CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
Exhibit A
PURPOSE:
To establish procedures governing communications between Council appointees and the City Council and the performance evaluation process for Council appointees.1.
POLICY:
1. Council appointees shall provide the City Council with periodic written communications regarding items of current interest and/or importance.
The City Manager shall provide this communication to the City Council on a weekly basis. The City Attorney shall provide this communication on a monthly b asis and the City Auditor and City Clerk on an as-needed basis.
2. The City Council shall follow the process as described below for evaluating the performance of City Council appointees. Two processes are described : Standard and Expanded. Annually, prior to the Vice Mayor ’s development of the evaluation process schedule, the City Council shall determine whether to implement a Standard or Expanded process and whether a professional facilitator shall be hired to assist with the process. If a facilitator will be utilized, the City Council shall appropriate funding accordingly. As a guideline, the Expanded process would normally use a professional facilitator and would normally not be implemented more frequently than once every three years. Additionally, the City Council shall determine, if the Expanded process is chosen, whether the City Council will include executive staff (department heads) evaluations of appointees.
A. Standard Council Appointee Evaluation Process
1. The City Council shall implement a professionally faci litated performance evaluation process annually, where a facilitator will b e utilized to assist and guide the process. A facilitated process is a local government best practice which provides 1 This pPolicy shall apply to the City Auditor only if the City Auditor position is not combined with another position that reports directly to the City Manager. See Charter Section 710 (authorizing the City Council to combine the City Auditor position with any ot her City officer position). In the event the City Auditor position is combined with a position that reports directly to the City Manager, the City Manager will conduct the annual performance evaluation.
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE COMMUNICATIONS AND
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
a neutral facilitated dialogue between the City Council and the Council appointees.
The City Council shall appropriate funding for this process accordingly. The City’s Strategic Roadmap Action Plan shall serve as a guide to Council appointees in the development of their goals for the upcoming fiscal year.
2. In April/May, the Vice Mayor meets with the Human Resources Directo r, or designee, to identify and enter into a contract with a professional facilitator to conduct the Council appointee evaluation process. This step will occur if a contract does not already exist from the prior year(s).
3. In late June May, with assistance from the City Clerk ’s Office facilitator and the Human Resources DepartmentDirector, the Vice Mayor shall develop a schedule with specific dateswork plan with anticipated deadlines, based on the guidance in this Policy, for the appointee performance evaluation process. The City Auditor ’s evaluation process and schedule may differ from that established for other appointees. The work plan may include: debrief from the previous year process , timelines, and other process topics.
4. The Human Resources Director shall work with the facilitator to schedule meetings between the facilitator and each City Councilmember in May to gather a limited number of areas of emphasis that the City Council wants the appointees to include in their memorandum.
35. A City Council subcommittee composed of the Mayor and Vice Mayor shall meet with each appointee individually in late August of each year to initiate the performance review process.
The meeting may include a discussion/review of topics, such as:The facilitator shall meet in May with each Council appointee to initiate the performance review process and discuss the following topics:
a. The procedures and timeline for the evaluation process; b. Any specific issues an appointee would like to discuss during the process;
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE COMMUNICATIONS AND
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
c. Any particular areas of emphasis that the performance evaluation subcommittee City Council wishes to make an appointee aware of prior to the beginning of the evaluation process; and/orand
d. Any process issues relative to compensation. The timeline shall provide each Council appointee s no less than 45 days to prepare their year -in-review memorandum.
46. By early September, each Council appointee shall prepare a memorandum to the City Council:
a. Including a summary of issues and accomplishments for the past fiscal year; and b. Establishing goals for the upcoming fiscal year (based on the City’s Strategic Roadmap Action Plan).
Compensation issues can be addressed in this memorandum or no later than the date set forth in Paragraph 6.In June/July, the Council appointees shall submit their individual year-in review memorandum to the City Council. Eac h memorandum shall include: a self-assessment of personal growth over the past year, an evaluation of how the feedback in the previous year’s performance evaluation was addressed, and for the coming year : (a) a) personal growth focus area(s) ,; (b) impediments to executing operational responsibilities,; and (c) how the Council Wwork plan will be accomplished. It should also include any interests relative to compensation.
57. The City Council shall meet in late September in a Closed Session (which may require one or more evenings) to hear presentations by the City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Manager regarding their written memorandums. The City Council shall develop follow-up questions that the Vice Mayor will provide to the City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Manager within three days.The Human Resources Director shall work with the facilitator to schedule a second set of meetings between the facilitator and each City Councilmember in July /August to review the year -in-review memorandums.
68. The City Council shall mee t in early October in a Closed Session for: (1) the appointees to respond verbally to Council ’s follow -up questions; and (2) the
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE COMMUNICATIONS AND
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
preparation of the consensus evaluations. The facilitator shall develop a draft performance evaluation lettermemorandum that includes the topics, themes, and questions in a memorandum for the City Council will discuss in cClosed sSession with each Council appointee at the Closed Session in August.
79. The Mayor and Vice Mayor shall confirm that the wording of the written consensus evaluations is consistent with the City Council ’s input from Paragraph 6., and the Vice Mayor shall deliver the written evaluations to appointees by late October. The Human Resources Director, or designee, shall conduct annual total compen sation surveys for the City Attorney, City Auditor ,2, City Clerk , and City Manager positions. The surveys will be provided to the Council , appointees and the facilitator prior to the first Cclosed sSession in August each year. 810. The City Council shall meet in early November in two Closed Sessions (which can be on the same night) to: (1) review written evaluations with appointees; and (2) provide “financial parameters” to the Mayor and Vice Mayor to guide compensation negotiations with appointees. A copy of the annual compensation survey shall be available to the City Council at this time.
