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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2505-4659CITY OF PALO ALTO Council Appointed Officer Committee Monday, May 12, 2025 4:00 PM     Agenda Item     1.Discussion Regarding Council Appointed Officers (CAO) Annual Performance Evaluation Process Review and Goal Setting At-Places Memo added, Public Comment P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com April 14, 2025 To: Palo Alto CAO Committee From: Dan Rich, MRG Consultant Re: Kick-off of 24-25 Performance Evaluation Process It is time to start the evaluation process for your CAO’s! As a reminder, last year included several changes in the process from previous years. Specifically, the Committee developed specific “prompts” for each CAO to respond to in their self -evaluations. There was also fine tuning of the questions posed to Council as part of the 1:1 interviews. And additional information was provided to Council prior to the interviews (Citizen Survey, City Values and Council priorities). And at the closed sessions with each Appointee, the meetings were designed to be longer and have more dialogue. Finally, during the evaluation process, Council expressed an interest in the CAO’s developing “key performance indicators” (KPIs) for thei r 24- 25 goals. Given where we were in the fiscal year, and the time it takes to develop good KPI’s, the priority was for the city manager, but the Attorney and Clerk also developed “non-binding” measures. Based on last years’ experience, I would respectfully suggest considering a few additional changes for this year: 1. Better utilize Council’s adopted priorities to guide the process/evaluation 2. Fewer Questions for Council interviews 3. Better align CAO “prompts” with Council questions 4. Do interviews before the summer break 5. Fewer cities for salary comps 6. Have a higher bar for items making the written report (majority must have said it?) or have a “majority” report and an addendum with “other comments” 7. Better connect the Council identified “opportunities for growth” with the appointee’s proposed goals 8. Structure the closed session to focus more on two-way dialogue and to utilize the prompts P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com I have updated the proposed appointee “guiding prompts” and the Council interview questions (changes from last year in red and strikeout) with those ideas in mind. At the meeting, the Committee can get input from the appointees and then discuss the overall process. Specifically it would be good to leave the meeting with consensus on the timeline, appointee prompts and Council interview questions. I look forward to having a dialogue with you, and getting clear direction from you, on May 12. Attachments - A. Proposed process timeline B. Draft Appointee guiding questions C. Draft Council interview questions cc: CAOs HR Director P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com DRAFT PALO ALTO 24-25 CAO EVALUATION PROCESS TIMELINE Date Action 5/12 CAO Committee meeting to review/finalize process (timeline and questions for CAO’s and Council to respond to) 5/16 MRG (Dan) send CAO’s brief update on the tentative 2025 Evaluation process. Late May Verbal update on process to full Council by CAO Chair Stone at meeting 6/6 Process, timeline and self-evaluation prompts distributed to CAOs. Sandra sends to Council. 7/17 CAO’s to provide Dan with self-evaluation. 7/21 Dan sends Mayor & City Council self-evaluations and interview questions in advance of individual meetings, along with most recent Citizen Survey, City Values, and current Council priorities. 7/28 – 8/8 Dan to conduct interviews with Mayor and Council Members in a manner that meets their time and location requirements to gather their input and experiences with the three appointees. Dan is available for in-person interviews or call/zoom 9/4 Dan distributes draft performance evaluations, goals, salary information to City Council (including CAOs salary “requests”). 9/11 Council comments on draft performance evaluation, goals, salary information due back to Dan. 9/15 Updated evaluations distributed to Council. 9/18 Final evaluations distributed to CAO’s (after first closed session). Mid-Sept to Early- Oct Closed Sessions P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com Date Action Mid-Oct. Following approval from the CAO’s, MRG routes final docs via DocuSign for Mayor. Late Oct. Schedule 30 min debrief conversation for MRG and CAO’s Council approval of Employment Agreements for CAOs Nov. CAO Committee to meet and debrief on the process P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com DRAFT - 4/11/25 QUESTIONS TO DRIVE THE PALO ALTO CAO EVALUATION PROCESS Council would like the appointed officials to respond to some specific prompts in the self-evaluation, which will help focus the Council interviews and final evaluation: a. What is your overall assessment of the state of the Palo Alto organization? b. What are your, and the organization’s, areas of strength and key achievements in the last fiscal year, particularly as called out in Council-identified priorities and the specific goals identified in your performance evaluation? c. What do you see as areas of concern or vulnerability (to include organization- wide and department-specific comments, but not personnel-specific). d. How are your direct reports performing? (for example: productivity, morale, collaboration, communication, recruitment, etc.). e. What are your observations on the organization’s fiscal health (strengths and risks). f. Are there regional, state, or national issues/trends that the City should be paying attention to? What are the trends you see within your purview that the City needs to be thinking about? g. What is your characterization of the effectiveness of Appointed Official/Elected Official relationships (availability, responsiveness, communication, etc.) h. What are your specific suggested priorities for the coming year, and how would you measure their success (KPIs)? i. What do you need from the Council in the next fiscal year and beyond to be successful? j. What is your compensation “ask”? k. What else would you like to share with the Council? P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com CITY OF PALO ALTO DRAFT CITY MANAGER 2025 EVALUATION – COUNCIL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Identify 2 – 3 areas where the City Manager and the City organization demonstrated extraordinary excellence in FY 23-24 from the self-evaluation. 