Manassas Park council approves services agreement with 1Digital for 360-degree evaluations

The Manassas Park governing body approved March 17 a form-of-services agreement with 1Digital to provide 360-degree evaluations, directing the mayor to execute the agreement and coordinate scope details with the contractor.

The city attorney warned that using a 360 evaluation model for contract employees presents unusual issues. "It's kind of unusual to do a 360 for a contract employee," the city attorney said, advising council members to consider how the scope should differ for contractors versus regular staff.

Council members discussed whether professional-development components should be part of the assessment and who should be asked to provide feedback. One council member suggested limiting the review to department heads for certain roles; another proposed including the city attorney in the review because of frequent interactions with department directors. The city attorney said that while it might be unusual, including such input "would not hurt" and that the governing body could decide who to include once the contract is signed.

After discussion the council voted to approve the form of services agreement "with such amendments as approved and authorized" and directed the mayor to coordinate with 1Digital on the scope of the evaluations.

Council members asked staff to follow up by email to identify which employees should be included in each review and to solicit input from employees on who they would like included in their evaluations.