400.27 Jurisdiction — attorney — appeal.

1. The civil service commission has jurisdiction to hear and determine matters involving the rights of civil service employees under this chapter, and may affirm, modify, or reverse any case on its merits.

2. The city attorney or solicitor shall be the attorney for the commission or when requested by the commission shall present matters concerning civil service employees to the commission, except the commission may hire a counselor or an attorney on a per diem basis to represent it when in the opinion of the commission there is a conflict of interest between the commission and the city council. The counselor or attorney hired by the commission shall not be the city attorney or solicitor. The city shall pay the costs incurred by the commission in employing an attorney under this section.

3. The city or any civil service employee shall have a right to appeal to the district court from the final ruling or decision of the civil service commission. The appeal shall be taken within thirty days from the filing of the formal decision of the commission. The district court of the county in which the city is located shall have full jurisdiction of the appeal. The scope of review for the appeal shall be limited to de novo appellate review without a trial or additional evidence.

4. The appeal to the district court shall be perfected by filing a notice of appeal with the clerk of the district court within the time prescribed in this section and by serving notice of appeal on the clerk of the civil service commission, from whose ruling or decision the appeal is taken.

5. In the event the ruling or decision appealed from is reversed by the district court, the appellant, if it be an employee, shall then be reinstated as of the date of the said suspension, demotion, or discharge and shall be entitled to compensation from the date of such suspension, demotion, or discharge.

[SS15, §1056-a32; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §5711; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, §365.27; C75, 77, 79, 81, §400.27]

86 Acts, ch 1138, §9; 91 Acts, ch 55, §2; 2017 Acts, ch 2, §62, 64; 2017 Acts, ch 54, §76; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §126

Subsection 4 amended