Council reviews comprehensive rewrite of city civil service rules affecting police hiring and promotions

Second reading of Ordinance 12-35 moved forward Wednesday as council members and commission representatives described a comprehensive rewrite of the city’s civil service rules.

The draft ordinance replaces an older, sprawling rulebook with a shorter set of rules intended to conform Bexley’s civil service procedures to the Ohio Revised Code and to modernize processes for hiring and promoting police officers, presenters said.

Commission member Mark (Civil Service Commission) told council the existing rules had not seen a comprehensive review since the 1980s and that the rewrite reduced the manual from about 80 pages to roughly 45 pages. "A lot of what had been covered before in all of the pages has been neutralized by the negotiated agreements," he said, adding that the Ohio Revised Code now governs many areas previously described in the local rules.

Mayor Kessler and other presenters said the most significant substantive edits focus on police hiring and promotion procedures, including initial hiring and promotion to sergeant, lieutenant and deputy chief. "The commission spent a lot of time trying to make that more realistic, got input from the chief, and some best practices," a presenter said.

Councilmembers asked how the revised rules interact with collective bargaining agreements. Commissioners and staff responded that bargaining-unit contracts supersede the commission’s rules on covered topics but do not govern hiring processes, where the commission remains most involved.

Councilmember Hurley asked whether any of the revisions depart from practices in comparable Central Ohio communities. Commission members said they had reviewed rules from several peer cities and adjusted provisions to fit Bexley’s charter and needs; one difference noted was flexibility in how the city manages hiring for police chief and certain promotions because of Bexley’s charter.

City staff thanked commission members for multi-year work on the update. No vote on adoption was recorded at Wednesday’s session; the ordinance remained at second reading with commissioners and staff available to answer further council questions at later meetings.

Moving forward, presenters said final edits will continue to ensure conformity with Ohio law and to clarify which provisions apply to employees outside negotiated agreements. Councilmembers and staff indicated they expect additional review before a final adoption vote.