State Civil Service Commission to release report on city CSC

The state Civil Service Commission is preparing an updated report on the Long Beach Civil Service Commission that it may release by next week.

“There is a report that is in the process of being finalized, and it may be on the agenda for our board’s March 17 meeting,” said David Ernst, public information director for the state commission.

The state CSC is investigating the administration of the City of Long Beach’s merit system, and the report is an update that is, in part, based on a state team that visited Long Beach in January.

“It was to take a fresh look at the current conditions rather than working off assumptions that are six years old that may or may not be outdated, and to take a look at things firsthand rather than just doing it by phone call and other correspondence,” said Ernest, who declined to reveal the findings of the report until it is made public.

In 2004, the state CSC released an audit report that gave the city a rating of “poor” for improperly classifying employment positions and titles. That report offered 16 recommendations on how Long Beach could improve its system, and, according to the state, the city has yet to implement three key recommendations: properly certifying the city payroll, getting roster information into good shape and ordering all provisional employees to take exams.

“One of the problems in the back and forth between us and the Long Beach commission, which has been considerable, has been the extent to which the 2004 review reflects current conditions,” Ernst said. “We’re working off observations that are six years old. It was deemed necessary to go back in and take a fresh look to almost look anew at the operations.”

In February 2009, the state CSC mailed the city a letter requesting that the commission provide a timeline and comprehensive plan for how it will fix the city’s civil service system within 18 months. “I know that the report is not yet been completed and received, so I can’t give you any of the findings,” Ernst said.

Niether City Hall nor Long Beach CSC Chairman William Miller returned requests for comment. The state CSC board’s calendar is posted atwww.cs.state.ny.us.

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