CITY OF PORTLAND

HUMAN RESOURCES

ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

CLASSIFICATION &

COMPENSATION

CLASSIFICATION

Classified Service

The classified service of the City of Portland includes all positions in City service which are not specifically exempted by the City Charter. Positions exempted by the Charter are:

1.  All officers chosen by popular election or by appointment by the Council

2.  Members of all boards and commissions

3.  The City Attorney and Deputies of the City Attorney

4.  City Engineer

5.  Superintendent and Chief Engineer of the Bureau of Water Works

6.  Secretary of the Civil Service Board

7.  Auditor

8.  Chief Deputy City Auditor

9.  Secretary and administrative staff of each Council member

10.  Chief of Police

11.  All bureau directors hired after December 31, 2000

Classification Plan

The Classification Plan shall contain:

1.  a foundation for establishing and maintaining a Compensation Plan;

2.    all positions which are substantially similar with respect to the kind, difficulty and responsibility of duties are allocated to the same class; and,

3.  appropriate selection methods be used in filling all positions within the same class.

The Director of Human Resources, in consultation with bureau managers, shall be responsible for the administration, maintenance and periodic review of the classification plan to ensure that it reflects the duties performed by employees in the City service and the class to which each position is allocated.

The classification plan groups all positions in the classified service into classifications based upon their duties, authority and responsibilities. The classification plan consists of an index of positions arranged by broad categories or families, occupational groups within categories, and series within occupational groups.

Each classification shall have an official title which is descriptive, brief and consistent with other titles in the plan and which can be used in all official documentation. The use of unofficial job titles shall have no bearing upon the official classification of any position or employee.

The Director of Human Resources shall amend the classification plan as necessary including the addition of required new classes, combination and/ or revision of existing classes, and delete obsolete classes.

The Director of Human Resources shall analyze the duties and responsibilities to be assigned to incumbents of proposed new positions and using such appraisal as a basis, assign the position to the appropriate class within the classification plan.

Consideration shall be given to the specific duties and responsibilities, knowledge and skills and the relationship to other classes in the Classification Plan.

A new class specification or new specialty designation within an existing class specification shall be prepared to cover each additional position which is created and for which the classification plan does not provide a satisfactory description of the position.

Reallocations of positions under the provisions of this section shall be the responsibility of the Director of Human Resources.

The classification plan will be based on an analysis of job-related factors, and shall be utilized for decision making on compensation, selection, employee development, career advancement, upward mobility and other personnel program activities. In determining the class to which a position should be allocated, only the duties and responsibilities assigned to the position and actually performed shall be considered. The capabilities and performance of an incumbent shall not be a classification factor.

Classification Specification

Each classification shall be described in a written class specification which shall include:

1.  Class title, class code number and whether it is designated as a generalist or specialist classification;

2.  A definition of the job describing the level and type of work as well as the allocation factors to be considered in determining the appropriate classification;

3.  A description of typical examples of duties involved in the class;

4.  A description of the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position;

5.  Any special requirements, physical characteristics, licenses or certificates required to do the work;

6.  The date of adoption or revision by the Director of Human Resources;

7.  If the classification is designated a specialist classification, the specialty designations and their assigned system code.

Specifications are intended to indicate the kinds of positions allocated to the various classes as determined by their duties, responsibilities and minimum qualifications and should be interpreted as a whole and in relation to others in the classification plan. A class specification shall be liberally construed as a general description of the work characteristics of similar positions properly allocated to that class.

Class specifications are descriptive and not restrictive and do not prescribe each and every specific duty of any position, nor do they limit the authority of management in assigning work. Particular phrases or examples shall not be isolated and treated as a full definition of the class.

Manager Responsibility

Bureau managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring employees’ positions are properly classified. Except as permitted for overfill/underfill and Working out of Classification, employees will not be allowed to work in a classification other than that of their individual position classification. Exception: Permanent employees accepting a limited term position may work in a different classification.

Limited Term Classifications

See Administrative Rule on Types of Appointments.

Request for Reclassification

If the duties of an existing position change sufficiently so that the current classification is no longer appropriate, a request for a classification review shall be submitted to the Director of Human Resources or designee.

To request a classification review, a Classification Request Form must be submitted to the Bureau of Human Resources including all requested supporting documentation required for the Director, or designee, to make a decision regarding position allocation. See Classification/Compensation Process for Requesting Reclassification.

A request for a classification review may be made by appointing authorities, bureau directors, managers and supervisors, or by an incumbent in a position. A request for review of the same position or group of positions or classification series may be submitted only once in a twelve-month period. The Director of Human Resources may initiate a classification review at any time.

