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Warren council updates civil service ordinance, rejects tabling motion after members raise appeal‑forum concerns
Summary
After debate about preserving appeal forums and the interplay with collective bargaining, Warren City Council approved a rewrite of Chapter 25 (personnel and civil service) that streamlines veteran definitions, allows part‑time benefits when required by law, ties Civil Service Board pay to the budget, and formally recognizes risk management in HR.
Council approved a second reading and adoption of an ordinance amending Chapter 25 of the Warren Code of Ordinances on April 14, clearing several modernizing edits after debate about preserving Civil Service appeal functions.
City counsel summarized five edits: remove a duplicate veteran definition and keep the state‑law definition; remove a specific "Vietnam" identifier to broaden veteran protections; add "unless otherwise required by law" for part‑time employee benefits; allow Civil Service Board compensation to be set by the city budget rather than fixed in ordinance; and add a risk‑management subsection acknowledging existing HR functions.
Councilman Noonan moved to table the item to allow more time for review, expressing concern that appeal forums and merit protections could be weakened. Noonan said discussions with Terry Wisniewski, chair of the Civil Service Commission, raised questions about preserving an appeal forum. The tabling motion failed on a roll call: Noonan and Ms. McGee voted to table; the motion lacked sufficient support.
After further clarifications from city counsel that collective bargaining agreements and state law limit changes and that existing grievance/arbitration processes remain intact, council took a final vote to adopt the ordinance. The measure passed 5–2; Councilmen Lafferty, Dwyer, Boykin and Councilwoman Rogency voted yes; Noonan and McGee voted no; Councilwoman Moore and others discussed safeguards and communications with unions.
Council recorded that union counsel had reviewed the draft and reported no conflicts with current collective bargaining agreements but pledged to work collaboratively if issues arise.
The ordinance modernization takes effect following adoption and aligns the city’s civil service code with current state law and administrative practice.
