Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist Title Series, CSC Docket No. 2026-1440

BackgroundThe Division of Agency Services (Agency Services), on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), requests the consolidation of the Parks Maintenance Specialist/Supervisor titles with the Parks Maintenance Specialist/Supervisor Botanical Garden (BG) variants and renaming the title series Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist. As part of this request, the DEP requests the establishment of the noncompetitive title of Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Apprentice.

By way of background, the DEP requested the consolidation of the Parks Maintenance Specialist/Supervisor titles with the BG variants and renaming the title series Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist to promote uniformity since both divisions would be utilizing the same title series which will help in recruiting and advancing qualified staff, especially in remote field offices. Further, the DEP indicated that the consolidated title series would be broad enough to capture the similar maintenance duties being performed in both the Division of Parks & Forestry and Division of Fish & Wildlife. Additionally, the DEP requested that an apprentice level title be created in the noncompetitive division as an entry point into the title series pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(c) as competitive testing would not be practicable.

AnalysisIn the instant matter, Agency Services agrees that competitive testing for an apprentice level title would not be practicable due to the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job. Specifically, Agency Services presents that this is an entry-level apprentice title which has no experience requirements. Hence, there is no skill set to be tested as the required skill set would be gained through on-the- job training. Therefore, Agency Services recommends that this title be reallocated to the noncompetitive division of the career service. Moreover, Agency Services notes that DEP also requested that the Superintendent Parks and Forestry 3 Golf Course (02754C) title be inactivated as it has been unencumbered since October 8, 2019, and the DEP has no plans to use it. Agency Services indicates that the appropriate negotiation representative has been notified of the title inactivation and has not expressed any objections.

Specifically, the title consolidation plan is as follows:

From: To:

Parks Maintenance Supervisor 1 Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 4 43045 S21 Competitive M 4012 TBD R21 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Supervisor 2 Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 3 43044 R19 Competitive M 4012 40344 A19 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Supervisor 2 BG 43044C R19 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Specialist 1 Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 2 43041 O16 Competitive M 4012 40341 O16 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Specialist 1 BG 43041C O16 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Specialist 2 Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 1 43040 O14 Competitive M 4012 40340 O14 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Specialist 2 BG 43040C O14 Competitive M 4012

N/A Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Apprentice

TBD O12 Noncompetitive M 4012

Further, the bargaining units for this title series have been assigned by the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations. Agency Services requests that the effective date to consolidate the titles, rename certain titles in the series, and establish the following new titles be the beginning of the first pay period that follows the Civil Service Commission’s (Commission) approval:

Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Apprentice

TBD O12 Noncompetitive M 4012

Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 4

TBD R21 Competitive M 4012

Additionally, Agency Services requests that the effective date of making the following title archaic1 be the beginning of the first pay period that follows the Commission approval.

Parks Maintenance Supervisor 1

43045 S21 Competitive M 4012

Moreover, Agency Services requests that the effective date of crosswalking incumbents, as indicated in a spreadsheet that Agency Services provided, will be the beginning of the first pay period that follows the Commission approval.

Finally, Agency Services requests that the effective date of inactivating the following titles be the beginning of the first pay period after the subject titles have been consolidated.2

Parks Maintenance Specialist 2 BG

43040C O14 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Specialist 1 BG

43041C O16 Competitive M 4012

Parks Maintenance Supervisor 2 BG

43044C R19 Competitive M 4012

Superintendent Parks and Forestry 3 Golf Course

02754C S28 Competitive M N412

1 Due to objections from the appropriate negotiation representative, the Parks Maintenance Supervisor 1 (43045, S21) title will be made archaic so the two incumbents may remain in their current title. The objection was that incumbents currently in the Parks Maintenance Supervisor 1 (43045, S21) title would be cross walked to Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 4 (R21) along with several employees who they currently supervise, which would lead to morale issues. Agency Services agrees that the Parks Maintenance Supervisor 1 employees should remain in their current title. A new title code will be created for Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 4. 2 The non-variant titles are not being inactivated as Agency Services is using the same title codes and just changing the names of the title. For example, Parks Maintenance Specialist 1 (43041) is now going to be called Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 2 (43041).

To effectuate the movement of all impacted employees, Agency Services requests that the provisions of N.J.A.C. 4A:4-7.6 be relaxed to allow employees to move laterally, appointment type to appointment type, into the target titles and that employees retain their current status and not be subject to a working test period. Finally, Agency Services requests that all new employee movements to the consolidated title series be effectuated in accordance with Salary Regulation 26:4G (movement without promotional procedures to a restructured title series).

As noted, upon the successful completion of the consolidation process, the BG variant titles and the Superintendent Parks and Forestry 3 Golf Course title will be inactivated. Any existing eligibility lists for these titles shall be processed as follows:

• Promotional and open competitive lists issued from pending announcements for any affected title in which employees with provisional appointments are serving will be certified for one time use only in order to effect permanent appointment(s) and will be declared expired upon disposition of the certification. • A complete list that has never been used and contains no employees with current appointments for the title and unit scope specified shall be declared expired. • A complete list which contains employees with current provisional appointments for the title and unit scope specified (with the exception of such employees currently on active military duty) will be processed for one time use and will be declared expired upon the disposition of the certification. • An incomplete list containing no employees with current provisional appointments for the title and unit scope specified shall be declared expired. • Any employee currently on active military duty will be afforded all applicable rights under federal and State law upon their release from active duty and given the opportunity to apply and compete for any announcements for which they would otherwise have been eligible but for their military service. • Eligibility lists for the affected titles and unit scopes which have expired will be revived as necessary to address unanticipated situations which may arise.

CONCLUSION

RuleN.J.A.C. 4A:3-3.3(a)2 provides that the Chairperson or designee shall implement and administer the classification plans, including establishing new titles, abolishing unnecessary titles and consolidating titles where a single title is appropriate for the grouping of position with similar qualification, authority, and responsibility. N.J.A.C. 4A:3-3.7(a) provides that trainee, apprentice, recruit, and intern titles may be established in State and local services to provide for entry level employment. N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(a) states that the Commission shall allocate and reallocate career service titles between the competitive and noncompetitive divisions. N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(c) states that a job title may be placed in the noncompetitive division on an ongoing or interim basis when it is determined that competitive testing is not practicable due to the nature of the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job.

AnalysisBased on the foregoing, ample reason exists to grant Agency Services’ requests to consolidate titles, as indicated above. Additionally, sufficient reasons exist to create the competitive title of Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Specialist 4. Further, ample reasons exist to create the Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Apprentice title and allocate it to the noncompetitive division of the career service. In this regard, the Parks & Wildlife Maintenance Apprentice title has no experience requirements as the skills required to perform the job are gained through on-the-job training. Given the lack of an experience requirement, competitive testing is not practicable since the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this title are evaluated during the mandatory training period. Moreover, the Parks Maintenance Supervisor 1 shall be deemed archaic. Further, upon the successful completion of the consolidation process, the BG variant titles and the Superintendent Parks and Forestry 3 Golf Course title shall be inactivated. Any existing eligibility lists for these titles shall be processed as indicated above.

To effectuate the movement of all impacted employees, the provisions of N.J.A.C. 4A:4-7.6 shall be relaxed to allow employees to move laterally, appointment type to appointment type, into the target titles and that employees retain their current status and not be subject to a working test period. Finally, all new employee movements to the consolidated title series be effectuated in accordance with Salary Regulation 26:4G (movement without promotional procedures to a restructured title series).

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that the requests and the effective date of the action be granted as stated herein.

ClosingThis is the final administrative determination in this matter. Any further review should be pursued in a judicial forum.