Title
Authorizing expenditures of public funds for certain employee recognition activities and delegating certain authority.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has responsibility for performing certain municipal functions; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is a major public employer in the State of Minnesota and employs approximately 3,000 public employees; and
WHEREAS, the public purpose doctrine permits a governmental entity to expend public funds if the primary purpose of the expenditure is public and the expenditure relates to the governmental purposes for which the entity was created; and
WHEREAS, recognizing and rewarding years of service can boost employee morale and promote employee retention for all employees in the workplace. The City of Saint Paul recognizes the value of institutional knowledge and experience held by long-term employees. Additionally, employees who have retired from employment with the City of Saint Paul can be ambassadors of goodwill for recruiting future employees; and
WHEREAS, employee recognition programs build and support the foundation needed to enhance employee job satisfaction, which in turn influences cooperation and productivity, and results in excellent public and customer service that better serves the interests of the community; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council has determined it is necessary for the fulfillment of the City’s governmental responsibilities to authorize discretionary expenditures of public funds for certain employee recognition activities and other public purposes related to the operation and functions of the City; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, pursuant to Section 6.03.3 of the Saint Paul City Charter, the City Council, through the approval of this resolution, authorizes the Human Resources Director to amend the Department Director Expense Account Policy, as set forth in attachment (strikethrough language being removed and underlined language being added) and create a new Employee Recognition Policy, as set forth in attachment.