Civil Service Commission adopts interim promotional rule, schedules sergeant test and tentative hearing; candidate medical clearances delay paperwork

The Berkeley County Civil Service Commission on March 19 adopted a procedural addendum to its rules that directs staff to contact the sheriff’s office every 30 days to determine whether anyone has become eligible to take a promotional exam for a vacancy.

The vote followed weeks of discussion about how to handle vacancies where an eligible deputy has declined a promotion. Under the addendum approved by the commission, staff will send a letter to the sheriff every 30 days asking whether a deputy has become eligible and wishes to test. Commissioners said the change is intended to prevent eligible promotions from being forgotten while preserving the eligible deputy’s right to test if circumstances change.

Commissioners also set dates for promotion-related events. They scheduled a promotional test for the rank of sergeant on Thursday, April 24, at 9 a.m., in the county training room (date and room availability were confirmed by staff). The commission set a tentative public hearing date — April 17 at 6 p.m. — in case an applicant requests a hearing related to removal from or placement on an eligibility list.

Swearing-in and medical-clearance issues: the commission addressed an immediate staffing matter involving an applicant identified in materials as Plank. Staff said the county commission approved Plank’s hire date and that the swearing-in would take place the following morning, but the written medical clearance required by the department’s current process had not yet been received because Valley Health has not provided all required physician signatures. Staff and the sheriff’s office reported the delay is due to Valley Health’s staffing constraints; the commission said staff would accept verbal confirmation and follow up when the hard copy arrived but would not approve final certification until paperwork is in hand if required by the rules and state code.

Walk-ons, medical certification versus waiver: commissioners and stakeholders debated whether the commission should require a physician-signed medical certification before a candidate may take the agility test, or whether a notarized liability waiver and on-site EMS would suffice. Staff told commissioners the state code language reads that a physician "may" be required; that phrasing means the requirement is not mandatory in every case. Testing vendor contact Tracy Richardson told the commission a testing vendor representative had said the vendor can generally accommodate a modest number of same-day (walk-on) tests "as long as it's reasonable that you don't ask for a hundred tests." The sheriff's office and the deputy-sheriff association emphasized not creating barriers for applicants; the association representative said some applicants found the medical-certification cost burdensome and favored a streamlined waiver option.

Eligibility list and written exam results: staff reported nine applicants sat for the written exam on March 8 and all nine passed. Under the commission’s rules, staff will forward the top three names (including veterans’ and certified-officer point preferences) to the sheriff for consideration. Staff told commissioners the highest score was 90 and that three candidates tied at 85, with the next score at 82.

Process and next steps: the commission instructed staff to publish the required notices if an applicant requests a hearing, to prepare subpoenas if necessary, and to maintain the civil service annual report in Suite 103 and on the civil service webpage for public inspection. Several commission members said the addendum is an interim step and may be refined during the formal rules-revision process.

Ending: staff will send the eligibility letters and the promotional-test notices and will follow up on the outstanding medical-clearance paperwork for the sworn candidate.