Jennifer Shea, interim executive director of the Civil Service Commission, told council the commission’s mission flows from the city charter and centers on merit‑based hiring and maintaining city job classifications.

Shea said the commission maintains and reviews more than 650 job classifications, verified more than 10,000 personnel transactions in 2024, and provides testing for both uniformed and non‑uniformed classes. In 2024 the commission administered entry‑level police officer and firefighter testing as well as promotional examinations for police commander, police lieutenant and fire battalion chief.

Shea said the commission has moved to maintain open applications and continuous testing for police officer candidates and to add names to the eligible list on a monthly cadence to help departments replenish candidate pools more quickly. The commission plans to administer additional firefighter and police promotional exams in 2025; Shea estimated administering those exams would account for about $350,000 of exam‑related costs (materials, supplies, personnel).

Shea described the commission’s 2025 operating request as approximately $6.712 million, with a modest personnel increase intended for succession planning after recent long‑tenured staff departures. She also described quality‑control measures: the commission uses outside assessors for test development, runs adverse‑impact statistical reviews after exams and provides accommodations for applicants with documented disabilities.

Shea and council members discussed the EDGE program (Empowering Development by Gaining Employment), a five‑month workforce program for participants referred from the courts and partner organizations. Shea said the commission provides a $300,000 grant to EDGE and noted the city is beginning to collect baseline statistics about participants’ housing cost burden and outcomes; the commission said it will track whether participants’ housing cost burdens fall by at least 10% by program graduation as part of new evaluation work.

Council members asked about test design, accommodations, classification review cycles (every five years) and the commission’s ability to refresh candidate lists when departments report shortages. Shea said departments can request priority reviews of specific classifications when difficulties filling vacancies arise.