Civil Service Board Meeting

Civil Service Board Meeting — April 14, 2026 - 10:17 AM

[Applause] Welcome to the civil service board meeting. Today is APRIL 14th, 2026. We will begin with the pledge of allegiance as always. Pledge allegiance to the flag the united states of america. One nation under GOD, indivisible with liberty and justice for. We'll begin. >> with the. >> adoption of the agenda. Motion. Motion by board member jimenez. Second second by board member lanier. All in favor? Aye. Approving of the minutes. Motion. Second. Motion by board member lanier. Second by board member jimenez. All in favor? Aye. Personnel matters. B one copy of a memorandum from chief manuel morales, director, department of police requesting an extension of probationary period of jahil guzman, police sergeant for the three additional. >> months beyond. APRIL 1st, 2026. Good morning. >> good morning. All right. Good morning. Good morning. >> kiana sanders bell police department. Okay welcome. So thank is the employee here. Sergeant guzman cannot be here today. She has previous appointments so she's not able to make it this. >> morning she was notified and she did let us know that she would not be able to make it. Okay. >> does she have any objection or she's. >> in agreement with the extension? She's in agreement she. >> did not have any objection. Okay. >> all right. >> um, motion. Motion by board member lanier. Second second. Oh was it motion by you? Yes. Second by motion by board member jimenez second by board member lanier. All in favor? Ib2 copy of a memorandum from chief manuel morales, director, department of police requesting an extension of probationary period of jimmy l rodriguez, police sergeant. >> for 12 additional months beyond APRIL 1st, 2026. Yes. So sergeant rodriguez is currently. Deployed on active duty military leave for a period of one year. So this is why we're requesting a one year extension. >> for his probation. Wonderful. >> entertain a motion. Motion. >> motion by board member lanier. Second. Second by board member jimenez. All in favor? Aye. B three copy of a memorandum from chief manuel morales, director, department of police requesting an extension of probationary period of mike mckee more 911 operator for three additional months beyond APRIL 7th, 2026. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. State your name and. >> makayla moore. Makayla moore and your position. 911 operator one operator do you understand .The extension being requested ?Yes. >> are you okay with it? Yes. Any questions? No. Okay. >> city. >> good. >> yes. >> entertain a motion. Motion. Motion by board member jimenez. second. Second by. >> board. >> member lanier. All in favor? Aye. Good luck out there. Thank you. Before. Copy of a memorandum from chief manuel a.Morales, director department of police requesting an extension of probationary period of range 911 operator for three additional months beyond. APRIL 7th, 2026. Good morning. Good morning. Please state your name and position. Gurleen liang 911 operator. Wonderful. Do you understand the request? Yes. Are you in agreement? Yes. Any questions? No. >> city entertain a motion. Motion. Motion by board member jimenez. Second. Second by board member lanier. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Have a good day. B5 copy of memorandum from chief manuel a morales director, department of police requesting an extension of probationary period of the juana walden 911 operator for six additional months beyond. >> APRIL 7th, 2026. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. State. >> your name and the one I want to [Laughter]. Know I. >> want operator. Good morning. Dawna walden 911. Operator. Wonderful. Do. >> you. >> understand the request before you. Yes. Are you in agreement? Yes. Okay. City nothing. Is there a particular reason why this one? Six months or for previous attendance issues that from what I understand has been have been corrected. >> but also additional training to make. >> sure she. >> completes the training required. Okay. >> motion motion. I'll second. Motion by board member. >> lanier. >> second by [Laughter] Board member jimenez. All in favor? Aye. Have a great day. B6 copy of a memorandum from chief manuel morales director department of police requesting an extension of probationary period of anita milam, police. Officer for three. >> additional months beyond. APRIL 24th, 2026. Good morning good morning. Morning. >> morning. State your position. Police officer. Wonderful. Do you understand. >> the request? Yes. >> are you in agreement? Yes. >> do you have any questions? No, sir. City. >> no motion. Motion by board member. Lanier. >> second. >> second by board member jimenez. All in favor? I. B7 copy of a memorandum from chief manuel morales, director department