Civil Service Commission Minutes - 06/17/2013 RECEIVED IN
• CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
• DATE: /2-2,0-13
BY: .-_..s TIME: 2:1,;eme
MINUTES OF THE FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS'
U S
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
June 17, 2013
Present:
Carol DuBray § Commission Members
Jim Heiman §
Tammy Guerra, Civil Service Director §
Julia Vasquez, First Assistant City Attorney §
Earl Foster, Fire Chief § City Staff
Manuel Borrego, Police Chief §
Richard Smith, Deputy Police Chief §
Rosemary Nauman, Human Resources Generalist §
Absent:
Penny Miller,Chair § Commission Member
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Commissioner Jim Heiman.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES(FEBRUARY 25,2013)
Carol DuBrav moved, seconded by Jim Heiman, that the minutes be approved. The motion
carried.
3. PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE RULES
Commissioner Jim Heiman addressed the proposed changes to the Local Civil Service Rules:
(1) Section 143.024, Entrance Examination Notice
(1) Order of Entry Level Application and Examination Process for Police Applicants.
(b) Pass physical/practical ability test—with standards determined by the
Civil Service Commission. An applicant may retake the physical/practical
ability test once, as scheduled by the training coordinator, before being
d alificd. Applicants that fail to pass the physical/practical ability test
are eligible to re-apply in the next hiring process.
(strikethrough indicates proposed deletion)
. Civil Service Commission Minutes June 17,2013 2
Police Chief Manuel Borrego said the current rules allow for a retest two weeks later, which
serves to lengthen the testing process. That process can be streamlined with the elimination of
a retest.The applicant will be able to reapply.
(2) Section 143.034, Review and Appeal of Promotional Examination
Formula for calculating scores after appeals:
The formula for calculating the promotional test scores shall be as follows:
(100)/(total number of test questions used) = point value of each question
(#of total test questions)-(#of wrongly answered questions) =#of correct questions
(#of correct questions)x(value of each question) = score
(bold, blue text indicates proposed amendment)
Commissioner Heiman noted this is a rewording of the current formula to make it
grammatically correct. Chief Borrego concurred.
(3) Attachment 2, Wichita Falls Police Department, Police Entrance Examination, Physical
Ability Test Standards
Test(Recommended Order) Time or Measurement
Vertical Jump 15.0 inches
One Minute Sit-Up 28 25
300 Meter Run 66:-4 75.3 seconds
One minute pushup 2419
1.5 Mile Run 15: 016:55 minutes
(strikethrough text indicates proposed deletion; bold, blue text indicates proposed
amendment)
Commissioner Heiman said his research shows the Cooper Clinic has stricter standards, and
wondered whether the City will still have quality applicants with this change. Chief Borrego said
that the City's entrance requirements are exceptionally high, resulting in a smaller applicant
base. The City was not able to fill its vacancies in the 64th hiring process, and had to have two
hiring processes for the 65th, because so many fail the physical fitness test. The typical
applicants who fail the fitness training are simply not getting themselves ready for the testing;
there is no reason they shouldn't be able to get through that portion of the testing and allow
for a bigger applicant base. Chief Borrego is confident that the City's robust physical training
during the five-month academy will get the applicant where he/she needs to be by graduation.
The City will still use the Cooper standard, but it will be across the board at 20 percent. The
physical fitness testing coming out of the academy is probably closer to 70 percent.
Commissioner DuBray moved that the proposed amendments to the Local Civil Service Rules
be approved.Seconded by Commissioner Heiman,the motion carried.
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Civil Service Commission Minutes June 17,2013 3
4. REPORT FROM FIRE CHIEF
Fire Chief Earl Foster thanked the Commissioners for their service. The Department's
promotional eligibility lists are current except for that of battalion chief. However, there is
currently no pending retirement from that position. Friday night, they held a graduation
ceremony for 10 new fire fighters; those new employees started work on Saturday morning.
The Department currently has three vacancies.
5. REPORT FROM POLICE CHIEF
Chief Borrego said they will hold a police academy graduation in July which will add 10 officers
to the force;they lack six officers to be fully staffed. There are few expected retirements on the
horizon; the next academy will probably not be begun until the first of the year. The Civil
Service Director is working on a sergeant's examination; the current list will expire in mid-July.
There is one pending retirement in the lieutenant position, but that list is good for another
eight months.
The Department is looking to move to 12-hour shifts. Under Chapter 142, a majority of the
officers had to sign a waiver to approve the change. Only 14 expressed opposition. The
advantage to the switch would be to have 5 to 6 more officers on the street per shift. The
change should result in a reduction in overtime accrued and sick leave taken.
6. ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 2:15 p.m.
Penny Miller, Chairman
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