The City Auditor’s annual report and fiscal year work plan will be reviewed at the same time as written evaluations per Paragraph 8(1).The City Council and facilitator shall meet in August in Closed Session(s) to hear presentations by, and have discussions with, the City Attorney, City Auditor, City Clerk, and City Manager regarding their written memorandums. After each presentation, the City Council shall discuss with the facilitator the performance themes for the Council appointees. The City Council will also decide on the compensation adjustments, if any, for later sharing with each appointee.
121. The facilitator shall summarize the feedback in a draft written evaluation format.
The City Council shall review the draft evaluations developed by the facilitator and confirm that the wor ding of the draft written consensus evaluations is consistent with the City Council’s input from the Closed Session discussions. 2 The Human Resources Director is not required to conduct a compensation survey for the City Auditor if the City Auditor position is combined with another cCity officer position and reports to the City Manager pursuant to Charter Section 710.
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE COMMUNICATIONS AND
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
1329. The Mayor facilitator and Vice Mayor shall meet with the Council appointees individually in mid-November September to discuss the written evaluations and any compensation adjustments. The compensation adjustments are implemented as follows:
a. The timing and amount of equity adjustments and merit increases shall be at Council’s discretion. Appointees shall receive the compensation adjustments (cost-of-living (COLA), lump -sum payments, one-time leave hours) approved by the City Council in the same amount and at the same time as they are provided to unrepresented department heads.
b. If further direction on compensation is needed from Council, a Closed Session will be scheduled. If not, tThe Mayor and Vice Mayor shall instruct the Human Resources Director to prepare Council agenda items on appointee compensation if additional compensation adjustments are to be implementedfor City Council action in open session in September. 143. This Policy acknowledges that the timing of the process milestones may change if there are contributing factors to consider.
B. Expanded Evaluation Process
1. The City ’s Strategic Roadmap Action Plan shall serve as a guide to Council appointees in the development of their goals for the upcoming fiscal year.
2. In June, with assistance from the City Clerk ’s Office and the Human Resources Department, the Vice Mayor shall develop a schedule with specifi c dates, based on the guidance in this policy, for the appointee performance evaluation process. The expanded evaluation process does not include the City Auditor evaluation process.
Therefore, in years when the expanded process is implemented, the City Auditor standard evaluation process will be separate but aligned to the extent possible with the schedule established herein.
3. A City Council subcommittee composed of the Mayor and Vice Mayor shall meet with each appointee individually in late August of each year to initiate the performance review process.
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE COMMUNICATIONS AND
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
The meeting may include a discussion/review of topics, such as:
a. The procedures and timeline for the evaluation process; b. Any specific issues an appointee would like to discuss during the process; c. Any particular areas of emphasis that the performance evaluation subcommittee wishes to make an appointee aware of prior to the beginning of the evaluation process; and/or
d. Any process issues relative to compensation.
4. By early September, the City Manager, City Attorney , and City Clerk shall each prepare a self -evaluation for the City Council, using an evaluation form provided by a chosen consultant and approved by the City Council or the evaluation form provided as Attachment 1. In addition, Councilmembers shall prepare their individual evaluation forms for each of these appointees, and the Vice Mayor (or consultant) shall coordinate the preparation of individual evaluation forms for each of these appointees on the part of the executive staff, if included in the s cope of the expanded evaluation.
5. The City Council shall meet in late September in a Closed Session (which may require one or more evenings) with the City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Manager regarding their evaluations. The City Council shall develop follow -up questions that the Vice Mayor will provide to the City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Manager within three days.
6. The City Council shall meet in ea rly October in a Closed Session for: (1) the appointees to respond verbally to Council ’s follow -up questions; and (2) the preparation of the consensus evaluations by Council.
7. The Mayor and Vice Mayor shall confirm that the wording of the written consensus evaluations is consistent with the City Council ’s input from Paragraph 6., and the Vice Mayor shall deliver the consensus evaluations to the City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Manager by late October.
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE COMMUNICATIONS AND
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
8. The City Council shall meet in e arly November in two Closed Sessions (which can be on the same night) to: (1) review written evaluations with appointees and appointees’ compensation expectation memorandums; and (2) provide “financial parameters” to the Mayor and Vice Mayor to guide compensation negotiations with appointees. A copy of the annual compen sation survey shall be given to the City Council at this time.
The City Auditor’s annual report and fiscal year work plan will be reviewed at the same time as written evaluations per Paragraph 8(1).
9. The Mayor and Vice Mayor shall meet with appointees individually in mid - November to discuss compensation adjustments.
a. Timing and amount of equity adjustments and merit increases shall be at Council’s discretion. Appointees shall receive the compensation adjustments (cost -of-living- (COLA), lump sum payments, one-time leave hours) approved by the City Council in the same amount and at the same time as they are provided to unrepresented department heads.
b. If further direction on compensation is needed from Council, a Closed Session will be scheduled. If not, the Mayor and Vice Mayor shall instruct the Human Resources Director to prepare Council agenda items on appointee compensation if additional compensation adjustments are to be implemented.
3154. This Policy acknowledges that other formal and informal methods of Council/appointee communications, goal -setting, and performance evaluations exist. This policy does not preclude the use of these other methods by a majority vote of Council.
Revised: ______________, Resolution No. _______
Revised: June 22, 2021, Resolution No. 18583
Revised: April 24, 2007, Resolution No. 17202
Revised: November 19, 2002, Resolution No. 16745
Revised: April 28, 1998
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTEE COMMUNICATIONS AND
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS
NO.: D-9
Revised: February 9, 1993, Resolution No. 15532
Effective Date: January 9, 1978, Resolution No. 15038
CNL POL
D09-601CP-so