The Limitations of Civil Service

Abstract

A TREATMENT of the subject Limitations of Civil Service il should not convey the impression that a civil service jurisdiction is devoid of merit. As is common in many branches of governmental agencies, there is no perfect method of handling the many functions incumbent with serving the public. Civil service is no exception. It is certainly recognized that there are outstanding advantages to the merit system when conscientiously and properly managed and applied. The topic to be discussed herein has been limited to facts which demonstrate that the present day civil service provisions, under governmental ownership, do have definite limitations which tend to impose hardships on operating functions of a municipal government. Comments will be aimed primarily at the effect of such limitations on an operating utility which serves water to a city of 1,500,000 population. No doubt many of the points presented herein will be common to most of the larger municipal jurisdictions in our country, as it is apparent that the charter provisions, creating civil service departments in so many American cities, have been made after the same pattern. Ordinarily, institutions such as water supply utilities have two principal objectives, i.e., the construction of works and the operation and maintenance of works. The subject will be treated with these two phases of the industry in mind, taken up in the order stated, followed by a summary of the limitations which affect a jurisdiction generally showing the effect of administration of civil service by political regimes imbued with the spirit of the spoils system.