years
worked
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5 years or more

2.3 hours/40 hours

worked
3.1 hours/40 hours
worked
3.8 hours/40 hours
worked

15 years or more
20 years or more

3 weeks
4 weeks
4 weeks

4. Vacation leave cash-out

a. Employee must declare by the second paycheck in November how many hours
they wish to cash out.
b. Cash payout will occur by the second paycheck in December.
5. Vacation leave limits (Use or Lose)
a. No more than the applicable maximum vacation time eared in one year may be
carried into the following calendar year. Any excess vacation must be taken or
forfeited.
6. Payout at end of service
a. Once an employee terminated employment or has their employment terminated
with the Village, said employee shall be paid only one week earned from the
previous year, plus prorated vacation time for the current year, based on the
termination date.
B. Sick Leave
1. Full-time Village employees
a. Full-time Village employees are eligible for the accrual of sick leave at a rate of .
0575 hours per their regularly scheduled hours in a work week.
2. Additional restrictions
a. Sick leave shall be accrued for the total number of hours worked, not hours paid.
b. Sick leave shall not be used to extend a holiday or vacation.
c. Employees must have a doctors note for three or more days of consecutive
absence.
3. Sick leave limits
a. Any Village employee eligible to accrue sick leave shall accrue said sick leave
with no limits.
4. Payout at the end of service
a. Once an employee terminated employment or has their employment terminated
with the Village, said employees total hours shall be paid at 25% of the
employees hourly rate, up to, but not exceeding thirty days of available hours.
5. Sick Leave Transfer
a. The village shall allow any employee with accrued sick leave to transfer said
accrued sick leave to any other village employee.
b. In Order for an employee to be eligible to receive transferred sick leave, said
employee must have depleted all of their own vacation, sick and holiday leave,
be in need of sick leave.
c. Any accrued sick leave transfer(s) must comply with the following guidelines:
i. A written request shall be made to the department head(s) of both
employees.
ii. Both employees must agree in writing to the exchange of sick hours and
provide said documents to the Mayor.
iii. The document requires the Mayors signature for approval.
iv. Documents shall be placed in both employees personnel files for record
keeping.
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v. Once the accrued sick leave is transferred and used, the hours are considered
gone, and can no longer be redeemed by the employee who originally
accrued the said sick leave.
ii. Transferred sick leave cannot be used retroactively.
C. Bereavement
1. All Village employees are allowed three days of bereavement.
2. Vacation or sick leave may be used for leave in regards to bereavement.
3. Bereavement must be approved by the Mayor, before leave will be issued.
D. Holiday Leave
1. Only permanent full-time Village employees are eligible for holiday leave (pay).
2. An additional three floating holidays will be provided for employees declared eligible
in section 1.4.A. These three holidays must have prior approval from the
employees department head or Mayor.
3. Holiday Usage and Pay Rules
a. Any permanent employee who does not work the holiday will receive those
regularly scheduled hours at standard pay.
b. Hours worked on the holiday will be earned concurrently with holiday pay.
c. Any Salary employee who works that day can roll the holiday hours to another
day at the employees choice. Holiday hours cannot be rolled over into the next
year.
d. If an employee was not scheduled to work the holiday, said employee shall
receive on standard pay for the holiday and no extra pay for hours worked.
e. If an employee has an unscheduled sick day prior to or after a holiday, said
employee will be required to submit a doctors note for that day or will forfeit the
holiday pay.
f. Holidays falling Saturday or Sunday will be observed by the Village on the
following Monday.
g. 3 Floating Holidays are available at employees discretion upon approval of the
immediate supervisor.
4. Designated Holidays are as follows:
a. New Years Day
b. Martin Luther King Jr. (3rd Monday of January)
c. Presidents Day (3rd Monday of February)
d. Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
e. Independence Day
f. Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
g. Veterans Day
h. Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)
i. Christmas Day
E. Military Leave
1. Federal Duty - Any permanent employee who is or becomes a member of the Ohio
National Guard or any other reserve component of the Armed Forces as defined in
Chapter 11, Section 261, Title 10, US Code shall be allowed military leave with pay
not to exceed twenty-two (22) work days or one hundred seventy-six (176) hours
per calendar year for federal duty performed which is directed or caused to occur by
authority of the Department of Defense (DOD) or its agent.
2. State Duty - Permanent employees, who are members of the Ohio National Guard,
the Ohio Military Reserve and the Ohio Naval Militia, when ordered to duty by the
Governor of Ohio or the Adjutant General, shall be allowed military leave with pay
not to exceed twenty-two (22) work days or one hundred seventy-six (176) hours
per calendar year.
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3. Maximum Paid Leave(s) - The maximum allowable paid military leave when
combining federal and State duty described above shall not exceed twenty-two (22)
work days or one hundred seventy-six (176) hours per calendar year.
4. Pay Differential - Upon exhaustion of paid leave(s) during the calendar year in
which the employee performed service in the uniformed services: 1) because of an
Executive order issued by the President of the United States; 2) because of an act of
Congress; or 3) because of an order to perform duty issued by the Governor
pursuant to Section 5919.29 or 5923.21 of the Ohio Revised Code, the employee
shall be entitled, while still under orders, to a leave of absence without pay and a
pay differential as set forth in Ohio Revised Code 5923.05(C).
5. Evidence of Military Duty - Employees are required to submit to their Appointing
Authority a published military order or a written statement from the appropriate
military commander as evidence of military duty.

