Minutes Civil Service 4 7 03CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
Date: April 7, 2003
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Place of Meeting: City Hall - Conference Room A
Present: Chairperson Merle Duehr, Commissioners Loras Kluesner and Richard Wertzberger
Also Present: Fire Chief Dan Brown, Personnel Manager Randy Peck, Jeff Zasada, Scott
Neyens, Tom Ready
Chairperson Duehr called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.
Approve Minutes of March 11 and March 27, 2003 Meeting
Commissioner Wertzberger moved to approve the minutes of March 11 and March 27,
2003. Seconded by Kluesner, and passed unanimously.
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Request to Conduct Promotional Examinations for the Positions of Fire
Equipment Operator, Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Fire Marshal and Assistant
Chief
Communication from Jeffrey W. Zasada Regarding the Rules for Promotional
Tests
Chief Brown stated that the current eligibility lists expire on July 2, 2003 and that he is
recommending that the promotional tests be conducted in May and that the envelopes
remain sealed until after July 2nd. He is further recommending a change to the Rules
and Regulations for Promotional Examinations. These changes would include deleting
the word "Captain" from the title of Assistant Fire Marshall and changing the rule for
Assistant Chief to read that Captains with a minimum of one (1) year in grade and
Lieutenants with five (5) years in grade or an Assistant Fire Marshall with five (5) years
in grade by the date of the examination would be eligible to take the Assistant Chief
exam. This, in effect, removes the requirement that the Assistant Fire Marshall would
have to have one year in grade as a line officer.
Tom Ready, President of the Firefighters' Association, stated that the Association is
against changing the rules for Assistant Fire Chief. He explained that they feel strongly
that an Assistant Chief needs the experience of being a line officer for at least one year.
Jeff Zasada explained that the way the promotional rules are set up at this time, the
position for Assistant Fire Marshall is a dead-end job - he would have to take a
demotion in order to be eligible to take the Assistant Chief test. If the recommended
change were to be adopted, an applicant for the position of Assistant Fire Marshal
would need four years of in-grade service to take the Assistant Fire Marshal test and an
additional five years as an Assistant Fire Marshal in order to take the Assistant Fire
Chief test, for a total of nine years experience.
After further discussion, Commissioner Wertzberger moved to concur with the changes
to the Rules and Regulations for Promotional Examinations as recommended by the
Fire Chief. Seconded by Kluesner.
Tom Ready requested that this matter be tabled as when he had discussed this issue
with the Firefighters' Association, he was aware only of the elimination of the one year
in-grade as a line officer and not of the requirement for five years in-grade. He stated
he would like the opportunity to talk to the Union about this and also to sit down with the
Fire Chief to further discuss this issue to see if they could come to agreement.
Commissioner Kluesner moved to table the matter until the Association has the
opportunity to address the issue of one year in-grade as line officer versus five years in-
grade requirement and to find an equitable way to proceed through the ranks.
Seconded by Werlzberger, passed unanimously.
Commissioner Kluesner moved to change the title of Assistant Fire Marshall by deleting
the word Captain from the title. Seconded by Wertzberger, passed unanimously.
Commissioner Wertzberger moved to establish the promotional test for Captain and
Lieutenant for May 14, 2003; for Equipment Operator and Assistant Chief for May 15,
2003; and Assistant Fire Marshall for May 16, 2003 at 6:30 p.m. at a location to be
determined. Seconded by Kiuesner, passed unanimously.
There being no further business, it was moved and seconded to adjourn at 3:27 p.m.
Approved on
Chairperson