City council may by ordinance establish a system of personnel rules and policies, governing the terms of employment of any or all employees of the City.
The personnel rules and policies may govern, without limitation, the following aspects of the personnel system:
(a) 
Classification of employment by employment position between exempt and non-exempt appointments, and determination of "at will" categories of employment positions.
(b) 
The preparation, installation, revision and administration of a position classification plan covering all positions in the competitive service.
(c) 
The preparation, installation, revision and administration of a plan of compensation corresponding to the position classification plan, providing a rate or range of pay for each class.
(d) 
The public announcement of examinations and application for and acceptance of applications for employment and establishing of criteria related thereto.
(e) 
The preparation and administration of examinations and the establishment and use of resulting employment lists containing names of persons eligible for appointment.
(f) 
The certification and appointment of persons from employment lists, and the making of temporary, emergency, and provisional appointments.
(g) 
The establishment of hours of work, attendance and leave regulations, training programs, benefits, conduct guidelines and other conditions of work.
(h) 
The evaluation of employees during the probationary period and at periodic intervals.
(i) 
The transfer, promotion, demotion, reinstatement, separation, or any other change of status of employees in the competitive service.
(j) 
The discipline of employees.
(k) 
A system or systems for submission to and review by the personnel board, city manager, city council, personnel manager or other designated person or persons, of designated types of discipline and personnel decisions, for fact-finding, recommendations, final decision or other designated purposes or effects.
(l) 
The system for any employee-selected board members to be elected and for the board to conduct its business established by the personnel rules.
There shall be a personnel board consisting of five members, unless the city council by ordinance provides for a different number of members, or provides for the discontinuance or dissolution of the personnel board entirely, in favor of some other board or alternative procedure for the review and recommendation of issues arising under the personnel system. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Charter to the contrary, none of the members of the personnel board may be employees of the City, and the rules and regulations for appointment of members to the personnel board shall be as determined by ordinance of the city council. The personnel board may meet with and receive advice from the city attorney, as it or the city attorney may deem necessary. The personnel board shall have the following powers and duties, which powers and duties may be modified by ordinance of the city council:
(a) 
Conduct hearings in accordance with personnel rules and policies adopted by the city council, and make findings and recommendations thereon.
(b) 
Make recommendations to the city council on amendments to the personnel rules and policies.
(c) 
Conduct investigations regarding hearings pending before it.
(d) 
Have the power to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents by way of subpoena, and to examine witnesses appearing before it.
(e) 
Perform other duties specified by the city council not inconsistent with this Charter.
City council may by ordinance establish rules and regulations governing the presentation and hearing of protests, grievances, or questions arising under the personnel system before the personnel board. Any person aggrieved by any action of the personnel board may appeal such action to the city council, according to procedures which shall be established by ordinance. The decision of the city council in any such appeal shall be final.
The City may enter into any contracts or collective bargaining agreements with its employees, and shall meet and confer with the duly authorized representative of such employees regarding wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment to be included in any such agreement. If any provision of the general law of the State of California imposes a mandated benefit for employees of general law cities, then so long as that benefit is so mandated for employees of general law cities, the same benefit shall be extended to all employees of the City that would otherwise qualify for the benefit under the general law.
Plenary authority under this Charter shall be vested in the City and the city council, and by delegation of the city council, to its several officers, agents, and employees, to do all acts and exercise all authority granted, permitted, or required to enable the City to continue as a contracting city under the Public Employees' Retirement System.
City Council may terminate the contract with the Board of Administration of the Public Employees Retirement System only as provided herein. City Council may initiate proceedings for termination of the contract with the Board of Administration of the Public Employees Retirement System by passage of a resolution of intention to do so, and not less than one year after passage of the resolution of intention, by placing an ordinance ordering the termination of the ballot for a vote by the People of Palm Springs. Any action to place such an ordinance on the ballot shall require a vote of two-thirds of the membership of the City Council. If the ordinance is passed by a majority vote of the voters voting in an election on the question, the City Clerk shall forward a certified copy of the ordinance so approved to the Board of Administration of the Public Employees Retirement System for processing and finalization of the termination.
No person holding or retaining any elective public office, and no person holding any appointed office whose duties are incompatible with the duties to be discharged for the City, shall be eligible for appointment as city manager, city attorney, or a member of any appointed board or commission. No person shall be eligible for appointment as city manager, city attorney, or a member of any appointed board or commission who is a relative by blood or marriage within the third degree of any one or more members of the city council. The city manager, respective department heads, and all other persons empowered by this Charter or ordinance to appoint any person to any appointed position in the City government shall not appoint any person who is a relative by blood or marriage within the third degree of the person making the appointment.
No member of the city council, department head or other officer of the City (except a member of any board or commission), shall be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract, sale or transaction to which the City is a party. No member of any board or commission shall be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract, sale or transaction to which the City is a party and which comes before the board or commission of which such person is a member for approval or other official action or which pertains to the department, office or agency of the City with which such board or commission is connected. Any contract, sale or transaction in which there shall be such an interest, as specified in this section, shall become void at the election of the City when so declared by resolution of the city council. The general laws of the State of California shall be used in determining what constitutes a financial interest for the purpose of this section, which general laws may be supplemented or modified by regulations of the city council adopted by ordinance. If any member of the city council, department head or other officer of the City, or member of a board or commission shall be financially interested as aforesaid, upon conviction thereof he or she shall forfeit his or her office in addition to any other penalty which may be imposed for such violation of this Charter. No city councilmember, department head, or other officer or employee of the City shall engage in any employment activity or enterprise which is inconsistent, incompatible, or in conflict with his or her duties with the City. City council may, by ordinance, resolution, or regulation, adopt rules for determining those outside activities which are inconsistent, incompatible, or in conflict with the official duties for the City for the various offices or employment positions involved.