Committee backs phased plan for annual reviews of council-managed staff

At its Feb. 12 meeting, the committee voted to refer to the City Council a resolution proposing phased annual performance reviews for employees who report to the council.

Councilor Smith, who said she and Councilor Martins began work on the policy last year, described a multi-year rollout the director of human resources supports. Under the plan Smith outlined, HR would spend the first six months working with employees to write clear job descriptions; in the second half of the year HR and employees would set goals and objectives with council input; in the following year staff progress would be reviewed, and by year three the council would implement fuller evaluations such as 360-style and manager assessments. Smith said the intent is to create accountability and documentation, not to target individuals: “It’s about the position. It’s not about the person serving in the position today,” she said.

Councilors said the process should reduce politics and favoritism in reappointments and make it easier for future councils to evaluate incumbents. Members voted to refer the resolution favorably to the City Council by voice vote. The City Council will receive the committee recommendation and any supporting materials from HR for further consideration.

The committee discussion included repeated emphasis on documentation and the role HR would play as an operational lead for the review process; no budget amounts or implementation dates beyond the phased description were presented on the record.