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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/24/2014 - Minutes CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION c:'t}'°f ° C����� O MEETING MINUTES June 24, 2014 Andee Jorgensen Bill Larson,Jim Matthew, COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Jim Phelan COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Richard Fisher Kevin Milosevich, Chief; Mark Coleman, RPG President; � POLICE DEPARTMENT: Corey Jacobs, RPG Vice President FIRE& EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENT: Erik Wallgren, Deputy Chief STAFF MEMBERS: Brian Sandler, Civil Service Secretary/Chief Examiner GUESTS: Jim Cline CALL TO ORDER: Chair Jim Phelan called the meeting to order at 4:38 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Review of the minutes from the May 27, 2014 Meeting. MOVED BY: Bill Larson SECOND BY: Jim Matthew MINUTESAPPROVED FIRE& EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENT: 1)Unfinished Business: None 2)New Business: a)Approval of the Deputy Fire Chief Eligibility List MOVED BY: Andee Jorgensen SECOND BY: Jim Matthew MOTION CARRIED b) Tentative Dates for Fire Lieutenant Promotional Exam—September or October c) Battalion Chief Eligibility List will be presented at the July Civil Service meeting. The review period for the recruitment process ends June 25, 2014. Captain Doug McDonald will be promoted to the position of Battalion Chief effective July 1, 2014. POLICE DEPARTMENT: 1)Unfinished Business: None 2)New Business: a)Approval of the Lateral Police Officer Eligibility List MOVED BY: Andee Jorgensen SECOND BY: Bill Larson MOTION CARRIED b)Approval of the Police Community Program Coordinator Eligibility List MOVED BY: Andee Jorgensen SECOND BY: Jim Matthew MOTION CARRIED c)Approval of the Police Crime Analyst Classification MOVED BY: Jim Matthew SECOND BY: Andee Jorgensen MOTION CARRIED CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES d)Approval of Police Crime Analyst Job Announcement MOVED BY: Jim Matthew SECOND BY: Bill Larson MOTIONCARRIED e)Approval of Revised Police Commander Job Announcement MOVED BY: Bill Larson SECOND BY: Jim Matthew MOTIONCARRIED OTHER BUSINESS/COMMENTS: Police Guild President Mark Coleman introduced himself, Police Guild Attorney,Jim Cline, and Guild Vice President, Corey Jacobs. Jim Cline distributed a Court Case document from John Simonds v.The City of Kennewick dated June 25, 1985. Jim Cline said he wanted to provide insight and help to the commission by handing out this case. He said that the Guild has not formulated a position on how they were going to approach their concerns over the testing process related to work ratings. However,they wanted to inquire from the Commission how the testing process works. He passed out a case that he will be providing to the Guild and speaking to them how they want to factor this in. The recent tests allowed for a department work rating. He said a lot of the officers saw that was an improvement since it allowed input from those that allowed more input from those that knew the officer. Cline continued to say that there is a level of input that has created a red flag for the Guild. This is step one in the dialogue that the guild might want to have with the commission and possibly the commission's legal counsel. Cline said that the case he distributed was 20 years old, but what he believed was still the law. Although they are finding that there are other agencies that don't follow this law. He said the key segments are highlighted in the document and they focus on the importance of having a test process in which the raters do not have knowledge of the candidates. In the case law referenced,the test process got challenged. The Chief at Kennewick said he used prior knowledge to rate the candidate. Cline said this is not a merit test. He said that there is a value of loyalty in a paramilitary organization, but the value of loyalty and merit can be at odds, but merit should trump loyalty. In the Kennewick case,the state court of appeals said that it was not an actual test as it was defined under state law. You can't use a test that says you are using prior knowledge;that is not a test. In the Sergeant Test that Renton recently conducted and in the Commander test that is coming soon, knowledge is being applied to the grading of the test. This would counter the principles of the Kennewick test. The Guild and the Guild board have not taken an official position on this;they were going to be discussing this later in the week. They wanted to alert to the Commission to this so the Commission could begin their own legal review. If it gets to the point there should be a change that would be something we would want to engage in a dialogue with the Commission and their legal counsel to get the system set up square with the statute. Jim Phelan said he understood what they were discussing and where they were coming from. The Guild and the bargaining unit have been encouraged to attend the civil service commission meetings. If they see something on a job announcement that could become biased against a member taking a test,they should say something in the meeting. He has not seen any type of a challenge since most have been comfortable with how they have been handled. The Chiefs want the perspective that it is going to be honest. He said that their legal counsel is Larry Warren and if they decided to go outside,they would contact Steven DiJulio. 2 CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Mark Coleman said that he does not anticipate the Guild making a problem over the past Sergeant test. They reviewed it and saw some potential red flags. They let it go, in a sense, they acquiesced to that test. They feel responsible to say that when they saw some problems with the last test, they want to bring it up before they have another test. Jim Phelan said that most of these things have been ironed out between the guild and the administration. When that can be taken care of their,then you bring it to the Commission. When you can't take care of it there,that is when you would get in contact with your attorney. Mark said that they were not bringing them a problem;they were bringing something to look for in the future. You are going into the Commander test which is built off of the Sergeant test. We are giving you a yellow light,what you choose to do with it is your choice. ADJOURNMENT: Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m. MOVED BY: Bill Larson SECOND BY: Andee Jorgensen MEETINGADJOURNED Brian Sandler, Date Civil Service Secretary/Chief Examiner 3