There is hereby established a merit system for all positions in the civil service of the City of Royal Oak, including unskilled labor, except as hereinafter qualified or exempted. All municipal personnel problems shall be approached so far as possible in a professional and impartial manner. Appointments to the City's service and promotions and transfers therein shall be based solely upon the qualifications, training and experience of the individual, with no discrimination on account of political or religious opinions, or affiliations, race, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, handicap or other nonmerit factors. No officer or employee shall be demoted, suspended, or discharged on caprice or for the above-stated nonmerit factors, but such demotions, suspensions and discharges shall be made only for inefficiency, incompetency, inability to perform essential functions, insubordination, neglect of duty, misfeasance or malfeasance in office, or other cause for the good of the service of the City.
There is hereby created a Civil Service Board who shall administer the said merit system for all positions in the City's service except as hereinafter qualified or exempted. The said Board shall consist of five electors of the City to be appointed by the City Commission for a term of three years. Members of the Board shall serve without compensation and shall not hold any other public City office or serve on any City political committee or take active part in the management of any City political campaign. The Commission may remove any member of the Board upon stating in writing the reasons for removal and allowing him an opportunity to be heard in his own defense. Any vacancy shall be filled by the Commission for the unexpired term. The City Clerk shall act as Secretary for the Board.
Every member of the Civil Service Board shall, before entering upon the discharge of the duties of his office and within 10 days after receiving notice of his appointment, take and subscribe the oath of office prescribed by the Constitution of this state and file the same duly certified by the officer administering it with the City Clerk.
The Board shall organize by electing one of their number to serve as Chairman, who shall serve as Chairman for one year, and thereafter the Chairman shall be elected annually. The City Clerk shall act as Secretary for the Board and shall supply the necessary clerical and stenographic service for the work of the Board, and shall perform all secretarial and record keeping functions of the Board.
The Board shall be provided by the City Commission with suitable and convenient quarters for carrying on its work and for conducting whatever examinations and tests are necessary and proper for the carrying out of the provisions of this chapter. The Board will be supplied from the Purchasing Department, upon proper requisition, with the necessary stationery, postage stamps and other supplies.
The Commission shall annually make such appropriation as shall be necessary for meeting the expenses of effectually administering the merit system. All expenses incurred by the Civil Service Board shall be paid out of the said appropriation in the same manner and under the same conditions as near as may be as expenses for other departments are paid.
The Board shall have the power to prescribe and enforce rules and regulations for carrying into effect the provisions of this chapter and may from time to time add to, amend or rescind any such rules, and any such amendments or changes in rules shall be posted in conspicuous places in the respective departments of the City at least 10 days before their effective date. It shall have the power to conduct and supervise all examinations and other selection instruments to determine the qualifications of applicants for the City's service. It shall keep minutes of its own proceedings and records of its official actions. Copies of all proceedings of the Board shall be furnished by the City Clerk to the City Manager, City Commission and the Human Resource Director.
The minutes of the official proceedings of the Board and a roster of all officers and employees in the City's service and all eligibles for appointment to such service shall be public records and, subject to reasonable regulations, be open to public inspection. Applications, examination papers or other tests, recommendations from former employers, reports of heads of departments concerning employees, and such other letters and papers as in the opinion of the Board shall be confidential shall be kept on file for the use of the Board, but shall not be open for public inspection.
The Board, or any member thereof authorized by the Board, may make investigations of all matters pertaining to the enforcement of this chapter and the rules and regulations prescribed thereunder, concerning the action of any examiner or service, in respect to the administration of this chapter. Each Board member, for the purpose of such investigation, shall have the power to administer oaths and affirmations and take testimony, shall have the power to subpoena and require the attendance of witness and the production of books and papers pertinent to the investigations and inquiries hereby authorized; shall have the authority to incur expenses for payment of fees for attendance and travel of such witness. All appointive officers in the public service and their deputies, clerks, subordinates and employees shall attend and testify before said Board when requested by it.
The Civil Service Board may, subject to the approval of the City Commission, appoint an examiner to conduct examinations and other tests held for testing the ability of applicants for the City's service, or it may, with the approval of the said Commission, enter into a contract for the services of a person skilled in personnel work, who may or may not be a resident of the City of Royal Oak, to prepare and conduct such examinations and tests and otherwise assist the Board in carrying out the merit systems.
The Civil Service Board shall, upon request of the City Commission or may at any time of its own volition, make a study of the duties and responsibilities of all positions in the City's service, to the end that a proper duties' classification system may be in effect at all times. The Board shall, upon request by the City Manager or any department head, make such study of positions in the department or departments under the jurisdiction of the appointing authority making such request to the end of making a proper duties' classification in that particular department or departments.
The Civil Service Board shall be furnished within 30 days after this chapter takes effect, and thereafter whenever requested by the Board, a schedule showing the compensation for each position in the City's service. The Board shall make a study of the compensation for each position in relation to the duties performed and shall from time to time make such recommendations as it deems advisable to the City Manager, in order that proper pay differentials may be established between positions that differ materially in duties performed and responsibilities exercised in order that so far as possible there may be equal pay for equal work.