3. BENEFITS
A. Health & Dental Insurance
1. Village Employees
a. All permanent full-time Village employees are eligible for health & dental
insurance benefits should they choose to enroll.
b. Employees will pay for 20% of the total Village premium. Each employee will
pay an equal share of the premium.
c. If eligible for dental insurance benefits, said village employee shall pay 50% of
their premiums and the Village shall cover the other 50%.
B. Allowances
1. Clothing Allowances
a. Designated employees will be given a yearly clothing allowance. Finance
committee will set the yearly allotment in the Villages Annual Budget.
b. This section will set individual dollars amount per employee.
c. All vehicle and clothing allowances are taxable as a fringe benefit.
C. Compensation
1. Cost of living increase will be reviewed each year and adjusted by the first paycheck
in February.

4. TIMEKEEPING
A. Work Week
1. Work week refers to the hours worked commencing midnight Sunday and ending
midnight the following Saturday.
2. The Mayor will set base Working Hours for each department.
3. Work schedules will be set by Department Heads and approved by the Mayor.
4. Employees must account for the total hours he or she is scheduled to work. This
can be accommodated through work and/or leave.
B. Timekeeping
a. All employees will clock-in and clock-out daily through the use of the Villages
Approved Time Keeping System.
b. If using a mobile app/village cell phone it is the employees responsibility to punch
in/out within village limits and before your scheduled start time unless pre-approved
by your supervisor
c. If using village laptop/desktop punching in must be done prior to your scheduled
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start time
d. Punching in as an Administrator is not permitted without Mayor approval and
should only be used for exceptions.
e. Punctuality Employees are expected to be clocked in by their scheduled start time.
f. Each late clock-in or early clock out without prior approval will be considered an
incident. Incidents will be covered in the Progressive Discipline Section.
C. Time Sheets
1. Regular Pay
a. Village employees shall be paid on Tuesday, of each week, for the proceeding
work week.
2. Village Officials
a. The pay frequency for elected officials (excluding the Mayor) and appointed
positions will be paid quarterly, the cut-off date will be set by the Village CFO.
Mayor will be paid on the same pay schedule as Village Employees.
3. Village employees are required to have their time in the system and correct by the
end of business Monday to ensure payment on the following Tuesday.
4. Village Employees must request leave through the Villages Leave Request Form.
Leave other than sick leave, must be pre-approved by the employees direct
supervisor. Forms must be submitted to CFO with weekly time cards. All leave
must be recorded on the Villages Approved Time Keeping System.
D. Overtime
1. For the sole purpose of determining when overtime hours begin and calculating said
overtime for an employee, the village shall recognize holiday hours as hours
worked.
2. Overtime requires pre-approval from the employees direct supervisor.
E. Call-Out Time
1. The Village of South Bloomfield will pay a minimum call out time of two hours for
any employee called out for extra duty.
2. Employee will punch in at the start of the call out and punch out at the end of the
call out using the Villages approved timekeeping system.

