Civil Service Opportunities

Cortland County Office of Personnel/Civil Service

60 Central Avenue, Cortland NY 13045-2746

607-753-5076/www.cortland-co.org

 

WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR  I      (CITY OF CORTLAND)

Salary Range: $43,335.40/YR. (2009 SALARY)

 

Exam # 502-09

 

 

Exam Date:  12-5-09

Applications MUST be received in the Personnel/Civil Service Office

by the last filing date: 11-20-09 at 4:30 p.m.

 

Examination Fee: Each application for a Cortland County Civil Service examination must be accompanied by $12.50 cash, certified check, or money order payable to Cortland County Treasurer”. NOTE:  All CSEA Cortland County Employees, Cortland County Management Compensation Plan Employees, Cortland County Sheriff’s Department Civilian Employee Unit #6550-02, and Cortland County Deputy Sheriff Correction Officer Unit #6550-03 will pay $5.00 to be paid with cash, certified check, or money order made payable to “Cortland County Treasurer.”  Personal Checks Will Not Be Accepted. The examination fee is non-refundable. Applications will not be reviewed unless accompanied by the examination fee.

 

APPLICATION FEE WAIVER:  A waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household.  In addition, a waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are determined eligible for Medicaid, or receiving Supplemental Security Income payments, or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Family Assistance or Safety Net Assistance) or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a state or local social service agency.  All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification.  If you can verify eligibility for application fee waiver, complete a “Request for Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and submit it with your application by the close of business on the Application Deadline as listed on the Examination Announcement.

 

You can obtain a copy of the Application Fee Waiver and Certification Form by contacting Personnel/CS or by going to the Personnel/CS website: www.cortland-co.org/personnel .

 

Vacancy(ies): one. The list to be established as a result of this exam will be used to fill this existing vacancy and any future vacancies that may occur during the life of this list.

 

Note: If a part-time position becomes full-time, an incumbent may be appointed to the full-time position without further canvassing.

 

Residence Requirement: Candidates must have been legal residents of Cortland County or one of the seven contiguous counties of Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Madison, Onondaga, Tioga, or Tompkins for at least one month immediately preceding the date of examination. Preference in certification may be given to successful candidates who are residents of the municipality for one month prior to the date of certification.

Distinguishing Features of the Class: The work involves responsibility on an assigned shift for operating and maintaining a wastewater treatment plant utilizing an activated sludge process.  The incumbent operates a variety of plant equipment and machinery and performs laboratory tests and other analyses relative to wastewater treatment processes.  The work is performed under the general supervision of the Chief Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator with some leeway allowed for the exercise of independent judgment in planning and carrying out the details of the work.  Does related work as required.

 

Minimum Qualifications:  Either:

1.      Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with an AAS degree in a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation approved curriculum; or

2.      Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with an AAS degree, and eighteen (18) months operating experience at a wastewater treatment plant; or

3.      Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with an AA degree with thirty (30) credit hours of math and/or science, and eighteen (18) months operating experience at a wastewater treatment plant; or

4.      Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and three (3) years operating experience at a wastewater treatment plant; and

Satisfactory completion of an appropriate course of instruction approved by the Commissioner, Department of environmental Conservation and eighteen (18) months operating experience at an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant with a point score of 76 or greater, and the ability to perform necessary tests.

 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

·         Possession of an operator’s license issued by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles.  The incumbent must obtain a CDL Class B license within one year of the date of appointment and retain said license for the duration of employment.

 

NOTE: APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT A TRANSCRIPT IF APPLYING FOR A VACANCY OR EXAM THAT REQUIRES A COLLEGE DEGREE OR A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS.  You can call the college where you received the degree, or call 703-742-4200, or go to www.studentclearinghouse.org to obtain the information required.

