City of Longview
Merit & Superior Salary Step Criteria
1.Merit Step - At least two consecutive years of service in the current position at the “E” step of that position classification.
Superior Step - At least five consecutive years of very high level performance at the “Merit” step of that position classification.
2.At least “excellent” job performance for that two year period preceding the recommendation. “Excellent” being defined as:
An average of 4-4.5 on a scale of 1-5 on the performance evaluation for each individual criterion graded. More important than the number rating is documentation in performance evaluations that the employee consistently exceeds the requirements of the position and demonstrates a higher level of job knowledge and skills than average in the performance of their job duties and responsibilities
Copies of documenting performance evaluations must accompany the requests.
3.Consideration will also be given for exceptional service in the form of some outstanding event or act accomplished by the recommended employee in connection with his employment. However, this criterion standing alone would not justify the granting of a merit step, but it may be considered when the recommended employee has not fully met one or the other of the first two criteria. In any event, this criterion, if met, should be considered when prioritizing the department’s list of recommended employees.
4.Written recommendation from the department head stating reasons why the recommended employee is worthy of the merit step.
NOTE: Both merit and superior merit steps will be granted on a one-year-only basis, and are annually renewable only if the level of employee performance is at least equal to that which justified the original award.
Merit Steps
Renewals -
Merit steps that are identified on your payroll budgeting worksheets as “Annually Renewable Merit Step” must be renewed for 1999 with a new Payroll Rate Change Form (PRC), sample attached, and must have a current performance evaluation attached to the PRC. should be submitted to Personnel Services no later than October 30.
Removal of Merit Step -
Document, document, document -- it should be no surprise to the employee that their merit step is not being renewed!! Removal of merit steps should be done through a Payroll Rate Change Form (sample attached) and current performance evaluation and/or coaching and counseling memos should be attached documenting that merit step performance standards are no longer being attained. Both the PRC and accompanying documentation should be received in Personnel Services no later than October 30.
Recommendation of New Merit Step -
Supervisors and Department Heads can only “recommend” new merit steps; the City Manager grants them. Please do not promise your employees in their performance reviews or at other times that they will be receiving a merit step.
Recommendations for merit steps should be submitted with your supplemental budget requests. A Payroll Rate Change Form, and performance evaluations for the past two years should be submitted along with the supplemental request form. If you are submitting more than one merit step recommendation for a department please rank them in order of priority of award.
New merit step recommendations should be submitted with your supplemental budget requests by Tuesday, August 25.
NOTE: The following Fire, Police and Transit union salary classifications have no provisions for merit steps: 22, 60, 61, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 81, 84, 85, 87.