5. Purchasing and Procurement

A. Purchasing Manual
1. Employees must abide by the Village Purchasing Manual.
B. Expenses/Reimbursement
1. All travel and expense estimates must be approved by the Mayor
2. Room and Meals
a. The Village employee will be re-imbursement for travel (food and lodging) based
on standards set by the General Services Administration (GSA). These rates are
described as Continental United States (Conus) Rates. These rates can be found
at the GSA website.
b. Receipts will not be required for meals, a per diem based on travel times will be
supplied.
c. Lodging receipts will be required.
3. Mileage
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a. Mileage will be based on Federal IRS reimbursement rates. This rate can be
found at the IRS Website.
4. Events registration will be reimbursed by the Village. Pre-approval must be
obtained.
5. Education and certifications required for an employees position will be
reimbursed/covered by the Village based on successful completion of the course
and/or certification. When retesting is required due to failure of the first test,
subsequent fees will only be paid at 50% by the Village. Employee must pay the
remainder.

6. Equipment Use
A. Village equipment is not to be used for personal use.

7. Forms Sections
A. Forms can be obtained in the Village Office:
1. Village Leave
2. Incident Forms
3. Termination/Separation
4. Lost Time
5. etc

8. Release of Information
A. Any communications with a media agency with regards to Village issues must
be pre-approved by the Village Mayor or Chief of Police.

9. Progressive Discipline
VERBAL WARNING
A. Employee will be given a verbal warning regarding the undesirable behavior or action.
B. Employee will be given an explanation of when and how the behavior or action took
place. This will include the reason as to why the behavior or action was unacceptable.
C. Employee will be given an opportunity to explain the situation and their actions. This
should be his/her opportunity to give their side of the story.
D. Employee will be given a description the desirable and/or acceptable behavior or
actions.
E. Further infractions will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

WRITTEN WARNING
A. Employee will be given a written warning regarding his/her undesirable behavior or
action in the event that the behavior or action had either been discussed in a previous
verbal warning or the behavior or action was considerably severe in nature.
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B. Employee will be given an explanation of when and how the undesirable behavior or
action took place. This will include the reason why the behavior or action was
unacceptable.
C. Employee will be given an opportunity to explain the situation and his/her actions. This
should be his/her opportunity to give their side of the story.
D. Employee will be given a description of the desirable and/or acceptable behavior or
actions.
E. Employee will be provided with a copy of the written warning and another will be
placed in the employees file.
F. Employee will sign the document as proof that he/she has received it.
G. Further infractions will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
SUSPENSION
A. Employee will be given written documentation regarding the suspension in relation to
the undesirable behavior or action in the event that the behavior or action had either
been discussed in a previous verbal or written warning or the behavior or action was
considerably severe in nature.
B. The documentation will include information on the wrongdoing and the length of the
term of suspension and why the employee has been suspended.
C. Employee will be given an explanation of when and how the undesirable behavior or
action took place. This will include the reason why the behavior or action was
unacceptable.
D. Employee will be given a description of the desirable and/or acceptable behavior or
actions.
E. Employee will be provided a copy of the suspension and another copy will be placed in
the employees file.
F. Employee will sign the document as proof that he/she has received it.
G. Employee will be explained that future disciplinary problems will be addressed with
further progressive disciplinary actions up to and including termination.
H. Further infractions will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
TERMINATION
A. Employee will be given written documentation regarding his/her termination and the
undesirable behavior or action leading to and justifying the termination.
B. Documentation should include information on the wrongdoing and previous disciplinary
communications with the employee.
C. Employee will be given a description of when and how the unacceptable behavior or
action took place. This will include the reason why the behavior or action was
unacceptable.
D. Employee will be given a description of the desirable and/or acceptable behavior or
actions.
E. Employee will be provided with a copy of the termination notice and another copy will
be placed in the employees file.

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F. Employee will be escorted from the location immediately maintaining the dignity of the
terminated employee by not making obvious to other employees that the employee
has been terminated and for what reasons.

10. Ethic
A. Employees must make every attempt to follow the most current revision of the Ohio
Ethics Law and Related Statues.