The Director, or designee shall act on a request for reclassification without unnecessary or undue delay and shall give notice to management and the affected employee(s) of the final classification disposition

Effective Date of Reclassification

The effective date of the reclassification action with respect to the employee’s tenure, seniority and status shall be the date the written request for reclassification and all required supporting documentation were filed with the Director of Human Resources unless another date is established by the Director.

Reclassification and Probationary Period

A reclassified employee shall serve a probationary period in accordance with the Administrative Rule on Probation unless;

1.  The Director of Human Resources certifies that the selection process upon which the appointment of the employee to the original class was made tested substantially the same knowledge, skills and abilities as the selection process which will be used for the new class; or

2.  The classification is the result of a gradual accretion of duties for at least a one-year period; or

3.  The reclassification is within the same occupational group as the former classification, as designated by the Bureau of Human Resources; or

4.  Reclassification is taking place under the guidelines of the deep classification series; or

5.  Unless otherwise expressly waived by the appointing authority with the approval of the Director of Human Resources.

Effect of Classification Actions Upon Incumbents

An employee occupying a position which has been reclassified may be granted status in the new classification under the following conditions:

1.  If the employee is eligible for appointment and is appointed under the applicable rules; or

2.  If the Director certifies that the selection process upon which the appointment of the employee to the original class was made tests substantially the same knowledge, skills and abilities as the selection process which will be used for the new class; or

3.  Incumbents in a class that is consolidated with another class shall be granted status in the consolidated class; or

4.  There is a growth or an increase in the level of duties of the position by gradual addition or inclusion of higher level duties and the reclassification is a result of such accretion of duties; or

5.  If the employee is moving to a higher classification within a deep classification series.

Salary and Reclassification of Incumbents

If a reclassification is to a classification which has a lower maximum salary, the incumbent may with the approval of the Director of Human Resources:

1.  Be transferred to a vacant position having the same classification as that in which the employee holds status; or

2.    Be granted status in the lower class without further examination and with no loss of pay provided that the incumbent’s current compensation is within the compensation range of the lower class; and

3.  Be placed on a recall list for the former class.

If the incumbent’s compensation is higher than the maximum allowed for the lower class, the incumbent’s salary shall be at the highest maximum rate for the lower class.

Employees in positions reclassified to a classification with a higher pay range shall be brought up to the minimum of the range if they are currently being paid below the minimum. If an employee is being paid within the reclassified range, his/her pay may be adjusted not to exceed the maximum of the new salary range.

Requests for Reconsideration

Any employee adversely affected by a change in classification, or whose request for reclassification was denied, and any appointing authority that disagrees with the classification determination, may file a request for reconsideration with the Director.

A request for reconsideration must be filed in writing within ten (10) working days of the date of the written notice of the classification action, and must specify the reasons for the request and the relief being sought.

The Director shall acknowledge the request for reconsideration within ten (10) working days of receipt of the request.

Appeal of Classification Actions

An employee, or an appointing authority, whose request for reconsideration is denied by the Director, may have that decision reviewed by the Civil Service Board. See Administrative Rule on Civil Service Board.

Notice

When proposing, amending, or abolishing a class specification, the Director of Human Resources shall provide the appointing authority and employees in the class with a notice of the proposed changes and a copy of the proposed specification upon request. Written comments by bureaus affected shall be submitted to the Director of Human Resources within twenty (20) working days. The Director of Human Resources will communicate the final decision within a reasonable amount of time.

Deep Classification Series

The Deep Classification Series (DCS) are a group of non-represented job classes that specifies two or more levels of work which are closely related in duties and where the difference involve time in grade, complexity, degree of responsibility and similar factors. A deep class series typically includes trainees, sub-journey, journey and advanced journey level classes. Deep class series will not include supervisory classes.

As DCS are established, all Bureaus will be notified in writing and the affected class specifications will contain a statement that they are part of a deep class series.

For an employee to be promoted through a DCS, the employee's bureau submits a Personnel Action Notice (PAN) to the Bureau of Human Resources promoting the employee along with a statement detailing the employee's capabilities of substantially performing the full range of duties of the higher job class.

Only employees in non-represented classifications are eligible for Deep Classification promotions.

Authorization for Classification Actions

Classification actions must have the specific approval of City Council under the following circumstances:

1.  When a new position or group of positions is requested resulting in an increase in the number of budgeted positions in the unit; or

2.  When the classification action results in the creation of a new classification or a change in the compensation of the classification; or

3.  Where the reallocation of a position or positions from one classification to another involves a programmatic change in the work function of the bureau or work unit; or

4.  When the fiscal impact of the action requires the additional appropriation of funds.

The Director of Human Resources may approve all other classification actions without Council approval.

Administrative Rule

History

Adopted by Council March 6, 2002

Effective April 5, 2002