§ 4 — CIVIL SERVICE RULES

§ 4. - CIVIL SERVICE RULES.

(A) The administration of the classified municipal civil service, including the employment or appointment of all persons in the municipal civil service, shall be governed, as far as practicable, by rules and regulations known as the municipal civil service rules. (B) Within 12 months following the adoption of this section, the human resources director shall prepare civil service rules that meet the requirements specified in this section and recommend them to the civil service commission. After notice and public hearing, the commission shall make any modifications it deems necessary, and recommend that the city council adopt the rules. The civil service rules become effective when adopted by the city council by ordinance. (C) After the civil service rules are adopted, they may be amended at any time by using the same process used for the initial adoption of the rules. (D) At a minimum, the civil service rules must contain provisions governing: (1) initial appointments, promotions, and lateral transfers, all of which shall be based on merit and fitness; (2) disciplinary probation or suspension, involuntary demotion, denial of promotion, and discharge, all of which, in the case of non-probationary employees, must be for cause; (3) the establishment of probationary periods not to exceed six months for all initial appointments, during which time the appointee may be removed from the position without cause; (4) the establishment of probationary periods not to exceed three months for all promotional appointments, during which time the appointee may be removed from the position promoted to, and returned to his/her prior position, without cause; (5) procedures for reductions in force that give consideration to the affected employees' length of service and past work performance; and (6) other provisions, not inconsistent with this subsection, that may be required by the city council. (E) The personnel policies in effect and applicable to the classified service on the effective date of this ordinance shall remain in effect until superseded by civil service rules adopted under this section.