During the development of civil service systems throughout the state, commissions have adopted rules for their operation. While rules are uniform in many respects, agencies and consultants (such as the Municipal Research and Services Center) frequently receive requests from commissions for assistance concerning the specifics of rules. To provide a ready reference to local Commissions and their personnel, the Association of Washington Cities Labor Relations Institute initially commissioned the preparation of a set of model civil service rules. Subsequent editions have been prepared by the author with the support of other Foster Garvey attorneys.
These model rules are not intended to be implemented in place of existing civil service rules without careful consideration of existing rules, procedures, and local conditions. However, the rules provide a comprehensive system for the administration of a local civil service system and may be adopted in total if desired. A better approach would be to use these rules as a guide for development of a system that is most appropriate to a city, county or other municipality. Though most systems throughout Washington are established for public safety personnel, the rules are intended to provide an administrative system covering employee classifications throughout a government structure.
The model rules are organized by chapter with each chapter followed by comments. Many comments incorporate references to legal authority. Local commissions always should consult with the city attorney, county prosecutor, or other legal advisor concerning current case law and statutory amendments.
Download the Fourth Edition of the Model Civil Service Rules.