2. What do you see as the top 2-3 STRENGTHS of the City organization (and City Manager) that should be leveraged in 24-25 from the past year? 3. How did the City Manager do on achieving Council’s priority goals and his stated priorities and KPIs for FY 24-25? 4. Does the City Manager have BLINDSPOTS or areas for development that should be addressed to help him grow in this role? 5. What are your observations on the organization’s fiscal health (strengths and risks)? 6. Does the organization face vulnerabilities that you can see? 7. How does the City Manager provide the elected officials with the support needed to govern effectively (availability, responsiveness, communication, etc.); are there specific opportunities or areas for him to grow? 8. Please share your perception of the City Manager’s leadership and how it effectively meets the needs of the organization and community (leading others, partnering, decisiveness/consensus decision making, developing a team, managing conflict, etc.). Provide specific examples as possible. 9. Are you satisfied with the team contributions and collaboration of the City Manager, City Clerk and City Attorney? Do they work together effectively to further the City’s interests? 10. Is there any feedback (positive or constructive) you would like to provide about the operation of departments (not people specific)? P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com 11. How strong do you feel the City Manager’s technical competencies are (financial management, land use, etc.)? 12. How has the City Manager done in the past year in leading others? 13. How well does the City Manager anticipate issues and think strategically to address trends and long-term issues? 14. Are there any additional comments or suggestions that you would like to add concerning the City Manager’s performance over the past year (e.g., Fiscal Health, Community Vitality, etc.)? 15. Do you have any thoughts on What do you think are the top 2-3 issues the CM should specifically focus on as priorities for FY 25-26 and beyond? 16. Is there anything else you would like to share with me? P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY ATTORNEY DRAFT 2025 EVALUATION – COUNCIL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Describe the regular communication you have with the City Attorney – what is working and what could be improved? 2. Are you satisfied with the verbal and written analysis provided by the City Attorney regarding active litigation, settlements and pending risk issues? What is working well and what could be improved? a. Are you satisfied with the work of outside Counsel retained by the City Attorney? 3. Are you satisfied with the team contributions and collaboration of the City Attorney with the City Clerk and City Manager – as well as other departments? Do the CAO’s work together effectively to further the City’s interests? 4. What are the top 2-3 STRENGTHS of the City Attorney in the past year that should be highlighted? 5. How did the City Attorney do on achieving supporting achievement of Council’s priority goals and on achieving the stated priorities goals in last year’s evaluation for FY 24-25? 6. Identify 2-3 areas where the City Attorney and the office demonstrated exceptional performance in 2023-24 (from her self-evaluation, Council goals, or otherwise). 7. Does the City Attorney have any BLINDSPOTS or areas for additional development that should be brought to her attention? 8. Does the organization face legal vulnerabilities that you can see? 9. How strong do you feel the City Attorney’s technical competencies are (Brown Act, Public Records Act, land use law, etc.) P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com 10. How well does the City Attorney anticipate issues and think strategically to address trends and long-term issues? 11. Are there any additional comments or suggestions that you would like to add concerning the City Attorney’s performance to date? 17. Do you have any thoughts on what the CA should focus on as priorities for FY 24-25 and beyond? What do you think are the top 2-3 issues the Attorney should specifically focus on as priorities for FY 25-26 and beyond? 12. Is there anything else you would like to share with me? P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY CLERK DRAFT 2025 2024 EVALUATION – COUNCIL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. What do you see as the top 2-3 STRENGTHS of the City Clerk that should be leveraged in 24-25 from the past year? 18. Identify 2 – 3 areas where the City Clerk demonstrated excellence in FY 23-24 from her self-evaluation. How did the City Clerk do in achieving her goals for FY 23-24? 2. How did the City Clerk do on achieving Council’s priority goals and her stated priorities for FY 24-25? 3. How does the City Clerk provide the elected officials with the support needed to govern effectively (availability, responsiveness, communication, etc.); are there specific opportunities or areas for her to grow? 4. Does the City Clerk have BLINDSPOTS or areas for development that should be addressed to help her in this role? 5. Please share your perception of the City Clerk’s leadership and how it effectively meets the needs of the Council, her team, and community. Provide specific examples as possible. 6. Are you satisfied with the team contributions and collaboration of the City Clerk with the City Manager and City Attorney – as well as with other departments? Do the CAO’s work together effectively to further the City’s interests? 