Civil Service

Entering Civil Service

*All applicants for employment under Civil Service must be subject to examination, examinations must be public, competitive, and administered w/out cost to applicants *Applicants must be at least 18, unless PD they must be 21 *All applicants for PD must be US citizens *Applicants for entry-level positions must be given at least 10 business days written notice in which to apply *Notice for promotional exams shall contain the date, time, place of exam along w/ the closing date for applications, notice shall also include examination methods to be used and the weight given to each component *Request to postpone an exam or receive disability accommodations must submitted to department in writing at least 10 business days prior to exam *All applicants will be notified in writing of the results of the exam, their final score, and the position attained on the register

Petitions

*All petitions must be in writing, addressed to the Secretary of the Commission, and must be received w/in 14 calendar days of the date the challenged action or decision occurred

Promotions

*All promotions w/ the Civil Service shall be made on the basis of: Ascertained Merit, Seniority in service, Standing obtained by competitive examination *Promotions are based on substantial change of duties and the exercise of supervisory or administrative skills *Rank of Captain- 10 years of service, 9 years w/ a college degree *Rank of BC- Minimum 2 years as a Captain, completed 15 years of service, 14 years w/ associates, 13 years w/ bachelors *Notice of promotional exams shall be given at least 20 days prior to date of exam *Members subject to disciplinary action resulting in demotion in the past 12 months are not eligible to test for promotion, applicant may test if appeal is pending, but not promoted until appeal is determined, if discipline upheld they will be removed from register *Whenever an eligibility roster contains less than 5 names, the Commission may upon request of the Chief approve a new examination to be given *Chief shall select for promotion one person from the top 5 names on the eligibility register for each position to be filled *Any applicant who is selected for promotion must indicate acceptance to the Chief w/in 10 business days

Removal from Eligibility Register

*Applicant fails to report to a scheduled interview, or fails to report to a pre-employment examination *Applicant fails to respond to a notice of the department or Commission w/in 5 business days *Applicant declines an offer for appointment *Applicant fails any non-scored part of the examination process *If removed from register, not eligible to retest for 12 months from date applicant was notified

Leave of Absence

*Department chief may grant a leave of absence to any employee, not to exceed 12 months *Upon return an employee must be returned to a vacant position in the highest ranking position held when taking the leave, if a position vacancy exists *May be returned to lower rank and considered eligible for promotion and placed at the top of current eligibility roster for the duration of that roster

Appointment from Eligibility Roster

*Eligibility register shall be used as follows: Commission shall certify to the appointing power the names of: 10 persons is position is entry level, or 5 persons if the position to be filled is other than entry level *If more than one position is available, Commission shall also certify to the appointing power one additional name for each additional position to be filled

Reinstatements

*Employee who resigns from PD or Fire in good standing may be reinstated to their former position under following conditions: A vacancy exists, requests reimbursement w/in 36 months, passes all appropriate examinations and tests, must serve a probationary period of 90 days *No former employee may be reinstated to a supervisory or promoted position *Chiefs have complete discretion in deciding whether to recommend to the Commission the reinstatement of any employee

Reports Made to the Commission from Chiefs

*Every office or position of employment created w/in their respective departments *Every promotion *Every probationary, provisional, or temporary appt. made *Every suspension, w/out pay, greater than 3 days or 24 working hours *Every demotion *Every retirement *Every termination, separation and resignation

Legal Counsel

*May retain legal counsel from SLC Attorney Office, unless it is a conflict of interest, then they may retain outside counsel at compensation that the mayor may fix

Meetings

*Meets at direction of Chairperson, and upon 24 hours notice, agenda shall be posted in compliance w/ "open meetings" law. Chiefs of both departments and City Attorney shall be given notice of any meetings along w/ copy of the agenda *By 2/3 vote they can close a meeting or meet in executive session *2 members constitutes a quorum, and concurring vote of 2 members is required to constitute an action or decide an issue *Must prepare annual report for Mayor each December

Probation

*Probationary period for entry level position is 6 months, or the length of time designated when position is open *Probationary period for promoted positions is 6 months

Eligibility Registers

*Shall be certified by the Commission for each Civil Service position *May approve a continuous eligibility roster (PD) *May establish an eligibility register for any time period not to exceed 2 years

Duties

*Shall have full charge of all examinations *Establishes the classified Civil Service eligibility registers from which appointments and promotions shall be made *Hearing and determining appeals of disciplinary terminations, demotions, or suspensions w/out pay which exceed 3 days or 24 working hours

Introduction

*State law permits SLC as a "City of the first class" to establish a Civil Service System for all employees in PD and Fire *Deputy Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs shall be appointed from the ranks of Civil Service, and they shall be reinstated to last Civil Service rank they held as long as they are removed for non-disciplinary reasons *They are exempt from Civil Service process of appeals *Civil Service Commission- Comprised of 3 members appointed by the mayor, 6 year terms expiring every even year *All paid positions w/in both departments are considered Civil Service except Chiefs and DCs and ACs

Rules of Discipline

*Suspensions w/ or w/out pay for a period not to exceed 3 days or 24 working hours are NOT subject to appeal before the commission *All requests for appeal must be in writing, addressed to the commission, and filed w/ the Secretary of Commission *Must be filed w/in 5 business days of the date decision was personally delivered or 8 business days from when it was mailed *Demotions are also able to be appealed

Conduct of Hearings

*The Commission uses the Utah Rules of Evidence and Utah Rules of Civil Procedure as guidelines during hearings *City shall present its case first, City has burden of proof on whether the facts support the charges. If employee challenges the consistency of the discipline, the employee bears the burden of proof on that issue *Any request for subpoena must be made 30 calendar days before a scheduled hearing *Commission only has the authority to uphold or reverse the department head's decision in disciplinary appeals *A recording or transcript prepared by a certified court reporter of the hearing shall be kept on file at the Commission's office