the municipal secretary desktop reference manual - Southwestern ...

SECTION X
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Foreword
In nearly all smaller municipalities, the responsibility for administrating the payroll is
placed upon the secretary. In cases where a separate officer or private enterprise handles the
payroll, virtually all municipal secretaries are charged with the management of personnel
records, and, in some cases, with employer/employee relations.
Personnel management is made more difficult by the lack of policies adopted by the
governing body to establish the rules and regulations of employment. The Department of
Community and Economic Development publication, Municipal Personnel Policy Compendium,
contains model employment policies on nearly every employment issue. Several examples are
included in this section. Adoption of these types of policies eliminates confusion about proper
conduct and outlines the board’s expectations of employees.
A comprehensive file must be maintained for each municipal employee. The file will
consist of substantive materials, correspondence, and records pertaining to that employee and
his/her employment. In this section of THE MANUAL, you will find a brief description of the
employee personnel file and what should be placed and maintained within it. Several forms are
included to help reduce the time involved in performing this function.
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