Saratoga Springs civil service panel approves multiple personnel actions, discusses low police-exam turnout

Saratoga Springs — The Civil Service Commission of Saratoga Springs on Aug. 27, 2025 approved a string of personnel actions, including completed probationary periods, provisional appointments in public works and housing, and a change to the city’s principal planner job specification aimed at broadening the candidate pool. Commissioners also heard staff report low turnout for the coming entry-level police officer exam and a steady but slim set of other recruitment activities.

The commission voted to approve the June and July 2025 minutes, a completed probationary period for the executive assistant to the city attorney and a completed probationary period for one police officer. It approved provisional appointments for a DPW purchasing coordinator and a senior engineering technician, a provisional housing-authority assistant appointment, a slate of noncompetitive school appointments (including bus drivers, teacher aides and clerks) and labor-class appointments for cleaners and food-service helpers. The commission also approved an update to the principal planner job specification that removes a supervisory-experience requirement from the minimum qualifications.

The job-spec change and several of the appointments were presented by Carissa Salvo, staff coordinator. Salvo said the principal planner vacancy was first posted March 5, 2025 and was reissued in June after receiving only a small number of complete applications. "We're simply looking at the last line of 1, 2, and 3 of the minimum qualifications and striking out the requirement of, having supervisory experience," Salvo said, adding the education and experience alternatives for the job would remain (master's with three years' full-time experience; bachelor's with five years; or bachelor's in any field with eight years).

Salvo outlined recruitment activity across departments and described the city's near-term civil-service calendar. She said a training-and-experience (T&E) exam for librarian series will be open Sept. 1–30, a clerk and keyboard specialist exam is scheduled for Sept. 13, and the entry-level police officer written exam is set for Sept. 20 at Saratoga Springs High School. The last filing date for the police exam is Sept. 3.

On police recruiting numbers, Salvo reported that the department currently has 18 applicants for the Sept. exam and recounted recent physical-agility testing from a May exam cycle: of a May eligible list of 47, 20 appeared for the physical test and 16 were successful. "At present time, we have 18 applicants. That's not impressive. Not at all," she said. Salvo described cross-filing by candidates — where applicants submit to multiple agencies offering the same exam — and said that often determines which eligible lists ultimately yield hires.

Commission discussion was brief on most items. A recreation appointment listed on the agenda was struck after staff determined it had been a resignation rather than a new appointment. Commissioners confirmed they will reissue the principal planner vacancy with the revised minimum-qualification language and that the DPW purchasing coordinator vacancy will be reposted after the eligible-list appointment was finalized.

The commission noted the start of the 2026 budget season; Salvo said requested budgets were due Wednesday the 20th and that the civil service office requested a midyear full-time hire, which increased the department’s budget request slightly. She said the overall departmental budget was otherwise unchanged aside from standard increases in medical costs, retirement and liability insurance.

Votes at a glance - Approve June 2025 minutes — approved (recorded as ayes; one member indicated abstention on the June minutes). - Approve July 2025 minutes — approved. - Approve completed probationary period: executive assistant to the city attorney — approved. - Approve update to principal planner job specification (remove supervisory-experience requirement) — approved. - Approve provisional appointment: DPW purchasing coordinator — approved. - Approve provisional appointment: DPW senior engineering technician — approved. - Approve provisional appointment: Saratoga Springs Housing Authority assistant — approved. - Approve completed probationary period: one police officer — approved. - Strike recreation appointment entry (resignation, not appointment) — struck/removed. - Approve noncompetitive school appointments (5 part-time clerks; 1 part-time custodian; 6 part-time keyboard specialists; 1 registered nurse; 1 school bus assistant; 13 school bus drivers; 9 teacher aides) — approved. - Approve labor-class appointments (S6 cleaners; 2 food-service helpers) — approved. - Adjournment — approved.

Commissioners present were Joanna Zangrando, Jeff Altamari and Chairperson Tim Holmes; Christiane Budge served as clerk. Carissa Salvo presented staff reports and motions. The commission scheduled its next meeting for Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Sources: meeting transcript of the Civil Service Commission of Saratoga Springs, Aug. 27, 2025; remarks and filings presented by staff coordinator Carissa Salvo.