Select the EMPLOYEE SERVICE CONTACTS link on this web page and you will be taken to a page that lists all the Human Resources contacts and their extension numbers.

Contact the Benefits Coordinator at extension 3303 to receive more information regarding making such changes.

Contact the Benefits Coordinator at extension 3303 to receive more information regarding making such changes.

Write a letter of resignation to your supervisor and copy Human Resources. HR will contact you regarding the separation process and provide appropriate documents for your review and disposition. The documents will provide information on your retirement benefits and eligibility for COBRA insurance benefits.

You must complete a new IRS Form W-4 which is available through the Benefits Coordinator at extension 3303.

Contact the Human Resources Executive Assistant at extension 3308 to request a new ID card.

Contact the Payroll Coordinator, ext. 3337, to make changes in your direct deposit accounts.

All open positions within the City of Punta Gorda are generally posted internally for five working days prior to being posted outside the organization, unless it is in the best interests of the City to post it externally at the same time.  The City makes every reasonable effort to promote from within, but does not exclude outside candidates.  If you wish to bid on a promotion, fill out an Internal Transfer Form available on the “z” drive in the Human Resources/Forms folder.  After the form is filled out, submit it to Human Resources prior to the cutoff date for the posting.

The City has many positions available that are not your regular Monday-Friday, 8-5 positions.  They are primarily in Public Safety (Police and Fire) and at the Water and Waste Water Treatment Plants.  Shift premiums are available.

Select the PAY & BENEFITS link on this web page and you will be taken to a page that gives a general overview of the benefits available through employment with the City of Punta Gorda.  For details regarding a specific benefit contact the Benefits Coordinator at ext. 3303.

Yes.  Our health insurance providers generally send insurance identification cards to your home.  That is one reason it is critical that your personal information is kept up to date.

The City’s defined benefit pension plan is closed to employees who were hired on or after October 1, 2011.  This fund is controlled by a Pension Board that meets quarterly.  Two City employees sit on this board and are intimately familiar with the pension and its workings.  If you were hired prior to that date and joined the pension plan, contact Human Resources for the names and extensions of these individuals.

If you were hired on or after October 1, 2011 you are eligible to join the City’s defined contribution retirement savings plan.  For more information regarding taking advantage of this benefit, contact the Benefits Coordinator at extension 3303.

An overview of the City’s benefits package is available online by selecting the PAY & BENEFITS link on this web page.  For details regarding a specific benefit contact the Benefits Coordinator at ext. 3303.

The date your benefits become effective depends on the type of benefit.  Generally, health insurance benefits are effective the first day of the month following your first thirty days of employment with the City.  Leave benefits (sick, annual) may not be used until after your six month anniversary. For details regarding a specific benefit contact the Benefits Coordinator at ext. 3303.

Depending on the type of benefit, there are specific rules that govern how you may add dependents.  Contact the Benefits Coordinator, ext. 3303, if you need to add or delete dependents.

If you believe that your medical, dental, or vision insurance plan is not providing the coverage you are expecting, the first step is to check your most recent pay advice to verify that the premium is being deducted from your check.  The second step is to contact the insurance provider at the 800 number that is on your insurance card.  If both of these actions are unsuccessful, contact the Benefits Coordinator at ext. 3303 for assistance.

A deferred compensation account is a method of saving for retirement with pre-tax dollars.  Deferred compensation accounts must be set up directly with one of the three companies that the City has authorized to provide such benefits.  The contact information for each company is available through Human Resources.  All three companies periodically send representatives to visit the City to provide personalized service.  When one of these providers is scheduled to come here, you will be notified in advance so that you can obtain permission from your supervisor to meet with the representative.

From time to time, the City participates with local facilities to provide this benefit.  To obtain enrollment information and forms, contact the Benefits Coordinator, ext. 3303.

Depending on the benefit, there are specific rules that govern when you may or may not cancel voluntary payroll deductions.  For details regarding a specific benefit contact the Benefits Coordinator at ext. 3303.

Briefly, the Family and Medical Leave Act is a Federal law that requires employers to allow eligible employees to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave each year to have or adopt a baby, to take care of a personal serious health condition, or the serious health condition of an immediate member of the family.  The Benefits Coordinator, ext. 3303, will provide more detailed information than what is included in these FAQs.

