The Clayton County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 21 to amend the county code to return department directors and department heads to the county civil-service system.

County staff explained the change would resolve a long-standing inconsistency created in a 2016 decision that left some department leaders outside the civil-service protections and grading/step systems. Staff said restoring department heads to civil service will align job protections and promotion step structures across similarly situated positions.

D.C.O. Robertson told the board the amendment returns the code to the pre‑2016 structure under which department heads were included in civil-service protections. Under the restored framework, new hires will enter the civil-service system subject to the standard one-year working test/probationary period and the review mechanics the civil-service rules provide.

Commissioners discussed timing and effects. Staff said the ordinance applies from the effective date forward; it does not retroactively create protections for prior actions. The board adopted the ordinance on first reading Oct. 21.

What’s next: If the board confirms on second reading (as required by county procedures), the county will update personnel practices and implementation details with the civil-service office and human resources.