HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-048-05/19/2020-REAPPOINTING TERESA ABLAO AS AN ASSISTANT MUNICIPAL JUDGE OF THE FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL COURT AND AUEMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This agreement is made and entered into this 1st day of July, 2020, by and between the City
of Fort Collins, hereinafter referred to as the “City” and Teresa Ablao, hereinafter referred to as
the “Employee”, pursuant to the terms and conditions:
WHEREAS, the City wishes to employ the services of the Employee as Assistant
Municipal Judge and the Employee wishes to provide her services to the City in that capacity; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution 2020-048, the City Council has approved of the
appointment of Teresa Ablao as Assistant Municipal Judge and has authorized the Mayor to enter
into an Employment Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the City and the Employee desire to provide for certain procedures, benefits,
and requirements regarding the employment of the Employee by the City.
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises
herein contained, the City and the Employee do hereby agree to the following:
1. Scope of Services.
The City agrees to employ the Employee as Assistant Municipal Judge an the Employee
agrees to perform all functions and duties as specified in the job description attached hereto as
Exhibit “A” and incorporated herein by reference, and to perform such other duties as might be
assigned.
2. Compensation.
Employee shall be compensated at the regular rate of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per
hour, less deductions and withholdings required by law, or authorized by Personnel Policies and
Procedures, or authorized by the Employee. The Court Administrator, in coordination with the
Employee, shall maintain and submit to the City a time sheet showing all hours worked prior to
any payment therefor. All payments shall be made within thirty (30) days of receipt of said time
sheet. This position shall be considered exempt for the purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act
and appliable state laws; accordingly, the Employee shall not be eligible for overtime pay.
3. Terms of Employment
(a) The terms of this Agreement shall be from July 1, 2020, to and including June 30,
2022. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall preclude renegotiation of this Agreement
prior to the expiration of its term.
(b) It is understood and agreed to by the Employee that upon termination of t his
Agreement, either under this paragraph or under the provisions of Paragraph 4 hereof, the
Employee shall not be entitled to any amount of additional compensation, as severance pay
or otherwise, other than as provided in Paragraphs 2 and 6 of this Agreement.
EXHIBIT A
Teresa Ablao
Employment Agreement
July 1, 2020
Page 2 of 6
4. Early Termination.
(a) Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time with or without cause prior
to the expiration of the term hereof by providing written notice of termination to the other
party at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the date of early termination. The City
may, at its discretion, provide the Employee with fifteen (15) calendar days’ compensation
at her regular rate in lieu of such notice. Such notice shall be deemed effective upon
personal delivery or as of the date of deposit into the United States mail, postage prepaid,
addressed as follows:
To the Employee:
Teresa Ablao
Last known address on file with the Human Resources Department
To the City:
City of Fort Collins, Colorado
Chief Judge
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
(b) The City has appropriated funds in the current fiscal year to meet the obligations of
this Agreement through the current fiscal year. This Agreement shall terminate at the end
of the City’s current fiscal year if the City does not, prior to the end of the current fiscal
year, appropriate funds for the subsequent fiscal year with which to meet its obligation
under this Agreement in the subsequent fiscal year. The parties acknowledge that the City
has made no promise to continue to appropriate funds beyond the current fiscal year.
5. Insurance Coverage; Vacation, Holiday and Sick Leave
The Employee shall not be entitled to the medical insurance plans, dental insurance plans,
vision plan, life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance plans, long term disability
plan, an Employee Assistance Program, retirement or deferred compensation plans, or any other
group insurance plan or other benefits that may be offered to some City Employees. The Employee
shall not be entitled to paid vacation time, paid holiday time, paid sick leave, paid short-term
disability leave, or any other sort of paid leave as may be available to some other City employees.
6. Applicability of Personnel and Respectful Workplace Policies
(a) The Employee hereby acknowledges receipt of the City’s Personnel Policies and
Procedures and the Respectful Workplace Policy adopted by the City Council and agrees
that she shall comply with and be bound by all provisions that apply to contractual or
appointed employees. The Employee acknowledges that the City may in its sole discretion
amend, modify, supplement, rescind or otherwise change any and all policies and
procedures in the Personnel Policies and Procedures and the Respectful Workplace
Policy at any time.
