If the current eligibility list has expired for police officers, can the position be filled with a temporary person?
RCW 41.08.040(9), 41.12.040(9), and 41.14.060(7) provide for a temporary or provisional appointment to be made when there is a vacancy and there is no eligibility list. Such a temporary or provisional appointment is not to last more than four months, and one person may not serve as a provisional or temporary appointee for more than four months in any one fiscal year. • Could a temporary employee be used for a six-month period? In a city or town, the answer is likely “yes,” for only “substantial compliance” is required with the state statutes. There is no “substantial compliance” language in chapter 41.14 RCW, so use of temporary or provisional employees in a sheriff’s department is limited to four months. • May the police department’s secretary serve as the secretary/chief examiner to the civil service commission? Yes, a secretary in the police department can serve as the secretary/chief examiner for the police civil service commission under RCW 41.12.040. These are not incompatible po
