The Civil Service Commission shall consist of three (3) members who shall be residents of the City and who shall be appointed by Council. Members shall be appointed for three (3) year terms. Each seat on the Commission shall expire on a rotating annual basis. Vacancies to the Commission shall be filled by Council for the unexpired term in the manner in which original appointments were made. No member of the Civil Service Commission shall hold any other office or employment with the City.
The Commission shall oversee appointments and promotions in the classified service of the City. The Commission shall hear appeals, as appropriate, concerning suspensions, demotions or removals in the classified service. The Civil Service Commission may arrange with the civil service commission of another city in Hamilton County to conduct Civil Service Examinations for the City of Montgomery.
Council shall establish by Ordinance the classified and unclassified service in the City. The classified service shall not include:
1. Elected Officials
2. Custodian of Council records
3. Members of Boards and Commissions appointed by Council or City Manager
4. The City Manager and Assistant City Manager
5. The Administrative Directors and Department Heads including the Chief of Police and Fire Chief
6. Unskilled labor, as defined by the Civil Service Commission
7. Any temporary or part-time office or position requiring the qualifications of an expert.
8. Members of an auxiliary unit of the Police Department
The Council shall, by ordinance, provide rules for the determination of merit and fitness as the basis for appointments and promotions in the classified service. Promotion to any position in the classified service shall be based on competitive examinations and merit, efficiency, character, conduct, and seniority. Promotional examinations may be restricted to current employees; or, on recommendation of the City Manager, the Civil Service Commission may open any promotional examination to qualified candidates from outside the classified service.
With the exception of probationary appointments, no officer or employee in the classified service shall be suspended, demoted or removed except for cause. Council shall establish by ordinance the procedure for appeal to the Civil Service Commission from a decision to suspend for more than three (3) days, demote or remove a classified employee.
The applicable state statutes pertaining to the civil service of cities shall be applicable to the classified service of the City, except as otherwise provided by this Charter or by ordinance of Council adopted pursuant to this Charter.
All offices on the Civil Service Commission shall commence February 1 in the years provided herein. At the first meeting after February 1 each year, the Commission shall elect a Chair and Vice Chair and appoint a Secretary. The Secretary of the Commission need not be a member of the Commission. The Commission shall hold meetings as called by the Chair as necessary to conduct its business. All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public to the extent permitted by Ohio law. The Commission shall adopt its own Rules of Procedures from time to time and it shall maintain a record of all proceedings before the Commission.
With the adoption of these amendments to the Charter in the year 2002, all current Commissioner's offices shall be extended from December 31 of the year the term is scheduled to end until January 31 of the following year to extend the current offices to meet the amended schedule of appointments. With the expiration of each current term, a successor shall be appointed for a three (3) year term.