Torrance Municipal Code Art. 2 Position and Classification Plan

(Amended by O-2908; O-3486)

a) Position shall mean any office or employment in the classified service.

b) Classification of Positions: All positions in the classified service of the City shall be grouped into classes, and each class shall include those positions sufficiently similar in respect to their duties and responsibilities so that similar requirement as to training, experience, knowledge, skill and the same rates of compensation are applicable thereto.

c) Class Specifications: Class specifications, which state the main characteristics of the class, give examples of typical duties performed in positions of the class, and establish the minimum qualifications required for successful performance in such positions, shall be prepared and maintained for all classes. The class specifications shall be descriptive and explanatory but not preclude the assignment of other duties by the department heads concerned. The class specification shall be considered in its entirety and in relation to other class specifications in determining the class to which a position should be allocated.

d) Series shall mean the inclusion of one (1) or more related classes of positions under one (1) common designation.

The Personnel Director, under the direction of the City Manager, shall be responsible for the maintenance of the classification plan. The Personnel Director’s responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to, making studies of new or changed positions, the determination of the proper class allocations, the maintenance of current class specifications, class lists and allocation records, and making recommendations on changes, additions and deletions in this Article.

(Amended by O-3486)

The Personnel Director, under the direction of the City Manager, shall make recommendations concerning class specifications and position allocations to the Civil Service Commission. The Commission shall submit its action on such recommendation to the City Council. The City Council shall make the final decision.

a) Any employee shall have the right to the consideration of any request he may have with respect to a change in the classification of his position. He shall submit his request in writing to his department head, who shall make recommendations and comments as to what action should be taken. The request, with departmental recommendations, shall be submitted to the Personnel Director for review with a copy of such recommendation returned to the employee.

b) A department head or a representative of a recognized employee organization may initiate a request for a study of an individual position or positions by submitting such request to the Personnel Director for review and recommendation.

c) When new positions are created, when the duties and responsibilities of the existing positions change, or when the classification plan is amended, the Civil Service Commission shall allocate or re-allocate the affected positions in the same manner as the original allocations are made. When the classification or allocation of a position is changed in accordance with this rule and the new status of the position is approximately equal to its former status, the Civil Service Commission may approve the transfer of the incumbent of the position in its former status to the position in its new status. When the new status of such a position is higher than the former status, the Civil Service Commission may approve the promotion of the incumbent of the position in its former status to the position in its new status if the employee passes successfully a promotional examination of the same degree of difficulty as an open competitive examination for the same class.

Compensation schedules for all employees of the City shall be established and altered by resolution of the City Council.