Sec. 16-54. Grievance procedure.
(a) It is inevitable that misunderstandings and differences will arise when employees of the Town are working together on a day-to-day basis. In order that employees have a formal process in which to have their problems and questions heard and appropriately resolved in a timely manner, the following grievance procedure is hereby established:
Step 1. The employee will submit an oral grievance to the department head within three (3) working days of the action's occurrence. The department head shall meet with the employee and make every effort to resolve the grievance within three (3) working days of the date of the presentation of the grievance.
a. If the grievance is against the department head, the employee should contact the Town Manager.
b. If the grievance is against the Town Manager, the employee should contact the Town Council President.
Step 2. If the grievance has not been settled in Step 1, the written appeal, along with all pertinent correspondence to date, shall be presented to the Town Manager within three (3) working days of the receipt of the reply from Step 1.
Step 3. After the written appeal, the Town Manager shall conduct a detailed hearing and he/she shall issue a final decision within ten (10) working days of the date of presentation of the written grievance.
(b) Failure of the employee to submit his/her appeal within the time limits specified will result in the Town considering the matter settled and closed and shall constitute a legal defense in any legal action taken by the employee.
(c) The time limits in the grievance procedure may be extended only by mutual written agreement of the parties due to extenuating circumstances.
(d) A grievance shall be considered resolved if, at any point, the grievant withdraws his/her grievance in writing or fails to process the grievance within the specified time limits.