Teresa Ablao
Employment Agreement
July 1, 2020
Page 3 of 6
(b) Although the City’s Personnel Policies and Procedures and Respectful Workplace
Policy contain examples of types of disciplinary action including dismissal and examples
of misconduct, it is understood and agreed by the Employee that the City is not required to
take any disciplinary action whatsoever or follow any sort of disciplinary procedures prior
to terminating this Agreement pursuant to paragraphs 3 and 4 above. In the event the City,
in its sole discretion, decides to undertake disciplinary action, the City may discontinue
such action at any time and at no time waives its right to terminate this Agreement pursuant
to paragraphs 3 and 4 above.
(c) In the event that any applicable personnel policies set forth in the City’s Personnel
Policies and Procedures or the Respectful Workplace Policy are inconsistent or conflict
with the terms of this Agreement, then terms of this Agreement shall be controlling.
7. Proprietary Rights
(a) The Employee will disclose to the City promptly all improvements, discoveries,
ideas, inventions, and information pertinent to the operation or functions of the City which
the Employee may develop either individually or in conjunction with others, or of which
existence the Employee may otherwise learn during the period of employment by the City.
(b) The Employee agrees that all products which she may develop during the
Employee’s employment, whether individually or in conjunction with others, and all
intermediate and partial versions thereof, as well as all materials, flow charts, notes,
outlines and the like created in connection therewith (collectively referred toas “Work
Product”), and any formulae, processes, logarithms, ideas and other information not
generally known to the public, whether or not protected by copyright, and developed or
generated by the Employee in the course of the Employee’s employment hereunder, shall
be the sole property of the City upon their creation or, in the case of copyrightable works,
fixation in a tangible medium of expression.
(c) The Employee hereby assigns to the City the sole and exclusive right, title and
interest in and to all Work Product, and all copies of such Work Product, without further
consideration. The Employee further acknowledges that the City shall retain ownership of
and the right to reproduce, market, license, or otherwise distribute any program or material
produced by the Employee under the terms of this Agreement.
8. Entire Agreement.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties concerning the rights
granted herein and the obligations assumed herein. Any oral representation or oral modification
concerning this Agreement shall be of no force or effect. Although the personnel policies set forth
in the City’s Personnel Policies and Procedures and Respectful Workplace Policy may be
amended, modified, supplemented or rescinded at any time at the sole discretion of the City, the
terms of this Agreement can be modified only by a writing signed by the parties hereto. It is further
understood and agreed by the Employee that no representation, promise or other agreement not
Teresa Ablao
Employment Agreement
July 1, 2020
Page 4 of 6
expressly contained herein has been made to induce the execution of this Agreement, and that the
terms of this Agreement are contractual and not merely recitals.
9. Enforcement of Agreement; Attorneys’ Fees and Costs
If any action is brought to enforce or interpret the terms of this Agreement, the prevailing
party shall be entitled to reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs in addition to any other relief to which
it or she is entitled.
10. Severability.
Should any provision, part of term of this Agreement be declared or determined by a court
of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, then the legality, validity and
enforceability of the remaining parts, terms and provisions should not be affected thereby and said
illegal, invalid or unenforceable part, provision or term shall be deemed not to be part of this
Agreement.
11. Binding Effect.
This Agreement shall be binding upon the parties hereto and the heirs, successors and
assigns of each respectively. The City and the Employee freely and voluntarily enter into this
Agreement and have executed this Agreement having first read the same and intending to be
bound.
[Signatures on following page.]
Teresa Ablao
Employment Agreement
July 1, 2020
Page 5 of 6
CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, ATTEST:
a municipal corporation
By:_______________________________ _____________________________
Wade O. Troxell, Mayor City Clerk
_____________________________
(Print name)
EMPLOYEE APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________________ _____________________________
Teresa Ablao, Esq. Senior Assistant Senior Attorney
_____________________________
(Print name)
APPROVED: APPROVED:
____________________________________ ______________________________
Chief Human Resources Officer Chief Judge Kathleen Lane
Teresa Ablao
Employment Agreement
July 1, 2020
Page 6 of 6
EXHIBIT A
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE ASSISTANT MUNICIPAL
JUDGE
The Assistant Municipal Judge shall handle arraignment sessions and trial sessions of the Fort
Collins Municipal Court on the dates and times agreed upon with the Chief Judge. During
arraignment sessions (including video advisements of prisoners held at the Larimer County Jail),
the Assistant Municipal Judge shall give the advisements (or ensure that written advisements
have been reviewed and signed by defendants), accept pleas of “guilty” and “no contest,” and
process paperwork as requested by the Chief Judge or Court Administrator. During trial sessions,
the Assistant Municipal Judge shall conduct the trials in accordance with the laws and
procedures applicable to the Court.