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Civil Service Board finds no rule violations, recommends removing FACE certification for sanitation inspectors
Summary
At its May 13 meeting, the Civil Service Board approved an investigation report that found no violations of civil service rules and recommended removing FACE certification as a hiring requirement for sanitation inspectors; the board approved the report as written after debate over wording.
The Civil Service Board on May 13 approved an investigation memorandum that said the board did not find violations of the civil service rules and recommended the city manager remove the FACE certification requirement for sanitation inspectors.
The recommendation matters because it affects hiring qualifications for sanitation roles and clarifies how the board interprets the civil service rules. Board members debated wording in the investigation report about whether the board "found any violations contrary to the intent and spirit of the civil service rules and regulations," and considered, then withdrew, a motion to strike that sentence before approving the memorandum as originally drafted.
Board members discussed three rule citations during the item: Rule 4.1, Rule 6.3 and Rule 16.1 of the civil service rules and regulations. The memorandum states that, after an investigation, the board did not find violations of the rules but nonetheless recorded a unanimous motion previously entered by Member Cabrera recommending that the city manager remove the FACE certification as a requirement for sanitation (solid waste) inspector positions. Members clarified that the job posting language had allowed either the FACE certification or two years of experience, and that the announcement did not consistently state a certification requirement.
Member Jimenez raised concerns about the sentence that reads the board found "no violations contrary to the intent and spirit of the civil service rules and regulations," arguing the report should explicitly resolve the charges that prompted the hearing or otherwise state the board's recommendation more clearly. After discussion and a brief motion to strike that line (which was withdrawn), members voted to approve the memorandum with its original language.
The board and legal counsel also discussed the scope of FACE certification: members said the certification is designed for code enforcement duties and is not directly applicable to solid waste inspector duties; some members said that, under the civil service rules as written, an employer cannot require FACE certification when the job specification allows experience as an alternative.
Votes at a glance
- Motion to adopt the agenda — approved (motion and seconder not specified in the record). - Motion to approve previous minutes — approved (motion and seconder not specified in the record). - C1: Military leave without pay for Matthew Conway, firefighter, from 2025-04-14 through 2025-05-10 — approved (copy of order submitted). - C2: Military leave without pay for Daniel Echeverria, police officer, from 2025-04-23 through 2025-05-09 — approved (copy of order submitted). - Motion to cancel the next meeting and table business to June 10, 2025 — approved (motion and seconder not specified in the record). - Motion to approve the investigation memorandum as originally written (including the sentence that the board did not find violations and the recommendation by Member Cabrera to remove FACE certification) — approved (motion entered and seconded; members voted "aye").
The meeting closed with routine adjournment and brief remarks recognizing departing members.
Ending: The board approved the memorandum and recorded its recommendation to the city manager; any change to hiring requirements would require action by the manager or relevant appointing authority, which was not taken at the meeting.
