Opinion ID: 895199
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Chief Melis's Written Statement

Text: After suspending an officer, a department head must provide a written statement to the commission and the officer giving the reasons for the suspension. Id. § 143.052(c). The statement must point out each civil service rule allegedly violated and describe each infraction. Id. § 143.052(e) The statement must also inform the officer of the right to appeal and that the right to appeal a hearing examiner's decision to a district court is limited. Id. §§ 143.052(d), 143.057(a). If the officer appeals, the department head is restricted to the department head's original written statement and charges, which may not be amended. Id. § 143.053(c). Nothing in the Act requires the department head's statement to specify what authority a hearing examiner has or what sections of the Act provide the hearing examiner with authority. Further, if Section 143.014(h) limits a hearing examiner's jurisdiction, that jurisdiction cannot be expanded by a City's failure or refusal to cite the section. See City of Pasadena, 292 S.W.3d at 21 ([T]he City's failure to object to an incorrect citation cannot expand the jurisdiction of a hearing examiner, any more than it could expand the jurisdiction of a trial court.). Accordingly, when Section 143.014(h) applies, a hearing examiner cannot refuse to comply with it because it was not cited in the department head's written statement. Chief Melis's failure to cite Section 143.014(h) did not preclude the City's argument that because Kelley was an assistant chief, Section 143.014(h) did not provide authority for the examiner to temporarily suspend or demote him after finding the charges against him were true.