Las Vegas City Commission Minutes, September 21, 1955 to November 20, 1957, lvc000010-603

Motion seconded by Commissioner Sharp and carried by the following vote: Commis­sioners Bunker, Fountain, Sharp, Whipple and His Honor voting aye; noes, none. CIVIL SERVICE BOARD Mayor Baker announced that the Commission regretted the fact that Grant Stewart and Dr. Laub were unable to serve any longer as members of the Civil Service Board of Trustees, due to the press of personal business. His Honor commended these gentlemen for the fine work they have done as members of the Board, and expressed the sincere Appreciation of the Commission for this service. His Honor also expressed appreciation for the work performed by the Civil Service Board in conducting hearings on terminations that have been appealed by the em­ployees. The Mayor indicated that the decisions made by the Civil Service Board have been in the best interest of the public, and elaborated that the City Com­mission and members of the Civil Service Board are all working toward one thing— the efficient operation of the City government. The Mayor asked Don Ashworth, Chairman of the Civil Service Board for his comments. Mr. Ashworth stated that Civil Service for all City employees was instigated in 1951, and at that time the biggest job was to compile and adopt Civil Service Rules and Regulations. He stated that this was accomplished by reviewing rules and regulations of other cities under civil service of comparable size. Mr. Ashworth stated that the Civil Service Board was aware of the fact that there were many fallacies in the original rules and regulations and that amendments would have to be made from time to time. He stated that of the original Board, three members still remain, namely Mr. Horsey, Mr. Knipp and himself. Mr. Ashworth advised the Commission that the Civil Service Trustees have worked har­moniously and have unanimously agreed in all decisions. He then gave a brief resume of the number and type of hearings held by the Civil Service Board from 1951 to the present time. At this time Dr. Richard Laub arrived at the meeting. Mr. Ashworth continued that his Board is aware of the problems involved in a business that employs over 500 people. He stated that he had read in the newspaper that the Commission is considering a personnel survey and a re-evalua­tion of the wage scale. Mr. Ashworth said that the members of the Civil Ser­vice Board feel that there is a great need for a strong Personnel Department and a more careful screening of applicants seeking employment with the City. He gave an example of a private industry that brought in a group of efficiency experts and spent a considerable sum of money to go over the operation of the business. He explained that these experts spent between a year and a year and a half testing the jobs, and when the report was completed it was found that there were numerous instances where the work was being duplicated by the em­ployees. Mr. Ashworth expressed the need of the City for a strong Personnel Department head, a person that is well-trained in this field. Mr. Horsey also commented on the need for a trained person to head the Personnel Department. He spoke on the "Efficiency Reports" that are turned in by the De­partment Heads on the employees and stated that they would more properly be called "Performance Reports". Mr. Horsey said that apparently insufficient time is being spent in the preparation of these reports, since it is very seldom that an employee receives a rating less than "satisfactory". Mr. Horsey stated that he felt that City employees should not be permitted to gamble since this provides an oppor­tunity for the person to be bribed. Mr. Stewart stated that he felt there is a personnel problem in that approximately 75% of those employed by the City are hired before they have taken an examination for the position. He agreed that there should be someone employed as head of the Personnel Department who can take care of the hiring for the City instead of the Individual Department Heads, and that way better qualified employees can be se­cured. Mr. Knipp asked if there were any figures on the cost to the City of hiring an employee. He was advised the Commission that when he worked for a gasoline com­pany it was determined that the initial amount invested in an individual when em­ployed was $725.00. He further suggested that it would be a wise thing if pros­pective employees were investigated insofar as their credit rating is concerned. City Manager Kennedy advised the group that certain steps have been taken to correct the problems known to exist. He stated that five months ago a change was made wherein all hiring before an examination is taken must be approved by the City Manager's of­fice. Mr. Kennedy explained that in certain departments examinations could not be given fast enough to meet the need for employees. He agreed with the suggestion that there should be someone hired to head the Personnel Department who is specially trained in this field. Mr. Kennedy explained that the average length of service of a City employee for the city of Las Vegas is four years and one month; in the Police Department it is three years and one month. He pointed out that in the Street Department the average is twelve years. Mr. Kennedy presented monthly reports that are prepared by the Personnel Department which show the exact number of terminations, temporary appointments, re-employment, and transfers by departments as well as the overall total. Mr. Ashworth commented that the labor market is not as acute at this time as it was several years ago, and he believes that the departments are running a little more smoothly than they were two or three years ago. He also explained that the comments made at this meeting are not in the form of criticism, but are suggestions of the Civil Service Board to be of assistance to the City. Mr. Kennedy likewise stated that the City was not criticizing the Civil Service Board but that there are certain things that have to be straightened out. The City Manager at this time discussed the "Efficiency Ratings". Mayor Baker stated that there should be a better relationship between the Personnel Department and Department Heads of the City, and the Personnel Department should work more closely with the City Manager.