11/17/2003 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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J a Testing shall consist of two (2) components. The first is a written examination and the second component being the writing of an essay by the applicant. The weighting score of both test components will be the determining factor that establishes the final score. The weighted factors to be used are as follows: 80% for the written portion of the examination and 20% for the essay portion of the examination. The formula to be used is as follows: Written (score X 4) + essay score. Essay scores are given a number (1 to 10) points (10 being the best). Add a zero to the essay score. Example: If a score of 4 is achieved then add a zero (40), then divide by 5 weighted score. The motion was seconded by M. Ubaldi and unanimously approved. Mrs. Giesser asked if they should set a passing score. Mr. Thomay reviewed the material from the last planned test. Mrs. Giesser said it was 70% for the test they did not give in 2002. She said it has worked well with the fire department exams and gives them a good number of candidates qualifying. J. Thomay made a motion to establish a 70% combined score as passing for the building inspector exam. The motion was seconded by M. Ubaldi and unanimously approved. There was discussion about having a special meeting to set the dates and approve the other elements of administering the test. Mrs. Kilbane asked if the commission would still have the deadline of January 13, 2004 to give the test. Mr. Thomay said they would not now since the provisional hire is no longer in place. Mr. O'Malley said it could happen the same way with another hire and they should move forward. Mr. Thomay said they will definitely need a special meeting if there is another provisional hire. Mrs. Giesser said even if it will be provisional, if Mr. Conway feels there is a need to fill the position it would be nice to have a list for him so that he did not have to hire someone who may have to leave because the list supercedes him. Mr. Thomay commented that the building department is down a couple of people so this list would be very useful to them. Mrs. Giesser said she is in favor of having a special meeting to set the date once they have all the necessary information regarding Mrs. Ramsey's schedule, especially with the holidays approaching. ❖ Motion is needed to appoint the administrator for the Building Inspector examination and to have the Civil Service Secretaries be monitors. OPAC Renewal Mr. Thomay mentioned information included in their packets regarding a renewal of the license for OPAC testing software. It was not listed on the agenda but he would like to discuss it. He said they have 90 days to enter into an agreement for next year for the current software. He asked if the city is getting much use out of the software. Mrs. Kilbane said she does not believe it has been used much. She is aware of the personnel department using the program at least once. She will have to check into how often it is used. Mr. Thomay reviewed what the program is all about. He said we contacted a company in California that provided the program to do testing. It is mainly a secretarial test. He mentioned that previous secretarial lists have not been much good because women on the list find jobs elsewhere. He said he has heard that some department heads have used the program. He said one of the reasons they have not generated a new list is the hiring freeze in affect. Mr. Ubaldi asked how many licenses the city has. Mr. Thomay replied they have 15. He mentioned using the computers at the high school in the past and the computers at the senior center. Mr. Ubaldi asked if the 15 licenses are used for department drills. Mr. Thomay said they are used for generating lists after receiving numerous applications for a job. The cost was not extraordinary. He suggested they table the discussion until the next meeting. Mr. Ubaldi said it would be helpful to have an accounting of how many times the program is used and in what volume. He said it would also be good to know how long the testing takes. Mr. Thomay said department heads can tailor the program to what their needs are. There was further discussion about the value of having the testing software and the possibility of having fewer licenses, thereby saving money. Mrs. Giesser pointed out they need to take action before December 11 and if they have a special meeting, they will have to address the OPAC issue unless an extension is granted on the 90 days.