133.04 EXAMINATIONS.
(a) Examinations. All original appointments, lateral hires, and promotions in the classified service shall be filled according to merit and fitness, to be ascertained, as far as practical, by competitive examination.
The Director of Administration shall have the responsibility for reviewing the applications and testing applicants.
(b) Announcements. When the Director determines that a vacancy exists that must be filled in an authorized position in the classified service, and no valid eligible list exists for such position, the Director shall establish the date and the type of examination that will be given for the position.
For all examinations, except promotional examinations, the Director shall announce the vacancy by placing an advertisement in a local newspaper of general circulation or electronically publishing, and in other publications as necessary, for three successive days.
Notification of the vacancy shall also be sent to the Civil Service Commission and all City departments to be posted in a conspicuous location in the Municipal Building.
Each classification vacancy shall be advertised in a separate announcement. Multiple vacancies in one classification may be combined into one announcement.
The Director may announce a combined open and promotional examination when three or fewer qualified promotional candidates are available for an examination. The examination shall be advertised as provided herein.
When a position requires exceptional qualifications of a scientific, managerial, professional or educational nature, or where a particular applicant has unusual qualifications for a vacant position based on exceptional skills, education or experience, the Director may determine that it is not practicable to give a competitive examination. In such cases the Director may approve the appointment of a person of recognized attainment, providing satisfactory evidence can be presented to the Commission showing that the designated person is exceptionally qualified and that competition would therefore be impractical.
(c) Examination Methods. Examination methods shall consist of one or more of the following tests, as determined by the Director:
(1) Written tests of aptitudes, achievement and knowledge of the work. The test may include an objective type examination designed to test the applicant's familiarity with information and material which could reasonably be expected in the position; standard intelligence tests; standard aptitude tests; or a dissertation on one or more subjects dealing with problems encountered in the classification.
(2) Written tests which evaluate mental fitness, character traits and attitudes, provided such tests are related to the duties of the position sought.
(3) Ratings which evaluate education, training and/or experience pertinent to the classification for which the examination is taken.
(4) Performance or skill tests which provide for assessment of applicant's abilities and manual skills to perform the work involved in the classification.
(5) Physical examinations consisting of muscular strength, agility, endurance and coordination of applicants.
(6) Oral examinations which evaluate knowledge, personal qualifications, and communications skills, provided such tests or ratings are practical, competitive and related to duties of the position sought.
(d) Conduct of Examinations. All examinations shall be conducted under the supervision of the Director of Administration who may designate or contract on behalf of the Civil Service Commission for special examiners as required. Written examinations shall be prepared, graded and the results certified by a university or other qualified testing service, and contracts for such written examinations shall be approved by the Commission.
No applicant shall be admitted to any written examination after any applicant who has seen the questions has withdrawn from the examination room.
Visitors or observers shall not be admitted to the examination room during any examination except by permission of the Director. The Director may provide for assistance for handicapped applicants who are otherwise qualified. Such assistance shall be limited to reading the examination and/or marking the answers as directed by the applicant.
Any applicant who, during an examination, attempts to aid himself or another applicant in answering questions by reference to notes or other material not approved for use by all applicants, or by discussion with other applicants, or by other means of cheating, shall be dismissed from such examination and shall receive no grade.
Examinations shall be conducted in accordance with the following procedures:
(1) Written examinations shall be administered to all applicants on the date advertised. Prior to the start of the examination, each applicant shall complete and sign an identification card containing a number the applicant must use to identify the examination form and answer sheets, and other such information as required. The identification cards shall be sealed in a blank envelope and delivered to the Commission, who shall use the numbers to identify and rank the test scores. The identity of the person taking the test shall be concealed from the examiners by the use of the identification number by the applicant on the examination form and answer sheet.
(2) An unassembled test which involves the evaluation of education, experience and training of applicants shall use a consistent standard of ranking the qualifications of all applicants.
