HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 11/29/2005 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 165, 2005, REPEALIN ITEM NUMBER: 12
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: November29, 2005
FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Darin Atteberry
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 165, 2005, Repealing Division 2 of Article H of Chapter 21 of the
City Code Concerning the Personnel Board
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the Ordinance on First Reading.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Dissolution of the Personnel Board will result in a savings to the City by eliminating the
incidental costs and staff support time that have been necessary to support the Board. A precise
dollar amount of savings is difficult to quantify.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Because the functions of the Personnel Board can be more efficiently and economically met by
the use of ad hoc committees and the streamlining of the administrative disciplinary process to
allow for the conduct of personnel hearings by the City Manager or his/her designee, the
Personnel Board can be dissolved without adversely affecting the City.
BACKGROUND
The Personnel Board was created by the City to advise the City Manager on matters of personnel
policies and problems, and to conduct appeal hearings regarding employment actions primarily
concerning serious disciplinary matters.
In recent years, the City has more effectively used ad hoc committees to deal with personnel
issues, such as compensation and benefits. Additionally, the conduct of employee disciplinary
hearings by the Personnel Board has been administratively cumbersome, time consuming, and
confusing for the five volunteer citizen appointees who are asked to spend hours, and sometimes
days, conducting hearings that involve complex fact situations and legal issues. Staff believes
that it is asking too much for volunteer citizens to give up the time necessary to conduct these
hearings.
The dissolution of the Personnel Board would allow the City to streamline the classified
employee appeal process by allowing the City Manager or his/her designee to conduct the appeal
hearing. A hearing officer experienced in the culture, policies and needs of the City organization
will more economically and efficiently resolve employee disciplinary issues.
November 29, 2005 -2- Item No. 12
It should be pointed out that the recently adopted Collective Bargaining Agreement with Police
Services employees has already removed the Personnel Board from the disciplinary process for
members of the bargaining unit, and adoption of this ordinance will extend this removal to
disciplinary processes for classified employees throughout the City. Classified employees will
be afforded their constitutionally protected due process rights via a post-deprivation hearing
conducted by a neutral hearing officer designated by the City Manager.
ORDINANCE NO. 165, 2005
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
REPEALING DIVISION 2 OF ARTICLE 11 OF CHAPTER 21
OF THE CITY CODE CONCERNING THE PERSONNEL BOARD
WHEREAS, the City has created a Personnel Board to advise the City Manager on
matters of personnel policies and problems, and to conduct appeal hearings regarding the
imposition of serious discipline of classified employees; and
WHEREAS, the purposes for which the Personnel Board was established can be more
efficiently and economically met by the use of ad hoc committees and by the streamlining of the
administrative disciplinary process to allow for the conduct of hearings by the City Manager or
his/her designee; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that it is in the best interests of the City from an
economic and an administrative perspective to dissolve the Personnel Board.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, that Sections 21-26 through 21-30 of the City Code are hereby
repealed and deleted in their entirety, effective January 1, 2006, except that the current members
of the Personnel Board shall continue to hear appeals, in accordance with applicable
administrative policy of the City, from any decision of a Service Area Director filed by an
employee before January 1, 2006.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 29th day of
November, 2005, and to be presented for final passage on the 20th day of December, A.D. 2005.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading this 20th day of December, A.D. 2005.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk