Jefferson County civil service appointment process
"generally compliant"
For release: Immediate, Monday, February 1, 2010
A New York State Civil Service Commission review of the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources' administration of the appointment process has found the process generally in compliance with the Civil Service Law and Rules.
The review, which covered the period from September 2005 to September 2008, found that the merit system generally is administered properly and consistently. The review identified several issues in need of correction. They included a practice of improperly declaring individuals who had not responded to a canvass for one position ineligible for consideration for subsequent position openings. In addition, proper documentation of qualifications was not obtained before appointments were made to certain positions. Based on a possible score of 100, the Jefferson County operation received a score of 66.
The State Civil Service Commission periodically conducts reviews of local jurisdictions to ensure that the merit system is administered in accordance with Civil Service Law and Rules. These reviews assess practices in one or more of the following areas:
- adopting and enforcing rules regarding employment
- properly allocating positions to a jurisdictional class
- classifying positions
- conducting an examination program
- administration of the appointment process
- maintenance of required records
- reviewing and certifying payrolls
The Jefferson County Department of Human Resources has jurisdiction over a total of 2,800 employees: 922 are employed by the County, 344 by towns, 279 by villages, 1,229 by school districts and 26 by special districts. Of these, 981, or 35 percent, are in the competitive class and are selected by competitive examination.
The report identified nine corrective actions that need to be taken. The State Commission recognized corrective actions already underway and directed submission of a followup report by February 28, 2010.
"Municipal civil service commissions generally are dedicated to implementing the Civil Service Law and Rules in a credible, trustworthy, fair, and efficient manner, despite limited resources," said Civil Service Commissioner Nancy G. Groenwegen. "The New York State Department of Civil Service will help them in every way possible to accomplish this goal."
Review the complete report:
Appointment Process Administration by Jefferson County Department of Human Resources(
486KB)
-30-