Civil Service Commission, City of Philadelphia

The role of the Civil Service Commission is to advise the Mayor and the Director of Human Resources on problems concerning personnel administration in City service and to uphold the interest of the City's merit-based civil service system, a role which is vital to the public interest. The principal responsibilities of the Commission are to serve as an appellate tribunal for employee appeals; to rule on proposed changes to the Civil Service Regulations and the Classification and Pay Plans; and to rule on requests for exemptions from civil service and waivers of the residency requirement. The bulk of the Commission's time is devoted to its appellate function. As a quasi-judicial body, the Commission conducts fact-finding public hearings on employee appeals and issues formal written decisions containing factual and legal conclusions. In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Civil Service Commission seeks to ensure that the civil service system will remain a viable force for the provision of public services into the distant future. The Civil Service Commission is also vested with the duty to appoint the Director of Human Resources.