Civil Service Merit Board approves two temporary civil‑service exemptions; staff reports on recruiting, benchmarking and rule updates

The Civil Service Merit Board on Aug. 18 approved two temporary exemptions that will allow grant‑funded positions to be filled outside the civil‑service hiring process and received staff reports on recruitment, benchmarking and proposed administrative‑rule updates.

Board members approved a request from KPD to exempt an administrative specialist position from civil‑service coverage through Sept. 30, 2026, and a separate request to exempt a victim‑services advocate position through June 30, 2026. Both exemptions were approved by voice vote after motions and seconds; meeting minutes and roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the transcript beyond members indicating “aye.”

The exemptions matter because they allow departments that rely on time‑limited grant funding to hire staff outside the usual civil‑service classification and…