HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Packet - 10/7/2024CITY OF
%�64TERLOO
IOWA
THE CITY COUNCIL OF WATERLOO, IOWA
WORK SESSION TO BE HELD AT
Harold E. Getty Council Chambers
Monday, October 7, 2024
4:40 PM
RULES FOR WORK SESSION PUBLIC COMMENT
Iowa Code Chapter 21 gives the public the right to attend council meetings, but it
does not require cities to allow public participation except during public hearings.The
city council shall not receive any public comment during a work session.
Roll Call.
Approval of Agenda, as proposed or amended.
4:40 p.m. Discussion on Civil Service Procedures.
Submitted by: Missy Gearhart, Assistant Human Resources Director
ADJOURNMENT
Kelley Felchle
City Clerk
Page 1 of 12
Civil Service CITY OF
Process update �� k WATERLOO
proposal �J Human Resource
Dr. Missy Gearhart, Assistant HR
Director
Page 2 of 12
Current Civil
Service
Practice
• Job opening is taken to the Personnel Requisition
committee on the 2nd Thursday of each month for
approval
• If approved, moves to the Civil Service meeting for
approval of Job Description and hiring process on the
3rd Friday of each month
• If approved, job is posted for 2 to 3 weeks to collect
applications
• Then department heads/managers review
applications, HR schedules interviews and the
selection process begins
• Interviewed candidates are scored to create a list,
which must be approved by the Civil Service at their
next meeting
• Departments are unable to make job offers until the
list is certified and signed by Civil Service members
Page 3 of 12
Updated Chapter 400
rules as of July 1
Senate file 2205 - "A city council
may suspend the hiring practices
required for the hiring of a civil
service employee. Required hiring
practices are immediately
reinstated when a suspension
expires, and a suspension does
not relieve a civil service
employee from examination and
test requirements for a position:'
Page 4 of 12
• The Civil Service process often stows down the hiring process and
makes it hard to compete with other employers in the area when
we are recruiting for open positions.
• Some municipalities have suspended all civil service positions,
high turnover positions, select departments or even select
positions, it varies city by city, county to county
Page 5 of 12
Positions to be impacted
• We would like the council to consider suspending Civil Service
processes for Critical employees as defined in the City of
Waterloo Employee Handbook section 5:11 - all ranks of sworn
police officers, engineering and sanitation staff involved in flood
control, all Street department personnel except clerical staff,
Forestry personnel, Airport maintenance workers, Garage
mechanics, Waste management staff including -waste
management techs, treatment operations foreman, sewer
maintenance workers, collections systems foreman, maintenance
mechanics, maintenance foreman, instrumentation control techs
and foreman, traffic personnel minus clerical staff, and IT
personnel.
Page 6 of 12
Why suspend the process?
• Other municipal HR departments are seeing a 4 to 6 week faster
hiring processes when suspending the process.
• Civil Service has great intentions, but it is outdated and needs to
be revised to fit today's labor market, we hope this revision is the
first step in the process to revising the Chapter
Page 7 of 12
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Page 8 of 12
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Page 9 of 12
Proposed
Civil Service
Practice
• Job opening is taken to the Personnel Requisition
committee on the 2nd Thursday of each month for
approval
• If approved, job is posted for 2 to 3 weeks to collect
applications
• Then department heads/managers review
applications, HR schedules interviews and the
selection process begins
• Interviewed candidates are scored to create a list
•
Departments make job offers I
p
Page 10 of 12
Moving Forward...
• The proposed process was reviewed by the City's employment law
firm
• The HR department would keep in communication with the Civil
Service commission, the employees the City hires are still entitled
to Civil Service law protections
• The vote of the City Council to suspend the process, is only for a
12-month period and would have to be reviewed and voted on
every 12 months for it to continue.
Page 11 of 12
Questions?
Page 12 of 12