11. Substance-Free Work Place

The Village of South Bloomfield (also referred to as the village) recognizes the adverse
effects that the use of illicit drugs and abuse of alcohol can have on employees, our
services, and the organization as a whole. It is the village's obligation and right to
maintain a safe, healthy, and efficient work environment. Our Drug-Free Workplace
Program is established to be a benefit for our employees and the public as well as to
protect the village's property, operations, productivity and public image.
Under this program, the village expects its employees to work free from the influence
of illicit drugs and alcohol. The Village of South Bloomfield also expects its employees
to refrain from other involvement with drugs or alcohol in a manner which
compromises the employee's or village's safety, security, productivity, public image or
otherwise violates this program.
In addition, this program reaffirms the Village of South Bloomfield's commitment to the
treatment of drug- and/or alcohol-related problems. The village strongly encourages
employees who have a drug- and/or alcohol-related problem to voluntarily seek
confidential assistance through community resources.
A. Prohibited Conduct - Under this policy the following conduct is prohibited.
1. Employees may not use or possess alcohol on village property, including parking
lots, or in village vehicles, either owned or leased, or while on village business.
(Except for village police officers while in the course of their regular assigned
duties.)
2. Employees may not consume alcohol on or off village property during working
hours, lunch periods, and break or relief periods.
3. Employees may not report to work under the influence of alcohol. "Under the
influence" of alcohol means having a blood alcohol content of .04 or greater.
4. Employees are prohibited from refusing to submit to any alcohol or drug test
conducted under this policy.
5. Employees may not manufacture, possess, use, purchase, sell, dispense, or
distribute illegal drugs of any amount as any time, on or off village property. (Except
for village police officers while in the course of their regular assigned duties.) Illegal
drugs are those that cannot be legally obtained, including controlled dangerous
substances and controlled substance analogues, as well as those drugs that,
although legal, have been illegally obtained (i.e. prescribed drugs not being used for
prescribed purposes, including amphetamines and barbiturates). Examples of illegal
drugs include but are not limited to marijuana, cocaine, "crack" heroin, morphine,
phencyclidine (PCP), hallucinogens, methamphetamine, and narcotics.
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6. Employees may not report to work "under the influence" of illegal drugs. "Under the
influence" with respect to illegal drugs means that the employee is affected by
illegal drugs in any detectable manner, or has the requisite amount of such illegal
drug in his/her system to cause a positive result on a drug test. This may be
established through professional opinion, a scientifically valid test, or in some cases,
by observation of impairment of physical or mental ability, such as slurring of
speech and difficulty in maintaining balance.
7. Any employee who tests positive for any illegal drug on a drug test is in violation of
this policy.
8. Employees are prohibited from bringing drug paraphernalia onto village property
including parking lots at any time. (Except for village police officers while in the
course of their regular assigned duties.)
B. Consequences of Policy Violation
1. Any employee who engages in prohibited conduct as set forth herein will be subject
to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. The
employment of any individual who tests positive for alcohol and/or illegal drugs, or
who refuses a test under this policy will be terminated.
C. Voluntary Disclosure and Assistance
1. The village of South Bloomfield recognizes that alcohol or drug dependence can be
a significant personal problem and the employees should be encouraged to come
forward voluntarily to overcome such problems. Employees who want to obtain
professional assistance in dealing with dependence problems may voluntarily inform
the mayor that a rehabilitation or treatment program will be undertaken. The village
will cooperate with such treatment efforts.
2. Such requests for voluntary assistance must be made prior to any known violation
of this policy and before the village has initiated an investigation or selected the
employee for a drug or alcohol test. Any team member who fails or refuses a drug
or alcohol test, or has otherwise committed a known violation of this policy, will not
be excused from such violations by expressing a willingness to participate in
rehabilitation or treatment. All such requests must be made voluntarily and prior to
village investigation under this policy.
3. Employees participating in a rehabilitation or treatment program must comply with
all requirements of the program, provide certification of completion to the village,
and test negative on an initial follow-up test.
4. Following such treatment program, follow-up testing may be conducted for up to
one year at eht discretion of the village.
D. Drug and Alcohol Testing
1. The Village of South Bloomfield will conduct drug and/or alcohol testing
under the following circumstances:
a. Pre-employment
Individuals will be notified when applying for a position that the position requires
pre-employment drug testing. Any applicant, who tests positive, refuses to
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submit to a drug test, or in any way attempts to alter the test results will not be
hired and will be informed by the mayor that he/she did not meet the
requirements for hiring. Typically, pre-employment alcohol testing will not be
conducted. Where reasonable suspicion exists that an applicant had presented
himself/herself during the pre-employment process under the influence of
alcohol, that individual will not be considered further for employment with the
Village of South Bloomfield.
b. Post-accident
Any employee involved in a work site or work-related accident must submit to a
drug and/or alcohol test, if;

It requires the employee or another person to receive professional care at an

off-site medical facility.
Results in property damage estimated to be in excess of five hundred dollars.
Involves a motor vehicle accident in a village owned or leased vehicle, while
on village business.
The accident involved a direct threat of serious injury or damage (even if the
accident did not result in such) then an alcohol test will also be required.

