Employees' suggestion awards program.
Memphis Code of Ordinances § 3-4-3
in effectSec. 3-4-3. - Employees' suggestion awards program.
A. Committee and membership. Each division director of the city shall appoint a minimum of three and a maximum of five employees from his or her division to serve on a total quality management suggestion awards committee for that division. Employees of the city shall serve without additional compensation over and above their regular employment compensation. Terms shall be for no more than two years; however, members may serve consecutive terms upon the request of their division director.
B. Alternate members. The division director shall have the right to appoint up to two alternate members who may serve the committee whenever an original appointee can not attend a meeting or can no longer serve as a member of the committee. Such alternate, while acting as a member of the committee, shall have the right to vote and otherwise exercise all other rights which his or her principal would have as a member if he or she were attending a committee meeting. While not acting as a member of the committee, the alternate shall attend committee meetings but may not vote or exercise the rights a principal would have as a member.
C. Quality coordinator. The division director shall choose a quality coordinator from among the employees he or she selects to serve on the suggestion award committee. The quality coordinator shall have the discretion to call the meetings of the committee whenever a meeting is warranted.
D. Recorder. The appointed members shall choose, from among themselves, a member not the quality coordinator, to serve as recorder for the committee. The recorder shall keep a record of all suggestions and shall record the minutes of each committee meeting.
E. Powers, functions, and duties of the committee. Each division committee shall have the powers, functions and duties as are herein authorized and given in this section. Each committee is authorized to act upon such forms, procedures, rules and regulations, as it may deem reasonably necessary to facilitate and exercise its powers, functions and duties.
F. Submission of suggestions. Each and every city employee is invited to offer suggestions through the total quality management improvement process. An employee desiring to offer a suggestion pursuant to the provisions of this section shall address the same to the committee by filing the suggestion on the designated form with the recorder of the division's committee. The recorder shall submit each and every suggestion to the committee using the appropriate quality process. Suggestions are to be made to the particular department or division which would benefit most from the implementation of the suggestion.
G. Investigations of suggestions by committee and division director. Upon receipt of suggestions, each committee shall evaluate. In evaluating suggestions, the committee shall consider any improvement of operations of the city government that might result from implementation of such suggestions.
H. Implementation of suggestions. If, after investigation, the committee determines that a suggestion is worthy of implementation, it shall submit to the division director and the quality council (the administrative body that is responsible for monitoring, recognizing and authorizing the implementing of TQM projects) its recommendation that such suggestion be implemented. No money shall be paid to any person as an award of any suggestion, unless and until such suggestion has been implemented and put into effect and operation. The division director shall give the committee and quality council notice of all suggestions which have been implemented and then put into effect.
I. Rejection of suggestion. If a suggestion is rejected, the committee must give notice and reason for the rejection in writing.
J. Power of division director to overrule decisions of the committee. Before concluding its investigation of any suggestions, the committee shall cause a copy of each suggestion, along with the committee's findings regarding feasibility of implementation of the suggestion, to be given by the committee recorder to the division director. The division director shall have reasonable opportunity to independently investigate the suggestion and to make recommendations with respect to the committee for further consideration of the suggestion, whether the suggestion had been previously approved or rejected by the committee. Should the division director reject the suggestion, this decision should be communicated to the committee and quality council.
K. Awards without implementation. Notwithstanding the above, however, the committee, subject to the appropriation and the availability of money therefor, and acting pursuant to the authority herein and given to it in this section, may make an award (up to and including cash), per guidelines.
L. Monetary award. Subject to such conditions, restrictions or limitations as are contained elsewhere in this section, the committee, after a suggestion has been implemented and put into effect, should suggest to the division director and quality council that it be submitted for monetary consideration. Such award shall be in such amount as the committee shall deem reasonable under established guidelines. In addition, the amount of the award must be approved by the division director. In determining the amount of any such award, the committee shall consider the net savings, the net increases in revenue, if any, which will accrue to the division or to the city because of the implementation of such suggestion. In no event shall the amount of any such award exceed the sum of $500.00 or ten percent of the first year's net savings or net increases in revenue to the city, as estimated to the division, or to the city, as estimated by the committee, whichever is the lesser sum.
M. Cash awards in excess of $500.00; quality council to authorize payment. If and when the committee finds and determines that a suggestion is worthy of cash award in excess of $500.00, and the division director concurs, the division director may recommend to the quality council that they authorize payment of such higher award. The following percentages will then apply: savings of $5,000.00 to $25,000.00, an award of $500.00, plus five percent of any amount from $5,000.00 to $25,000.00; savings of $25,000.00 to $100,000.00, an award of $1,500.00, plus one percent of any amount over $25,000.00.
N. Persons ineligible for cash awards. No suggestions shall be made pursuant to the provisions of this section to any of the following persons:
1. Elected officials;
2. Division directors;
3. Deputy directors;
4. Chief administrative officer;
5. Members of the auditing staff;
6. Any person who is not an employee of the city at the time the suggestion was received by the committee;
7. Supervisory personnel for suggestions related to their own area of responsibility.
O. Awards with no definite monetary value and/or noncash award. Each committee may make an award not to exceed a value of $50.00, but not less than $10.00 for suggestions concerning safety and other matters that do not save the city directly but improve operations. The amount of such an award shall be determined on the basis of criteria established by the quality council. Alternatively, each committee may, at any time, award non-cash certificates of commendation and other forms of recognition not involving the payment of money for any suggestion whenever it deems such to be appropriate.
P. Patents and copyrights. The city shall be entitled to implement use and put into operations, in effect, any suggestions submitted by any persons pursuant to the provisions of this section without paying any royalties or other moneys, whatever, for the privilege of doing so, and any person so submitting any suggestions to the city shall be deemed, by submitting a suggestion, to have agreed to the above. Subject to the above rights of the city, any employee of the city who submits any suggestion pursuant to this section may copyright or patent such suggestion and shall be entitled to any rights, privileges or emoluments resulting therefrom.
Q. Appropriations. No cash award shall be made and no money shall be expended pursuant to the provision of this section, unless money has been appropriated by the city council, and there exists an unencumbered balance of such appropriations sufficient for such purpose. The division director shall make recommendations to the council respecting the amounts of money that should be appropriated for such purposes.
R. Annual report. As soon as possible, following the close of each fiscal year, the committee shall make and file with the quality council an annual report of this activity in the immediately proceeding fiscal year; a copy should be provided to the division director.
(Code 1967, § 2-9; Code 1985, § 2-3; Ord. No. 7-29, § 1, 6-9-1970; Ord. No. 1049, §§ 1—3, 9-7-1971; Ord. No. 1151, § 1, 1-11-1972; Ord. No. 4339, § 1, 7-18-1995)
Source: City of Memphis, Code of Ordinances and Charter and Related Laws (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tn/memphis/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT3PE_CH3-4PEREGE_S3-4-3EMSUAWPRFetched: 10/28/2026