Dayton Civil Service Board Annual Report Presentation to City Commission - June 18, 2026
Dayton Civil Service Board Annual Report Presentation to City Commission - June 18, 2026
The Civil Service Board presented its 2025 annual report to the Dayton City Commission on June 18, 2026. The presentation covered recruitment and hiring statistics, budget details, and future initiatives. Commissioners asked about no-show rates, qualifications trends, temporary employee retention, and reinstatement rules. No formal votes were taken.
Discussion Items
- Presentation of 2025 Annual Report: Deputy Employment Manager David Lawrence and Secretary Chief Examiner Ken (Senior Commissioner) presented the report. Key statistics included:
- 189 recruitments (70 competitive, 28 Dayton Public Schools, 87 non-competitive, 4 unclassified)
- 5,400 applications received; 3,900 certified as meeting minimum qualifications
- 2,500 applicants placed on eligible lists; from competitive positions, 2,000 were eligible to test but only 811 passed (a 70% drop-off)
- No-show rates: City of Dayton ~36%, Dayton Public Schools ~37%; even higher for safety forces (50-60%)
- 1,600 background investigations completed; 323 medical exams and drug screens
- Appointments: 194 promotions, 198 full-time hires, 53 part-time hires; attrition was 241 (includes retirements, terminations, resignations)
- Budget: 70-75% personnel; ~$500,000 for contracts and materials; a capital equipment request for office furniture was noted
- Future Initiatives: Plans to integrate with the city's new ERP system to streamline administrative functions, adopt a competency-based hiring and performance model, and increase community recruitment events (e.g., high schools, colleges, job fairs).
- Discussion on No-Show Rates: Commissioner Beckham asked about trends in applicants not meeting minimum qualifications and high no-show rates. Staff noted that failures were typically due to lacking required degrees or experience, and that no-show rates may be influenced by applicants using the system for unemployment requirements. Open testing (anytime during the week) was implemented but hasn't significantly reduced no-shows. Staff are considering surveys to collect data on why applicants don't attend.
- Temporary Employees: Commissioner Beershow (likely Shaw) asked about the role of temporary employees and retention rates. Staff noted that temp-to-permanent transitions are common in public works helpers and seasonal roles, but specific retention data was not immediately available.
- Reinstatement Rules: The Mayor raised a concern about reinstatement of employees who resign under a charter violation, noting that staff face unrealistic expectations from returning employees. The board is considering rule changes, including possibly eliminating or shortening the one-year reinstatement window.
Key Outcomes
- No formal decisions or votes were taken during the meeting.
- Commissioners expressed appreciation for the detailed report and acknowledged the need for better data on no-show causes and retention.
- The capital equipment request for office furniture was noted; the board will seek funding through the city's capital expense process.
- Staff will continue to refine recruitment strategies, including potential surveys and leveraging the ERP system for efficiency.
- The board expects to present proposed rule changes (including reinstatement modifications) to the commission in the future.
Meeting Transcript
All right, with the non-existent and completely theoretical power I hold as a senior commissioner, I'm gonna get this thing out of the way because the mayor's gonna be a couple minutes late. So uh do we turn it over to you or is this our hearing? I think this is ours. So uh turn it over to you to get things started. Arm candy tonight. We appreciate them being alongs. But but first of all, we we start off with the uh the mission statement up there, so uh we can get through that slide quickly. But uh before we get uh going, I want to introduce our esteemed board. I know most of you already know, but uh start with Mr. Daryl Smith and then Mrs. Lenita Brandon and our esteemed chairman, uh Mr. Tom Richie Sr. And I'm also also along with me is uh our deputy employment manager David Lawrence, and he'll be doing most of it, so that'll relieve a few of you of uh of how long the presentation will be. Around here, it's it's you may not know this, but it's mandatory to refer to Mr. Lawrence as our David Lawrence. Yeah, that's it. That's exactly if you know that or not, but you get that ODL. That's right. It's our David Lawrence. That's how that's how we put it too. So but uh if we could uh switch the slide, uh I'm just gonna go over a little bit of the history of it. As um, I know a previous city manager, um, you know, for this Dix team, it always alluded at one point in time that we had a hundred years of city manager form of government. Well, in their infinite wisdom, I like to point out too that uh right out at that same time the electric uh established the civil service board in 1914. And so we've had a hundred years of uh uh the Secretary Chief Examiner and the Civil Service Board, and then uh they've been appointed for six years. I would sorry, I apologize again, but I have a gal I'm gonna use it. I'm gonna interrupt you just for a moment to mention the reason why we went to that system to get rid of corruption, to get to take away the the things that were happening on city council people at that time. They were hiring their friends and cousins and sending contracts to uh companies they had interests in, and they we they brought in the reforms to stop that. So you all are a welcome part of that. And we certainly appreciate that uh add on there, the commissioner. Yes, it's very uh important as to why this was established. Uh and and it's subject to your approval. You're appointed, uh these this board is appointed by you, and they hire myself, the secretary chief examiner, and I'm very appreciative of that fact that they've allowed me to hang around this long. Um, and so uh then we also bring forth any rules and regulations uh to the uh to the board and to the commission. And I highlighted it says which shall have the force and effective law, just like ORC or anything. So I wanted to make that was very important as we set and establish our rules and regulations. Okay, uh next. And then uh again, just some history of it. The rules and regulation outlines the responsibilities and it kind of tells us why we're here also uh this evening. Uh rule one says that we're uh submit an annual report, and we do that. And I can't uh thank Mr. Lawrence, our Mr. Lawrence enough in the staff uh for compiling these over the last number of years. And we've also submitted to the state uh uh personnel board that we required you to enumerates all our activities and Mr. Our David Lawrence will uh go over those. And then also it kind of outlines here too is why the Dayton Public School System is under our jurisdiction also, um, and that we collaborate with them and in the employment and hirement of of their employees also. I could have the next one. Uh and then with that, I will uh mine was going to be brief. I'll turn it over to our David, Mr. David Lawrence. All right.
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