Any electrical and/or engineering civil service board heretofore
created and/or empanelled is hereby abolished.
Those persons employed in the Electrical and/or Engineering
Departments of the City of Altoona prior to May 19, 2014, shall continue
to have all civil service rights afforded to them as set forth in
the Third Class City Code as amended by Act 22 of 2014. Such rights
include the right to a hearing in the event that such an employee
so subject is aggrieved by the suspension, discharge or discipline
imposed by a department director more serious than a suspension of
three days without pay with any such hearing to be held before the
City of Altoona Civil Service Board empanelled for both the City of
Altoona Police and Fire Departments. Such employee may be represented
by counsel.
The primary objective of this chapter is to comply with applicable
law including Act 22 of 2014 which amended the Third Class City Code
to require a single civil service board and preserve rights of nonuniformed
employees employed prior to May 19, 2014, who were subject to civil
service rules to a hearing before the City of Altoona Civil Service
Board for fire and/or police. Although the City of Altoona's
Home Rule Charter shall be in effect for all electrical and/or engineering
employees hired after May 19, 2014, the City of Altoona recognizes
the rights of such employees hired prior to that date under civil
service rules. Any prior enactment which includes any provision similar
in nature to this enactment is hereby amended and restated in its
entirety to read as stated in this chapter. Any other prior enactment
or part of any prior enactment conflicting with the provisions of
this chapter is rescinded insofar as the conflict exists. To the extent
that any similar enactment is in force immediately prior to adoption
of this chapter, the provisions of this chapter are intended as a
continuation of such prior enactment and not as a new enactment. If
this chapter is declared invalid, any prior enactment for electrical
and/or engineering civil service shall remain in full force and effect
and shall not be affected by adoption of this chapter, and/or this
chapter shall be considered to have been enacted under authority of
any other law permitting this chapter to be valid. If any part of this
chapter is declared invalid, the similar part of any prior enactment
providing for similar provisions shall remain in effect and shall
not be affected by adoption of this chapter, and/or such part or parts
of this chapter shall be considered to have been enacted under authority
of any other law permitting any such part of this chapter to be valid.
The provisions of this chapter shall not affect any act done or liability
incurred, nor shall such provisions affect any suit or prosecution
pending or to be initiated to enforce any right or penalty or to punish
offenses under the authority of any enactment in force prior to adoption
of this chapter. Subject to the foregoing provisions of this section,
this chapter shall amend and restate on the effective date any enactment
for electrical and/or engineering civil service in force immediately
prior to the effective date herein.