Municipality of Boissevain-Morton Policy Development Policy

Municipality of Boissevain – Morton, Manitoba

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Page 1 of 5 POLICY DEVELOPMENT POLICY General Government Policy # 001 INTRODUCTION The Municipality of Boissevain-Morton's collection of policies will provide a working document for Council and Administration to guide the actions of the Municipality in the handling of local matters. Each policy will be adopted by resolutions of Council and will be noted in Council minutes. POLICY STATEMENT To provide a standardized system of developing, recording, approving, distributing, reviewing and archiving policies and procedures. DEFINITIONS Policy - A written statement that clearly indicates the position and values of the Municipality of Boissevain-Morton of a given subject. It contains principles and rules adopted by Council to provide high level direction and guidance, responsibilities, sets fundamental requirements, and allocates and defines the limits of authority. Procedures - A written set of instructions that describe the approval and recommended steps for a particular act or sequence of acts. Administrative procedures and exhibits are developed by Administration and approved by Council, and are intended to operationalize policy. Together, policies and procedures ensure that a point of view held by the governing body of an organization is translated into steps that result in an outcome compatible with that view. Policy Manual - A physical and electronic compilation of all Municipality of Boissevain-Morton policies maintained to serve as an operational guide for staff, Council and the public on a variety of matters and helps to maintain consistency and fairness in municipal operations. PURPOSE To establish a standardized method to create written policies and procedures, in a manner so that the intent of each policy may be known, understood, implemented and administered correctly, efficiently and completely. a. Generally, policies, administrative procedures and schedules/attachments are for the internal operations of the Municipality, and are the mechanism by which Council provides authority, direction and guidance to staff. Policy Development Policy Page 2 of 5 b. The Policy Manual will be regarded as an evolving document continually adjusting to meet the needs of changing times and circumstances. c. Policy may be required when the following or similar situations occur:  If the actions of employees indicate confusion about the most appropriate way to behave (dress codes, email and Internet policies, cell phone use);  If guidance is needed about the most suitable way to handle various situations (standards of conduct, travel expenditures, purchase of company merchandise);  When needed to protect the Municipality legally (consistent investigation of charges of harassment, non-discriminatory hiring and promotion);  To keep the Municipality in compliance with governmental policies and laws;  To establish consistent work standards, rules, and regulations (progressive discipline, safety rules, break rules, smoking rules); and  To provide consistent and fair treatment for employees (benefits eligibility, paid time off, tuition assistance, bereavement time, jury duty). SCOPE This procedure applies to all policy documents and staff involved in developing, reviewing, approving and distributing policy documents. PROCEDURES 1. Process a. Policy and procedure proposals may originate from Council or Administration. b. All policy proposals shall be forwarded to the Assistant Administrator for formatting and policy numbering. c. The Assistant Administrator shall forward formatted and numbered policies to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for editorial review. d. The CAO shall obtain background information or supporting documentation necessary for Council to consider the policy proposal for review. The policy proposal may be re- drafted as a result of this review. e. The proposed policy shall then be placed on the Council agenda for presentation at the next regular Council meeting as Notice of Request for Decision. 2. Format a. Coding and Numbering Policies will be categorized and numbered by the Assistant Administrator using the following headings: (continued next page) Policy Development Policy Page 3 of 5 Section Code Section GG General Government HR Human Resources PS Protective Services TS Transportation Services EH Environmental Health PW Public Works ECD Economic Development ED Environmental Development UT Utility b. Layout The following is the order in which items should appear, if necessary, within a policy document. It is further illustrated in Appendix 1 of this policy.  Policy Statement  Definitions  Purpose  Scope  Procedures and/or Guidelines  References - to legislation, acts, bill, by-laws, other policies and procedures within other manuals  Forms 3. Distribution a. All policies and documents, including instructions, shall be available in the Municipal Office. Several policies will also be available on the Municipality of Boissevain-Morton's website, in such a manner as to enable electronic search capabilities. Council, staff and members of the public are encouraged to view the policies. b. All policy documents, except forms and templates, will be converted to pdf format before publication. The Assistant Administrator will retain on file the Word version of the approved policy document. c. The Assistant Administrator will ensure all new and revised policy documents are electronically forwarded to the CAO, who in turn will electronically forward to their respective staff members. 4. Review Cycle a. Policy documents, (i.e. policies, procedures, guidelines) must be reviewed at least every four years. b. Changes to related legislation, government policy and/or the Municipality's goal or operations are examples of circumstances that can trigger the need to review a policy document before its normal review date. The CAO is responsible for the operations covered in the policy document and will identify if a policy document requires early review. The need for early review may also be identified by other processes Policy Development Policy Page 4 of 5 (i.e. stakeholder identification of the need for major amendments). c. When a policy document reaches its review date and does not require any amendments, the CAO must confirm that this is the case. If no amendments are required, the CAO must notify the Council that the policy document has been reviewed and that no amendments are required, and the Assistant Administrator will record a new review date. 5. Archiving a. If a policy is no longer pertinent, it must be deleted from the manual and the number should not be re-issued. b. As it is important to maintain a copy of circulated versions of a policy, the Assistant Administrator must ensure all revised or revoked policies be electronically filed accordingly. Policy Title: Policy Development Policy Total Pages 5 Policy No. GG #001 Originated: 12/19/2019 Section: General Government (GG) Revised: Approved: 12-19-2019 Reviewed: Policy Development Policy Page 5 of 5 APPENDIX 1 POLICY DEVELOPMENT POLICY POLICY The purpose of this policy is ...... (The statement here is intended to indicate what is to be achieved by this policy. It should not tell you how to do this). DEFINITIONS Definitions, where necessary, should be included. PURPOSE A brief statement of the purpose of the policy which may include a basic explanation for the policy if not already apparent. SCOPE To who or what does this policy apply? For example, all employees, all ratepayers, the public. PROCEDURES AND/OR GUIDELINES Includes the necessary steps to carry out or comply with the policy. With sufficient detail, staff should readily understand how to comply with the policy mandates REFERENCES List any references pertinent to the policy. A few examples may include:  Related policy  Government act or legislation  Another manual (Workplace Health & Safety)  Book/manual from an external organization FORMS Include any sample forms, as applicable, with the policy for easy reference. The sample form should include the footer, as illustrated here, to insure that it is revised/reviewed when the policy is revised/reviewed. Policy Title: Policy Development Policy Total Pages 5 Policy No. GG #001 Originated: 12/19/2019 Section: General Government (GG) Revised: Approved: 12-19-2019 Reviewed: