City attorney presents proposed governing-policy revisions; council discusses roles, evaluations and liaisons

The city attorney presented proposed revisions to St. Helens’ governing policy and related city-code language intended to align the city’s practices with common council–administrator models and League of Oregon Cities guidance.

Ashley Wygott of the City Attorney’s Office said the draft shifts operational hiring and supervision responsibilities toward the city administrator while preserving council authority to hire or terminate a city administrator and to confirm department-head appointments. She recommended annual performance evaluations for the city administrator, and she proposed using an HR professional to administer a cost‑effective evaluation process.

Council discussion focused on two recurring points: (1) removing council liaisons from participating in personnel evaluations or disciplinary steps to avoid perceived conflicts or legal exposure, and (2) whether the governing policy should prescribe a detailed, fixed process for hiring department heads (some councilors favored a more prescriptive approach for consistency and equity). Several councilors asked staff to compile examples of other similar-sized Oregon cities’ hiring practices to inform a final decision.

Why it matters: the proposed changes would alter the council–staff operational balance and formalize review and supervisory practices, affecting how personnel matters and policy interpretations are handled in everyday administration.

Next steps: staff will revise the draft language to (a) remove liaison participation in personnel evaluations per council consensus, (b) clarify that personnel matters should be brought to full council when they involve employment issues, and (c) return with options for a standardized department‑head recruitment process informed by peer-city practices and the League of Oregon Cities guidance.