Department of Civil Service

Municipal Service Division

New York's civil service regulations apply to local governments as well as State government. The regulations are administered at the local level by local civil service agencies. At the time of our audit, there were 109 such local agencies (in 57 counties, 50 cities and 2 towns). The activities of these local agencies are overseen by the Department of Civil Service's Municipal Service Division. We examined the oversight provided by the Division and found that improvements are needed. For example, over a four-year period, the Division reviewed the operations of only 28 local agencies. Division officials told us they have limited staff available to conduct these reviews; however, we noted that staff time could be used much more efficiently if sampling techniques were applied during the reviews. We also found that the Division does not adequately follow up on past reviews to ensure that its recommendations for improvement have been implemented.

For a complete copy of 95-S-10 click here.
For a copy of the associated follow-up report click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.