Opinion ID: 76264
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: County Civil Service Systems

Text: 40 The independence of sheriffs from counties is further shown by Georgia law's treatment of sheriffs and county civil service systems. Although counties may adopt civil service systems, sheriffs have independent authority to hire their deputies and to decide whether their deputies are placed under a county civil service system. See O.C.G.A. §§ 15-16-23; 36-1-21(Supp.2002); Brett v. Jefferson County, 123 F.3d 1429, 1434 (11th Cir.1997); Wayne County v. Herrin, 210 Ga.App. 747, 753, 437 S.E.2d 793 (1993); cf. Gwinnett County v. Yates, 265 Ga. 504, 508, 458 S.E.2d 791 (1995) (concluding that a county can take no action affecting the employees of an elected official, unless the elected official has placed his office under a county's civil service system). For example, in Herrin, the Georgia Court of Appeals examined O.C.G.A. § 36-1-21, which allows counties to create a civil service system and to include employment positions with elected county officers in that system `upon the written application of the elected county officer.' 210 Ga. App. at 748-50, 437 S.E.2d 793 (quoting O.C.G.A. § 36-1-21(b)). 23 The Georgia court concluded (a) that deeply embedded in our case law is the notion that the sheriff alone has the authority and power to appoint and fire deputies, but (b) that the General Assembly has definitely and positively provided for the creation of county civil service systems and conferred on elected officials [such as the Wayne County Sheriff] the ability to bring all employees in their office into the system. Id. at 751, 753, 437 S.E.2d 793.