of police requesting an extension of probationary period of belinda milan police officer for three. Additional months beyond APRIL 17th, 2026. >>. Good morning belinda. >> milan. >> police officer. Wonderful. Do you. >> understand the request? >> yes, sir. Are you in agreement? Yes, sir. >> do you. >> have any questions? No, sir. City. Good. >> nothing to add. Motion. Motion. Second. Motion by board member lanier. Second by board. >> member jimenez. All. >> in favor? Aye. Have a great day. Thank you. B8 copy of memorandum from angela roberts, director, department of human resources requesting an extension of probationary period of ernest merritt, junior human resources technician one for six additional months. Beyond. JULY 2nd 2026. >> good morning. Good morning. >> good morning ernest merritt . >> position. >> hr tech one. Wonderful. Do you understand the request? Yes sir. Are you in agreement? Can you repeat that? I said. >> do you understand the request. >> before you today? Yes, sir. >> are you in agreement? Yes, sir. Do you have. >> any questions? No, sir. Good morning. Good morning. Please state your name and. >> position for the. >> torella johnson hr records supervisor. Wonderful. >> does the city have. >> anything to add? No, no. I have a question just. Just for for the board. Why? Why you asking for the extension to allow time for. >> improvement. >> and, uh. Thoroughness and. >> work quality. Okay. >> observance of work hours as well. Okay. Was it also a leave? Was it also a leave? Just. >> without pay? Not specifically. Okay. >> okay. >> all right. Motion. >> motion by board member jimenez. Second. Second. >> by board member lanier. All in favor? I. >> thank you. Thank you. Benign copy of memorandum from eduardo santamaria, director, department of building requesting an extension of probationary period of gabriel palacios, senior building inspector for six additional months. >> beyond. MAY 4th, 2026. Good morning. Good morning. State your name and. >> gabriel palacios and your position. Building inspector. Wonderful. >> do you understand the request. >> before you today? I'm sorry. I'm very. Do you. Understand the request? Yes, sir. I. >> swear to. Okay. Are. >> you in agreement? Yes I am. Do you. >> have any questions? No, sir. All right. >> wonderful. Good morning. Good morning. Please. >> state your. >> name and title. My name is carlos sierra, chief of building and I request for the extension. Okay. Is there. A particular reason why we're requesting six. >> months for the. Yeah, he's trying. >> to pass the exam for the plan examiner. Okay. >> have any. >> additional time to get it? Excellent motion. Motion by board member lanier. Second. >> second by board. >> member jimenez. All in favor? >> aye. Good luck. Thank you. Have a good day. Thank you. b10. Copy of a request from isabella sanchez agramonte, former human resources technician one department of human resources requesting that her name be placed on the reemployment list for the classification of human resources technician one pursuant to civil service rule 12, section 12.4 resignations. Do we have. Isabella here? Is there anybody from the city board members? We do have a memorandum signed by the director of the. Department endorsing the request. Okay, great. Okay. And the employee. Is. Requesting it. >> and that's it? There's really no. Okay. >> information from the employee. >> will entertain a motion. Motion? Motion by board member jimenez. Second. Second by board member lanier. All in favor? I. See military leaves of absence c one angelo viniegra lieutenant requested military leave without pay from FEBRUARY 16th, 2026 through MAY 16th, 2026. Copy of orders submitted. Motion. >> motion by board member. Jimenez. Second. >> second by board member lanier. All in favor? I a. Thank you to the men and women. >> that serve chair. My apologies. Is there any way we can, um, pass the, uh, disciplinary matters to to address one of the hearings, um, with the city attorney submitted a letter for abeyance. I'm sorry. I'm not understanding the request. We have a hearing on today's hearings list. Is there any way we can, uh, just bypass the disciplinary matters for a minute to go to today's. >> hearings because one of these, um, MAY be continued. Okay. You're. >> going to you're going to see. >> how fast I'm going to run through the. >> next couple items. >> all right let's continue. Disregard the disciplinary matters notification board members [Laughter] Take note d one through d9e general items e one through e two board members uh oh sorry on that 1e1 uh request from lynette amari assistant city attorney to hold in abeyance the unsatisfactory service rating hearing us r of .Police sergeant. >> until further notice due to pending litigation. Good morning. Good morning