Chapter 2.60 PERSONNEL RULES

Chapter 2.60
PERSONNEL RULES¹

Sections:

2.60.010 Adoption by resolution—On file.

Provisions on hiring policies, conditions of city employment, travel and other pay allowances, suspension, demotion and dismissal, vacation time, sick leave, leaves of absence and grievances are adopted by the council by resolution. These personnel rules are on file with the city clerk and shall be made available to the public for inspection on request. A copy of the personnel rules shall be furnished to the court as needed or upon request of the court. (Ord. 86-8 § 1, 1986.)

2.60.020 Personnel records and files.

Personnel records containing information about employees will be maintained as set forth herein. Access to personnel files is authorized only as delineated below.

A. Personnel Records. Personnel records are those documents which reflect an individual’s status during the period of his or her employment and include, but are not limited to, employment applications, prior employment, performance appraisals, disciplinary actions, personnel action forms, and tax withholding and benefits information. The city shall maintain a file containing the personnel records of each employee. Medical records shall be maintained in a separate file but are considered part of the personnel records. A supervisor may also establish and maintain a file for individual employees for use during the performance evaluation process.

B. Access to Personnel Records.

1. Employees shall have access to their own personnel records during normal office hours within a reasonable period of time following the employee’s request to review the employee’s personnel records. A personnel file may be inspected by the employee’s department head, the city manager, and any other city employee or agent authorized by the manager. Access to employee personnel files by other persons shall be governed by subsection D of this section.

2. Review of any personnel files shall be conducted in the presence of the personnel record keeper. No document shall be removed from a personnel file without prior written approval from the manager and notice to the employee.

3. Employees may comment in writing on any document placed in their personnel files.

C. Confidentiality Policy Regarding Personnel Records. State and federal law generally provide that most city documents are public records available for inspection by members of the public. However, city, state, and federal law recognize that personal information contained in a personnel file is confidential unless a member of the public’s need to review it outweighs an employee’s right to privacy in the information. Therefore, all records maintained by a city agency of any employee shall be confidential to the extent that the record includes an analysis, evaluation or critique of an employee’s performance, or if the disclosure of the records is likely to reveal personal information about an employee or his dependents, such as telephone numbers and addresses, or otherwise constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. However, the city manager may authorize municipal employees, agents, and contractors to review confidential records and may make such records of a compelling public interest available to others upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

D. Access to City Personnel Records. The following information or records are generally available for public inspection, in accordance with the procedures established by this chapter:

1. The names and position titles of all city employees;

2. The position held by any city employee;

3. Prior positions held by any city employee;

4. The dates of hire and separation of a city employee;

5. The compensation authorized for a city employee;

6. Time sheets; and

7. Other information that the city manager determines does not contain any personal information the release of which would be an unwarranted invasion of privacy, or concern the personal, intimate or otherwise private life of the employee or the employee’s family. (Ord. 16-02 § 2, 2016.)

For statutory authority authorizing municipalities to enact personnel rules, see AS 29.20.410.