In and for each separate county of the State of Alabama which has a population of 400,000 or more people according to the last or any future federal census, there shall be a personnel board for the government and control by rules and regulations and practices hereinafter set out or authorized of all employees and appointees holding positions in the classified service of such counties and the municipalities therein whose population according to the last federal census was 5,000 or more and the county board of health, and such personnel board is vested with such power, authority, and jurisdiction. Provided, however, that such board shall not govern any officers or appointees holding positions in the unclassified service. The unclassified service shall include: All employees or appointees of a city or county board of education, or a library board; persons engaged in the profession of teaching in the public schools; officers elected by popular vote; the judge of any court; the county attorney; the city manager of any municipality; the director of personnel; the county health officer, provided, however, that if any law or laws now or hereafter enacted shall cause the offices of all other county health officers in the State of Alabama to become subject to any state or county civil service or merit system now or hereafter established, in such event, the office of county health officer in each county subject to the provisions of this part shall be a position in the classified service as herein defined; one private secretary of a member of the governing body and of each officer except judges elected by vote of the people; interns, resident physicians, resident dentists, student technicians, and student nurses, while undergoing training in a county health department or in a hospital maintained by public funds; common laborers, members of boards who are not employed on a full time basis and are not required to devote their time and services exclusively to such counties and municipalities therein; attorneys, physicians, surgeons, and dentists who with the express or implied permission of an appointing authority or of such county or city hold themselves out for employment by others in the same or a like line of work as that performed by them for such appointing authority; where there are two county sites or county courthouse sites maintained in one county and a county officer or officers are required to maintain an office in one courthouse and branch or subsidiary office in the other of the courthouses, the chief deputy of each elective officer in charge of such branch office. The classified service shall include all other offices and positions in the county and municipal service, including the services of the county board of health and the board of registrars of such county, except as otherwise provided in this part. Each member of the board in all hearings before it may administer oaths, certify to official acts, issue subpoenas, compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of papers, books, and records and may punish for contempt of the board in like manner and extent as may be done by courts of county commissioners: A member of the board or his or her employer shall be prohibited from selling materials, supplies, or services to a county or municipality unless such sales are made as the result of open competitive bidding. The term independent contractor, as used in this section shall include a prospective independent contractor, and the term appointing authority as used in this section, shall also include the public entity for which an appointing authority acts. The term employee as used in this part, shall not be deemed to include independent contractors, but in order to prevent evasions of the policy of this part, the board shall have power to control, in the manner hereinafter specified, the use of independent contractors for performance of work for an appointing authority except in cases hereinafter specifically exempted from such control. The board shall exercise constant vigilance to see that the policy of this part be not evaded by the use of independent contractors, and whenever the board shall have reason to believe that work is about to be, or is being done, continued, or completed by an independent contractor for an appointing authority, and that such work is such as to be, or, at the time of commencement thereof, to have been, performable as well, practically, expeditiously, and economically by one or more employees appointed or appointable, under this part as by an independent contractor, the board may serve such appointing authority, and such independent contractor, if such independent contractor be known, with a written request to appear before the board at a time and place specified in such written instrument and show cause, if any there be, why such work should not be done, continued, or completed by one or more employees appointed, or appointable, under this part. Deposit of such written request in the United States registered mail, postage and registration fee prepaid, and properly addressed, shall be sufficient service. At the time and place specified in the written request such appointing authority and independent contractor, or either of them, may appear, and, in such event, shall be accorded a fair hearing. If, upon such hearing, or in the event opportunity therefor be not availed of, in the absence thereof, the board shall determine that such work is such, or of such character, as to be, or, at the time of commencement thereof, to have been performable as well, practically, expeditiously, and economically by one or more employees appointed, or appointable, under this part as by an independent contractor, and that no sufficient reason has been made to appear why such work should be performed by an independent contractor in preference to one or more employees appointed, or appointable, under this part, the board may enter an order prohibiting the doing, continuance, or completion of such work after a date specified in such order otherwise than by and through one or more employees appointed, or to be appointed, under this part, and no compensation shall be paid to, or received by, an independent contractor affected by such order for work done after the date specified in such order. In arriving at its determination the board shall consider, among other things, and give appropriate weight, to the circumstances of whether or not competent persons are available for appointment under this part for performance of the type of work involved, and of whether or not the type of work involved is such as may be reasonably expected to be continuous for an indefinite time, regularly recurrent, or sporadic, and of whether or not the type of work involved is such as is customarily and generally let to independent contractors, and of whether or not the appointing authority possesses, or should reasonably be expected to obtain, physical facilities for performance of such work by one or more employees appointed, or appointable, under this part. The board, however, shall have no power to prohibit the use of independent contractors for the construction of viaducts, bridges, street improvements, sewers, canals, public buildings, or public utilities, and, should an appointing authority desire to do any such construction work by means of its own construction forces or employees, the board, upon application to it first made, may, but is not required, to permit the doing of such construction work by construction forces of employees of the appointing authority not appointed under this part, subject to such conditions and limitations as the board may prescribe. In order to forestall the possibility of prohibition by the board of use of an independent contractor for the further performance of any work after such work has been let to such independent contractor, an appointing authority may apply to the board in advance of the letting of any work to an independent contractor for permission to do so, such application to be in writing and to contain a copy of the proposed contract or such general description of its substance as satisfactory to the board. The board may grant such application with or without conditions or limitations, and if the same be granted the board shall not thereafter prohibit anything thus authorized. In its determination concerning grant or refusal of such application, the board shall be guided by the same considerations as are hereinabove indicated for guidance of its determination upon the question of whether or not to prohibit the commencement or continuation of work by an independent contractor. The board is especially charged with the responsibility and empowered to place special emphasis on making provision for inclusion in the merit system of physically and mentally handicapped persons and to make special regulations and to grant exceptions from this part and its regulations promulgated hereunder as it shall from time to time deem appropriate to carry out this provision.
Last modified: May 3, 2021