How do you evaluate a City/County Manager? What criteria and methodology would you typically use? In a recent question, ICMA members and other icma.org users shared their thoughts and recommendations of performance evaluations of managers, based on personal experiences. 

Managers emphasize the inclusion of the council members and immediate subordinates within the evaluation as a crucial step to receive comprehensive feedback.  Wes Hare, city manager of Albany, Ore. described his own feedback process that involved the council as well as the HR director in discussing what each expected from the manager. This created an open dialogue and enhanced communication between the council and manager.

Another recurring issue is the instrument of performance evaluation. The city manager of Maryland Heights, Mo. Mark Levin, pointed out that since manager evaluations can range greatly from fulfilling a contractual obligation to providing a forum for an open and honest exchange, an effective and relevant evaluation must be outcome specific. However, members have reported dissatisfaction with standard evaluation forms, and have resorted to creating more fitting evaluation criteria.

Curtis Davis, ex-city manager of Johnstown, Pa. describes a performance measurement tool he created by listing all his major job responsibilities and evaluating himself, noting his strengths and weaknesses as well as the goals to be achieved in the coming year.  The completed form was provided to all council members, who also used it to evaluate him.  Finally, a joint discussion was held to discuss the points of agreements and disagreements, and benchmarks were set for the performance appraisal of the upcoming year. The process also compelled the council to discuss topic priorities for the city manger’s agenda. 

Eric Levitt, city manager of Janesville, Wis. recounts that when council members were not satisfied with the evaluation criteria, they asked the staff to create one that reflected the priorities and qualities under which they hired a City Manager.

Does your jurisdiction have an effective criterion for evaluating managers? Please comment on this blog post to share your experience. 

More resources. 

• City Manager Evaluation Form from Bonner Springs, Kans. that includes evaluation on supervision, leadership, council relations, execution of policy, and planning.
• City Manager Performance Evaluation created by the University of Tennessee, Institute for Public Service that can be customized to meet the requirements of specific local governments.
• City Manager Performance Rating from Burleson, Tex. includes ICMA performance evaluation practices while being neutral of local criteria.  
• City Manager Evaluation from Temple Terrace, Fla. assesses manager performance and serves as a dialogue facilitator between the manager, council, and mayor.
• City Manager Evaluation Form from City of Oviedo, Fla. provides a template for the council to evaluate managers.

Other useful resources on the web include:

• Talking City Manager Performance Reviews, an article that stresses the importance of communication between managers and council members.
• Montgomery County, Ga. – 2010 Ordinance to Establish County Manager that informs the manager evaluation criteria.
• Evaluation of Chief Executive created by Berkeley, Calif. Development Resources as a briefing note for nonprofit Board members. 
• Guidelines for Board of Directors Evaluation of Chief Executive list benefits of evaluating the Chief Executive and provide a sample Executive Director Performance Evaluation form. 
• Management and Performance Review of County Government Operations in Jefferson County, Tex. provides a comprehensive evaluation of the performance and management of the entire County
• Evaluating the City Manager: Best Management Practices, a presentation given at the Florida city-county Management Association annual conference in 2017 this provides an overview of current best practices 
• Nine Principles of Service & Organizational Excellence, an article from Alliance for Innovation which discusses a systematic approach to achieve desired results.