OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Napa Civil Service Commission Regular Meeting – July 20, 2026

City CouncilMonday, July 20, 2026
BodyNapa, California
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, July 20, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 13:07
Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Well, uh hello everybody.

0:04

Uh um I'm going to call the uh uh call to order the regular civil service commission meeting for July 20th.

0:12

And uh Caitlin, would you please take roll?

0:16

Commissioner Mason here, Vice Chair Fitzgerald.

0:19

Here.

0:20

Chair Halliday?

0:21

Here.

0:21

Commissioner Scott Holliday is absent.

0:24

All other commissioners are present.

0:26

Thank you.

0:27

Thank you.

0:27

Um we'll move on to agenda review and supplemental reports.

0:32

Um changes to the agenda or supplemental reports?

0:36

No changes.

0:38

All right.

0:39

Moving on to public comment, uh the public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the commission on items of interest within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission.

0:50

If your comments pertain to a specific item on the agenda, please reserve your comments until that item is before the commission.

0:57

Are there any public comments from the audience?

1:03

Seeing none, uh uh, since we have no uh comments from the public, we'll now conclude the general public comment portion of this agenda and move on to the consent agenda.

1:14

Item four consent calendar, these routine items can be approved with one motion and vote.

1:19

If a commissioner wishes to discuss an item, they can request that the item be removed from the consent calendar.

1:25

And after the remaining items are approved, items which are removed are considered separately.

1:31

Is there a motion to approve the consent calendar?

1:34

Make that motion.

1:35

I second that.

1:36

All those in favor say aye.

1:38

Aye.

1:38

Opposed, and the motion passes.

1:42

Moving on to administrative reports.

1:45

Um we will now hear a report from staff on item 5a.

1:53

Thank you, Chair.

1:55

So to provide a little update on the Civil Service Commission classified employee election item to remind all the commission itself is consists of five members who each serve a term of three years, two of which are appointed by council, two of which are appointed by classified employees, and the fifth, which is appointed by the other four commissioners.

2:17

Commissioner Aguilera's term expired on June 30th.

2:20

So a classified employee election was put forth by the city clerk and city clerk's office.

2:29

And so that was underway, and on June 25th, on the first day of election, several concerns were raised, including the voting time frame for employees who work shifts outside of the normal eight to five.

2:42

In response to these concerns, the City Clerk's office posted a notice of cancellation for the election and has been rescheduled to a later date.

2:52

I wanted to provide um members of the public and the commission just an update on this rescheduled election, which will be held during August 3rd through August 7th.

3:03

That will include at least three different voting locations, including City Hall and the courtyard, as well as extended hours for the inclus inclusion of members at work or employee classified employees that work outside the typical 8 to 5.

3:21

Then on August 10th, Monday, August 10th, votes will be counted, and following that we intend to come back with the August 17th sort of results and swearing in of that employee-elected commissioner.

3:39

So the next regularly scheduled meeting.

3:41

And so the recommendation before you is just to receive the update regarding the classified employee election for the one classified employee elected vacancy.

3:52

All right.

3:52

Thank you, NJ.

3:54

Um public comments on items 5A being none.

4:00

Uh any comments or questions from commissioners.

4:10

Uh make that motion.

4:11

Aye second.

4:12

All those in favor say aye.

4:14

Aye.

4:14

Aye.

4:15

Opposed.

4:16

And that motion passes.

4:19

Uh now we'll move on to item 5B, uh, election of officers and hear a part from staff on item 5B.

4:27

Thank you, Chair.

4:28

This is regarding the Chair and Vice Chair for the term of July 26th to July of 2027.

4:36

As a reminder, um, on July 21st, 2025, the Commission had continued the agenda item to August 18th, 2025, where all uh commissioners were there.

4:48

And then on August 18th, that same meeting, the commission elected Chair Halliday and Vice Chair Fitzgerald to serve in their respective terms or um roles.

5:00

They have been serving in those roles since that election was held in 2025.

5:04

So the recommendation now is that the Civil Service Commission elect the chair and vice chair for the commission following uh today's commission meeting through the first meeting of the July 2027 date per Civil Service Rule 11A2.

5:23

So I kind of hand it back off back to the commission to to discuss.

5:28

Perfect, perfect.

5:29

Um any public comments on uh from the uh from the audience on 5B.

5:35

And seeing none, since we don't have anybody in the audience tonight, uh are there any comments or questions from commissioners?

5:43

Yeah, so I mean as MJ just noted last year we didn't have the full body of the commission in July, so we continued it to August.

5:54

Um Eddie, would you mind refreshing us on what the process would be to uh continue and if there's any restriction on our ability to continue?

6:08

Yeah, yeah.

6:09

Uh thanks for the question.

6:11

There really uh isn't a restriction on your ability to simply vote to continue the item to the next meeting.

