LOXLEY, Ala. — The passing of an ordinance to revise sections of the Personnel Policy and celebrating Health Care Week were the main topics of discussion at the Loxley Town Council meeting on Monday night.

Reasons for the revisions were basically just to keep up with the changing times, according to Town Clerk Carol Middleton, and those include holidays, vacation leave, disciplinary action and the Personnel Board.

Nine official holidays will be observed by general employees, according to the policy manual, and the Town Council reserves the right to add additional holidays as needed. If those holidays are added, the Town Council will publicize those dates. In addition, if a holiday falls on a Sunday, it will be observed on the Monday after the holiday, and if a holiday falls on Saturday, it will be observed on Friday before the holiday.

For Police Department employees, they will not receive paid holidays since they may be scheduled to work on those days. If they are scheduled to work, their pay will be “two times pay for all hours worked on a day listed as a holiday,” the policy manual stated.

Vacation time will also be given to all full-time employees as follows: one year receives five days per year, two years receives 10 days, 10 years receives 15 days, 15 years receives 20 days and 20 years receives 25 days, the manual said.

As far as disciplinary action goes, the policy points out “the immediate supervisor and/or the Department Head shall initiate disciplinary action” and some actions “shall require final approval of the Department Head and/or the Mayor after a due process hearing.”

Disciplinary actions include: Oral Reprimand (documented in personnel file), written reprimand, suspension with pay for three days, suspension without pay for three days, suspension with pay for 30 days (requiring deptartment head and Mayor approval), suspension without pay for 30 days (due process hearing required with Mayor conducting it), demotion (requires due process hearing) and dismissal from service (requires due process hearing with Mayor and deptartment head approval).

All disciplinary actions will be recorded and filed in employee’s personnel record, the manual stated.

Lastly, the Personnel Board is an impartial advisory panel to the Council who hears grievances and consists of three residents who are not employees or holds an office in the town, according to the policy manual. The board members are appointed to staggered one, two or three year terms respectively by majority vote of the Town Council. In addition, the Board members serve without compensation unless authorized by the Town Council.

Middleton said there has not been a new Board appointed because they have not needed the board’s services since the last members rotated off.

The council voted unanimously to pass the ordinanance with all Council members present at Monday’s meeting.

In other business, the Council presented a Proclamation naming Thursday, August 12, 2010, as “Franklin Primary Health Care Center Day” in recognition of their open house at Loxley Family Medical Center. This is in conjunction with the celebration of National Health Center Week Aug. 8-14.