Dixon City Council to Update Personnel Rules, Explore Collection of Past Due Garbage Bills

What makes a good employee?

Is it someone who lies, steals from their employer, or is insubordinate? The Dixon City Council will explore this and many other items tonight during its regular meeting.

Tonight the council will consider adding two sections to the city’s Personnel Rules that lay out employee Standards of Conduct. The two new sections that staff is recommending for the council to approve prohibit employees from engaging in conduct that tends to reflect unfavorably on or bring discredit to the City or its employees.

According to a staff report such conduct includes damaging City property; yelling, screaming or berating City employees, citizens or vendors; unauthorized use of a City vehicle; inappropriate use of the Internet and conviction of a crime.

One of the sections also prohibits employees from not completing the appropriate paperwork or not attending required appointments for required licensure or certification renewal a staff report read.

Tonight the council is also expected take action on a resolution that allows the city to collect past-due Recology Dixon accounts by placing liens on the properties from which the accounts originate from.

“This process makes the past due amount subject to the County’s property tax collection methods which includes late property tax fees and can eventually (after 5-7 years) lead to a property being sold to payoff the liability,” read a staff report. “This process applies to residential accounts only.”

A total of 217 residences are past due to the tune of $58,912. The resolution would allow the city to put liens on the properties as part of a 1996 negotiated service package between the City and Recology. It’s also included in the City and Recology’s Franchise Agreement according to a staff report.

The City Council will meet at 7 p.m., inside its chambers on 600 East A Street.