A county board has no power or authority to bargain or agree that any appointment or promotion shall be based upon anything other than merit and fitness except as provided in the County Civil Service Act. Blakely v. Lancaster County, 284 Neb. 659, 825 N.W.2d 149 (2012).
A county cannot implement any provision of the county employees’ collective bargaining agreement that would violate a provision of the County Civil Service Act. Blakely v. Lancaster County, 284 Neb. 659, 825 N.W.2d 149 (2012).
An “appointment” under the County Civil Service Act refers to an appointing authority’s designation of a person to fill a vacant classified service position. Blakely v. Lancaster County, 284 Neb. 659, 825 N.W.2d 149 (2012).
Civil service acts promote effective public service by establishing a personnel administration system that provides equal opportunity for public employment and advancement based on merit and fitness principles. By requiring a county to incorporate these principles, the Legislature intended to prohibit the county, as much as practical, from making these decisions based on political control, partisanship, and personal favoritism. Blakely v. Lancaster County, 284 Neb. 659, 825 N.W.2d 149 (2012).
Properly conducted examinations provide the cornerstone of a merit-based civil service system. Blakely v. Lancaster County, 284 Neb. 659, 825 N.W.2d 149 (2012).
The board of county commissioners is required to bargain with its employees on all matters relating to employment except those covered by the specific provisions of these statutes. American Fed. of S., C. & M. Emp. v. County of Lancaster, 200 Neb. 301, 263 N.W.2d 471 (1978).