CIVIL SERVICE RULES

Examination Announcement | Content of Announcement | Recruitment | Limited Recruitment | Application | Application Review | Verification of Information | Discrimination | Qualifications of Applicants | Disqualification of Applicants | Notification of Disqualified Applicants | Protest of Disqualification | Fingerprinting | Age Limits | Veteran's Preference

Rule Five
EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT, RECRUITMENT, AND APPLICATION

501. Examination Announcement.

The Personnel Director shall call for open or promotional examinations to fill vacancies in the classified service or to provide eligible lists for classes of positions where vacancies are likely to occur, by making public announcement in such a manner as will attract qualified persons to compete therein. Such announcements shall provide for a minimum period of seven days in which applications may be filed.

502. Content of Announcement.

The Personnel Director shall prepare a written or printed examination announcement for each competitive examination, or each set of competitive examinations, which shall include:

a. class title and compensation;

b. a general statement of duties and responsibilities;

c. the place, and final date to file applications unless the examination is continuous;

d. officially established, minimum qualification requirements;

e. scope of the examination, and the minimum qualifying score as defined in Rule Six;

f. such other information as will assist applicants to understand the nature of the employment and the procedure for participating in the examination.

503. Recruitment.

It shall be the policy of the County of Santa Barbara to carry on such recruitment programs as necessary to seek out and secure qualified individuals to apply for positions at all levels of classified service. In accordance with the County's Affirmative Action Program, recruitment efforts shall be directed toward stimulating interest among Vietnam-era veterans, females, minorities, and handicapped populations in order to assure that qualified members of underrepresented groups are among those to be tested and certified.

504. Limited Recruitment.

When it can be anticipated that the applicant group will be large in relation to anticipated vacancies, the Personnel Director may take steps to limit the size of the applicant group for open examinations by specifying a maximum number of applicants to be examined. At the end of the business day on which the maximum number of applications is received in the Personnel Department, applications will no longer be accepted for the initial examination.

Applications will continue to be accepted until the final filing date to establish an applicant standby pool for subsequent examination should the need arise soon thereafter. The Director may also limit the size by other means which may be appropriate to the circumstances.

505. Application.

Each applicant for examination shall file on a form prescribed by the Personnel Director, a signed application in the Personnel Department or other designated place by the published date. All applications must be received in one of the designated locations by the published deadline in order to be accepted for review. Upon receipt, the Personnel Department shall mark the date on each application filed.

Applicants shall file a separate and complete application for each examination, unless otherwise specified in the examination announcement. Applicants shall complete application forms in sufficient detail to allow comprehensive review and evaluation and shall certify the truth of all statements contained on the application. Applications filed in the Personnel Department shall become the property of the Personnel Department and will not be returned to applicants.

506. Application Review.

The Personnel Department shall examine the applications of applicants and, except as otherwise provided in this section, shall reject the applications that do not show that the applicants possess the requirements established for the examination. Such requirements must be met by the closing date for filing applications or, in the case of continuous examinations, by the date the applications are filed.

A degree requirement may be waived provided applicants not possessing the required degree are registered currently in a recognized or accredited school in a program leading to the required degree and are in their final quarter or semester of study leading to the required degree. Such applicants shall not be certified for provisional or probationary appointment until such time as they provide evidence that they have attained the required degree.

507. Verification of Information.

Information given in an application shall be subject to verification, and applicants for positions which are scientific, professional, or technical, or for positions requiring special qualifications may be required to provide documentary evidence of a satisfactory degree of education, experience, training, certificates of competency, or the possession of such license as the law may provide as necessary for the practice of the profession, art, or trade involved. Applicants who fail to give such evidence may be excluded from taking the examination. All such requirements or evidence of certificates or licenses shall be prescribed in the public notice of the examination.

508. Discrimination.

No person in the classified service or seeking admission thereto shall be discriminated against in violation of any applicable state or federal laws, rules or regulations which may now or hereafter specifically prohibit such discrimination on such grounds as race, religion, sex, color, national origin, physical handicap when otherwise qualified, veterans status age, marital status, cancer-related medical condition or sexual orientation.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Rules, a probationary or permanent employee in the classified service or an applicant thereto shall have the right to appeal alleged discrimination to the Commission. All such appeals shall contain the reasons why the individual believes the appeal should be granted and shall be filed within a reasonable period of time.

509. Qualifications of Applicants.

The following general qualifications shall be deemed to be a part of the personal characteristics of the minimum qualifications of each class specification and need not be specifically set forth therein. Each applicant shall:

a. Possess all entrance requirements specified in the minimum qualifications for the class, except as otherwise provided.

b. Possess to the degree required the general qualifications of integrity, honesty, dependability, industry, thoroughness, accuracy, good judgment, initiative, resourcefulness, courtesy, ability to work cooperatively with others, willingness and ability to assume the responsibilities and to conform to the conditions of work characteristic of the employment.

c. Possess an appropriate valid California Driver License where the position requires the driving of a motor vehicle.

