Staff Report
City Council
Item No. {{section.number}}.D
Meeting Date: June 25, 2025
From: Eugenia Torres, Human Resources Manager
Title: Amendment to the Personnel Rules
RECOMMENDATION:
To adopt the amended Personnel Rules as presented and authorize the City Manager to implement the updated Personnel Rules and make minor administrative adjustments as needed.
BACKGROUND:
Cathedral City Municipal Code Chapter 2.40 establishes an equitable and uniform system for personnel matters and ensures compliance with applicable laws. The City Manager is responsible for administering the city personnel system, including preparing and recommending personnel rules and amendments to the City Council as necessary (Municipal Code Chapter 2.40.030).
Key historical points:
•July 1, 1987: Initial Personnel Rules established
•September 2022: Personnel Rules updated to create a unified document clarifying procedures and providing guidance for personnel administration. •October 2024: Personnel Rules updated to create a unified document clarifying procedures and providing guidance for personnel administration. •Present: Ongoing review and improvement of Personnel Rules DISCUSSION:
The 2025 amendments to Cathedral City’s Personnel Rules reflect the city’s ongoing commitment to maintaining an effective, legally compliant, and modern personnel management system. The amendments build upon substantial progress made during the 2024 revision, which was a milestone in unifying and clarifying personnel policies. However, as personnel management practices evolve and new legal standards emerge, periodic updates are necessary to ensure the city’s policies remain relevant and effective.
To develop these amendments, city staff has collected feedback on the current Personnel Rules, consulted with legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws, reviewed best practices from comparable municipalities, and drafted proposed amendments for review and discussion. Required meet and confer obligations on the amendments have been met.
The following are the key amendments in the 2025 update:
Key changes include:
1. Section 106.8 – Limited Term – Updated language to comply with CalPERS regulations.
2. Section 402.5 – Eligibility Lists – Extension for eligibility lists. The policy now allows the city manager to extend the eligibility list for an additional six months, creating a potential 18-month eligibility list (original 6 months + 6- month HR extension + 6-month City Manager extension).
3. Section 402.6.3 – Industrial Appointments (New)
4. Section 402.6.4 – Long-Term Illness Appointments (New) Updates per POA negotiations:
5. Section 810.5 – Bereavement Leave – Updated to reflect POA per negotiations
6. Section 1221 – Catastrophic (CAT) Leave Program – Updated to reflect POA per negotiations
Additionally, staff have incorporated the following Administrative Policies into the Personnel Rules for better organization and accessibility:
Note: The bargaining units have already approved these HR-AP policies; staff are simply including them in the Personnel Rules for better organization and accessibility.
7. Section 302.2.1 - Reclassification Policy and Procedures (HR-AP-22)
8. Section 402.7 - Promotions (HR-AP-23)
9. Section 402.8 - Series Advancement (HR-AP-24)
10. Section 1002.3.1 - Workers' Compensation Follow-up Appointment Responsibilities (HR-AP-21)
11. Section 1222 - Ethics and Gift Policy (HR-AP-25)
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal A – Serve the Community with Pride and Dedication
ATTACHMENTS:
1.Personnel Rules