Civil service staff outlines Oracle Cloud switch, recruitment updates and HR studies

Civil service staff, a staff member, told the Civil Service Merit Board on March 11 that the department will transition to Oracle Cloud with a planned go‑live during the week of March 23 and a two‑week posting pause: "The go live date will be sometime during the week of March 23," the staff member said. Jobs currently posted will be removed March 13 and new continuous postings are expected to resume March 30.

The staff member also updated the board on recruitment activity. "Right now, we've got 285 applications, and we started testing yesterday," the staff member said of a firefighter recruit posting that closed the day of the meeting. Staff said applications submitted before the transition will continue to be processed in the legacy system.

On selection and performance testing, civil service staff described replacing the current three‑component fitness test (machine deadlift, situps/crunches and a stabilometer) with a job‑based obstacle course designed to mirror on‑the‑job tasks. The proposed course includes a stair climb, ladder carry, simulated victim rescue, hose drag and a confined‑space simulation; the vendor building the course will set cutoff times, staff said.

Staff reviewed departmental tracking and finances, saying they added categories to the status report and will combine process tracking with Human Resources. The projected budget for the coming fiscal year remains largely unchanged from last year, though staff listed one‑time expenses this year — including the police oral boards, investment in the new fire performance test and purchased online proctoring for the eSkill testing platform.

Human Resources also described a set of budget requests and studies it is seeking. The HR representative asked the board to consider increasing performance pay for general government employees from the current 0.5% to 1% (an ask rather than an approved change), budgeted $400,000 for a required full compensation study in the coming year, and requested $20,000 for additional background checks for Park and Recreation officials. The HR representative said the city had chosen vendor MGT (approved by council) to conduct a longevity pay study and that the longevity plan under review currently pays $10 per month incrementally with a cap that staff described as $2,400 per year under the present schedule.

Finally, HR described plans for an employee engagement survey and a new engagement committee that will help develop and roll out the survey. The HR representative said the team will share results with employees and manage expectations about what changes can be implemented immediately.

The board asked several clarifying questions about the division of responsibilities between HR and civil service since recent reorganizations; staff said processes are clearer and that the departments are partnering more closely, though some overlapping responsibilities remain. The meeting record shows no formal decisions on the HR budget requests or the proposed changes pending further action by the mayor's office and council.