(3) Performance tests shall involve similar tasks for all applicants competing for the same position, and shall be related to the actual duties and responsibilities of the position. This type of examination shall be administered by someone designated by the Director who is familiar with the skills required in the position,
(4) Physical examination shall involve similar physical fitness activities for all applicants, and shall be related to the duties and responsibilities of the position.
(5) Oral examination shall involve similar questions for all applicants related to the duties and responsibilities of the position. This examination shall be administered by two or more individuals, one of whom may be the Director, or one or more persons selected by the Director familiar with the position. The two examiners shall average their scores to determine a final score for the applicant.
(e) Postponement and Cancellation of Examinations. The Director of Administration shall have the right to postpone any examination because of an inadequate number of applications, because of non-attendance of special examiners, or for other sufficient cause, or to cancel any examination, the holding of which becomes unnecessary because of change in the personnel requirements of the City. All postponements or cancellations shall be approved by the Civil Service Commission.
(f) Grading of Examinations. All examinations shall be graded or ranked by the examiner and the results certified to the Commission. Written examinations shall be graded by statistical methods which proportion and convert individual scores on a scale where 100% represents the highest possible attainment and 65% represents the minimum level of attainment. Non-written examinations shall use a consistent passing mark representing the minimum performance level for each examination. In order to attain place on the eligible list, an applicant's final grade average from all tests must be no less than 65% for written examinations or the minimum performance level on non-written examinations. However, the Director, with the approval of the Commission, may require at least 65% in some specific part of an examination as published in the announcement, and the failure of the candidate to make such required 65% in that part of the examination will disqualify the applicant in the entire examination.
The weights of the various parts of each examination shall be determined by the Director and shall be applied uniformly in determining each applicant's final grade.
An applicant who has served in the Armed Forces, Reserve, National Guard, or other Uniformed Services of the United States and has been honorably discharged, shall receive five points credit in addition to the test score. Veteran credit points shall not be added until a passing grade is obtained by the applicant. Veteran credit points shall not apply to any promotional or unassembled examination.
Police officer applicants shall receive two and one-half points credit in addition to the test score for an Associate's Degree or five points additional credit for a Bachelor's Degree. Applicants shall receive one-half point credit for each year of part-time service in their respective divisions.
(g) Repeating Examinations. No person who has failed to pass an examination shall be permitted to be re-examined for the same classification within six months of the date of the previous examination. However, the Director may, if the examination is determined to be unfair or unjust, permit person who have failed an examination to be re-examined before the expiration of the six month period, but in no case prior to sixty days from the date of such failure. When such re-examination occurs, physical examinations need not be repeated, but rather the applicant's score in the previous examination may be used. Applicants disqualified and removed from an eligible list because of an unsatifactory background investigation may repeat an examination for the same classification after three years from date of disqualification.
(h) Inspection of Examination Papers by Candidates.
(1) All selection and grading devices and examination papers are the property of the City, and shall be treated as confidential records to the maximum extent possible under law.
(2) Upon receiving notification of the examination grade, applicants may review the keyed copy of the written examination and their own answer sheet, which is identified by their number received during the examination. The criteria and standards used for non-written examinations may also be reviewed during the period herein provided. This review must be requested within five days exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from the date of mailing the applicant's notification of the examination grade. Review must take place in the presence of the Director or a person designated by the Director. Notetaking in regard to the exam content shall not be permitted. If the applicant believes a clerical error has been made, a request for the correction shall be made to the Director. The scoring by the examiners shall be deemed prima facie correct. No examination paper or any part thereof shall be subject to alteration, addition or deletion by the applicant except that any manifest error of scoring may be corrected by the Director. Additional testing procedures or investigation may continue during the time period provided for review.
(3) Any applicant who exercises the right to inspect examination papers shall not be permitted to take an examination for the same classification within six months of the inspection, unless a totally different examination form is used.
(i) Preservation of Examination Papers. Applicants and examination papers of all candidates for employment shall be kept on file in the office of the Director for at least one year.
(Ord. 2017-26. Passed 9-18-17.)