There shall be a Department of Human Resources, headed by a Commissioner of Human Resources, who shall be appointed by the County Administrator, subject to confirmation by the Tompkins County Legislature. The Commissioner of Human Resources shall be appointed to a six-year term on the basis of administrative experience and other qualifications appropriate to the responsibilities of the office and shall be directly responsible to the County Administrator, unless otherwise required by law, for the implementation of policies established by the Tompkins County Legislature.
The Commissioner shall have the power to appoint such deputies, assistants, and employees of the Department of Human Resources as may be necessary to perform the duties of the office of Commissioner of Human Resources and as shall be authorized by the Tompkins County Legislature. All deputies, assistants, and employees of the Department shall be directly responsible to the Commissioner. Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the Commissioner shall have all the powers and perform all the duties of a Municipal Civil Service Commission as provided by the Civil Service Law. The powers and duties of the Commissioner shall be to:
(a) 
Maintain and administer salary plan(s) for County employees, periodically re-survey prevailing salaries and recommend amendments to the Tompkins County Legislature to eliminate inequities, recruiting difficulties, and employee turnover problems;
(b) 
Establish, in cooperation with other heads of units of County government, a program of employee recruitment designed to acquaint interested persons with the opportunities for employment in County government, and to provide County government with appropriate candidates to fill vacancies in established positions;
(c) 
Maintain, in cooperation with other heads of units of County government, a central file of job opportunities in County government, and make provisions for the dissemination of such information to the public;
(d) 
Establish and maintain a roster of all County officers and employees. Such roster shall show for each County officer and employee the date of appointment or election, the title of the position, the rate of pay and rate changes, promotions, demotions, transfers, the time and cause of separations from County employment, and any other information the Commissioner considers necessary for a proper personnel record;
(e) 
Institute programs to ensure that each incoming County employee is properly advised of the responsibilities and benefits of County employment and receives necessary orientation and both pre-work assignment and continuing training;
(f) 
Determine those aspects of employment, working conditions, benefit programs, and employee activities that are necessary to maintain the County in a competitive position as an employer and recommend actions to the Tompkins County Legislature to accomplish this;
(g) 
Administer on behalf of the County agreements with recognized employee organizations concerning terms and conditions of employment and other matters that may come before the Commissioner and recommend necessary action to the Tompkins County Legislature;
(h) 
Serve as a member of the Special Negotiating Committee appointed pursuant to § C-2.08(c) of this Charter;
(i) 
Appoint and oversee the work of the Director of Employment and Training Division of the Office of Workforce Development;
(j) 
Perform such other and related duties as may be required by the Tompkins County Legislature.
No payroll, estimate, or account providing for the payment of wages or salaries shall be approved by the County Director of Finance unless it bears the certificate of the Commissioner of Human Resources that the persons named therein have been, during the period specified, employed in their respective positions in accordance with law and rules made pursuant thereto.
It shall be the duty of the head of each administrative unit of the County government to furnish the Commissioner of Human Resources with such information and aid as may be necessary to the performance of the duties of the office of Commissioner of Human Resources.