6:17

And if that's the desire of the commission, you can simply um somebody make that motion, second it and and vote accordingly.

6:32

That's I mean I guess I guess my one um reservation about continuing the item.

6:39

I feel like we're gonna be bringing in someone new, you know, next month and um just kind of creates a continuous process of delaying um the process.

6:54

But yeah, but I'm I'm up for the continuance if everyone else wants to.

7:02

What do you think?

7:03

Well, I think it's consistent with what we did a year ago.

7:07

Uh we're we're light in attendance tonight.

7:10

Uh we joke about this, and it's not really funny, but we joke about nominating uh Scott Holliday since he's not here and can't reject the nomination and electing him in his absence.

7:20

I think you tried to do that to me last year.

7:24

Um so uh I think I think we operate better as a commission when we have the full commission here.

7:32

Um I'm always interested in moving things forward uh more efficiently and and getting business done.

7:39

So I mean that's kind of our standard operation.

7:43

I'm I'm kind of switzerland.

7:45

We could move it forward, but I think uh there's some consistency to our practice in continuing it.

7:53

And there's not uh I know that some boards and commissions, and I don't think this is one of them have like a stated preference for elevating a vice chair to a chair.

8:04

There's not we don't have any kind of rotation that's embedded in the rules or anything like that, like some bodies do.

8:12

It's just been a practice, but not always followed.

8:15

Susanna didn't want to be chair, so Eddie, uh uh I'm gonna move forward with a uh motion to continue, but I want before I do that, I want to ask if you have any other thoughts to offer us as our counsel.

8:38

Legally it's up to you.

8:40

Uh you could continue it or not continue it.

8:43

So you know that's my legal answer.

8:46

Um it's really up to you if you uh would like to if somebody wants to make that motion to continue it and it's seconded and the majority votes to continue it, uh the item will just be brought back next time.

9:00

But uh it's it's really up to you whether you want to do it today or continue it to next time.

9:07

Thanks, Eddie.

9:08

And um just before I move forward with that, any recommendation from staff.

9:15

I'm I'm definitely not an attorney, so I would say that with the commission being here, the three of you um we are we're supportive of any action that the commission uh is willing to take.

9:28

So either um a decision today or um to continue it.

9:34

We're we're we're happy with either approach.

9:36

All right.

9:37

I appreciate that, MJ.

9:38

And I I do want to note for the for the audience that your your uh name tag has some white out on it.

9:44

Uh and we'll make a comment about that uh later at uh uh public at our comment section.

9:50

So I'm gonna make a motion that we continue this item to the August meeting.

9:55

I'll second that.

9:57

All those in favor, all those in favor?

9:59

Aye.

10:00

Aye.

10:00

Oh wait.

10:01

I made the motion.

10:03

Yeah, okay.

10:04

Uh all those in favor, I uh I think we're good.

10:08

All right.

10:09

Um that motion passes, and we'll move on to item six comments by the commissioners and staff.

10:17

Comments from commissioners.

10:21

I can jump out ahead of you and yeah, I was gonna say we'll let you go first.

10:26

I think we all are thinking the same thing.

10:28

Right.

10:29

Congratulations are in order.

10:30

Yeah.

10:31

Yeah.

10:32

But did you have prepared remarks?

10:34

Uh no, you th that's what I was gonna say.

10:37

Congratulations are in order.

10:39

No, I I just uh it's uh it's a it's a tricky thing for an internal candidate to elevate in a situation like this, and um, you know, having worked with you for now several years, I'm uh delighted uh uh and happy to be part of a commission that uh changes leadership and is guided by your leadership.

10:58

So congratulations and uh running the gauntlet is a tricky thing under the best of circumstances, and uh thanks for doing that.

11:08

Thank you very much.

11:10

Um I appreciate the opportunity and and we'll uh remain to continue building on the strong foundation that former director Ruiz established and looking forward to um to the future.

11:23

So thank you.

11:25

Congratulations.

11:28

All right.

11:29

Uh I think with that, um we're oh do we have any other comments from staff?

11:35

Those were commissioner comments.

11:37

Any other comments from staff?

11:39

No other comments.

11:41

Okay, and then uh item six C, Caitlin.

11:44

Can you please provide an update on the recruitment status report?

11:48

Yes.

11:49

So this week we're gonna be holding phone interviews for our building inspector recruitment and also our deputy public works director.

12:00

And then we'll be holding in-person interviews for both of these recruitments next week.

12:06

And then also this week we're doing in-person interviews for payroll specialists in our finance department, and then we continue to accept applications for all of our continuous recruitments.

12:18

Thank you.

12:20

Thank you, Caitlin.

12:21

Uh and item six D, MJ.

12:23

Can you please provide an update on the expiration list report?