Yes.  You must have been employed for at least twelve months and have worked at least 1,250 hours during that year in order to be eligible to take FMLA Leave.

A “serious health condition” means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either:  (1) in-patient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, including any period of incapacity (for purposes of this policy defined to mean the inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to the serious health condition, treatment therefore, or recovery therefrom), or any subsequent treatment in connection with in-patient care; (2) an absence of more than three (3) days to receive treatment or care for an illness; or (3) continuing treatment by health care provider.

The maximum amount of leave you may take in a calendar year is twelve weeks.  Each calendar year, you will receive twelve more weeks.

Yes.  FMLA Leave is unpaid leave.  The City requires you to use any accrued sick leave or vacation leave hours you have available while you are on FMLA Leave.  Once your paid leave hours are used up, if you still have FMLA Leave available, your leave will be unpaid.

No.  The FMLA does not require continued accrual of employment benefits, such as vacation pay, sick days, seniority, etc.  If changes are made to the City’s benefits package while you are out on FMLA Leave, you will be entitled to any such changes when you return.

Yes.  The law views an employee who is on FMLA Leave as if that employee is continuously employed for the period(s) they are on FMLA Leave.  When you return from FMLA Leave, the City is required to return you to your original job or a job of equivalent stature and pay.

Generally, once you have exhausted all your FMLA leave, the City will extend your job protections for 30 days as a reasonable under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  If you are still unable to return to work, the City may exercise its right to terminate your employment, regardless of whether or not you have paid leave on the books.  If you are able to return to work prior to exhausting your FMLA- and ADA-protected leave, the City will make an effort to return you to your original position if it is still vacant.  If the position has been filled, we will place you in a vacant position for which you are qualified.

Generally, the City expects employees who anticipate needing FMLA Leave to request it in writing thirty (30) days in advance.  Obviously, certain emergencies or other unexpected circumstances may come up where it is not practical or possible to request leave in advance.  In such cases, the City expects prompt notification of the need for FMLA Leave.

Yes.  The City requires that the need for FMLA Leave to take care of a serious health condition be supported by documentation from a health care provider.  If the City doubts the need for FMLA Leave, it can require, at the City’s expense, that you get a second or third health care provider’s opinion.  The City can also require that you provide subsequent certification, after you are on Leave, of the need for continued FMLA Leave.  In order to return from FMLA Leave you will be required to provide a return to work authorization for you health care provider.

If you have an addition to your family through birth, adoption, or foster care, it is important that you notify the City immediately of the new family member.  We allow up to thirty (30) days to notify, but immediate notification will minimize the number of bills and collection notices that health care providers may send to your home.

The City requires that all employees participate in direct deposit so picking up your check is not a problem.  Your pay is deposited directly into your account.

Some technical positions with the City require that employees obtain certificates or licenses in order to legally hold the position.  If the City makes the decision to hire you without the requisite documentation, we will provide such training as is necessary for you to pass certification testing.  This training is at no charge to the employee.  You will, however, be subject to a certain retention period during which you must continue working for the City or the City could deduct the cost of training from your final paycheck.  The City will also pay for most continuing education that is necessary to keep the license or certificate.  If you have further questions regarding what the City will, or will not, pay for, contact the Human Resources Manager at ext. 3371.

If you wish to voluntarily pursue educational opportunities such as a degree program or technical education that will enable you to do a better job, but the City does not require you to take the training, you must pay for any such classes yourself.  The City will reimburse up to $1500 per year for approved course work.  There are conditions attached to this reimbursement so make sure you have discussed this matter with your supervisor, the Benefits Coordinator (ext. 3303), or the Human Resources Manager (ext. 3371).  You must get approval in advance in order to receive reimbursement.

Training and development that results in your receiving specific necessary certifications and licenses may lead to a higher pay grade, and with it an increase in salary.  Not all such training and development will lead to a higher pay grade, however.  If you have a question as to whether the training you are pursuing, or are receiving, will result in a higher salary, contact the Human Resources Manager, ext. 3371.

Continuing education that is required by the City in order to keep licenses or certificates that the City needs in order to maintain certain operations will be paid in full by the City.  There are conditions attached to this reimbursement so make sure you have discussed this matter with your supervisor, the Benefits Coordinator (ext. 3303), or the Human Resources Manager (ext. 3371).  You must get approval in advance in order to receive reimbursement.