Tumwater Civil Service Commission reverses sergeant eligibility list, orders retest for all seven candidates

The Tumwater Civil Service Commission voted March 31 to reverse a prior approval of the police sergeant eligibility list and to readminister the oral assessment for all seven candidates in the promotional process.

Commission members said the actions respond to a formal appeal filed after the sergeant assessment center that raised concerns about the oral assessment's transparency, scoring and candidates' inability to review scores because reading forms had been destroyed. Evan Chen, an attorney with Summit Law Group who advises the city on labor and employment matters, told the commission he "does not represent any individuals," and that his role is to help the city provide "both procedural and substantive fairness in all matters related to labor employment." The commission first discussed the appeal and background materials during the meeting's informational agenda.

Commission Chair Blake Charr moved to reverse the commission's earlier decision to approve the sergeant eligibility list; Commissioner Wendy Mouty seconded the motion. The motion carried when commissioners present voted "aye." Charr later moved (the motion was made and recorded by Mouty) to readminister the oral assessment for all seven sergeant candidates using Public Safety Testing, the external vendor, and that motion also passed on an "aye" vote from commissioners present. Meeting minutes and the transcript show the commission previously approved retesting for four of the seven candidates at the earlier meeting, creating an inconsistency the commission sought to resolve.

Staff told the commission the initial oral assessment had been conducted using an internal testing process rather than an external vendor; officials said the city last used Public Safety Testing five years ago for promotional exams. The commission's action directs that the oral assessment be readministered to the full pool of seven candidates to preserve the integrity of the promotional process. The record indicates reading forms from the original oral assessment were destroyed, and that destruction prevented candidates from reviewing scores or checking for clerical errors.

No further substantive discussion or formal objections were recorded on the motions. The commission noted the retest will follow the method of examination announced in the sergeant promotional examination previously approved at the November meeting. The special meeting concluded after the votes; the commission reminded members that the next regularly scheduled meeting is April 10.

The decisions recorded at this meeting are administrative actions of the Tumwater Civil Service Commission and concern the city's internal promotional processes for police sergeant rank. The commission did not at this meeting adopt any changes to ordinances, rules or statutes; it approved internal corrective actions described above.