Civil Service Commission

OAK HARBOR CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION DECEMBER 21, 2023 MEETING MINUTES (Regular Session) I N A T T E N D A N C E COMMISSIONERS CITY STAFF MEMBERS ☒ Chair Commissioner Sandi Peterson In‐person ☒ Emma House, HR Director In‐person ☒ Commissioner Dana Ledford In‐person ☒ Liflor Barrera, Chief Examiner In‐person ☐ VACANT, Commissioner Select One ☒ Ray Merril, FD Chief In‐person ☒ Tony Slowik, PD Chief Phone PUBLIC ATTENDANCE: 1. Serloyd Carter – attended by phone The meeting was held at City Hall in the Mayor's Conference Room and was called to order at 1:03 P.M. Minutes:  For the minutes from September 21, 2023, the motion to approve the minutes was made by Chair Commissioner Peterson and seconded by Commissioner Ledford.  Civil Service Minutes for November 30, 2023, and December 7, 2023, will be presented at the next meeting for review and approval. OLD BUSINESS: - None NEW BUSINESS: A. HUMAN RESOURCES (presented by HR Director Emma House) 1. Hearing scheduled today for the Fire Department Lieutenant promotional examination. 2. Request provisional appointment under Section 10.07 (Provisional Appointment) and provisional appointment extension under Section 10.10 (Extension of Appointments). - The City is actively negotiating with Fire and Police for their new contract, the current contract expires on December 31, 2023. - Explained that the Fire Chief Merrill's request for provisional appointments is highly supported by Human Resources and requesting the Commission's approval. B. POLICE DEPARTMENT (presented by Chief Tony Slowik) 1. Discussed transitioning the Records Point of Contact (POC) to a Records Supervisor and opening the position to internal candidates. 2. Discussed transitioning Lead Police Support Officer to Police Support Sergeant and opening the position to internal candidates. 3. Updated the status of the open Police Sergeant position. - Intending to discuss giving the current open Sergeant position to acting police sergeant Johnson (ranked 2nd in the promotional examination) when Mayor-elect Ronnie Wright takes office in January 2024, effective date would be January 16, 2024. C. FIRE DEPARTMENT 1. Promotion of POC to career firefighter (eligibility list already certified). - Dallas Brodt, a POC employee whose name is in the current eligibility register certified by the Commission in March 2023, has been promoted to a career firefighter. A conditional offer went out, and he is scheduled for the required psychological examination on January 3, 2023. Civil Service Commission | MEETING MINUTES | 12/21/23 Page 1 of 2  If the evaluation is satisfactory, his effective date as a career firefighter will be January 16, 2024. 2. Provisional appointments for calendar year 2024. - Chief Merrill explained he supports the HR director's request to transition three (3) current POC FFs (firefighters) who are already working the hours that made them eligible to and have been receiving healthcare and retirement benefits move to provisional appointment beginning April 1, 2024, and ending March 31, 2025. - This decision ensures the City complies with the Washington Department of Retirement Systems (DRS), of placing these POCFFs in the LEOFF retirement plan rather than in the PERS retirement plan. Secondly, without the risk of losing the POC staff, this transition is part of the negotiation agreement between city management and the union. It is a two (2) year plan, an agreement to phase out the long-time POC program by the end of 2025 and transition these employees to retirement or to a regular career appointment as part of the required workforce to support the 2nd Station estimated to be completed sometime in 2025. - The current eligibility register for Career firefighters will expire on March 31, 2024, and no eligibility register will be created until the 2nd Station reaches final completion in 2025. Commission: 1. The Commission congratulated Chief Tony Slowik for his promotion from Captain and Interim Chief to the new Chief of Police for the City of Oak Harbor Police Department. The Mayor’s appointment and the employment contract was approved by City Council on December 19, 2023. 2. The Commission has no questions regarding the conditional offer of Dallas Brodt's promotion from POC to career FF. 3. The Commission approved the request to freeze Civil Service Rule 10.07.01 to support the Fire Department provisional appointments for calendar year 2024. 4. The Commission approved the request of HR Director Emma House and FD Chief Ray Merrill for the provisional appointments of three (3) POC firefighters to become effective April 1, 2024. The provisional appointments are approved until March 31, 2025, with the stipulation that if the 2nd Fire Station reaches final completion earlier than the estimated time and within the approved one (1) year provisional appointment duration, the above Commission approvals become null and void, the frozen rule is rescinded, those individuals in the provisional appointments will be transitioned into career positions, and an eligibility register would be created. 5. The Commission reserves the right to make any changes as needed. Adjournment: There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 1:45 P.M., motioned by Chair Commissioner Peterson, seconded by Commissioner Ledford, and passed unanimously. /s/ /s/ ____________________________________ ________________________________ Commissioner Civil Service Secretary/Chief Examiner Liflor Barrera Civil Service Commission | MEETING MINUTES | 12/21/23 Page 2 of 2