has merited suspension, demotion or dismissal, he/she shall report in writing to the [Civil Service] Commission setting forth specifically his/her complaint and may suspend the officer or employee at the time such complaint is filed. The Commission shall forthwith notify the accused officer or employee in writing of the filing of such charge and on request provide him with a copy of the same.
(2) Upon written request made within 5 days of notification of the filing of such charges, the officer or employee may have a hearing on such charges.... At the termination hearing, the Commission shall determine whether or not .the charge is well founded and shall take such action by way of suspension, demotion, discharge or reinstatement as it may deem proper under the circumstances and as its rules may provide. The decision of the Commission shall be final.
(Duesing Aff. I, Ex. A at Ex. 1.) (emphasis added). The Civil Service Rules provide:
The following are the cause for discipline. That an employee:
c. Is inefficient, insubordinate or neglects his duty or is intoxicated while on duty.
e. Refuses to obey a lawful and reasonable order, rule or regulation.
(Duesing Aff. I, Ex. A at Ex. 7.)
Defendants argue that Greenfield Code sec. 4.16 defines Campana’s property interest in her employment in such a way that she may be suspended immediately upon the filing of charges with the Civil Service Commission, without the need for any additional pre-suspension process. Defendants base their argument on that portion of sec. 4.16 stating “an appointing authority ... may suspend the officer or employee at the time such complaint. is filed.” In defendants’ view, Campana was not deprived of a property interest because her interest is defined by the ordinance, the ordinance allows for suspension at the time of filing of a complaint, and the Mayor followed that procedure in carrying out her suspension.
Defendants’ argument confuses sec. 4.Í6’s procedural and substantive aspects. Procedural due process analysis draws a distinction between provisions of state of local law defining the substance of a public employee’s property interest, and provisions specifying the procedures for deprivation of that interest. See Cleveland Bd. of Educ. v. Loudermill, 470 U.S. 532, 541, 105 S.Ct. 1487, 84 L.Ed.2d 494 (1985). Substantive provisions tell us why a public employee may be deprived of employment, while procedural provisions tell us how the employee may be deprived. A substantive provision, for example, might be one stating that an employee may not be suspended except for malfeasance in office. Cf. id. at 538-39, 105 S.Ct. 1487 (in context of dismissal). A procedural provision might be one requiring that a suspended employee be told the reasons for her suspension. Cf. id. Only substantive provisions are relevant to determining the extent of an employee’s property interest in employment. See Jones, 57 F.3d at 1440.
The Supreme Court in Loudermill made it clear that procedural provisions do not define a public employee’s property interest. The employer in that case made an argument similar to that of defendants here, contending that its employee’s property interest was “defined by, and conditioned on, the legislature’s choice of procedures for its deprivation.” Loudermill, 470 U.S. at 539, 105 S.Ct. 1487. “To require additional procedures,” the employer argued, “would in effect expand the scope of the property interest itself.” Id. at 540, 105 S.Ct. 1487 (citation omitted). The Court rejected this argument, stating, “ ‘Property’ cannot be defined by the procedures provided for its deprivation.... ” Id. at 541, 105 S.Ct. 1487.
Defendants point to this court’s decision in Listenbee v. City of Milwaukee, 753 F.Supp. 780 (E.D.Wis.1990), aff'd, 976 F.2d 348 (7th Cir.1992), as support for their argument regarding the substantive limits