Santa Clara County Municipal Code Art. 2 Classification

Footnotes:

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Charter reference— Classification of positions in classified and unclassified service, § 701.

The Director shall analyze the duties and responsibilities of all positions in the classified service, shall group them into classes, and shall recommend rules for administration of the classification plan, and for the allocation of positions to classes.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-1)

Classification shall be based on the principle that positions shall be in the same class when their duties and responsibilities are enough alike to justify the same descriptive title, definition of duties and responsibilities and employment standards.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-2)

Every position in the classified service shall be allocated by the Director to a class.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-3)

The classification plan shall be adopted and may be revised as conditions require, upon recommendation of the Director and approval of the Board of Supervisors.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-4; Ord. No. NS-304.124, § 5, 9-17-02)

(a) Specifications for each class shall be developed and maintained by the Director. New and revised specifications upon recommendation of the Director shall be submitted to the County Executive and the Board of Supervisors for approval with the following exception. A class specification may be revised administratively without Board of Supervisors approval upon the recommendation of the Director and with the approval of the County Executive and concurrence from the appropriate bargaining unit when there is no salary change.

(b) Specifications will include the class title for use on all official records; a brief definition of the nature, responsibility and scope of the class; a description of duties or tasks, typical but not necessarily restrictive, ordinarily performed by positions allocated to this class; a statement of qualifications including knowledges, skills and abilities required or deemed necessary. The statement of qualifications will be established and/or revised upon recommendation of the Director to reflect such job-relevant standards and qualifications as identified for successful job performance. Such standards and qualifications may not be less than those prescribed by externally mandated legislation or other such regulations.

(c) Specifications are not restrictive and shall not be construed as declaring that duties or responsibilities shall not be changed or that an appointing authority may not temporarily assign other duties and responsibilities to or otherwise direct and control the work of employees under the appointing authority's supervision.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-5; Ord. No. NS-304.12, § 2, 12-8-58; Ord. No. NS-304-98, § 1, 5-24-77; Ord. No. NS-304.113, § 8, 8-30-88; Ord. No. NS-304.131, 11-13-07)

Applicants for employment shall be required to meet all standards prescribed in the class specification.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-6)

With the exception of the procedure set forth in the master salary ordinance for adding and deleting positions with the approval of the County Executive, whenever an appointing authority wishes to create a new position or reclassify an existing position, the appointing authority shall make a recommendation to the County Executive, on forms provided, furnishing a comprehensive statement of the duties of the proposed position. The County Executive shall refer all relevant information to the Director for investigation and recommendation. Upon approval of the County Executive and the Board of Supervisors of the creation of the class of position, the Director shall allocate the position accordingly.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-7; Ord. No. NS-304.6, § 2, 6-18-56; Ord. No. NS-304.113, § 9, 8-30-88; Ord. No. NS-304.121, § 1, 2-27-01)

(a) If an occupied position is reclassified, the incumbent shall be promoted, demoted or transferred to the new class in accordance with regular examination and certification procedures, except as indicated below.

(b) The Director may grant status without examination, directly upon reclassification.

(c) The Director may require a qualifying test prior to granting status under any of the above conditions.

(d) When a position is reallocated upward, a permanent incumbent may be appointed to the new class with the Director's approval by being eligible for and passing the appropriate examination without regard to the employee's place on the eligible list. This qualifying examination procedure may be used only when there is a clear showing that the duties of the position have gradually evolved without any purpose on the part of anyone to evade the merit principle provided that the incumbent has completed a period of service in the position and performed the higher level duties for a period of time equivalent to the probationary period of the classification. When a position is reclassified to a supervisory unit, the incumbent will be required to complete a period of service in the position and have performed the higher level duties for a period of time equivalent to one year. An incumbent in a reclassified alternately staffed position who is in a probationary status and has permanent status at the lower level shall be treated as a permanent incumbent for purposes of this section. This qualifying examination shall consist of an application appraisal and a promotional rating form or an oral examination except as determined otherwise by the Director of Employee Services Agency. Upon request, the Director of Employee Services Agency shall provide in writing the reasons for such determination.

(e) When a position is reallocated upward, an incumbent who has not served the requisite period of time according to (d) shall be laid off unless the appointing authority elects to appoint the incumbent according to Section A25-189.

(f) Should a permanent incumbent of a position that has been reallocated upward not qualify for that new class, the employee shall be laid off.

(g) When a position is reallocated downward, upon a continuing approval of the appointing authority, a permanent incumbent may remain in the position in the incumbent's former class by overfilling for a period not to exceed two years from the effective date of the reallocation. An official leave of absence shall not be counted toward the two-year limit. During the two years the employee's name shall be placed on the appropriate reemployment list for certification to other positions in accordance with the appropriate layoff provisions. If, at the expiration of the two-year period the incumbent still remains in the position, the employee shall either:

(1) Take a voluntary demotion to the new class, without loss of current salary; or

(2) Be laid off in accordance with the appropriate layoff provisions.

(h) Candidates for appointment to a position approved for reclassification study by the Director of Employee Services Agency shall be informed in writing of the current status of the study and the possible effect on the incumbent if offered the position.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-8, Ord. No. NS-304.6, § 2, 6-18-56; Ord. No. NS-304.24, § 1, 10-14-63; Ord. No. NS-304.35, § 3, 5-23-66; Ord. No. NS-304.43, § 1, 3-13-67; Ord. No. NS-304.60, § 2, 5-13-69; Ord. No. NS-304.107, § 1, 2-17-81; Ord. No. NS-304.110, § 1, 9-11-84; Ord. No. NS-304.113, § 10, 8-30-88; Ord. No. NS-304.134, § 6, 8-25-15)

Editor's note— Section 2 of Ord. No. NS-304.107, adopted Feb. 17, 1981, declared the provisions of the ordinance effective Jan. 19, 1981.

No employee shall be assigned responsibilities outside the employee's class.

(Code 1954, § 3.3.2-9; Ord. No. NS-304.113, § 11, 8-30-88; Ord. No. NS-304.124, § 6, 9-17-02)