Thursday night the Auburn City Council will have before it a resolution to take the first step to eliminate the city's Civil Service Commission, a long overdue act in streamlining and consolidating services. Based on recent conversations with city officials, it looks as if the resolution, one of several steps need to be approved to eventually eliminate the commission, will pass.

The resolution will give notice that the city wishes to disband its current system and, as required by law, start the process of putting before the public a referendum to eliminate the commission in November. City Manager Mark Palesh had approved, through last month's budget vote, funding to create a Human Resource Office to eventually replace the commission.

The idea of getting rid of the city's Civil Service Commission has been debated for more than a decade and a half, but there has not been a majority of city councilors willing to put the matter before the public in a referendum. Early on attempts were made, and passed, to eliminate the pay for the three member commission (there is an appointed part time commission secretary as well as a full-time clerk that serves as staff in that office), that was later restored with a change in the city council. One past city councilor, at odds with the questionable moves of the commission, has called it not Civil Service, but “Swivel Service,” in part because of the way it changes policy with the political winds. A confluence of forces has possibly changed the way that a majority of city councilors now look at the commission. The recent decision on who was eligible to become Auburn's fire chief may have been what tipped the issue over into the reformer's column. Compounding this was a recent letter by outgoing Superintendent of Schools John Plume asking that the city and county consolidate their commissions, so as to save the school district more than $30,000 for work that would have to be assumed by the county without charge.

The commission, more than any other body, has been a bastion of political patronage over the years #- a reward to some loyal Democrats and Republican stalwarts for their efforts. Unlike unpaid Planning Board and Zoning Board members, who often meet as often as the Civil Service Commission, commissioners receive a salary.

The city council should move forward and pass Thursday's resolution to start the process of turning this matter over to the public that may see, depending on what information it receives, as a way to show it supports consolidation and streamlining.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com