“Appeal”
shall mean a written communication to the Board from a permanent classified employee or the employee’s designated representative appealing to the Board the following disciplinary actions: suspension for more than 30 days, reduction in rank or pay, or discharge of said employee; and any and all other controversies or matters, arising out of or in connection with the Personnel Rules. “Appeal” shall not include any matter jurisdiction over which rests with the City Council pursuant to Sections 6.9 and 6.10 of the City Charter, nor with suspensions of 30 days or less, nor with matters which the Board ascertains must be or have been adjudicated under the terms of an existing and applicable collective bargaining agreement.
(Added pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18; amended pursuant to Civil Service Board amendment, 2000-06-07; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
“Appoint”
shall mean the offer and acceptance by a person of a position on a permanent, temporary, or emergency basis.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18)
“Appointing authority”
shall mean the City Manager or Director of Utilities or other delegated authority who is empowered to appoint or remove employees of the department over which they have jurisdiction, subject to these Rules.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
As defined for the purpose of these Rules, a business day shall consist of Monday through Friday excluding all state and national holidays.
(Added pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29)
“Certify”
shall mean the act of the Human Resources Director in verifying to an appointing authority the names of applicants who are eligible for appointment to the class and positions in the Classified City Service.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
“Class” or “classification”
shall mean a position or group of positions having similar duties and responsibilities, requiring similar qualifications, which can be properly designated by one title indicative of the nature of the work and which carry the same salary range.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; Ord. 26886 § 1, 2001-12-04)
“Classified service”
shall mean all offices, positions, and employments in the City Service except those specifically named in or which may be designated as unclassified pursuant to Section 1.24.290 of the Personnel Rules and Article VI, Section 6.1 of the City Charter.
(Added pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29)
A complaint shall be a claim relating to a condition of employment or a disciplinary action not included under TMC § 1.24.061. A complaint within the context of this section shall not include matters that are appealable pursuant to TMC § 1.24.061 and 1.24.950, nor with matters which the Board ascertains must be or have been adjudicated under the terms of an existing and applicable collective bargaining agreement.
(Added by Civil Service Board, 2000-06-07)
“Continuous service”
shall mean employment in the City Service as a permanent and probationary employee which is uninterrupted. Authorized leave of absence, suspension, or separation due to layoff or physical or mental incapacity shall not be considered as an interruption in continuous service. However, time lost due to suspension, separation due to layoff, or physical or mental incapacity shall not be included in the determination of length of continuous service.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18; Ord. 23231 § 1, 1984-08-14)
“Demotion”
shall mean the assignment of an employee to a position in a class in the City Service having a lower maximum salary than the position from which the assignment is made.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18)
“Department”
shall mean an administrative branch of the government of the City of Tacoma, such as a major department of general government or a major division of the Department of Public Utilities, which is established by Charter and the Administrative Code.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29)
“Department head”
shall mean an officer or employee designated by the City Manager to be the head of a department and by the Director of Utilities to be the superintendent of an operating division or head of a major service division.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18)
“Departmental promotional list”
shall mean an eligible list established by promotional examination, for which enrollment thereon is limited to persons permanently appointed in the department for which the list is established. The duration of eligibility and method of consolidation is the same as that established for promotional lists.
(Added pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18)
“Eligible”
shall mean a person enrolled on an active eligible list and who has rights under these Rules to be certified for appointment and is willing and able to accept appointment.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18)
“Employee”
shall mean a person who is the legal incumbent in a position in the classified service, either temporary or permanent, or who is on authorized leave of absence from such position.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29)
“Eligible list”
shall mean a list of all persons who have qualified for appointment to positions within a certain class under the provisions of these Rules, and who have not yet been appointed to such class and who have not been removed from such list in accordance with these Rules.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29)
“Immediate family”
shall mean spouses, dependents, anyone residing in the person's household, and anyone within the third degree of consanguinity of the person, or the person's spouse; e.g., within three degrees of relationship by blood or marriage.
(Ord. 23335 § 1, 1985-02-05)
“Original appointment”
shall mean the first appointment to a permanent position in the Classified City Service, and shall be subject to a probationary period.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 2004-08-30)
“Position”
shall mean a group of current duties and responsibilities, assigned or delegated by competent authority, requiring the full-time or part-time services of an employee.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29)
“Probationary period”
shall mean that period during which an appraisal of an employee’s skills, aptitudes and adjustments are made prior to a permanent appointment in that position.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
“Promotion”
shall mean the assignment of an employee to a position in a class in the City Service having a higher maximum salary than the position from which assignment is made.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18)
“Permanent employee”
shall mean any employee in the Classified City Service who has been permanently appointed after serving a probationary period to a position established by appropriate legislative action and normally involving continuous year round service.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29)
“Special project employee”
shall mean a person employed in the unclassified service on special projects or programs of limited duration, including but not limited to special major construction projects, projects or programs financed by grant-in-aid agreements with either federal or state governments, etc.
(Ord. 23394 § 1, 1985-05-14)
“Status”
shall mean legal entitlement to the duties and responsibilities of a position without respect to the title thereof.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29)
“Temporary appointment”
shall mean the appointment of a person for a fixed period of time, not to exceed six months, for service on a special job or project, or to fill a vacancy during the absence of a permanent employee who is on leave of absence, or an employee filling a permanent position for which no eligible list exists pending the establishment of an eligible list.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29)
“Temporary employee”
shall mean an employee appointed for the period of service on a special job or project of a limited duration, or to fill a vacancy during the absence of a permanent employee who is on leave of absence, or an employee filling a permanent position for which no eligible list exists pending the establishment of the eligible list.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29)
“Transfer”
shall mean the assignment of an employee from one position to another position in the same or equal (in pay) class in another department providing the employee meets the minimum requirements of the position.
