Classified employees who have acquired permanent employment status, as provided in § 52-24, may be temporarily suspended from the Township employ by layoff or suspension or permanently separated by resignation or dismissal, as more particularly set forth in this article.
Whenever there is a lack of work or a lack of funds requiring a reduction in the number of employees in a department of the Township government, the required reductions shall be made in such job classification or classifications as the Township Manager may designate in consultation with the department head. Employees shall be laid off in the inverse order of their length of service. Within each affected job class, all temporary employees shall be laid off before probationary employees, and all probationary employees shall be laid off before permanent employees. Employees so affected shall be given a minimum of two weeks' notice or two weeks pay in lieu thereof.
An employee may resign from his position by tendering a written resignation to his department head, who in turn shall forward it to the Township Manager. Unless there are disciplinary charges pending against the employee, the Township Manager shall notify the employee in writing of acceptance of his resignation in good standing. An employee shall give a minimum of two weeks' notice before the effective date of his resignation.
A permanent employee may be dismissed from the service for cause. The causes sufficient for removal from the service shall include the following:
A. 
Neglect of duty.
B. 
Absence without leave or failure to report after authorized leave has expired or after such leave has been disapproved or revoked; provided, however, that any regular member or officers of the Police Department who shall be absent from duty without just cause for a term of five days continuously and without leave of absence shall, at the expiration of such five days, cease to be a member of the Police Department, as provided by N.J.S.A. 40:47-3, as amended.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: N.J.S.A. 40:47-8 was repealed by P.L. 1971, c. 197, and the current provision is N.J.S.A. 40A:14-9.
C. 
Incompetency or inefficiency or incapacity due to mental or physical disability.
D. 
Insubordination or serious breach of discipline.
E. 
Intoxication while on duty.
F. 
Commission of a criminal act.
G. 
Participating in any political activity prohibited by § 52-48 of this chapter.
H. 
Disobedience of the departmental rules and regulations established pursuant to § 52-51 of this chapter.
I. 
Unauthorized use or acquisition of Township equipment or property.
[Amended 1-9-1978 by Ord. No. 77-64]
J. 
Conduct unbecoming a public employee.
A. 
The Township Manager may, when in his opinion the circumstances surrounding disciplinary charges pending against a permanent employee are sufficiently serious, temporarily suspend such employee until final decision is reached. In the event that the disciplined employee elects to appeal to the Advisory Personnel Board, the temporary suspension by the Township Manager shall continue until five days after the recommendation by the Personnel Board is made to the Manager.
[Amended 1-9-1978 by Ord. No. 77-64]
B. 
When, in the judgment of the Township Manager, any employee's work performance or conduct justifies disciplinary action short of dismissal, the employee may be suspended in lieu of dismissal, without pay, for a period not exceeding 20 working days.