HomeMy WebLinkAbout1323rd CSC Meeting (August 20, 2014)1323rd REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
The 1323rd Regular Meeting of the Civil Service Commission was held on Wednesday, August
20, 2014. The meeting was called to order at 5:37 p.m.
Members Present: Ronald Reinke, Chairman
Charlotte S. Mahoney
Harry C. Tatigian
Also Present:
Robert F. Biga, Human Resources Director
Derrick L. Washington, Personnel Analyst II
Gretchen Guisbert, Secretary III
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian and unanimously adopted, it was
14-97 RESOLVED, that the Minutes of the 1322nd Regular Meeting held
Wednesday, July 16, 2014, be approved as submitted.
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-96 RESOLVED, that by direction of the Civil Service Commission,
Receive and File item 2.i., regarding a letter dated August 20, 2014, from Devin
Fossen, Police Dispatcher candidate, was removed from the consent Agenda for
further discussion.
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian and unanimously adopted, it was
14-99 RESOLVED, That having reviewed the Departmental
Correspondence of August 14, 2014, from John Pappas, Firefighter, as
approved for submission by Shadd A. Whitehead, Fire Chief, requesting
additional family illness leave, the Civil Service Commission does hereby affirm
the administrative approval of Mr. Pappas' request to use an additional three (3)
twenty-four (24) hour days for the calendar year 2014 from his sick bank to be
charged as family illness.
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-100 RESOLVED, That having reviewed the Departmental
Correspondence of August 14, 2014, from Ryan Eshkanian, Firefighter, as
approved for submission by Shadd A. Whitehead, Fire Chief, requesting
additional family illness leave, the Civil Service Commission does hereby affirm
the administrative approval of Mr. Eshkanian's request to use an additional three
(3) twenty-four (24) hour days for the calendar year 2014 from his sick bank to
be charged as family illness.
Paget 132310 Regular Meeting August 20,2014
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-101 RESOLVED, That having reviewed the memorandum of August 13,
2014, from Derrick L. Washington, Personnel Analyst 11, to Robert F. Biga,
Human Resources Director, regarding the passing point for the written lest for
Account Clerk 1 (1362 p.), the Civil Service Commission does hereby affirm the
administrative approval of the passing point of 70% out of a maximum total score
of 100 or a score of 70 on the written test for Account Clerk 1 (1362 p.).
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-102 RESOLVED, That having reviewed the memorandum of August 11,
2014, from Derrick L. Washington, Personnel Analyst 11, to Robert F. Biga,
Human Resources Director, regarding the passing point for the written test for
Police Dispatcher (988 o.c.), the Civil Service Commission does hereby affirm
the administrative approval of the passing point of 70% out of a maximum total
score of 80 or a score of 56 on the written test for Police Dispatcher (988 o.c.)
and concurs with the Human Resources Director to not use the audio portion of
the test due to technical difficulties during the administration of the test and thus
reducing the test from 100 questions to 80.
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-103 RESOLVED, That the Civil Service Commission does hereby affirm
the administrative approval of the eligible list for Account Clerk 1 (1362 p.).
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-104 RESOLVED, That the Civil Service Commission does hereby affirm
the administrative approval of the eligible list for Account Clerk II (987 o.c.).
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-105 RESOLVED, That the Civil Service Commission does hereby affirm
the administrative approval of the eligible list for Recreation Supervisor —
Associate Producer (991 o.c.).
The Commission received and filed the following:
a. Status of Temporary Employees Report for July 2014.
b. Non -Resident Report as of August 1, 2014.
C. Current Open -Competitive and Promotional Eligible Lists as of August 1,
2014.
d. Affirmative Action Report for July 2014.
e. Removal of names from active eligible list report for the month of July
2014: None.
Page 132310 Regular Meeting August 20,2014
f. Council Resolutions from the meeting of June 2, 2014 with Minutes to be
approved June 16, 2014:
#191-14, approving the appointment of Robert S. Bowling to the Zoning
Board of Appeals for a three-year tern expiring on July12, 2017.
#192-14, approving the reappointment of Vahan Nazarian to the Board of
Review for a three-year term expiring on February 16, 2017.
g. #215-14, approving the modification to the City of Livonia Compensation
Plan to include the ability to compensate employees including members of
Local 192, Local 1917 and unrepresented employees in the amount of
$450 for one week of twenty-four hour/seven day on-call duty as assigned
by Department of Public Works management.
#228-14, confirming the appointment of Benjamin A. Schepis to the
Zoning Board of Appeals for a three-year term expiring on July 12, 2017.
h. Expiring Eligible Lists for the Month of September 2014 - Assistant Branch
Librarian (974 o.c.), Clerk -Typist 1 (937 o.c.), Equipment Operator II
(1348 p.), and Library Aide (1349 p.).
