§ 126-11. Local personnel system may be established; approval and monitoring; rules and regulations.
§126‑11. Local personnel system may be established; approval andmonitoring; rules and regulations.
(a) The board of countycommissioners of any county may establish and maintain a personnel system forall employees of the county subject to its jurisdiction, which system and anysubstantial changes to the system, shall be approved by the State PersonnelCommission as substantially equivalent to the standards established under thisChapter for employees of local departments of social services, local healthdepartments, and area mental health programs, local emergency managementprograms. If approved by the State Personnel Commission, the employees coveredby the county system shall be exempt from all provisions of this Chapter exceptArticle 6.
(a1) With approval ofeach of the boards of commissioners of the county or counties which comprisethe area mental health authority, the area mental health authority mayestablish and maintain a personnel system for all employees of the area mentalhealth authority, which system and any substantial changes to the system, shallbe equivalent to the standards established under this Chapter for employees ofarea mental health authorities. If approved by the State Personnel Commission,the employees covered by the area mental health authority system shall beexempt from all provisions of this Chapter except Article 6.
(b) A board of countycommissioners may petition the State Personnel Commission to determine whetherany portion of its total personnel system meets the requirements in (a) above. Upon such determination, county employees shall be exempt from the provisionsof this Chapter relating to the approved portions of the county personnelsystem.
(b1) The board of an areamental health authority, with the approval of each of the boards ofcommissioners of the county or counties which comprise the area mental healthauthority, may petition the State Personnel Commission to determine whether anyportion of its total personnel system meets the requirements in subsection (a1)above. Upon such determination, area mental health authority employees shallbe exempt from the provisions of this Chapter relating to the approved portionsof the area mental health authority personnel system except as provided in G.S.122C‑121.
(c) The Office of StatePersonnel shall monitor at least annually county or area mental healthauthority personnel systems approved under this section in order to ensurecompliance.
(d) In order to define"substantially equivalent," the State Personnel Commission isauthorized to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the federal meritsystem standards and these regulations at a minimum shall include: recruitmentand selection of employees; position classification; pay administration;training; employee relations; equal employment opportunity; and records andreports. (1965, c. 640, s. 2; 1975, c. 667, s. 2; 1983, c. 674,s. 1; 1991, c. 65, s. 5; c. 564.)