12:27

Yes.

12:27

So the recommendation here is to receive the eligibility lists expiration report.

12:33

And before you today, we have three classifications with lists that led to four hires, two of which were custodians and two juniorslash assistant engineers, and the police officer lateral.

12:47

Um while we have one eligible, we'll continue that continuous recruitment with the police department.

12:53

Great.

12:53

Thank you.

12:54

Thank you, MJ.

12:55

Um, we're moving on to item seven adjournment.

12:57

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Civil Service Commission is scheduled for August 17th, and our meeting is adjourned.

13:05

Thank you.

13:06

Yay.

13:06

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████65%
Personnel Matters████████████████████████35%
Summary of Proceedings

Napa Civil Service Commission Regular Meeting – July 20, 2026

The Civil Service Commission met on July 20, 2026, with three commissioners present: Chair Halliday, Vice Chair Fitzgerald, and Commissioner Mason. Commissioner Scott Holliday was absent. The meeting covered updates on the classified employee election, discussion on electing officers, and staff reports.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 4 (Consent Calendar) was approved unanimously via voice vote. No items were removed for discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered during the general public comment period or for any agenda item.

Discussion Items

  • Classified Employee Election Update (Item 5A): Staff reported that a classified employee election to fill Commissioner Aguilera's expired term was postponed due to concerns about voting time frames for employees working non-standard shifts. The election has been rescheduled for August 3–7, 2026, with three voting locations and extended hours. Vote counting will occur on August 10, with results and swearing-in expected at the August 17 meeting. The commission received the update unanimously.
  • Election of Officers (Item 5B): The commission considered electing a Chair and Vice Chair for the term July 2026 to July 2027. Due to the absence of Commissioner Scott Holliday, and consistent with prior practice, the commission voted to continue this item to the August 17 meeting. The motion carried with three votes in favor. Discussion noted that waiting for the full commission was preferable and that no rule required a specific rotation.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent calendar approved.
  • Update on classified employee election received and noted.
  • Election of officers continued to the August 17, 2026 meeting.
  • Staff provided recruitment updates: phone interviews for building inspector and deputy public works director, in-person interviews for payroll specialists, and continuing recruitment for continuous positions.
  • The eligibility lists expiration report was received, noting four hires from three classifications.

The meeting adjourned, with the next regular meeting scheduled for August 17, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Well, uh hello everybody. Uh um I'm going to call the uh uh call to order the regular civil service commission meeting for July 20th. And uh Caitlin, would you please take roll? Commissioner Mason here, Vice Chair Fitzgerald. Here. Chair Halliday? Here. Commissioner Scott Holliday is absent. All other commissioners are present. Thank you. Thank you. Um we'll move on to agenda review and supplemental reports. Um changes to the agenda or supplemental reports? No changes. All right. Moving on to public comment, uh the public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the commission on items of interest within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission. If your comments pertain to a specific item on the agenda, please reserve your comments until that item is before the commission. Are there any public comments from the audience? Seeing none, uh uh, since we have no uh comments from the public, we'll now conclude the general public comment portion of this agenda and move on to the consent agenda. Item four consent calendar, these routine items can be approved with one motion and vote. If a commissioner wishes to discuss an item, they can request that the item be removed from the consent calendar. And after the remaining items are approved, items which are removed are considered separately. Is there a motion to approve the consent calendar? Make that motion. I second that. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, and the motion passes. Moving on to administrative reports. Um we will now hear a report from staff on item 5a. Thank you, Chair. So to provide a little update on the Civil Service Commission classified employee election item to remind all the commission itself is consists of five members who each serve a term of three years, two of which are appointed by council, two of which are appointed by classified employees, and the fifth, which is appointed by the other four commissioners. Commissioner Aguilera's term expired on June 30th. So a classified employee election was put forth by the city clerk and city clerk's office. And so that was underway, and on June 25th, on the first day of election, several concerns were raised, including the voting time frame for employees who work shifts outside of the normal eight to five. In response to these concerns, the City Clerk's office posted a notice of cancellation for the election and has been rescheduled to a later date. I wanted to provide um members of the public and the commission just an update on this rescheduled election, which will be held during August 3rd through August 7th. That will include at least three different voting locations, including City Hall and the courtyard, as well as extended hours for the inclus inclusion of members at work or employee classified employees that work outside the typical 8 to 5. Then on August 10th, Monday, August 10th, votes will be counted, and following that we intend to come back with the August 17th sort of results and swearing in of that employee-elected commissioner. So the next regularly scheduled meeting. And so the recommendation before you is just to receive the update regarding the classified employee election for the one classified employee elected vacancy. All right. Thank you, NJ. Um public comments on items 5A being none. Uh any comments or questions from commissioners. Uh make that motion. Aye second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye.

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