A. Reprimand. A department head may cause a reprimand to be filed in an employee’s personnel file upon sufficient cause. The reprimand shall be in the form of an employee performance evaluation form and/or a deficiency notice. A copy of the reprimand shall be furnished the employee.

B. Suspension. The department head may suspend from duty for cause, any employee within his or her department for a period not to exceed thirty days in any one instance, subject to appeal and review of the city manager. Notice of the suspension stating the cause will be filed on the change of employee status form and a copy furnished the employee.

C. Reduction in Salary. A department head may recommend the movement of an employee from one salary step within a salary range to a lower salary step for performance less than standard. The recommendation will be filed on an employee performance evaluation form with a copy furnished to the employee thirty days in advance of the salary reduction. Recommendations for salary reductions must receive the approval of the city manager.

D. Right of Appeal. An employee shall have the right to appeal to the city manager, any disciplinary action, other than discharge, taken against him or her. Appeals must be in writing and must be filed with the city manager within five days of the action taken. Failure to appeal shall be held to be an admission of the validity of the disciplinary action.

E. Hearing. Upon receipt of an appeal, the city manager shall investigate the circumstances of the disciplinary action and set a date of hearing within ten days of receipt of appeal. An accused employee may designate a representative to speak in his or her behalf at the hearing. The accused employee and the department head shall be allowed the right to call witnesses for purposes of the hearing upon request to the city manager. Failure of the accused employee to appear at the hearing shall be deemed a withdrawal of his or her request for hearing and the disciplinary action shall be final.

F. Decisions. The city manager shall render his or her decisions on hearings of appeal from disciplinary action in writing within thirty days of hearing; a copy furnished the department head and accused employee, and a copy filed in the personnel record of the employee.

G. Forfeiture of Salary. Employees placed on disciplinary suspension shall forfeit salary and shall not accrue rights to employee benefits, vacation, sick leave, etc., during the course of suspension.

H. Discharge. When in the opinion of the department head, an employee has conducted him or herself in such a way as to justify his or her discharge from city service, the department head shall suspend the employee and notify him or her in writing of his or her intentions to file charges for his or her removal. The notice shall be prepared and sent by regular mail at the same time as suspension from the employee’s position is made. A copy of the notice shall be filed with the civil service board and the city manager. The department head shall prepare written charges which shall be served on the suspended employee within thirty days of the notice of intent to file charges. The accused employee must answer these charges within ten days after being served. Failure to answer the charges within ten days shall be held to be an admission of the charges by the accused and a waiving of hearing, whereupon the civil service board shall find the accused employee guilty as charged and he or she shall be removed and discharged from city service as of the day of his or her suspension by the department head. (Prior code § 3.14.230)