510. Disqualification of Applicants.

The Personnel Director may refuse to examine an applicant or, after examination, may disqualify an applicant for any of the following reasons:

a. Lack of any of the preliminary requirements prescribed for admission to the examination as announced in the public notice.

b. Failure to file the application correctly or within the prescribed time limits.

c. False statement of any material fact or attempted deception or fraud in the application or examination.

d. Disability which renders the individual unable to perform the essential duties of the class.

e. Conviction of a crime which renders the person unsuitable for a position in the class.

f. Participating in the compilation, administration, or correction of the examination.

g. Directly or indirectly obtaining information regarding examinations to which the applicant is not entitled.

h. Any other action of the applicant which renders the applicant unsuitable for employment.

i. Use or attempted use of political pressure or bribery to secure an advantage in an examination or appointment.

j. Previous competition in an examination for the same class within the minimum waiting period as prescribed for retaking an examination.

k. Receiving retirement benefits from Santa Barbara County.

511. Notification of Disqualified Applicants.

A disqualified applicant shall be notified promptly of such disqualification, the reason therefor, and the right to question or protest such disqualification. A written notification (e-mail qualifies as written notice) of disqualification shall be provided to the applicant. Minor defects or omissions in an application on file may be corrected at the discretion of the Personnel Director.

512. Protest of Disqualification.

Whenever an applicant is disqualified in any of the matters provided in this section, he or she may file a request for an investigation with the Commission. Any such request shall contain the reason why the applicant believes the investigation should be granted, and it shall be filed with the Commission or postmarked no later than ten calendar days after the applicant is notified of disqualification. Such protest shall be limited to the issue of whether or not the Personnel Director followed the requirements of Rule 510 and the intent of County Code Section 27-21, i.e., that positions shall be filled (except as otherwise provided) on the basis of merit and fitness ascertained through practical competitive examinations. The Commission shall examine the facts involved and shall grant or deny the investigation within one month of its being filed.

513. Fingerprinting.

Applicants seeking positions as peace officers or applicants seeking positions in which there is access to criminal offender record information may be required to be fingerprinted before appointment. Other employees may also be required to be fingerprinted after appointment, as determined by the appointing authority.

514. Age Limits.

a. No age maximum exists for appointment to the classified service. Employees who have reached seventy years of age, however, are to be certified annually as set forth in Rule Fifteen. In the case that an appointment is to be made to a position covered by the Safety Membership Retirement Plan, the age limits shall be eighteen years minimum and sixty years maximum or as otherwise provided by law.

b. The minimum age for all employees, unless otherwise specified, is eighteen years of age, except that candidates who have reached their sixteenth birthday and have graduated from high school may be admitted to examinations for which they otherwise qualify. If a minor between the ages of sixteen and eighteen works in a department on an extra help basis, work study, or other program, the appointing authority shall ensure that all working conditions and hours worked by the individual are in strict compliance with all applicable laws pertaining to minors.

515. Veteran's Preference

a. Any person who is a veteran, as defined in Section 18973 of the Government Code of the State of California, and who enters an open competitive examination for a classification requiring no work experience, as approved by the Civil Service Commission, shall be eligible to receive preferential credit of five points added to the total credits earned in the examination.

To receive such preferential credit, the veteran must meet the minimum qualifications established for entrance to the examination, and must attain a passing score in each phase of the examination.

It is further provided that eligibility for such preferential credit shall not extend beyond five years from the most recent date of:

1. discharge from active military service;

2. discharge from a military or veterans' hospital where treatment and confinement were for a disability incurred during active military service; or,

3. completion of an educational or training course or courses funded in whole or in part by a Federal Educational Assistance Act (G.I. Bill of Rights).

b. A disabled veteran who enters an open competitive examination for an entry level classification as approved by the Civil Service Commission shall be eligible to receive preferential credit of ten points added to the total credits earned in the examination.

To receive such preferential credit the disabled veteran must meet the minimum qualifications established for entrance to the examination and must attain a passing score in each phase of the examination.

It is further provided that to be eligible for such preferential credit a disabled veteran must have a permanent disability of thirty percent or more and such disability must be compensable at the time preference is claimed.

c. Eligibility for veterans' preference credits provided in paragraphs (a) or (b) hereof shall not apply to promotional examinations, nor shall preference apply to any personnel transaction such as, but not limited to, dismissal, transfer, or layoff.

d. To claim veterans' preference credits as provided in paragraphs (a) or (b) hereof, an applicant must apply for such credits in the space provided therefor on the application form and must submit a form, DD214, or equivalent document, as evidence of military service, disability, or compensability, as appropriate, to the Personnel Department on or before the date of examination. Veteran's preference must be established separately for each examination.