(Ord. 23422 § 1, 1985-06-25)
“Vacancy”
shall mean an existing position which is not occupied, and for which funds are available and a valid requisition has been received by the Human Resources Director.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
The City Council shall:
A. 
Comply with the provisions of Section 6.14 of the City Charter as last amended.
B. 
Adopt the Compensation Plan.
C. 
Make and confirm appointments to positions where specified by the City Charter.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29)
The City Manager shall:
A. 
Be responsible for effective personnel administration in those departments under their jurisdiction.
B. 
Appoint a Human Resources Director who shall be the administrative head of the Human Resources Department.
C. 
Appoint, remove, suspend and discipline all officers and employees of the City under the jurisdiction of the City Manager, subject to the Civil Service provisions of the Charter and these Rules and State law; or authorize the head of the department or office responsible to the City Manager to appoint and remove subordinates in such department or office.
D. 
Fix and establish the number of employees in the various City departments and offices under the jurisdiction of the City Manager, and determine their duties and compensation in accordance with the Personnel Rules and Salary Ordinance or Compensation Plan and subject to the approval of the City Council and provisions of the State Budget Law.
E. 
Perform such other duties and have and exercise such other powers in personnel administration as may be prescribed by law and these Rules.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1971-10-18; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
The Director of Utilities shall:
A. 
Be responsible for effective personnel administration in those divisions under their jurisdiction.
B. 
Appoint, remove, suspend and discipline all officers and employees of the City under the jurisdiction of the Director of Utilities, subject to the Civil Service provisions of the Charter and these Rules and State law; or authorize the head of the division or office responsible to the Director of Utilities to appoint and remove subordinates in such division or office.
C. 
Fix and establish the number of employees in the various divisions and offices under the jurisdiction of the Director of Utilities, and determine their duties and compensation in accordance with the Personnel Rules and Salary Ordinance or Compensation Plan and subject to the approval of the Public Utility Board, the City Council and provisions of the State Budget Law.
D. 
Perform such other duties and have and exercise such other powers in personnel administration as may be prescribed by law and these Rules.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
The City Manager shall appoint a Human Resources Director who shall be responsible for the administrative and technical direction of the City Personnel Program. The Human Resources Director shall:
A. 
Prepare such forms and initiate such procedures as considered necessary, appropriate, or desirable to carry out the City’s Personnel Program.
B. 
Administer the system of position classification for positions within the City based on the duties, responsibilities and nature of work to be performed.
C. 
Administer the Compensation Plan including the periodic review of salary and wage levels in the area to the extent that such levels affect City employment and the periodic investigation of factors affecting the economic level of salaries as represented in cost of living and other indexes.
D. 
Provide for the establishment and maintenance of a roster of all employees in the City Service and such other personnel records as deemed advisable or necessary.
E. 
Provide a system of checking payrolls, so as to determine that all persons in the City Service have been properly appointed and are being paid in accordance with these Rules.
F. 
Develop and administer training and educational programs for employees in the City Service and assist various departments and divisions of the City with such programs.
G. 
Develop and administer a centralized system for recruitment and selection and examination programs necessary to obtain adequate and competent applicants to meet the needs of the City.
H. 
Provide information and staff services as requested by the Civil Service Board.
I. 
Perform such other activities with reference to personnel administration not inconsistent with the City Charter or these Rules, as may be deemed necessary or desirable to enforce the provisions of these Rules, as the City Manager or the Director of Utilities may direct, or as the City Council may require by ordinance.
J. 
Establish and maintain a centralized personnel recordkeeping process for all employees.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)
A. 
The Civil Service Board shall make and promulgate all Civil Service and Personnel Rules and amendments thereto necessary to carry out and enforce the purpose of the Civil Service provisions of the City Charter, and shall file all such proposed rules and amendments with the City Clerk, who shall present the same to the City Council at its next regular meeting. Within 45 days after the filing thereof with the City Clerk, the Council shall by ordinance adopt such proposed rules or amendments; provided, however, that the Council by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of its membership may change, alter, amend, add to, reject or repeal any such proposed Civil Service rules or amendments. In the event the City Council shall fail to adopt, change, alter, amend, add to, or reject any such rules or amendments within the 45 days time limit hereinabove provided for, then the City Clerk shall cause to be published such rules or amendments in the official newspaper of the City of Tacoma, and such rules or amendments shall 10 days thereafter become effective to all intents and purposes the same as if adopted by the Council and published as an ordinance.
B. 
The Civil Service Board shall have the following functions in the administration of the Personnel Program:
1. 
To advise the Council and administrative officials on all matters relating to Civil Service and personnel administration in the City service.
2. 
To investigate any or all matters relating to conditions of employment in the service of the City, either in response to employee complaints or on its own initiative.
3. 
To investigate and pass upon the claim of any person whose name appears on an eligible list that the person has been deprived of a position to which they are entitled under the provisions of this chapter and the Civil Service and Personnel Rules governing the classified service, in which case the decision of the Board shall be binding on the appointing authority; provided, that such person shall not be entitled to any claim for salary from the City for the period prior to the date of filing such claim.
4. 
To hear appeals from any action suspending for more than 30 days, reducing in rank or pay, or discharging any employee in the classified service, and further to hear appeals on any and all other controversies or matters arising out of or in connection with the Civil Service and Personnel Rules. The findings and decisions of the Board shall be reduced to writing and shall be final and binding upon all parties concerned.
(Ord. 16383, 1959-06-29; amended pursuant to Charter § 6.14, 1980-01-29; Ord. 28283 Ex. A, 2015-02-24)