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Home My WebLink AboutMN-CSC-2022-09-07CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION Regular Meeting September 7, 2022 Commissioners Present: Commissioner Abrams Commissioner Thompson Excused: Commissioner Richardson Staff Present: Valerie Saul (Deputy Director of Human Resources) Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 11.9, the meeting was conducted via Zoom. APPOINTMENT OF ACTING CHAIR Commissioner Abrams made a motion to appoint Commissioner Thompson as Acting Chair of the meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. Commissioner Thompson called the meeting to order at 11:34 AM. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Abrams made a motion to approve the minutes from the July 6, 2022 meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. NEW BUSINESS Change in Title: Coordinator of Health Services and Wellness to Director of Health Services and Wellness Commissioner Abrams made a motion to change the title of Coordinator of Health Services and Wellness to Director of Health Services and Wellness as requested by the Ithaca City School District. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. Revision of Special Requirements: School Bus Driver and School Bus Mechanic/Bus Driver The Commission reviewed and discussed a request from the Ithaca City School District to update the commercial driver license requirements for School Bus Driver and School Bus Mechanic/Bus Driver. Commissioner Thompson made a motion to update the special requirements for School Bus Driver and School Bus Mechanic/Bus Driver to include the following: ‘Candidates must possess a valid New York State Class D driver license or a valid driver license equivalent to a New York State Class D driver license at the time of appointment and must obtain a New York State Class B Commercial Driver License (CDL) with Passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements or a valid Commercial Driver License equivalent to a New York State Class B Commercial Driver License with Passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements within four (4) months of appointment. Said licenses must be maintained for the duration of employment.” Civil Service Commission September 7, 2022 Page 2 Seconded by C ommissioner Abrams. Motion carried 2-0. New Position Duties Statement and Adoption of Job Description: Director of Public Information and Technology The Commission reviewed and discussed a New Position Duties Statement from the Mayor and the proposed job description for Director of Public Information and Technology . Commissioner Thompson stated that she was comfortable moving forward with classifying the position but would like the second page of the New Position Duties Statement completed. Deputy Human Resources Director Saul stated that she will ensure that it is. Commissioner Thompson made a motion to classify the position as Director of Public Information and Technology and adopt the job description as proposed. Seconded by Commissioner Abrams. Motion carried 2-0. Amendment of Minimum Qualifications – Update to Accreditation Language The Commission reviewed the July 11, 2022 Policy Advisory Report from the New York State Department of Civil Service that recommends updated language for use in job descriptions regarding accreditation requirements for qualifying college degrees. Commissioner Abrams made a motion to update the minimum qualifications on all job descriptions with college degree requirements as recommended in the Policy Advisory Report. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. Suspension of Residency Requirements The Commission discussed the ongoing recruitment difficulties for many positions under their jurisdiction and the steady stream of requests to waive residency requirements for vacant positions that they have been receiving and approving over the past year. After discussing different options, in an effort to remove a recruitment barrier and increase applicant pools, Commissioner Abrams made a motion to suspend the residency requirements for all positions under their jurisdiction through December 31, 2023, and to also suspend the residency requirements for the 2024 Firefighter and Police Officer exams. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. Suspension of Application Fees The Commission discussed the idea of suspending the application fees for the Firefighter and Police Officer exams for 2023 and 2024 with the goal of increasing the candidate pools. The primary argument in favor of waiving the fees is that it would remove a potential recruitment barrier. The primary arguments in favor of keeping the application fees are that the fees offset the costs of the exams, and candidates appear for the exam more frequently when they have invested in the exam by paying an application fee. The Commission also noted that historical applicant data shows that the farther away a candidate resides, the less likely the candidate is to appear for the exam. After discussing different options, Commissioner Abrams made the following motion: Whereas, Section 50.5(b) of New York State Civil Service Law allows for the establishment of application fees for civil service examinations, and Civil Service Commission September 7, 2022 Page 3 Whereas, the Ithaca Civil Service Commission and Common Council have established application fees for the Firefighter and Police Officer exams, with a $15.00 application fee for Tompkins County residents and a $50.00 application fee for all other residents, with fee waivers allowed under specific circumstances, and Whereas, the City is experiencing significant difficulty recruiting applicants for both the Firef ighter and Police Officer exams, and Whereas, the Ithaca Civil Service Commission wishes to amend the established application fees for the 2023 and 2024 Firefighter and Police Officer examinations to encourage applications, and Whereas, the suspension of application fees is subject to the approval of Common Council, now, therefore, be it Resolved, that the Ithaca Civil Service Commission hereby suspends the application fees for the 2023 and 2024 Firefighter and Police Officer examinations for all residents of Tompkins County and the contiguous counties of Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca and Tioga. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner Thompson made a motion to go into executive session and pause recording of the meeting to discuss civil service examination matters. Seconded by Commissioner Abrams. Motion carried 2-0. During executive session, the Commission took the following actions: CONTINUING BUSINESS Approval of Rosters of Candidates for Examination Commissioner Abrams made a motion to approve the Rosters of Candidates for Police Officer Examination #64-954. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. Establishment of Eligible Lists Commissioner Thompson made a motion to establish the eligible lists specified below for the time period indicated. Seconded by Commissioner Abrams. Motion carried 2-0. Customer Service Representative Trainee #60-994 (1 year) Firefighter #64-837 (1 year) Hospitality Employment Training Program Coordinator #62-100 (1 year) Microcomputer Specialist #22-127 (1 year) Receptionist – Ithaca Housing Authority #63-689 (1 year) Civil Service Commission September 7, 2022 Page 4 Approval of Personnel Transactions Commissioner Abrams made a motion to approve the monthly personnel transactions. Seconded by Commissioner Thompson. Motion carried 2-0. The next Civil Service Commission meeting will be held Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 11:30 AM . With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:20 PM .