From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Council voted unanimously Monday to form its own Civil Service Personnel Board.
After the first reading, the council voted to consider Ordinance 2019-020. The council then moved to vote on the ordinance itself. It passed unanimously.
The city currently relies on the Jefferson County Personnel Board to recruit and train civil service employees. The city has been under the county board since 1992 and the police department has been under the county since the 1960s. According to Mayor Buddy Choat, the city has already been paying around $200,000 a year for the county services.
“For us to have an opportunity to form our own personnel board, it’s a big step for this city and it’s a long time coming,” Choat said. “Those of you who have dealt with this issue, whether you’re a city employee or within this system, you can understand that this decision is what I think is best for this city.”
Choat said the creation of the Civil Service Personnel Board has been researched for over four months. It is not clear exactly how much it will cost, but he said the first moves will be to create a Human Resources Director and to approve policies. He said the city will be able to oversee benefits to employees, pay raises, job creation and discipline policies. The Disciplinary Board will be made up of three people and any employee can bring grievances to that board.
Councilman Brian Plant said the board is an opportunity for the city to ensure a positive workplace environment.
“We’ve tried to create an environment here where I hope that you’re treated fairly and with dignity,” Plant said. “We try to treat this like it’s family. It allows us to create opportunities for not only those that are working here but create opportunities that fill jobs that benefit our city.”
Choat hopes the board will be up and running by Oct. 1, 2019.
