This chapter shall enable, authorize, and empower the governing body of any city having the requisite number of inhabitants to adopt a civil service system adapted to the size and
requirements of the city. Such system, if deemed advisable by such body, may consist merely in the setting up of minimum employment qualifications for full-time members of the city's paid fire and police departments and the heads thereof with provisions prohibiting their suspension, removal, or discharge, or the suspension, removal, or discharge of any other appointive employee or official except upon adequate reason and cause shown upon hearing and thereon after reasonable notice to the person or persons sought to be suspended, removed, or discharged. If deemed advisable by the governing body, the civil service system may consist of a comprehensive system covering all paid fire and police department full-time employees and the heads of these two departments and other appointive full-time employees and officials, other than common laborers and employees who have not been in the continuous employment of the city for a period of more than one year, as in the discretion of the governing body of the city may be for the best interests of the public, such employees, and the service to be rendered to the city.
40-44-08. Ordinance creating civil service system - What to be included - Departments automatically included. In any ordinance creating a civil service system, the governing body shall designate the departments, classes of employees, and the appointive officials of the city who shall come under the system, and it subsequently may add thereto. All full-time paid employees of the fire and police departments, with the chiefs thereof, shall be placed under any civil service system adopted whether they are designated in the ordinance or not.
40-44-09. Ordinance providing for civil service shall prohibit political activities of persons under system. Repealed by S.L. 1977, ch. 420, § 3.
40-44-10. Contracting with other municipalities and state departments for conduct of competitive examinations. The governing body of any municipality, subject to the provisions of this chapter, may contract with the governing body of any other municipality in this state or with any state department for the holding of competitive examinations to ascertain the fitness of applicants for positions and employment in the city service and for the performance of any other service in connection with personnel selection and administration.
40-44-11. Change of form of government in city which has adopted a civil service system - Effect. If any city in this state which has established a civil service system in compliance with the requirements of this chapter shall change its form of municipal government, such civil service provisions as previously have been established shall continue under the new form of municipal government except as to those provisions which the governing body of the city may see fit to change within the limitations described in this chapter. The governing body of the city, after the change in its form of government, shall designate, as described in section 40-44-08, the departments, classes of employees, and appointive officials of the city who shall come under the civil service, and it subsequently may add thereto except as restricted by the provisions of this chapter.
40-44-12. Abandonment of civil service system - Election - Form of ballot - Removal of department or employee from civil service. After a civil service system has been adopted, the governing body shall not abolish it nor remove any department or employee thereof, or any employee or appointive official, from under the civil service and the provisions of this chapter unless and until civil service has been abandoned by the city after the question shall have been submitted to the qualified electors of the city at a regular or special municipal election. At any election held to determine whether the city shall abandon the civil service system, the question shall be submitted to the electors in substantially the following form:
Shall the city abandon the civil service system? Yes ☐ No ☐ If two-thirds of the votes cast upon the question favor the abandonment of civil service, the governing body shall provide for the abandonment of the system. Any office or employment, however, may be abolished by the governing body of the city by resolution declaring there no longer is need therefor after a hearing has been given to the officials and employees to be affected and after a determination to such effect.