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Charter Review Committee finds personnel board language outdated, seeks solicitor and finance input
Summary
Members reported that much of the personnel board’s duties in the charter are out of date; the committee asked the solicitor, administrator and finance to review current practice and return with recommendations for how to modernize personnel board duties and align HR, payroll and hiring functions.
The committee reviewed the personnel board section of the charter and concluded much of the language dates to 1975 and no longer reflects practice. S2 summarized conversations with Sue Bernier that several enumerated duties are historical and not performed today, and S4 described the personnel board’s current practical role as mostly conducting interviews for nonunion hires.
S2 said many tasks once listed in the charter "appear to be the tasks that were given to the board when it began, but are no longer relevant or applicable to what they do." S4 added: "The personnel board's role was effectively to be the interview board associated with the hiring of nonemployee staff." Committee members asked finance to provide an overview of current payroll and HR practice and requested solicitor review before proposing major charter changes.
Why it matters: The group said inconsistent or outdated charter language can create confusion about responsibilities (payroll, hiring, HR policy) and recommended clarifying which duties should remain in the charter and which can be handled administratively or by ordinance.
Next steps: Finance will provide a brief overview of how payroll and HR tasks are handled; the solicitor and administrator will be asked to advise on whether changes should be made by charter amendment or by ordinance.