board. Amina from the south florida police benevolent. Association on behalf of sergeant charlene. Good morning, linette aguirre on behalf of the city this is my request that I've put on the agenda for today. Um, sergeant eileen currently has an appeal pending before the miami-dade commission on human rights where she filed a charge of discrimination. Her charge of discrimination is essentially the same. Allegations that she has submitted in her rebuttal to the. Unsatisfactory evaluation that she received in this. And that's why we have the hearing. I'm just asking for this board to hold this hearing in abeyance until we resolve the miami-dade hearing, because we're going to get a full evidentiary hearing with. witnesses. >> exhibits everything. And then once that is completed we have the results of that. Then we can come back before the board and have the hearing on. >> the. Unsatisfactory um evaluation. Um we've been here a couple of times in the past. I understand that the city has a. Position based on the fact that they have witnesses that they're going to be calling at that hearing. I believe that those are the witnesses that they should be calling at this hearing because my my client would be the only witness that would be called would be calling to be able to. Explain the. Evaluation and seeing that there's no one here right now. I mean, I think the city is in a position where they're not going to be able to go forward today. Um I just like to voice that we are ready um. Whenever it is that. >> we can present our case on this unsatisfactory evaluation. When is the hearing? I don't have a date yet. I followed up with miami-dade and they have not given me a date yet, but I've been continuing to follow up. If we don't have something within the next three months then I'll bring it back before the board and at that time I'll ask the board to reconsider again if that's a possibility. But I'm just asking at this time if we can hold it in abeyance because essentially the testimony that you're going to hear from these witnesses would be the same testimony they're going to give before miami-dade. And so I just want the resolution to be finished with miami-dade, have them finalize the evidentiary hearing and then come before you. And this is not a situation where then I'm going to ask the board to dismiss this. Because it's already been heard somewhere else. This is a different situation because this is an unsatisfactory evaluation. So this the board has to hear no matter what. I'm just asking for us to move forward with. >> miami-dade first and. Then. >> um finalize this. My only concern was that the city would put forth a motion based on my previous. Experience with certain cases, um having to do with the city if the city's position is that they're going to let us go forward on this unsatisfactory evaluation while I am ready today. Um like I said this my evidence is my client and her unsatisfactory evaluation. Um but as long as we're going to be able to present our case, my client has missed out on a position and some pay since then. So it's one of those we're willing to accept whatever the board decides on today's hearing. Essentially if they so feel they should be held in abeyance. Okay let me ask it this way are you good with what the city is saying? If it takes let's say um I mean we could follow up on it on the next board meeting, see if they can get us an answer of when the county hearing would be. But assuming it's say three months . >> are you okay waiting three months till that hearing is done in the county and stuff to see if we can keep track of it maybe on a monthly basis I think three months again this has been pending for over a year I think 18 months now. Um if we can keep track of it for on a month to month basis if the board's willing to do that and see just so we can keep some pressure on the on the city and the miami-dade to be able to get a hearing date, I'd like to have it here as quickly as possible if the court if the. >> if the. >> board does feel that we should hold it in. Abeyance today, what I can do is I can continue to keep the board and opposing counsel um you know, month to month advice like it's not something we have to put on the agenda month to month, but it's something that I can month to month send an email or a call and say this is where we're at with miami-dade. I have a hearing date or I don't have a hearing date if the board is okay. >> with that, keep everyone up to date with everything on a month to month basis. My concern with that would be let's say you're getting you're getting back and they're not getting it and we don't have something calendared for the employee since we fill up on things I would like to if possible almost like table it where we schedule it for another day and we'll get an update