[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Augusta as Ch. 2, Art. IV, of the 1990 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Boards, commissions and committees — See Ch. 14.
Officers and employees — See Ch. 70.
It is hereby the declared personnel policy of the City that:
A. 
Employment in the City government shall be based on merit and fitness, free of personal and political considerations.
B. 
Just and equitable incentives and conditions of employment shall be established and maintained to promote efficiency and economy in the operation of the City government.
C. 
Appointments, promotions and other actions requiring the application of the merit principle shall be based on fair evaluations.
D. 
High morale shall be maintained by fair administration of this article and by every consideration of the rights and interests of employees consistent with the best interests of the public and the City.
E. 
Tenure of employees covered by this article shall be subject to good behavior, the satisfactory performance of work, necessity for the performance of work, and the availability of funds, but shall not be inconsistent with the Charter.
F. 
The City shall adhere to all applicable sections of the Fair Labor Standards Act as they relate to employment with the City.
The City Manager shall prepare and present to the Council for approval, by order, a personnel policy manual which will govern the administration of the City's personnel program. Amendments shall be presented to the Council for approval as deemed necessary by the Manager.
[Added 7-21-1986 by Ord. No. 450; amended 7-1-1991 by Ord. No. 167]
The position of Personnel Officer is hereby created, which position shall be appointed by the City Manager with the advice and consent of the City Council. The Personnel Officer is responsible for administering a central personnel program to provide the City with competent employees and to promote desirable and adequate conditions of employment. Duties include administering the technical phases of employee selection and placement, assisting in the negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements, classification and compensation, personnel records, employee benefits, the development and maintenance of an employee handbook and preparing and administering a budget. Assignments and direction to accomplish the various functions of the position shall be made by the City Manager.
The provisions of this article shall not apply to those employees covered by collective bargaining agreements except if such agreements do not contain the same or similar provisions.
[Amended 9-17-1984 by Ord. No. 553]
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the ordinances of the City, it shall be a condition of employment for any new City Manager hired by the City after September 17, 1984, that the new City Manager move within the corporate limits of the City within one year of accepting such employment. Employment contracts for the new City Manager shall not be considered final and binding upon the City until such condition is met.
[Added 6-17-1985 by Ord. No. 113(1)]
The City Manager shall be evaluated by the City Council once a year. The procedure, process and forms used in the evaluation shall be set forth and established by the City Council.
Employees shall be selected without regard to political consideration, shall not be required to contribute for any political purpose, shall not hold nor be a candidate for any public office or position, and shall not be a member of any local, state or national committee of a political party.
It shall be the responsibility of the Civil Service Commission to hold hearings for the following purposes:
A. 
Any employee of the City who claims to have been discriminated against on the basis of race, age, religion, creed, color or gender as provided for in Article VIII of the Charter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: So in original; Article VIII of the 2008 Charter no longer seems to apply.
B. 
Any employee who has been suspended for a period of over seven days, demoted or dismissed.
[Amended 12-19-1988 by Ord. No. 528]
A. 
An employee who wishes to request a hearing must do so in writing to the Civil Service Commission within 10 working days of the action or knowledge of the action leading to the request.
B. 
The Civil Service Commission will hold an informal hearing within 10 working days of receipt of a written request.
C. 
The Civil Service Commission may request witnesses at the hearing and the witnesses shall be required to testify under oath. Refusal to testify may be grounds for dismissal.
D. 
The Civil Service Commission will prepare and present to the City Manager and the employee a written response to the complaint within 10 working days of the hearing.
E. 
Decisions of the Civil Service Commission shall be deemed final except in cases of alleged discrimination, in which case they shall be advisory.
A. 
The Civil Service Commission shall maintain adequate records of the proceedings of the Commission, of its own official acts and the examination records of new candidates.
B. 
The City Manager shall furnish adequate secretarial help to maintain the Commission's records.