LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,

 (Laredo, TX )  In 2006, voters approved the creation of a Civil Service Commission to replace the City’s current Appeal and Grievance Committee that handles City employees adverse action and grievance matters.  Since that time, an advisory committee helped to develop the framework for this all important 14-member group, which will be made up of nine individuals appointed by Mayor Raul G. Salinas and the Laredo City Council and five individuals elected by City of Laredo employees; none of the members are City employees.  

 The Civil Service Ad Hoc Committee is inviting members of the community who wish to serve on this committee and who meet all qualifications to contact the City of Laredo City Secretary’s Office at 791-7308 by no later than June 15, 2011, for consideration.

 “We are seeking civic-oriented, objective and fair-minded individuals who are willing to serve for the next four years to help us establish this committee which serves to protect our City of Laredo employees,” said District I Council Member Mike Garza, chair of the Civil Service Ad Hoc Committee

 According to the guidelines established by the committee, potential candidates

• shall be persons of good moral character, above the age of 21 years, and a registered voter of the City who shall have resided in the City for a period of more than three years.
• No Commissioner may hold any employment compensated by the City, and no Commissioner shall be directly or indirectly interested in any work, business or contract, the expense, price or consideration of which is paid from City funds, or by any assessment levied by ordinance or resolution of the City Council, and any violation of this provision shall be deemed malfeasance in the office and cause for removal there from.
• No former city employee is eligible for appointment as a Commissioner until one year following separation from the City.
• No person related within the second degree by affinity (by marriage) or within the third degree by consanguinity (by blood) to the Mayor, any Council Member, any elected
• official, City Manager, or any member of any City board or commission shall be appointed to the Commission.
• No person shall have held any public office (other than a notary public) within the preceding two (2) years excluding service as a member of the Commission except as stated herein. 

 Once a person has contacted the City Secretary’s Office and gone through the initial vetting process mentioned above, employees will be contacted to seek 25 signatures of eligible City employees to help “sponsor” the candidate.  Once received, those final nominees will be voted on by all City of Laredo eligible employees. 

 All employees are eligible to nominate a candidate except for the following:  City Manger, Deputy City Manager, Assistant City Managers, department directors, appointed officials, temporary employees, employees who have worked less than 12 months as of 1/31/2011 and employees who are subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (fire fighters and police officers).

 The Civil Service Commission/Employee Civil Service is a new system for city employees that replaces the current Grievance Committee and provides that appointments and promotions be based on competency and merit; and further, that suspensions, demotions, and discharges be for just cause. In order for each case to be heard, the Commission will create a trial board composed of three randomly selected City Council appointees and two employee-elected members.