KRS 212.636: Department employees -- Compensation plan -- Merit system -- Personnel

board.

(1) The board shall establish the compensation plan for all employees of the

department, and such compensation shall be as nearly comparable as practicable

with the compensation paid to and received by employees in comparable agencies.

(2) The employees of the department shall be employed and governed in accordance

with a merit system. The board shall provide for the recruitment, examination,

appointment, promotion, transfer, lay-off, removal, discipline, compensation, and

welfare of the department's employees by establishing a system of personnel

administration based on merit principles and scientific methods whereby the rules

and regulations of such system shall not be less stringent than those of the merit

system of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Such system shall include a

personnel board of five (5) members appointed by the board for two (2) year terms.

The board shall select as members of the personnel board public-spirited citizens of

recognized experience in the improvement of public administration and in the

impartial selection of efficient public personnel. The personnel board shall be

responsible for establishing rules and regulations for the purpose of g overning the

administration of the personnel system. The commissioner shall function as

appointing authority in and with respect to the personnel matters of the board. The

board shall have one (1) year from July 1, 1977, to implement such a system.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of KRS 61.510 to 61.692 and KRS 78.510 to

78.852, on July 1, 1977, all regular full -time present and future public health

employees of the department shall be included within the provisions of the state

retirement system.

(4) When the board is qualified and organized as provided in KRS 212.626 to 212.639,

all city-county department of health employees at that time shall be transferred to

and continued in the service of the department created under KRS 212.626 to

212.639. Provided, however, that any and all of such employees who at that time are

in the classified service of the city-county department of health shall be continued in

the classified service of the department with the same status they have had in the

classified service of the city-county department of health.