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Officials weigh expanding annual performance reviews across departments
Summary
Board members and staff discussed expanding annual performance evaluations and goal-setting used in the police department to other municipal departments, emphasizing goal-oriented reviews and recordkeeping.
Town meeting participants discussed extending routine annual performance evaluations and formal goal-setting, a process currently carried out in the police department, to all municipal departments.
The change matters because proponents said goal-oriented reviews improve performance by clarifying expectations and giving supervisors and employees a recurring opportunity to align on objectives. A speaker said the police department currently completes annual evaluations directed by the commissioner and suggested the same model could be adapted elsewhere.
Speakers argued the most valuable element of evaluation is the goal-setting conversation between supervisor and employee, which surface work priorities and development aims. Staff noted there are at least two different evaluation formats in use across departments; some are numerical checklists while others emphasize narrative goal-setting and development plans. Participants suggested formalizing a simple record-keeping tool to capture evaluations consistently across departments and to track progress on goals.
No formal policy or board vote was recorded in the segments provided. Staff said they would explore models, consider department-specific adjustments and return with recommendations for the board to review.