if we get an update and you say well we have a definitive date, it's going to be here in the county and that's okay with the employee and then they agree but if not they're not left in limbo where right now if we bypass it today they're not on the calendar of our hearings pending list. Okay. So I mean and I'm I'll leave it to my colleagues here if they have any input to do uh, you. >> know, want to input it but that that would be my, you know, suggestion. The only thing the other additional thing that I would ask is if there is transcripts of the other hearing that we get them in advance to be able to properly prepare for the hearing and give me the. Opportunity to be able to call those witnesses, whoever it is that testifies in that hearing as soon as I find out the information on the date for the other hearing or what's going to happen, I. >> will give. >> that to you and we'll stay in touch and figure out what the witnesses and everything as far as a request of. Obviously getting any. Information transcripts of stuff from that, any transcripts or anything like that I. >> can provide to you as well. Obviously it'll be relevant for this hearing. I mean that's kind of the purpose of why we're waiting. Exactly. So um okay so. >> with. That I mean is there any board members any questions? No I'd like to make a motion to. Reschedule. >> it. >> for I guess what 90 days. >> three months. Um we have um one hearing on JULY 21st which is a. Termination and we have nothing else scheduled for that day and I can represent the. >> board that the only. >> witness that I would be calling is my client. Right now I would have potentially three witnesses. Okay. Are you good with tabling it for three months? Are you good with. >> tabling it for three months? Like to schedule it let's say potentially we have a. >> motion. >> for for the hearing. Or for an update for the hearing before the hearing. Um if if there. >> is there. >> any way that we can move it up if they the hearing happens before the three months, I mean I would say the only way we could probably do that we can ask, but the only way would be to kind of schedule it from now on a on a previous uh on a prior meeting to that, you know, whether it be one in MAY or JUNE, I think that's the only way we. >> table it into one of those. I'm saying the JULY 21st meeting would basically be 90 days. So are you saying you want less time than that just so that we can but I'll be in contact with MR. Gary. So if there's something that we can do to try and move it up, I can always contact we can try and. >> email you. >> and see if there's anything that we can do to move it up from JULY 21st. How about if we how about if we put it on a on a hearing pending list something closer right. Let's say you know, um today is APRIL 14th. We put it a month out, uh MAY 12th and then we kind of get an update if we have an update by then of saying, okay, look, this is the hearing date. It looks like it's going to be JULY 13th in the county we say why don't we table it now at this. >> point to. JULY 21st. >> and that way it gives you kind of an option. I prefer that. >> that works. Maybe the. >> motion. Maker would be. >> amenable to that. Amended the motion to be scheduled for MAY 12th. >> to. You say um. >> MAY 5th is that what you're saying 12th it would give. >> it a month MAY 12th give you time to get. Yes. So we have a motion. >> to. >> um I guess how will we table to reschedule reschedule the reschedule today's hearing of. >> e1 to. MAY 12th 2026. >> we have a motion. Second we have a second uh any further discussion any questions? So we have a motion and a second to table e1 hearing for today to MAY 12th 2026, at which time we'll get an update, see how the. >> hearings are going in the. >> county and see where we go from there. Yeah. >> all right. All in favor? Aye. Thank. >> you, thank you. E2 copy of request for continuance from osnat rind attorney on behalf of shaquita johnson emergency dispatcher concerning a 24 hour suspension effective. >> APRIL 29th. 2025. >> I believe she's online. Request to reschedule. Do you have a question? No no no. MISS. >> brand, are you there? I'm here. Good. >> morning good morning. Please state your name and title. It's ossiriand. I'm the attorney for. >> the employee. Requesting the. >> continuance and the city has no objection. Okay. Um there's a request for a continuance from the employee. There's no objection from the city. Um, I believe that is for the record here. Um. This is the first continuance. Correct? I think it's the second I think. >> that there was one by the employee before and then one by the board. Okay so we have so this is the second employee. Continuance and there was one board continuance before that correct. Okay. I'll make the. >> motion. To continuance motion