Mr. Biga discussed the request for salary and benefit adjustments for Fire Chief, and
explained when we have a collective bargaining agreement in the Police and Fire
Departments, those same benefits and wage adjustments are extended to the Chiefs.
In the case of Livonia Firefighters Union Agreement, there were no wage increases, but some
modifications to benefits. When the contract was approved with LFFU, this matter should
have been brought forward on behalf of the Fire Chief. This action is to bring the Fire Chiefs
benefits to be the same as those the LFFU received.
Ms. Mahoney asked if this action would be retroactive for the two-year period and Mr. Biga
responded yes.
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-106 RESOLVED, That having reviewed the memorandum of August 5,
2014, from Robert F. Biga, Human Resources Director, regarding salary and
benefit adjustments for Fire Chief, the Civil Service Commission does hereby
approve the recommended salary and benefit adjustments for the period
December 1, 2012 through November 30, 2015, pursuant to the attached
summary;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That all other benefits not elaborated in the
attached summary as extended to the Livonia Fire Fighters in their December 1,
2012 through November 30, 2015 Agreement be afforded to the classification of
Fire Chief;
AND BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED,
That this resolution is to
be effective
immediately
and is hereby submitted
to City Council for their
review and
concurrence.
Page 132310 Regular Meeting Augu420, 2014
The request for an open -competitive examination for Librarian I was presented to the
Commission. Ms. Mahoney noted the new language that candidates needed to present their
Masters degree at the time of application. Mr. Washington explained that in the previous
announcement for Librarian 1, candidates needed to present their Master's degree at the time
of the interview and this requirement presented problems in determining eligibility to
participate in the interview.
Upon a motion by Mr. Tatigian, seconded by Ms. Mahoney, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-107 RESOLVED, That having reviewed the memorandum of July 30,
2014, from Derrick L. Washington, Personnel Analyst 11, to Robert F. Biga,
Human Resources Director, requesting an open -competitive examination for
Librarian I, and proposed qualifications and parts of examination and weights,
the Civil Service Commission does hereby approve the following qualifications
and parts of examination and weights:
QUALIFICATIONS
By the closing date of the announcement, applicants must:
Be a citizen of the United Slates, or a resident alien with the right to work
in the United States; and
Possess a Masters Degree in Library Science from an American Library
Association accredited university.
NOTE: Candidates must present Master's Degree at time of application.
PARTS OF EXAMINATION AND WEIGHTS
100% Interview
In the event the number of qualified applicants exceeds fifteen (15), an evaluation will be
made; and the fifteen (15) applicants with the most appropriate and responsible combination
of experience and training will be invited to the interview. Candidates must pass the interview
in order to be placed on the eligible list.
Mr. Biga stated that the request for an open -competitive examination for Recreation
Supervisor — Senior Citizen's Program, was to get a replacement for someone who has
retired. The qualifications are the same as in the past. Mr. Biga further explained there are
no current employees that meet the qualifications for this position and therefore, it will be an
open -competitive examination.
Upon a motion by Mr. Tatigian, seconded by Ms. Mahoney, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-108 RESOLVED, That having reviewed the memorandum of August 7,
2014, from Derrick L. Washington, Personnel Analyst 11, to Robert F. Biga,
Human Resources Director, requesting an open -competitive examination for
Recreation Supervisor — Senior Citizen's Program, and proposed qualifications
Page 132310 Regular Meeting August 20,2014
and parts of examination and weights, the Civil Service Commission does hereby
approve the following qualifications and parts of examination and weights:
QUALIFICATIONS
By the closing date of the announcement, applicants must:
1. Be a citizen of the United States or resident alien with the right to work in
the United States; and
2. Have a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with
major emphasis of study in Gerontology, Social Work, Recreation or
closely related field; and
3. Have a minimum of two (2) years full-time paid work experience directing
Senior Citizen activities and programs, or
4. Have an equivalent combination of experience and education.
5. Grant writing experience preferred, but not required.
PARTS OF EXAMINATION AND WEIGHTS
100% Interview
In the event the number of qualified applicants exceeds ten (10), an evaluation of the
applications will be made and the ten (10) applicants with the most appropriate and
responsible combination of experience and training will be interviewed.
Mr. Biga discussed the letter of August 20, 2014, from Devin Fossen, Police Dispatcher
candidate and explained that he went with Mr. Washington to the Senior Center where the
test was conducted. Mr. Biga stated he listened to the audio portion of the test. Mr. Biga
further stated the Police Dispatcher test has two components to it; the written test, one part of
which has 20 questions in response to an audio recording that examinees listen to. The other
part has 80 questions of general knowledge in the test booklet. The first 20 questions are
where the candidates listen to the audio. Then based on the information they get from the
audio, examinees have to respond to questions that are in the examination book.
