HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014/03/14 - ADMIN - Minutes - Fire Civil Service Commission - Regular
FIRE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MINUTES
March 14, 2014 – 8:00 a.m.
FIRE STATION 2 CONFERENCE ROOM
1. The meeting was called to order at 8:02 a.m. by President MacMillan.
2. In attendance were Commissioners David Lee, Bill MacMillan, and Jim Rhodes. Also present were Ali
Fosse, HR Coord/Staff Liaison; Steve Koering, Fire Chief; Cary Smith, Assistant Chief; Eric Curran-
Bakken, Local 993 Union President; and Eva Hansen, Fire Lieutenant.
3. A motion was made by Secretary Rhodes, seconded by Commissioner Lee, to approve the minutes from
the February 3, 2014 meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
4. The Commission tabled item #3 on the agenda (Certify next name on Firefighter Eligibility Register)
until after discussion of #4.
5. Staff Liaison Fosse presented the recommended changes to the Rules and Regulations of the Fire Civil
Service Commission. The intent of the changes is to improve efficiencies and require fewer meetings to
certify names from an already Commission-approved Eligibility Register. The agreed upon changes are
as follows:
Housekeeping revisions such as updating the date, grammatical, capitalization, and punctuation
changes throughout document.
Rule 5, Section 1 (new areas bold/underline, redacted areas strikethrough)
Whenever there is a vacancy in any sworn position in the department, it shall be the duty
of the Fire Chief to notify the Appointing Authority. The Appointing Authority shall
have the discretion to determine when and if to request a list of names from the
Commission to fill the vacant position(s). Upon receipt of a request from the Appointing
Authority, the Commission approval of the Eligibility Register, the three names
standing highest on the appropriate Eligibility Register shall be automatically certified.
It is the intent of the Commission to automatically certify the top three names of
each approved Eligibility Register at all times. If the persons certified do not accept
certification within seven (7) days after notification of vacancy by mail or email at their
last known address, the next highest name on the eligibility list shall be automatically
certified.
The name of any person certified who declines or does not respond to notification of
the position shall be removed from the Eligibility Register and the next highest name
shall be automatically certified unless the Commission determines the individual had
adequate excuse reason for not accepting.
The Appointing Authority, in the exercise of his or her judgment, may appoint any of the
three names certified by the Commission as eligible for appointment. Such appointment
shall be conditional upon successful completion of a psychological and medical exam as
well as a background investigation as determined by the Appointing Authority. If the
conditionally appointed candidate does not pass the psychological, medical and/or
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background investigation, the Appointing Authority may request the Commission to
certify the next name on the Eligibility Register shall be automatically certified.
The Appointing Authority may, in his or her sole discretion, reject up to all three
candidates. When a candidate(s) is rejected, up to the next three names will
automatically be certified.
The name of the candidate appointed shall be transferred from the Eligibility Register to
the Service Register.
A motion was made by Commissioner Lee, seconded by Secretary Rhodes, to approve the changes to the
Rules and Regulations of the Fire Civil Service Commission as noted above. Motion carried
unanimously.
6. Item #3 from the agenda was dismissed (Certify next name on Firefighter Eligibility Register). Due to
action taken above to amend the Rules and Regulations, no certification is needed as it is now
automatically done.
7. To improve transparency and communication, Commissioner Lee requested the commission be notified
when names are removed from the Eligibility Registers. Staff Liaison Fosse agreed and will send out
updated Eligibility Registers when they change.
8. In other business, Commissioner Rhodes commended the City and Fire Department on the handling of a
drowning in an SLP school pool, and the commission discussed the upcoming vacancy in the position of
Assistant Chief. Chief Koering will reconvene the Commission when he is ready to present a
recruitment process for that position.
9. The Commission adjourned at 8:40 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Ali Fosse
City Staff Liaison to the Fire Civil Service Commission