by board member jimenez second. >> second by. >> board. >> member lanier. All in favor? Aye thank you thank you thank you. F1 hearings pending list as of APRIL 14th, 2026 board members take note um we have our next scheduled board meeting on MAY 5th. We have two hearings scheduled uh right there's 2201 now because we yeah we we just tabled the the second one so we have one hearing scheduled for MAY 5th. Any questions on the hearings pending list? Any comments? No .So our next board meeting is MAY 5th 2026. Um. Right now we got then seeing none we'll move on. We got no request for hearings h1 appeal hearing on behalf of frank m roberts legal assistant concerning her three day suspension effective SEPTEMBER 17th, 2025. Good. >> morning, chairperson cabrera. Good morning board members. >> good morning good morning. Please state your name and title. Sure MAY it please the board. >> attorney chelsea lewis on behalf. >> of the. >> employee frank roberts. Wonderful. >> before we begin the attorney would like to I do have a question. I noticed that there's only four members on the board today. I want to know if member solomon will be coming and if he is I would. >> rather us. >> wait for. >> him um so that we have a [Laughter] Full board for the hearing today. Understood. >> um I guess before I respond I do want to advise I'm not sure if counsel has been made aware MISS Roberts has filed a charge of discrimination with the eeoc which is pending and involves the same facts that we will be um facts and witnesses that we will be discussing at today's hearing. Um so. Similar to prior. Counsel. >> uh, we would. Request if the board is in. >> favor to continue this hearing to allow. >> the eeoc process to continue. Siti. I don't have an. >> objection to that right now. Okay. >> so any board members. >> any. Questions comments? It seems it seems similar to prior hearing that we heard the employee is saying there's another hearing taking place outside of this uh that would uh maybe give an opportunity for the facts and stuff to be gathered. It seems they're requesting that siti has no objection. We want to take. Maybe a similar approach. Do you know when that hearing is scheduled? We don't we don't um it is at the outset so I would say at least 60 days would. >> probably be helpful for them to be able to go through that process. I do want to just clarify something when a charge is filed with the eeoc, there's no actual hearing unless there's an appeal requested afterwards. So the situation with sergeant eileen was a little different because she filed her charge. They found no probable cause, they made their findings and then she appealed. And that's why we're going to an evidentiary hearing here. Both sides still need to submit their position statement, find all the evidence and then the eeoc will make a. Determination. >> that doesn't mean I'm not I don't have I have an objection I don't have an objection. But I just want to clarify that there's not going to be a hearing. We're just going to wait on the. Eeoc decision which sometimes could take a very long time. Um and also I guess clarify and add um I'm new counsel to the case for MISS Roberts. So the charge was filed prior to my involvement. My understanding is now that we will also be filing a complaint with the human rights board, the same one. >> that was mentioned in the prior hearing which would then. >> follow that same process. Okay. >> um you're basically requesting the continuance for the opportunity if this. You know you're okay basically the employee is okay with tabling this, uh, to see if there's more facts and things that come out in other hearings. [Laughter] Um and the city is okay right now waiting for it. That's fine. >> so I mean, should. >> we discuss a possible. >> meeting date with I think we should. Yeah, that. >> would be the. >> next. >> step 21 would that. >> provide. >> enough time to say something? MAY I be excused just to grab my calendar? Oh no .Is this, um a joint. Continuance. >> then just for the record, uh, I mean, well, if. >> if. >> member. >> solomon wouldn't have been here I would have requested a continuance. You. Requested it anyway. Okay. >> but I mean, but right now we're not we're not even getting to the point where the board members here if they're requesting a continuance, it's for a separate reason. If both parties are ready to move on, I can contact the board member and see if he's going to be able to attend for the hearing. So that's a at this. >> point we're. We'll be continuing for another reason it's not board continuance. Understood. What's that date [Laughter]. JULY 21st. Proposed date. Is that. >> okay with you? Okay that would work for employee and employees council if we. >> table this. Hearing to. >> JULY 21st. Is that something the city is