Council debates whether suspensions and grievances go to Civil Service or to city council

Council members discussed how disciplinary actions and grievances should be handled in the face of overlapping municipal policy and the Civil Service Act.

Councilors noted the city’s policies and procedures manual appears to direct grievances to the city council while the Civil Service Act routes disputes to the civil-service board. A council member suggested changing internal policy so employees come first to the council, then to civil service if desired; staff and the city attorney said legal review is required because Civil Service Act changes may be needed for a local policy to have that primacy.

The chief of police observed that a mandatory suspension follows three writeups under local practice and that, in practice, employees who elect civil service hearings can bypass council review. Council agreed to have staff and counsel analyze the conflict and to return a recommended approach at a future meeting; the item was tabled to the next month.