Civil Service Regulations of the City of Schenectady.

Civil Service Examining Board.-E. H. Winans, A. M. White, R. G. Brooke, Win. S. Rowe, Secretary.

Pursuant to the statutes of this State to regulate and improve the Civil Service thereof, the Civil Service Examining Board of the city of Schenectady hereby prescribe the following regula tions for the admission of persons into the public service of the city of Schenectady to take effect from the date of their approval by the New York Civil Service Commission:

DEFINITION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE, AND ITS DIVISIONS.

REGULATION I.

1. These regulations shall apply to all positions in the public service of the city of Schenectady with the following exceptions required by the statutes, namely:

First. Officers elected by the people, viz.:

Mayor, recorder, treasurer, police justice, three assessors, two justices of the peace, three commissioners of police, to be elected by the city at large; and one supervisor, three aldermen, two commissioners of common schools, one constable, to be elected in each ward or election district.

2. The civil service of the city of Schenectady shall be divided into the unclassified service and the classified service.

3. The unclassified service shall comprise the head or heads of any department of the city government, viz.:

1. Officers appointed by the mayor.

2. Officers elected by the common council of said city, viz.: Three water commissioners, six members of the board of health, a city clerk, a city marshal, a city attorney, a city physician, a city printer, a chief engineer and two assistant engineers, a city surveyor, overseer of the poor, a board of magistrates, pound master, commissioners of deeds, lamp lighters, firemen, city measurer, fence viewer.

3. Persons employed in the educational department of the city.

4. The classified service shall include all clerks, copyists, recorders, stenographers, bookkeepers and others rendering clerical services and not included in section one, and all policemen, firemen, messengers, orderlies, court attendants, guards and keepers in jails and prisons, and all persons employed or appointed in the public service and not specially included in sections one and three, viz.: Chief of police, assistant chief of police, sergeant of police, clerk of the board of excise, superintendent of the board of water commissioners, and engineers and firemen to that board, superintendent of hose, superintendent of streets, superintendent of sewers, sealer of weights and measures.

GENERAL PROVISIONS.

REGULATION II.

1. The violation of any of the provisions of the civil service acts or of these rules by any person in the civil service of the city of Schenectady, N. Y., shall be considered a good cause for the dismissal of such person from the service.

2. No person in the civil service of the city of Schenectady, N. Y., shall use his official authority or influence to coerce the political action of any person or body, or shall dismiss or cause to be dismissed, or make any attempt to procure the dismissal of, or in any manner change the official rank or compensation of any person in such service because of his political or religious opinions or affiliations.

3. No question in any examination or proceeding shall call for the expression or disclosure of any partisan political opinion or affiliation of any person whatever, nor shall any discrimination be made by reason thereof, and the examiners shall discountenance all disclosure before them of such partisan opinion or affiliation by or concerning any applicant for examination, or by or concerning any person on any register awaiting appointment or employment in the selection, nomination or appointment of persons to fill positions in the public service, no regard shall

be paid to the partisan political opinions, affiliation or action of any person so selected, nominated, appointed or promoted.

4. No person in the public service is for that reason under any obligations to contribute to any political fund or purpose or to render any political service, and no person shall be removed or otherwise prejudiced for refusing so to do.

5. In making removals or reductions or in imposing penalties for delinquency or misconduct, penalties like in character shall be imposed for like offences, and action thereon shall be taken irrespective of the political or religious opinions or affiliations of the offenders.

6. For the purpose of ascertaining the qualifications of persons seeking or named for positions in the departments and offices of municipal government to which these regulations apply there shall be a Board of Examiners, composed of three citizens of the city of Schenectady, N. Y., designated by the mayor, and not more than two of whom belong to the same political party. The mayor may at any time substitute another citizen in the place of any one so designated, by filing with the city clerk a written notification of such change, and will detail or employ a clerk who shall act as the secretary of the Examining Board. It shall be the duty of such board of examiners to conduct all examinations called for under these regulations, to ascertain the standing of candidates for the service of the city, in respect to merit for the branch of the service which they seek to enter, and to estimate and determine the relative excellence or standing of the persons examined, and to certify the same in such manner and form as may be prescribed. Whenever the special qualifications required for a position are of an expert or professional character, the mayor will give to the examining board such advice and assistance from competent sources as may be expedient and available. The Secretary of the Board shall keep the minutes of the proceedings and all necessary records of applicants, their examinations and standings, and a complete record of all persons employed in the several departments to which these rules apply, and of all appointments, promotions, dismissals, resignations and

changes of any sort therein, which information shall be furnished within five days by the different persons or boards holding the appointing power. When not in attendance upon the examining board, the secretary may act under the direction of the

mayor.

APPOINTMENT TO POSITIONS.

REGULATION III.

1. No person shall be appointed to or employed in any position in the classified service until he shall have passed the examinations for merit and fitness as provided therefor or unless the posi tion to which he is appointed is especially exempt from examination under the provisions of these rules.

2. Appointments may be made to unclassified positions without examination. Upon formal notice to the examining board of such appointments by the head of an office, certification of the same will be made to the Comptroller or other fiscal officer authorized to pay a salary to the incumbent of the position to which such appointment is made.

3. Appointment shall be made to, or employment shall be given in all classified positions that are not filled by promotion, reinstatement, transfer or reduction under these rules by selecting from those graded highest, according to their standing, as the result of open competitive examinations, except as herein otherwise provided.

4. Whenever a position in the classified civil service is to be filled by appointment after a competitive examination, an examination for fitness by or under the direction of the appointing officer may be held at any time. Upon notice by such officer that an examination for fitness is desired, the examining board shall immediately transmit to him the names of all persons then on the list of those eligible for merit. Immediately upon the receipt of such a list, the appointing officer shall cause a competitive examination of such persons to be held, and, unless the examination is by the examining board, shall give notice to such persons to appear at a specified time and place for the purpose of being examined in relation to their fitness for the position named. The

examining board upon request of the appointing officer, will conduct and certify such examination for fitness and prepare the eligible list.

The maximum rating for fitness shall be fifty, and the minimum thirty-five. The rating for merit shall be added to the rating for fitness of each candidate. The result so obtained constitutes the eligible list and appointments must be made therefrom in the order of the combined rating of each candidate. The person, officer or board conducting the examination shall upon completing the eligible list certify it to the examining board. If the examination for fitness is conducted by the examining board the eligible list prepared as the result of such examination shall be filed with the secretary and within five days thereafter a certified copy thereof shall be delivered to the appointing officer who requested such examination. Such an eligible list shall continue for two years from the date of the filing of the merit list by the examining board as the eligible list from which appointments shall be made by such appointing officer, unless a new eligible list is prepared as herein provided; but the appointing officer may at any time hold or require other competitive examinations for fitness of the persons then remaining upon such eligible list, in the same manner and with like effect. Unless the examination for fitness is conducted by the examining board, the appointing officer shall certify to the examining board that the ratings for fitness were determined by competitive examination as provided by law.

Whenever the sex of the persons whose names are to be certified is fixed by any law, rule or regulation, or is specified in the request for certification, the names only of those of the sex so fixed or specified shall be certified from the merit list, but in other cases, such certification shall be made of all persons without regard to

sex.

5. In the selection, nomination, appointment or promotion of persons to fill positions in the classified service no regard shall be paid to the partisan political opinions, affiliations or action of any person so selected, nominated, appointed or promoted.