Township of Mount Laurel, NJ Classification Plan

The Township Council does hereby declare the following principles to constitute the personnel policy of the Township:

The New Jersey State Civil Service Law and the Civil Service Rules of the State of New Jersey as applicable to municipalities, which have been adopted by the Township shall be in effect in the Township.

Employment in the Township government shall be based on merit and fitness, free of personal and political considerations.

Just and equitable incentives and conditions shall be established and maintained in order to promote efficiency and economy in the operation of the Township government.

Positions with similar duties and responsibilities shall be classified and compensated on a uniform basis.

Appointments, promotions and other personnel actions requiring the application of the merit principle shall be based on systematic tests and evaluations of knowledge and performance.

Every effort shall be made to stimulate high morale by fair administration of this chapter and by consideration of the rights and interests of employees, consistent with the best interest of the public and the Township.

Continuity of employment shall be subject to good behavior, satisfactory performance of work, necessity for the performance of work and availability of funds.

It is the policy of the Township of Mount Laurel that every employee at all times be treated fairly, courteously and with respect. Conversely, each employee is expected to accord the same treatment to his associates, supervisors and to the public.

Every employee of this municipality shall always conduct himself or herself in a proper manner and in such a way as not to reflect unfavorably upon the employee or the municipality-employer. This provision pertains to off-duty times and hours as well as to times and hours of employment. Each employee shall be diligent in obeying all state and federal laws and the rules, regulations and ordinances of Mount Laurel Township and encourage others to do likewise. Each employee shall be careful that his or her behavior, actions, language, dress or conduct does not reflect to the detriment of the employee or her or his employer, the Township of Mount Laurel.

§ 40-2 Power of appointment.

All employees, officers and department heads of the Township shall be appointed and promoted by the Township Council upon recommendation of the Municipal Manager,[1] except where the power to appoint rests with other Township boards or bodies as provided for herein or by general law or ordinances.

[1]

Editor's Note: With the adoption of Ord. No. 71-1 on 1-18-1971, the Township Committee of the Township of Mount Laurel became the Township Council and the Municipal Administrator became the Municipal Manager; see Ch. 4, Administration of Government. References throughout this chapter have been changed to conform to those changes in the titles of the Council and Manager.

§ 40-3 Classification of offices and positions.

General allocation. All offices and positions of the Township shall be and are hereby allocated to the classified service and unclassified service, the classes of positions and duties of which are set forth as part of this chapter by reference to Schedule 2 (class specifications), in total, as amended and approved by the Civil Service Commission, and Schedule 1 (list of employees and titles in part), as hereinafter delineated and described, said schedules being a part of that Report of the Classification and Salary Survey, State of New Jersey Department of Civil Service, Township of Mount Laurel, dated January 1969, as amended and approved by the Civil Service Commission.

Unclassified service. The unclassified service shah include the following:

(1)

All elected officials and members of citizen boards and committees.

(2)

Municipal Manager, Township Clerk, Township Attorney, Township Auditor, Township Building Inspector, Director of Welfare, Fire Marshal, Municipal Judge, Tax Collector, Township Physician, Township Treasurer, Director of Finance and Director of Public Safety.

[Amended 10-29-1970 by Ord. No. 1970-21]

(3)

Volunteer personnel and personnel appointed to service without compensation.

(4)

Consultants and counsel rendering temporary professional service.

(5)

All other offices or positions that are so classified by Rule 7(2) of the Civil Service Rules of the State of New Jersey.

Classified service. The classified service shall include all other positions in the Township service that are not specifically placed in the unclassified service by the above provisions of this chapter or which are excluded from the classified service by Rule 7(2) of the Civil Service Rules of the State of New Jersey, as follows:

(1)

Full-time positions.

