UNDATED (MetroSource-WSAU) Newly-released emails show Governor Walker’s overhaul of the state’s civil service rules was met with some pushback by members of his administration. The “Wisconsin State Journal” reports a memo what was unsigned last October ripped into the plans to makes significant changes without studying the ramifications.
The newspaper obtained the memo under an open records request. It was written about two weeks after the changes were proposed. The memo says: “Even human resources professionals in the state who have a solid understanding of the functioning of the civil service system cannot fully predict the outcomes of these amendments,” the memo says. “Changes of such significance have never been made to the civil service system without being preceded by a study involving subject matter experts.”
Governor Walker’s spokeswoman Laurel Patrick says the concerns brought up in the memo were “significantly addressed” by lawmakers.
The new law does away with civil service exams and give department heads and managers more control over the hiring process. Supporters of the changes say it will speed up the filling of vacancies in state government. Those opposed to the changes say it could lead to political patronage jobs.
