HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdministrative Order 2024-04 Bilingual Pay PolicyADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2024-04
Adoption of City of Bozeman Policy for:
Bilingual Pay
Pursuant to my authority as Interim City Manager, I hereby adopt the City of Bozeman policy
for: Bilingual Pay attached hereto.
Dated this ____ day of ________, 2024.
________________________________________
Chuck Winn, Interim City Manager
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May17th
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Policy: City of Bozeman Bilingual Pay Policy
Effective Date: May 2024
Revised:
Bilingual Pay Policy
I. Purpose and Scope
The City of Bozeman (“City”) recognizes the value to the City and to the community of recruiting and
retaining bilingual employees. Bilingual employees contribute to effective communication and service
delivery, thereby enhancing accessibility and inclusivity within the community. The purpose of this
policy is to establish guidelines for providing bilingual pay to City employees. This policy applies to all
City employees who may be required to use their bilingual skills as part of their job duties.
II. Policy
A. Eligibility
Employees eligible for bilingual pay must demonstrate proficiency in a language, other than English,
that is deemed by the City to be necessary for the effective delivery of City services. Employees must
utilize their bilingual skills in the performance of their job duties on a regular basis.
Employees receiving bilingual pay may be required, by their supervisor, to assist other City
departments with language translation. Such assistance must not interfere with the employee’s
regular job duties, must not require the employee to perform work that is “out of class”, or otherwise
create a conflict of interest.
B. Bilingual Pay Rate
Eligible employees will receive additional compensation of $300.00 per month on top of their base rate
of pay in recognition of their language proficiency. This additional pay will be subject to all applicable
state and federal withholdings.
C. Ongoing Assessment
Employees receiving bilingual pay may be subject to periodic assessments, at the City’s expense, of
their language proficiency to ensure continued eligibility. Failure to maintain the required level of
proficiency or performance expectations required for the needs of the City may result in the
suspension or termination of bilingual pay.
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III. Procedure
Employees seeking bilingual pay should contact the Human Resources Department. The Human
Resources Department, in conjunction with the applicable department director will evaluate the
request based on eligibility criteria.
The applicable department director, in conjunction with Human Resources, will be responsible for
determining the level of proficiency required for the employee’s position. Proficiency will be
determined through standardized language proficiency tests approved and coordinated by the Human
Resources Department. The Human Resources Department will arrange for the employee to be
assessed for proficiency. The City will be responsible for the cost of an employee’s first assessment.
Employees who fail to meet the established assessment criteria will be required to pay for subsequent
assessments should they wish to re-test.
Approval for bilingual pay will be granted at the discretion of the City Manager, or designee.
IV. Responsibility for Review
The Human Resources Director, or designee, shall be responsible for reviewing this policy as needed,
or at least every two (2) years.
This policy is provided at the sole discretion of the City Manager and is subject to change at any time
based on the needs of the City.
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