Agenda - Council - 02/13/1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I I I I I I I I UPDATE ON PERSONNEL PROJECTS By: Linda Waite Smith, Administrative Services Manager Background: When I assumed my position on December 18, 1995, I was given a list of projects which needed my attention. The purpose of this case is to update the Personnel Committee and the City Council on the status of a number of those projects. 1. Drug & Alcohol Testing Policy for Holders of Commercial Driver's Licenses: On January 9, 1996, the Personnel Committee requested that I clarify who pays the cost of the evaluation that is required if an employee has a positive drug or alcohol test result under the newly adopted policy. Representatives of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and two of the City's three ihealth care providers all agreed that this type of evaluation is considered a third party referral and is not covered by health insurance or HMO contracts. Therefore, the City or the employee would have to pay the costs, including approximately $250 for the initial consultation and a monthly fee for monitoring until treatment is completed. Treatment is not provided by the person/organization doing the evaluation and is usually covered by health insurance. The EAP representative suggested that paying for the evaluation should be a consequence the employee experiences for not complying with the policy. Every employee subject to the policy received a copy of it. I later met with the Public Works staff so they could ask any questions they might have. 2. Hiring Public Works Maintenance Worker On January 9, 1996, the City Council authorized us to begin the process to fill the additional Public Works Maintenance Worker position included in the 1996 budget. We listed the position internally and sent it to Job Service and all TUG cities. We also advertised in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Anoka Union andSholgper. We gave out or mailed 141 application packets. By the closing date, February 2, we had received 90 applications. Parks/Utilities Supervisor Mark Boos and I reviewed and scored applications to develop a list for the first round of interviews which we want to conduct the week of February 20. We invited Public Works Supervisor Merle Mevissen to participate in the interview panel but he declined. We are considering invi{ing another Public Works employee to serve on the panel in his place. We expect to conduct a second round of interviews which will include the City Engineer on the interview panel. We would like the Committee's guidance on whether its members want to participate in the process. Traditionally, the Committee has only interviewed the finalist in positions at this level. However, it is my understanding that in 1991, when the last Public Works Maintenance Worker was hired, the Committee interviewed two finalists.