Civil Service

Official Proceedings of the Battle Creek Civil Service Commission City Hall 10 N. Division Street Commission Chambers Battle Creek, Michigan November 25, 2019 4:00 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Commissioners Al Giguere and Michael Roller MEMBERS ABSENT: Commissioner Tim Martinovich STAFF PRESENT: Clerk Victoria Houser: Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant: Battalion Chief Marty Erskine CALL TO ORDER: Comm. Giguere called the meeting to order at 4:01 PM and recognized that a quorum was present. ELECTION OF CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON FOR 2020 Comm. Giguere noted the first order of business was to nominate a Chairperson for the Civil Service Commission. Comm. Roller nominated Comm. Giguere to serve as Chairperson for the Civil Service Commission for 2020. Comm. Giguere accepted the nomination, agreeing to serve as Chairperson for 2020. APPROVAL OF 2020 CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULE Comm. Giguere, supported by Comm. Roller, made a motion to approve the 2020 Civil Service Commission meeting schedule. All in favor, none opposed. Motion approved. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Comm. Roller, supported by Comm. Giguere, made a motion to approve the Civil Service Commission meeting minutes of August 26, 2019. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS: There were none. REPORTS: There were none. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: There was none. NEW BUSINESS 1. Certify the “2019 Entry Level Fire Fighter Eligibility List” Comm. Roller, supported by Comm. Giguere, made a motion to certify the “2019 Entry Level Fire Fighter Eligibility List”. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. 2. Certify the first 5 candidates on the “2019 Entry Level Fire Fighter Eligibility List” Comm. Roller, supported by Comm. Giguere, made a motion to certify the first five candidates on the “2019 Entry Level Fire Fighter Eligibility List”. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. PUBLIC COMMENT: Chief Sturdivant expressed appreciation to all who participated in the 2019 Entry Level FF Testing process. Chief Sturdivant reminded the Commissioners hat he has received a mandate from the City Manager and the City Commission to invoke strategies to increase diversity and inclusion in the Fire Department that better reflect the community. Chief Sturdivant, referring to laws enacted 20 years ago, noted public employers were court ordered to hire minorities, including candidates of color and females, which created a diverse staff in the Fire Department, noting several of those employees will be retiring soon, stating future staffing will no longer reflect what past court orders required. Chief Sturdivant acknowledged the limitations presented by PA 78 of 1935, requiring he hire from the list of eligible candidates beginning with the five candidates with the highest scores. Chief Sturdivant informed the Commission that he would be presenting information to the Commission after the first of the year relative to what is happening in Battle Creek regarding diversity and inclusivity. Chief Sturdivant stated he would be looking for recommendations from the Civil Service Commission to make advances in diversity and inclusion, without marginalizing any of the candidates’ fair process. Chief Sturdivant expressed his opinion that all candidates on the list have met the minimum level of qualification and that he should be able to pick any candidate on the list, not just starting with the top five. Chief Sturdivant emphasized that he was not advocating lower hiring standards, stating training is provided to all candidates, not only at the Fire Academy, but also during the 12-month probation period, noting most have worked for other departments. 1 Comm. Giguere, stating he was not opposed to diversity, informed everyone that he encountered the same issues while working in Community Development for the city. Comm. Giguere, acknowledging the restrictions of PA 78, stated it was worth the effort to find a way to comply with PA 78 while also increasing diversity in the Fire Department. PUBLIC COMMENT: Ms. Houser thanked Michelle Hull, HR Director, Michele Hughey, Battalion Chief, and Sam Gray, Community member, for their service on the Structured Oral Interview Panel. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Giguere adjourned the meeting at 4:13 PM. 2