SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City Commission is considering whether to ask voters to approve changing the city’s Civil Service Board into an arbitration or grievance board.
The commission cannot change the board by ordinance and needs a referendum to change the city’s charter, which dates to 1951. Mayor Ralph Hammond and City Attorney said the charter as a whole is outdated, featuring departments that no longer exist.
“They don’t do a whole lot,” Hammond said.
The Civil Service Board was an easy example. Hammond served on the board for nine years and said the only thing the board did was arbitration. It originally was designed to make recommendations to the commission on employees to hire. However, most department heads promote from within, Hammond said.
“They cannot hold personnel files,” Hammond said. “The … law restricts what they can do.”
Although the name of the board would change, the makeup would be the same: a representative nominated by the commission, a member from uniformed employees and a representative from outside the city staff. The commission and employee board members are currently unfilled.
The board function could be just one of several charter proposals voters would decide.
Springfield attempted to update its charter in 1997 — including changing to a city manager system and approving four-year terms for commissioners — but the public denied it. The commission will work on an updated charter for the election in 2016, including workshops spread throughout the year.
Hammond also announced the city received a $24,000 grant from Firehouse Subs for emergency firefighting equipment — including a saw, jaws of life and stabilizer. The department is going to demonstrate the equipment by cutting a car in half Friday. The department also acquired a ram separating device that cost $7,000.
