Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Classifications topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spokane Civil Service Commission adopts new public records officer classification, deletes police planner
Summary
The Spokane Civil Service Commission approved Resolution 2025-03 to add a Public Records Officer classification, retitle an Associate Auditor classification, and delete a Police Planner classification; commissioners asked about minimum-qualification equivalencies and supervisory scope before voting to adopt the package.
The Spokane Civil Service Commission approved Resolution 2025-03, adopting one new job classification, retitling one classification and deleting another during a regularly scheduled meeting.
The commission adopted a new classification, SPN 028 Public Records Officer; retitled an existing classification to Associate Auditor, SPN 125; and deleted the Police Planner classification, SPN 088, which city police management said is not in use. A motion to adopt the package was made and seconded; commissioners voted in favor with no nays recorded and the motion passed.
The new Public Records Officer classification was described by staff as a level of classified work that provides oversight of public records disclosure and management below the department head and assistant department head levels. The job specification was requested by city management and the Municipal Management Program (MMP) concurred with the specification as written.
Commissioner Stratton asked whether the minimum qualifications listed for the Public Records Officer read as "education and experience" or as "education or experience." The chief examiner clarified that the listing allows combinations of education and experience and that equivalencies will be applied: "So if you've got more or less or some kind of combo, we will find an equivalency for that. So if somebody comes in with an AA degree, but 5 years of experience, and that's gonna count." The chief examiner added that an applicant with substantial experience but no formal education would similarly be considered under equivalency rules.
Commissioners also asked about the supervisory scope of the new classification. Staff said the classification was written broadly so it could be used in different ways across departments: the position "may supervise a small work group or they may supervise a couple of different work groups in different areas doing public records."
Regarding the Police Planner classification, staff said there are no employees in that job class and the chief of police has no plans to use it; staff recommended deletion with the option to reintroduce the classification later if needed.
Votes at a glance - Resolution 2025-03: Classification actions — adopted (motion made and seconded; vote passed; no nays recorded). Included within the resolution: SPN 028 Public Records Officer (new), SPN 125 Associate Auditor (retitle), SPN 088 Police Planner (deletion).
The staff presentation noted that the city plans to convert all job class specifications to a new document design and thanked city management and MMP for quick approval of the updated specification format. Staff said the revised Associate Auditor specification includes edits ahead of an upcoming recruitment and testing process. The deletion of the Police Planner classification was described as a housekeeping step because the position is not in use.
The commission did not set additional implementation dates during the meeting; staff indicated that any future requests to reinstate the Police Planner classification would return to the commission for consideration.
