SEC. 10.102. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
§ 10.102
The Department of Human Resources is established as the City's personnel department, headed by a Director, with authority to recruit, appoint, promote, evaluate, and manage employees based on merit; it also oversees health and safety compliance, worker's compensation, disability leave, and labor relations, while the Mayor is prohibited from interfering with its merit-system decisions except through proper channels.
The City has a Department of Human Resources that handles hiring, promotions, pay, training, and discipline for City employees based on merit and fitness. It also manages workplace health and safety rules, workers' compensation claims, and disability leave. The department works with department heads to follow state and federal safety requirements. The Mayor cannot tell the department how to make hiring or promotion decisions—that would be misconduct—but can ask questions or hold hearings when allowed by the City Charter.
- Complex:The section combines multiple distinct departmental responsibilities (merit system, health/safety, workers' compensation, labor relations) with cross-references to other Charter sections, making it dense and requiring understanding of related governance structures.
- Controversial:The prohibition on mayoral interference in the merit system reflects longstanding debate about executive power versus independent personnel management in local government.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
The Department of Human Resources shall consist of a Human Resources Director and such employees as may be necessary to carry out its functions and duties.
Pursuant to and in accordance with policies, rules and procedures of the Civil Services Commission governing the merit system, the Department of Human Resources shall be the personnel department for the City and County and shall determine appointments on the basis of merit and fitness as shown by appropriate test and, except as specifically set forth in this Charter, shall perform all tests, duties and functions previously performed by the Civil Service Commission, including but not limited to authority to recruit, select, certify, appoint, train, evaluate, promote career development, classify positions, administer salaries, administer employee discipline, discharge and other related personnel activities in order to maintain an effective and responsive work force.
The Department of Human Resources shall be responsible for coordination of all state, local and federal health and safety mandates, programs and requirements relating to employees including but not limited to industrial hygiene programs, health and safety programs, OSHA compliance and return to work programs. Department heads shall coordinate such activities of employees under their jurisdiction with the Human Resources Director.
The Department of Human Resources shall be responsible for policy, management and administration of the worker's compensation program and shall review and determine all applications for disability leave.
Subject to Section 11.100 hereof, the Department of Human Resources shall be responsible for management and administration of all labor relations of the City and County.
Except for the purpose of inquiry, the Mayor shall deal with the administration of the civil service merit system solely through the Human Resources Director and the Civil Service Commission or their designees. The Mayor shall not dictate, suggest or interfere with the merit system activities of the Civil Service Commission or Human Resources Department. Administrative matters shall be dealt with only in the manner provided by this Charter, and any dictation, suggestion or interference herein prohibited shall constitute official misconduct; provided that nothing herein contained shall restrict the power of hearing and inquiry as provided in this Charter.
(Amended November 2004)