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Commissioners back idea to award promotional preference points for volunteer service, ask timing questions
Summary
Staff proposed adding promotional preference points for sworn members who complete volunteer service (120 hours = 5 points; 180 hours ≈ 7.5 points; 240+ hours = 10 points). Commissioners asked whether points apply after testing and about effective date; staff recommended education and a runway before implementation.
Staff presented a draft rule to add promotional preference points for sworn members who complete community or volunteer service. The proposal would add points after testing to influence placement on eligibility lists.
The proposal laid out three thresholds: at least 120 hours of volunteer service for 5 points, 180 hours for 7.5 points (staff noted half-points may require rounding), and 240 or more hours for 10 points. Staff also proposed exclusions: service that is political, solely religious in purpose, or with an organization that discriminates on a legally protected characteristic. Staff said some language was borrowed from DER's volunteer program.
"These would not be factored into the testing," the chair clarified, and staff confirmed the points would be applied after exam ranking as preference points rather than altering test results. Commissioners pressed on how consequential the points would be in practice. "How valuable is 5 or 7 or 10 points in the scheme of things?" one commissioner asked; staff responded that points can move candidates up the list and that, depending on exam scoring granularity, nine points can have an impact on final ranking.
The committee discussed effective dates. Commissioners suggested a future effective date (September 1, 2026 was raised) to give members time to learn the new rule before it affects eligibility lists. The executive director noted the proposal had been noticed for closed session in case discussion touched on specific existing eligible lists and candidate scores.
Several commissioners and staff suggested naming the preference as the "Kolcroft points" in honor of Everett Kolcroft, a former commissioner and firefighter. Commissioners generally expressed support for moving the communication forward to the full commission as a resolution, while asking for clarifying language on rounding, maximum caps, and public education about the change.
What’s next: staff will return the proposal to the full commission as a resolution and provide guidance on effective dates, rounding of fractional points, and the public-notice/education plan.
