Thurston County to keep existing county manager evaluation process; chair to compile reviews with July target

At the April 9, 2025 work session, Chair Ty Mentzer proposed keeping the county manager evaluation process largely the same for this year and setting a target to finalize the review in July. The board, noting that County Manager Leonard Hernandez had reached his one-year anniversary, supported a brief extension to allow the chair time to gather input from director reports, assistant county managers and fellow commissioners.

"My proposal after kind of talking through it was to kind of, for this year, keep the same kind of general process ... bring it to the board and kind of have a, like, July target date to finalize," Chair Ty Mentzer said. He described a process of consulting with the county manager, selected directors and other board members and then reviewing the compiled material with the county manager.

Multiple commissioners urged memorializing the evaluation steps in writing so managers and future commissioners understand expectations and timelines. One commissioner said the written process would reduce the back-and-forth email traffic and make the timeline clear. Chair Mentzer said Maria (staff) would assist with procedural steps and forms used in prior years.

Commissioners noted the practical consequences of timing for evaluations, including links to raises and step increases for some positions. They discussed that, because of the county manager's time in office and the arrival of new commissioners, a short delay compared with past practice was reasonable this year. The board agreed to proceed under the existing process, with the chair compiling input and returning to the board for finalization in July.