Mr. Biga stated the speaker system at the Senior Center was difficult to be heard and was
unintelligible at times. He said he was told by Mr. Washington that at the time of exam, the
audio wasn't as bad as what Mr. Biga heard. However, it was not acceptable to Mr. Biga. Mr.
Biga recommended they not score the first 20 questions on the test. These were the
questions in response to the audio. Mr. Biga stated the test was graded on the balance of the
written test and there was a very high passing rate. The people who pass will be invited to
the Performance Test, which is a keyboarding test.
Mr. Washington stated that there were two groups tested on the same day but at different
times. Examinees on the first session complained about the clarity of the audio portion of the
test. He adjusted the volume for the second test.
Mr. Washington stated that 72 out of 139 people passed the test; both the audio and the
written. In the official announcement, it states the lop sixty (60) people who pass the written
Page 132310 Regular Meeting August 20,2014
exam, the audio and the written portion, will be invited to the typing test. In the past we've
only tested fifteen (15) people at a time. This time, Mr. Washington suggested to the Police
Department that we test sixty (60) so that we can get at least 15-20 people who pass the
typing test.
Mr. Washington stated there is one (1) vacancy and we would test sixty (60) people on the
typing test. The only reason to go any further would be make the people who felt that the
distortion in the audio portion was bad feel good about going on to the next phase. Mr.
Washington stated he told people before they took the audio portion that once they finish the
audio portion they could not go back to fill in answers that they hadn't filled out during the
course of the exam. When you are testing 70 to 80 people, if you let one person start
complaining then it catches fire and the next thing you know, you are totally out of control.
Mr. Washington stated he was firm, but he would do whatever Mr. Biga and the Civil Service
Commission directed him to do.
Ms. Mahoney was a little confused about what Mr. Washington just said. Ms. Mahoney
understood that Mr. Biga recommended not counting the first 20 questions because the audio
portion of the test was not the same for group "A" and group "B." The difference in clarity may
have been enough to cause someone in the first group to not have done as well as they could
have if they had been in the second group. Therefore, to equalize the grading on this
particular test, he recommended removing the 20 questions from the scoring totally. Mr. Biga
stated that was correct. This would equalize the scoring in that all candidates would be
graded on the questions that did not involve the audio portion. Ms. Mahoney thought that was
a good solution to this particular issue. Her concern is that this issue be addressed for future
tests either in the facility or the speaker system in the current facility because whatever
motion the Commission made today should not be expected to continue through future
testing.
Mr. Tatigian pointed out that Mr. Fossen scored very close to passing anyhow. He did very
well on the second part and came within two points of passing the first part, even with the
difficulties in the audio portion.
Ms. Mahoney asked if the test was always given at the Senior Center. Mr. Washington
stated, no, normally it is given at Churchill High School.
Mr. Tatigian asked if there will be more candidates proceeding to the next test or was the
examination over? Mr. Biga stated we have already given the performance test to those
people who passed with what Mr. Washington recommended as a passing point. The
Commission has approved the revised passing point. So there will be more people taking the
keyboarding test. Mr. Biga stated the typing test has a high failure rate, but there should be a
sufficient number of people to proceed with the interview phase.
Ms. Mahoney asked if Mr. Fossen was the only person who expressed his concern about the
dissonance in writing. Mr. Washington stated yes. Ms. Mahoney asked if other people
complained at the test. Mr. Washington explained one of the candidates who verbalized a
complaint at the time of the written test took the typing test last night.
Pagel 132310 Regular Meeting August 20,2014
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
14-109 RESOLVED, that having reviewed the letter of August 20, 2014,
from Devin Fossen, Police Dispatcher candidate, regarding his concern with the
audio portion of the Police Dispatcher lest, and having discussion with Robert F.
Biga, Human Resources Director and Derrick L. Washington, Personnel Analyst
II, the Civil Service Commission does hereby reaffirm its earlier action to remove
the twenty (20) questions pertaining to the audio portion from the scoring of the
Police Dispatcher (988 o.c.) written test;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the future the sound equipment will
be tested prior to the administration of any of our tests that include an audio
component.
Chairperson Reinke recommended that when giving an audio examination that the volume be
kept at the exact same level for all groups tested so that they all have an equal playing field
and from his perspective that was not an equal playing field.
Upon a motion by Ms. Mahoney, seconded by Mr. Tatigian, and unanimously adopted, it was
RESOLVED, that the meeting be adjourned at 5:55 p.m.
Gretchen Guisbert, Secretary III
Ronald Reinke, Chairman
Charlotte Mahoney, Commissioner
Harry C. Tatigian, Commissioner