Rome civil service appointment process deficient
For Immediate release: December 22, 2009
A New York State Civil Service Commission review of the City of Rome Civil Service Commission's administration of the appointment process has found the process generally not in compliance with the Civil Service Law and Rules.
The report cited the City Commission's failure to maintain employment records for Housing Authority and Rome City School District employees that would permit the commission to assess whether persons appointed or promoted were indeed eligible for their positions. The Rome Commission is also approving appointments without proper documentation that the appointee meets minimum qualifications. Civil Service Law requires appointments to be made from an eligible list of those who pass a competitive exam, but the report identified instances where lists were ignored and others were appointed.
The review covered the period from August 2005 to August 2008. Based on a possible score of 100, the Rome operation received a score of 33.
The report identified 14 specific improvements necessary to bring the Rome appointments process into full compliance with Civil Service Law and Rules. The State Commission directed the Rome Commission to submit a progress report and plan for complying with all recommendations by December 31.
The 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. The reviews are submitted to and adopted by the State Civil Service Commission. 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 Rome Commission has jurisdiction over a total of 703 employees-402 employed by the City, 281 by the School District, and 20 by the Housing Authority. Of these, 345, or 49 percent, are in the competitive class and are selected by competitive examination.
"The New York State Department of Civil Service is committed to ensuring that municipal civil service commissions are implementing the Civil Service Law and Rules in a credible, trustworthy, fair, and efficient manner," said Civil Service Commissioner Nancy G. Groenwegen. "We are dedicated to assisting jurisdictions in accomplishing this goal."
Review the complete report: Appointment Process Administration by the City of Rome Civil Service Commission
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