04/03/75 CSC MinutesMINUTES
. Golden Valley Civil Service Commission
April 3, 1975
Members Present; John Mitchell
Gordon Sandbaken
Pierre Meyer
This was the special meeting called by the Civil Service Commission to meet
with the City Manager and members of the City Council. Other persons in attendance
were Councilpersons Patricia Molberg, Mary Anderson, Milton Bix, and Mayor Robert
Riggs. Also present were City Manager Barkley Omans and Jeff Sweet, Administrative
Assistant. The chairperson of the Police Community Relations Committee was present.
Police Officers Beardsley, Trandem, Wells, Arneson, Stohl, and Masgai were also
present.
At the beginning of the meeting Mr. Omans indicated that the Council has a
• right to make a decision about how to carry forward management problem. The Council
establish
has the right to A the position of Assistant Public Safety Director and to
recommend that it not be a civil service position. They also have the right to
withdraw a civil service position. Mr. Omans further said that it was the original
intention that one of the lieutenants would function in the fire area and the other
in the police area. He indicated that decision to create the position of Assistant
Public Safety Director had been discussed with David Gorsky. It was also discussed
that when the Second Lieutenancy was created that since it would be confused with
the position of Lt. Ed Howard, it was decided not to create it as a separate Assistant
Public Safety Director at that time. Mr. Omans indicated that the police Lieutenant
does not create as broad a management responsibility as an Assistant Public Safety
Director. He is anxious to have a second person who is directly responsible for
the entire Public Safety Division, not just police -oriented. He indicated that
since the position was not just police -oriented it should not be under civil service
and that way the Council would have some responsibility over management. He indicated
that the Council has the right to make that final recommendation. Mr. Omans also
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. indicated that Ron Pavlock, currently being considered for the Assistant Public
Safety position, has potential but has not had management experience. He also
indicated that no promises had been made to Ron Pavlock but that he had asked
Ron Pavlock for at least a two-year committment to the city of Golden Valley.
Mr. Omans emphasized that the position was not being created for Ron Pavlock, but
that it would have been recommended earlier except for the resignation of Public
Safety Director Gorsky.
Chairman Mitchell asked that the two separate issues be addressed in a
clear way. The one was to create an Assistant Public Safety Director position
and to remove one from the Lieutenant's Register. The second issue was to take
the position away from civil service. The question was asked about how the two
positions would be different. Mr. Omans indicated that he saw management responsi-
bilities delegated to the Assistant Public Safety Director in the area of personnel,
• budget, discipline, and other areas. He indicated that the Lieutenant's responsi-
bility would simply be for police functions. He indicated that the Lieutenant
position is not a management position in the sense he would use it although it
does have management responsibilities in the police area. Mr. Omans indicated that
benefits for the Assistant Public Safety Director are as follows as compared to
the Lieutenant:
1. Retirement does not change.
2. Civil Service protection,
3. Fringe benefits are available to Civil Service employees that are not available
to management such as time off and overtime.
A number of the police officers asked questions about the need for this position
as a part of civil service and as to why the position was being removed from them so
that they had the loss of opportunity for promotion.
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• At the end of the meeting Pierre Meyer indicated his recommendation to the
City Council. That recommendation was that the Assistant Public Safety Director
position be created since there was a management need for such a position. He
also recommended that since there was going to continue to be some change in
responsibility within the Public Safety Department, that the two Lieutenant
positions be continued as a part of the civil service structure so that those
position could be filled and couls be used in supervising police function. Mr.
Mitchell indicated his agreement with that recommendation as did Mr. Sand aken.
Mr. Omansa. at he had already made his recommendationto the Council and that this
would be a Council decision. The Council will further discuss this issue at its
Monday, April 7, 1975, meeting.
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