10.01 Civil Service Commission.
There shall be a department of Human Resources governed by a Civil Service Commission of three members. The City Council shall appoint two Commissioners by a vote of at least five members of the Council. Such appointments shall be made to commence on January 1, 2011. One of such members shall serve for a term of three years and one shall serve for a term of two years. Thereafter members that are appointed by the Council shall serve for three year terms. The Board of Education of the City School District shall appoint one member to serve for a term of one year. Thereafter the Board of Education's appointment shall be for a term of three years. If the Board of Education shall fail to make any such appointment within thirty days after the happening of a vacancy, the City Council shall fill the vacancy by appointment. Civil Service Commissioners shall serve without pay.
(A) No person shall be appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner who is not a resident of the City or who holds any public office or public employment other than a member of the organized militia or a teacher in the public schools or in an institution of higher education and learning. The Council shall not appoint any person as a Civil Service Commissioner who is a member of or affiliated with the same political party as another person appointed by the Council, to such Commission and then serving, not counting persons appointed by reason of the failure of the Board of Education to appoint.
(B) Any member of the Civil Service Commission shall be deemed to have resigned who at any time ceases to possess the qualifications to hold office, or who is absent continuously from the City, or from meetings of the Civil Service Commission for as long as six months. The body having to appoint the successor of any Civil Service Commissioner may by a vote of the members thereof at any time vacate the appointment of such member and may fill the vacancy by appointing a successor.
(C) The Civil Service Commission shall meet at least five times each year, at times and places appointed by it, and not more than ninety days shall elapse between any two meetings. Two members shall be a quorum to do business. The Commission shall choose its own chairman and vice-chairman, but no Commissioner shall hold either such office for more than three years in any period of five consecutive years. Every action of the Commission, except adjournment in the absence of a quorum, shall require the concurrence of two members, and shall be entered in an official record. The Civil Service Commission shall adopt rules of order for its own meetings as it may deem necessary.
(D) The Civil Service Commission shall appoint and may remove the Director of Human Resources, who shall be the administrative officer of the Department of Human Resources and the personnel officer of the City. Before his or her appointment, his or her qualification shall be ascertained by an examination conducted by a special examining committee, which examination shall relate to personnel selection and administration, and may be either competitive, or noncompetitive, as the Commission shall determine. The Commission may by unanimous vote appoint or retain as Director of Human Resources a person residing in the City of Hamilton, Ohio. The Director of Human Resources shall not hold any other office or employment in the service of the City. He or she shall appoint and may lay off, suspend, or remove such examiners, clerks, and other employees as may be necessary in the work of the Department, except that the Commission shall appoint examiners for the Director of Human Resources.
(E) In accordance with this Charter, the Director of Law shall be the legal adviser and attorney for the Civil Service Commission and the Director of Human Resources. However, if the Director of Law informs the Civil Service Commission that, in connection with any matter or proceeding before the Commission, he or she simultaneously has the conflicting duties of being both an advisor to and advocate before the Commission, then the Commission may retain the services of special legal counsel to advise it regarding that matter or during that proceeding.
(Amended 11-3-20.)