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City of Colorado Springs / Commissions & Committees / Civil Service Commission

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

COLORADO SPRINGS CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES

September 7, 2010

 

 

Call to Order

Chairman Jerry Voegele called the meeting of the Colorado Springs Civil Service Commission to order on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at the City Administration Building, 30 S. Nevada Avenue, Suite 102, at 8:34 am.

 

Commissioners present:  Thomas Exum, William Green, Fran Pitaro, Jerry Voegele

Commissioners absent:  Peg LeClair

 

Approval of March 2010 Minutes

Commissioner Pitaro moved to approve the minutes from the March 3, 2010, 2009 Civil Service Commissioners? Meeting.  Commissioner Green 2nd the motion.  The Commission unanimously approved the minutes.

 

Introduction of Commissioner Exum

Chairman Voegele, introduced Commissioner Thomas Exum, who subsequently, introduced himself and provided a summary biography, highlighting 36 years of service to the Colorado Springs Fire Department.

 

Change to Civil Service Rule 6 - Method of Filling Vacancies & Rule - 10 Layoffs

Sue Autry, Commander of CSPD Management Services, introduced proposed rule changes to the Commission.  (Posted on the PD & FD bulletin boards from August 20 ? September 3, 2010, no objections received)  Because of current economic conditions, the Police Department does not have Commander or Lieutenant lists, because many positions have been frozen once vacated.  In order to meet operational requirements, the department has to rely on acting assignments until the 2011 budget situation is resolved and the timing for the creation of new promotional lists can be clarified.  The current rules for ?acting? assignments prevent the appointment of an acting Lieutenant or Commander for a period of time that would allow the department to bridge the time period between budget resolution and list creation. (Approved by City Council on September 28, 2010, Resolution 163-10)

 

The revision provides for an acting period of 6 months, with the right for the Commission to extend when (1) no list exists, or (2) no one on the list is willing to accept the acting position. This language provides for a longer ?acting? period, but specifies very limited circumstances. The reference to ?provisional? in Rule 10.1 has also been changed.

 

The Fire Department and the Police and Fire Associations (and their attorney, Richard Radabaugh), had no objections to the proposed changes.

 

Commissioner Pitaro moved to approve the rule changes as posted, Commissioner Exum 2nd the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Entry Level Firefighter Testing Process

Darrell Gallo, Public Safety Manager introduced a change to the Entry Level Firefighter Testing Process.  The Fire Department would like to change the minimum qualifications to reflect Department needs and law changes.  Additionally, the Fire Department would like to remove the EMT requirement from the firefighter minimum qualification for the next testing period, hoping to expand the diversity of the applicant pool. Other changes are reflected below.

 

CURRENT

PROPOSED

AGE

Be at least 18 years of age

Be at least 18 years of age by date of hire.

EDUCATION

Have a high school diploma or GED Certificate

Have a high school diploma or GED Certificate. 

Maintain a current Emergency Medical Technician ? Basic (EMT?B) Certificate or above

Maintain a current Emergency Medical Technician ? Basic (EMT?B) Certificate or above

LEGAL RIGHT TO WORK

Be eligible to work in the United States

You must be by the date of hire a US citizen, permanent resident alien, temporary resident alien, applicant for temporary resident status, refugee or asylee. All applicants that are offered employment must provide documents to establish their identity and employment eligibility for authorization to work in the U.S.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Be in good physical condition

You must be in appropriate physical condition and meet medical standards as established by the City of Colorado Springs Fire Department.

Successfully completed the IAFF/IAFC Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT) no more than 12 months prior to the testing process

Successfully completed the IAFF/IAFC Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT) no more than 12 months prior to the testing process.

DRIVERS LICENSE

Have or be able to obtain a Colorado driver's license

Have or be able to obtain a valid Colorado driver's license.

CONDUCT/CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

 

·          You must not have been convicted of a felony.

·          You must not have been released or discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions.

·          You must not have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime that would affect your ability to certify with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). Visit the NREMT website at https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/policy_felony.asp that will preclude EMT certification.

 

Deputy Chief Rich Brown and HR Analysts (Dan Bandy and Cassie Becky), clarified the recommendations to the Commissioners.  The City?s acting legal advisor, Tracy Lessig, will look into USERRA limitations of excluding certain types of military discharges from the minimum qualifications.

 

Commissioner Green moved to approve the recommendations with any necessary legal modifications.  Commissioner Pitaro 2nd the motion.  The Commission unanimously approved the motion.

 

Other Business

 

 

Adjournment

Commissioner Pitaro made a motion to adjourn the meeting that was 2nd by Commissioner Green.  Chairman Voegele adjourned the meeting at 9:22 am.

 

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Civil Service Commissioners is on November 2, 2010 at the City Administration Building (CAB 102).

 

Minutes approved by the Civil Service Commission on November 2, 2010