Civil Service Commission Meeting

MINUTES OF THE January 30, 2013 URBANA CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MEETING Called by the Commission A meeting of the Civil Service Commission (the “Commission”) of the City of Urbana, an Illinois municipality (the “City”), was held on January 30, 2013 in the 2nd floor Executive Conference Room of Urbana City Hall. Commission Members Present: Willard Broom, Marion Knight Absent: none Staff Present Present: Elizabeth Borman, Assistant Human Resources Manager, Vacellia Clark, Civil Service Commission Chief Examiner and Rhonda Collins, Benefits Coordinator. Proceedings Commissioner Broom called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. and Ms. Collins recorded the minutes. A quorum of commissioners were present, and the meeting, having been duly convened, was ready to proceed with business. Approval of Minutes Staff presented to the Commission the minutes of the December 26, 2012 meeting of the Commission for approval, whereupon motion duly made by Commissioner Broom, seconded by Commissioner Knight and unanimously adopted, the minutes were approved as presented. Public Participation Carol McKusick addressed the Commission regarding language on agenda for public comment and access to documents on “Standard order of business”. She also inquired on the number of Commissioners on the Civil Service Commission and Commissioner Broom reported that there are currently two but the Mayor will be appointing a new Commissioner at a later date bringing the count to the standard of three. Action Items A. Entry-Level Police Officer Passing Score Staff recommends a passing score of 65% in each portion of the exam (human relations, written and reading). This would result in an eligibility register of 88 candidates with no adverse or disparate impact. After a discussion, Commissioner Broom moved and Commissioner Knight seconded approval. B. Revision to Entry-Level Police Officer Job Description The Urbana Police Department is requesting revisions to the Entry-Level Police Officer job description. They are: 1) Amend the education requirement to specify a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.3 on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent if a different system is used). This would equate to a “C+” average on most post-secondary institutional scales.  2) Amend the age requirement to allow applicants who are 20 years old, who have an associate’s degree or 60 hours of college credit, to test for eligibility; however, they would not be able to receive an offer of employment until they are 21 years old. After a discussion, Commissioner Broom moved and Commissioner Knight seconded approval. C. Firefighter Preference Points With the passage of the Firefighter Hiring Act of 2011, after consulting with Urbana Fire Chief Mike Dilley, staff requests that the following preference points be established for Fire Fighter- EMT:  Veteran preference (5 points): Persons who were engaged in the military service of the United States for a period of at least one year of active duty and who were honorably discharged therefrom, or who are now or have been members on inactive or reserve duty in such military or naval service, shall be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department of an affected department; and  Residency preference (5 points): Applicants whose principal residence is located within Urbana City limits as provided by Urbana City Code 2-99 (10) shall be preferred for appointment to and employment. After a discussion, Commissioner Broom moved and Commissioner Knight seconded approval. D. Amend Civil Service Rules to Reflect City Organizational Structure Staff requests that language be modified in one definition (Chief Examiner) and Rule 7.8 to reflect that the Personnel Manager (Chief Examiner) is under the office of the Mayor, not the Chief Administrative Officer as indicated in current language. After a discussion, Commissioner Broom moved and Commissioner Knight seconded approval. E. Amend Civil Service Rules to Reflect No Creation of Applicant Right or Interest Staff requests that the following new language be added to the Section V (Application and Notice of Examination”) of the Urbana Civil Service Rules: 5.6- Admission to Examination No person shall knowingly be admitted to any element of any examination who does not meet the minimum qualifications established for the position. The fact that a person is admitted to an element of an examination will not be considered as evidence that he or she is qualified or eligible for the position.  After a discussion, Commissioner Broom moved and Commissioner Knight seconded approval. F. Amend Civil Service Rules to Reflect Exam Admittance Rights Staff requests that the following new language be added to the Section V (Application and Notice of Examination”) of the Urbana Civil Service Rules: 5.7- No Creation of Applicant Rights or Interest Neither the filing of an application, nor the acceptance of an application, nor an applicant’s satisfaction of the general or special qualifications for filing an application or being admitted to an examination, nor any provision of these Rules and Regulations may be construed or applied as creating any vested, property, or other right or interest in any person to apply for, be examined for, or be appointed to any position in the Departments. After discussion it was decided to table this item until the next scheduled meeting after review from the City’s Legal Division. G. Revisions to Arbor Supervisor Job Description This item will be tabled until the next scheduled meeting after discussion with the Arbor Division Manager. Informational Items A. Proposed Firefighter Hiring Rules Staff presented Commission with a draft of Firefighter Hiring Rules, including Appendix A- Sample Notice of Civil Service Exam, Appendix B- Scoring Matrix, Appendix C- Guideline for Firefighter/EMT Hiring Time Line and Appendix D- Proposed Application Questions. Commissioners will review draft prior to the next scheduled meeting with a proposed posting date of March 1, 2013. B. Fire Fighter Exam posting Staff presented Commission with a draft of the 2013 Fire Fighter Exam posting for their review. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the meeting, the meeting was adjourned at 11:05 a.m. Respectfully submitted, ____________________________ Rhonda Collins, Recording Secretary