7. How strong do you feel the City Clerk’s technical competencies are (records management, Brown Act, etc.) 8. How well does the City Clerk anticipate issues and think strategically to address trends and long- term issues? Are there innovations you are looking for in the Clerk’s office? P. O. Box 561, Wilton, CA 95693 916-261-7547 www.Solutions-MRG.com 9. Are there any additional comments or suggestions that you would like to add concerning the City Clerk’s performance to date? 10 Do you have any thoughts on what the Clerk should focus on as priorities for FY 24 -25 and beyond? What do you think are the top 2-3 issues the Clerk should specifically focus on as priorities for FY 25-26 and beyond? 11 Is there anything else you would like to share with me? Council Appointed Officers Committee Supplemental Report From: Sandra Blanch Meeting Date: May 12, 2025 Item Number: 1 Report #:2505-4659 TITLE Discussion Regarding Council Appointed Officers (CAO) Annual Performance Evaluation Process Review and Goal Setting BACKGROUND The Council Appointed Officers Committee Staff Report on agenda for today’s May 12, 2025 meeting, is being updated to add two outstanding items: •Draft Council Interview Questions for the City Auditor 2025 Evaluation; and, •List of Benchmark Agencies for the Council Appointed Officers Compensation Analysis (excluding the City Auditor). ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Draft Council Interview Questions for the City Auditor 2025 Evaluation Attachment B: List of Benchmark Agencies for the Council Appointed Officers Compensation Analysis APPROVED BY: Sandra Blanch, Human Resources Director CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY AUDITOR DRAFT 2025 EVALUATION – COUNCIL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Are you satisfied with quality and timeliness of the verbal and written analyses provided by the City Auditor in the past year? Does anything in particular stand out? 2. Can you identify 2-3 areas where the City Auditor demonstrated exceptional performance in 2024-25, focusing on items in the approved Annual Audit Plan . 3. Does the City Auditor have any BLINDSPOTS or areas for additional development that should be brought to her attention? 4. How strong do you feel the City Auditor’s technical competencies are? 5. How well does the City Auditor think strategically to identify and address key issues and risks in the organization? 6. Are there any additional comments or suggestions that you would like to add concerning the City Auditor’s performance in the past year? 7. Do you have any thoughts on what the Auditor should focus on as priorities for FY 25- 26? 8. Is there anything else you would like to share with me? For CAO Committee Meeting – May 12, 2025 Council Appointed Officers (excluding City Auditor) Compensation Analysis - Benchmark Agencies Prior Compensation review process: Benchmark agencies Proposed Benchmark Agencies same as Management and Prof. employees Utilities Market Alameda Alameda Anaheim Fremont Burbank Mt. View Pasadena Redwood City Riverside San Jose Roseville Santa Clara Santa Clara Sunnyvale Local Market Berkeley Concord Daly City Davis Fremont Hayward Mt. View Pleasanton Redwood City San Jose San Mateo So. San Francisco Sunnyvale Walnut Creek From:herb To:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:May 112, 2025 CAO Committee, Item #1: Performance Evaluation and Goal Setting Date:Sunday, May 11, 2025 5:53:16 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. MAY 12, 2025 COUNCIL APPOINTED OFFICERS (CAO) COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA ITEM #1: ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESS REVIEWAND GOAL SETTING May 11, 2025 The Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each yearfor each Council Appointed Officer (CAO) are identifiablepublic records that are not exempt from disclosure. Those Goals and KPIs need to be included in the agenda packetsfor meetings of the City Council and CAO Committee wheneverthere is an agenda item about evaluating the performance of theCAOs or establishing new Goals and KPIs. The interview process in the CAO Evaluation Process Timelinefor Dan Rich to conduct interviews with the Mayor and CouncilMembers appears to violate the provision of the Ralph M. BrownAct that prohibits a majority of the members of a legislativebody, outside an authorized meeting from using a series ofcommunications of any kind to discuss any item of business thatis within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislativebody. Government Code Section 54952.2 (a) As used in this chapter, “meeting” means any congregation of a majority of the members of a legislative body at the same time and location, including teleconference location as permitted by Section 54953, to hear, discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body. (b) (1) A majority of the members of a legislative body shall not, outside a meeting authorized by this chapter, use a series of communications of any kind, directly or through intermediaries, to discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item of business that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body. (2) Paragraph (1) shall not be construed as preventing an employee or official of a local agency, from engaging in separate conversations or communications outside of a meeting authorized by this chapter with members of a legislative body in order to answer questions or provide information regarding a matter that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the local agency, if that person does not communicate to members of the legislative body the comments or position of any other member or members of the legislative body. The exception in paragraph (2) does not apply because theexception applies to an employee providing information or providing information or answering questions. Herb Borock