 

Scope of the Examination:  Written test designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in areas such as:

  1. MECHANICAL APTITUDE:  These questions test your ability to identify and understand how basic mechanical instruments such as motors and gears work.
  2. SAFETY PRACTICES: These questions test your knowledge of basic safety practices.
  3. TOOLS AND READING OF SCALES AND GAUGES:  These questions test your ability to recognize or identify basic tools and their common uses and to make accurate readings of various types of dials, scales and gauges.
  4. ELEMENTARY CHEMISTRY AND GENERAL SCIENCE: These questions test your knowledge of basic processes and concepts in chemistry and general science.
  5. UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETING WRITTEN MATERIAL: These questions test how well you comprehend written material.
  6. BASIC MATHEMATICS: These questions test your ability to use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to solve basic arithmetic problems that might be encountered in water and wastewater treatment plant operations.  Questions may also involve the use of fractions, decimals, averages, and percents.      

 

Note:      Unless otherwise notified, candidates are recommended to use quiet, hand-held, solar or battery-powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, ‘spell checkers’, ‘personal digital assistants,’ ‘address books,’ ‘language translators,’ ‘dictionaries,’ or any other similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

 

Religious and/or Disability Accommodations:  If special arrangements are required for testing, please indicate this on your application.

 

Veterans or Disabled Veterans: Who are eligible for additional credits must submit an application for veteran’s credits prior to the establishment of the eligible list for the examination. Only those veterans who have served on active duty during the creditable periods of war will be eligible for veteran’s credits. Additionally, veteran’s credits will only be added to the score of a candidate who has attained a passing grade of 70 or higher. Veteran’s credits may not be used to achieve a passing score. Note:  If you are currently on active duty, you may request the addition of veteran’s credits to your examination score. You request the extra credits on your examination application in the space provided. If you pass the examination, the credits will be added automatically. To use the extra credits at the time of appointment, you must have received an honorable discharge, be a US citizen, and be a resident of New York State. The extra credits can only be used for one NY local government or NY State government permanent appointment.

 

Applications Can Be Obtained at the Office of Personnel, 60 Central Avenue, Cortland, NY, or downloaded from the website.  Applications will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on the last filing date.

 

Time and Place of Examination: Approved candidates will be notified by mail regarding the time and place the exam is to be held.  If notice of approval or disapproval is not received three (3) days prior to the exam date, please call this office at 607-753-5076.

 

An Equal Opportunity Employer:  M/F

 

This examination is being prepared and rated in accordance with Section 23(2) of the Civil Service Law.  The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Law, Rules, and Regulations dealing with the preparation and rating of examinations, as well as establishment and certification of eligible lists for positions in the classified service will apply to this examination.

 

General Instructions and Information

 

1.             Falsification of any part of the “Application for Employment” will result in disqualification.

2.             Applicants must answer every question on the application form and make sure that it is complete in all respects.  Incomplete applications may be disapproved.

3.             If you have applied for other Civil Service examinations for employment with New York State or any other local government jurisdiction to be held on the same date as this exam, you must make arrangements to take all the examinations at one test site.  If you have applied for both State and Local government examinations, you must make arrangements to take all your examinations at the State examination center by calling 518-474-1768 no later than two weeks before the test date. If you have applied for other local government examinations, call or write to each Civil Service Agency to make arrangements.  You must make your request for these arrangements no later than two weeks before the date of the examinations.  You must notify all local government Civil Service agencies with which you have filed an application of the test site at which you wish to take your examination(s).  For this examination, call 607-753-5076 or write to Cortland County Personnel, 60 Central Avenue, Cortland NY 13045-2746.

4.             Appointments from an Eligible List must be made from the top three candidates willing to accept appointment.  The duration of an Eligible List may be fixed for a minimum period of one (1) year and a maximum period of four (4) years.

5.             It is the responsibility of the candidate to notify the Office of Personnel/Civil Service of any change in address. No attempt will be made to locate candidates who have moved.

6.             Under specific circumstances, an alternate test date may be arranged. Your request with written documentation must be received in this office no later than the Thursday preceding the exam date.

 

Weather/Emergency Exam Cancellation: Listen to your local TV station (NBC) or radio station (WXHC 101. 5 FM) for information.

Issued:   10-20-09