Civil Service
Civil Service is the governing body responsible for overseeing the recruitment, selection, and management of civil servants within the public sector. Established to ensure transparency, fairness, and meritocracy in the administration of government activities, the Civil Service Commission plays a crucial role in upholding ethical standards and fostering professionalism among civil servants.
The City of Ottumwa is governed by Iowa Code Chapter 400 pertaining to Civil Service.
City of Ottumwa Civil Service Commission Local Rules & Regulations - updated November 2024
What is Civil Service?
Employees who work for the City of Ottumwa are considered Civil Servants.
The Civil Service Commission governs the appointment, promotion, transfer, dismissal, discipline and other related conditions of employment on the basis of merit, in accordance with the spirit of Code of Iowa, Chapter 400 for civil service employees.
These provisions apply to all permanent full-time employees except:
- Persons appointed to fill vacancies in elective offices and members of boards and commissions and the clerk to the Civil Service Commission.
- The city clerk, chief deputy city clerk, city attorney, city treasurer, city assessor, city auditor, professional city engineers licensed in this state and city health officer.
- The city manager or city administrator and assistant city managers or deputy or assistant city administrators.
- The head and principal assistant of each department and the head of each division. However, the Civil Service Commission is responsible for holding entrance examinations for Police Chief and Fire Chief.
- The principal secretary to the city manager or city administrator, the principal secretary to the mayor and the principal secretary to each of the department heads.
- Employees of boards of trustees or commissions established pursuant to state law or city ordinance.
- Employees whose positions are funded by state or federal grants or other temporary revenues. However, a city may use state or federal funds, grants or other temporary revenue to fund a position under Civil Service if the position is a permanent position which will be maintained for at least one year after expiration of the grants or temporary revenues.
What is the process?
All positions posted on a job board are posted for a minimum of ten (10) days but may vary depending upon the position.
- Once an application is received, they are reviewed by a member of our Human Resources team. While we do have an applicant tracking system (ATS), we do review each application individually.
- If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the position as posted, they will receive an email inviting them to participate in the process. An applicant must pass each step of the process to continue to the next. This process may include (but is not limited to):
- Online Assessment
- Interview
- Hand-On assessment
- Upon successfull completion of the process, a list of all qualified applicants will be approved by the Civil Service Commission and the City Council.
Assessments that are subjective in nature (judgments that are based on personal opinions, interpretations, feelings, or perspectives rather than on objective or quantifiable criteria) will not contribute to the overall score. Instead, these assessments are designed to provide informative feedback on understanding and skills.
Due to the number of steps involved, this process may take a little longer than expected.
What is the "list"?
The "list" are names of applicants that have successfully passed the assessment center and may be hired for employment. Each position that is considered a Civil Service position is assigned a list to hire from.
Once a list is established, that list is good for either two (2) years or upon exhaustion of the list. Exhaustion of the list is either by hiring all parties from the list or applicants withdrawing their name from consideration.
*Inclusion on a list is not a promise of employment.