Employees involved in such accidents must make themselves immediately

available for post-accident testing and may not leave the site for any reason
prior to testing without the specific approval of the mayor. Employees required to
take a post-accident alcohol test are prohibited from using alcohol prior to the
test. Post-accident testing will be performed as soon as possible after an
accident. In the event that federal, state, or local officials, following an accident,
conduct test for the use of alcohol and/or drugs, these tests will be considered to
meet the requirements of this policy. In such instance, the employee must allow
the village to obtain the test results. In the event that a n employee is so
seriously injured that he/she cannot provide a specimen at the time of the
accident, the employee must provide necessary authorization to the village to
obtain hospital records or other documents that may indicate whether drugs or
alcohol were present in the employees system at the time of the accident.
c. Reasonable suspicion
When the village has reasonable suspicion to suspect illegal drug or alcohol use
in violation of this policy, the village will require employees to submit to drug
and/or alcohol testing. Reasonable suspicion may exist in a variety of
circumstances, including but not limited to (1) where an employee manifests
physical or behavioral symptoms or reactions commonly attributed to the use of
illegal drugs or alcohol, which could include appearance, conduct, speech, or
odor, or (2) the village received reliable information indicating that an employee
or group of employees may be engaging in conduct that violated this policy.
Reasonable suspicion will be determined at the discretion of the village pursuant
to village procedures.
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d. Random
The village may conduct random drug testing for employees. The random
selection system provides an equal chance for each employee to be selected
each time random selection occurs. Random selection shall be conducted
throughout the year. Random selection, by its very nature may result in
employees being tested in successive random selections or more than once in a
calendar year. Alternatively, some employees may not be selected in a calendar
year. Individuals selected for random testing will be notified by the village. Once
notified, every action the employees takes must lead to a collection. If a
randomly selected individual engages in conduct which does not lead to a
collection, such conduct may be considered a refusal to test.
e. Follow-up
Following a determination that an employee is in need of assistance in resolving
problems associated with alcohol misuse and/or the use of illegal drugs, the
employee may be required to submit to unannounced follow up testing.
2. Refusal to Test
a. Refusal to submit to the types of drug and alcohol tests used by the village will
be ground for refusal to hire applicants, and for termination of employment of
existing employees. A "refusal to test" is defined as any conduct that would
obstruct the proper administration of a test. An unreasonable delay in providing
oral fluid, urine, or breath specimen may constitute a refusal. Any urine sample
that is confirmed by the laboratory to be adulterated will be considered as a
refusal to test.
3. Reporting Violations
a. Each employee is required to immediately report any violation of this policy to
his/her supervisor or the mayor. An employee who fails to report such a violation
is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
As a condition of employment with the Village of South Bloomfield, any
employee who pleads guilty to or is convicted of in court of any violation of any
criminal drug statute must report the conviction to the mayor no later than five
days after such conviction or guilty plea.
4. Searches
a. When the Village of South Bloomfield has reason to believe that an employee is
in violation of this policy, the employee may be asked to submit immediately to
a search of his/her person and/or to make his/her locker, lunch box, packages,
vehicles, or other personal belongings available for inspection. Entry onto village
premises (including parking lots) constitutes consent to search and inspection.
Refusal to consent to search or inspection shall be considered grounds for
disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
5. Prescription Medication and Legal Drug
a. The Village of South Bloomfield recognizes that some employees must use
prescription or over-the-counter drugs for valid medical purposes. Any employee
taking a prescription or over-the0counter drug that is known or advertised as
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possibly affecting or impairing judgment, coordination or other senses (including

dizziness or drowsiness), or that may adversely affect the employees physical or
mental ability to perform work in a safe and productive manner, must obtain
written certification from the prescribing physician or a pharmacist that the drug
will not interfere with safe and productive job performance. This certification
should be maintained by the employee and should not be provided to the village,
except upon request. If the physician or pharmacist suggests work restriction,
those restrictions must immediately be made known to the village.

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