	Administrative Secretary [Added 10-29-1970 by Ord. No. 1970-21]
	Assessing Clerk
	Clerk
	Clerk-Typist
	Clerk-Stenographer
	Deputy Municipal Court Clerk [Amended 10-29-1970 by Ord. No. 1970-21]
	Equipment Operator
	Laborer
	Mechanical Repairman
	Municipal Court Clerk
	Patrolman
	Patrolman (assigned detective) [Added 10-29-1970 by Ord. No. 1970-21]
	Police Chief
	Police Lieutenant
	Police Radio Dispatcher
	Police Sergeant
	Principal Account Clerk
	Public Works Superintendent
	Road Foreman
	Sanitation Foreman
	Senior Clerk-Typist
	Telephone Operator (knowledge of typing)
	Tax Clerk
	Truck Driver

(2)

Part-time positions.

	Administrative Assistant [Added 10-29-1970 by Ord. No. 1970-21]
	Building Maintenance Worker
	Librarian [Added 10-29-1970 by Ord. No. 1970-21]
	Municipal Dump Caretaker
	Plumbing Inspector
	Registrar of Vital Statistics
	School Traffic Guard
	Secretary, Board of Health

(3)

Departments.

	Administrative and Executive
	Health and Welfare
	Public Safety
	Public Works

Compensation for the above positions is stipulated in an ordinance of the Township entitled "Establishing an Annual and Hourly Salary for the Township Officials, Position Holders and Employees and Prescribing the Amount and Manner of Payment Thereof," 1969-3 and 3A, as amended.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 53, Salaries and Compensation.

§ 40-4 Administration of plan.

Establishment. The Municipal Manager shall assign each position to an appropriate class in accordance with the approved position-classification plan, developed in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission of the State of New Jersey.

Basis of position classification. Each position shall be assigned or allocated to an appropriate job classification on the basis of the kind and level of its duties and responsibilities, to the end that all positions in the same classification shall be sufficiently alike to permit the use of a single descriptive title, the same tests of competence and the same salary range, thus carrying out the basic principle of classification, which is equal pay for equal work. A job classification may contain one position or a number of positions. The Municipal Manager shall from time to time review the job classifications and submit report thereof to the Township Council.

Change in classification plan.

(1)

The classification plan may be amended from time to time by the Township Council. Such changes may result from the need for creating new positions, changes in organization or changes in assigned duties and responsibilities and will be effected in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission of the State of New Jersey.

(2)

The Municipal Manager shall review all requests for creation of new positions, the abolition or consolidation of present positions, reclassification of positions to different job classes or the reallocation of positions to new salary ranges. In such review, he shall study the current duties and responsibilities of the position concerned and recommend to the Township Council appropriate action necessary to ensure the correct classification and allocation of the position.

(3)

Each department head shall report to the Municipal Manager any changes in his organization of assignment of duties and responsibilities to a given employee which would result in changes in the position-classification plan or in the classification of any of the positions in his department.

(4)

An employee may submit a request in writing to the Municipal Manager at any time for review of the duties and responsibilities of his position. Such a request shall be submitted through his department head and shall include the employee's own description of his current duties and responsibilities. The Municipal Manager shall then make an investigation of the position to determine its correct allocation. He shall report his findings in writing through the respective director to the Council and shall furnish a copy to the employee requesting the review and to his department head.

Abolishment of position: effect thereof. A position may be abolished or the number of personnel reduced by the Township Council for reasons of economy or for reasons of a reorganization within a department or departments. A permanent employee must receive written notice of such action 45 days prior to its effective date. In the Police Division such events shall be governed by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:11-10 et seq.[1] Every effort shall be made by the Township Council, in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission of the State of New Jersey, to reassign any affected permanent employee to another position in the Township service for which the employee may be qualified. If no such position is available immediately, the name of the affected employee shall be kept on file and, should a vacancy occur in a position for which he is qualified, he must be offered employment prior to taking applications for the vacancy. If an employee is demoted for reasons of economy or departmental reorganization, he shall be placed in the new salary range at the same rate of pay received in his prior position before demotion.

[1]

Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118 et seq.