Anniston prepared to move forward after changes in Civil Service law

The city of Anniston is expected to  post openings for five new jobs and approve an updated employee handbook, after the state legislature last week passed changes in the cities civil service board giving the city more flexibility in hiring decisions.  City manager Brian Johnson said Monday that he was prepared to move forward with plans for new hires and employee policy changes. Gov. Robert Bentley signed a bill last week that exempts Anniston's future hires from the city’s civil service system. The city will, in the next few days, post openings for five jobs, including a full-time economic development consultant, which Johnson says would have been harder to obtain under the guidelines of the civil service system. Meanwhile, city staff are finalizing a new employee handbook for future employees to replace rules laid out by civil service board. The council could approve the new guidelines by the end of April..  All current city employees are exempt from the changes made by the new law, and they will stay under the civil service system if they choose.