Residents and mayor call for clearer performance-evaluation and onboarding processes after heated meetings

Residents and the mayor used a town-hall meeting to press for more structured onboarding for newly elected officials and for a clearer, consistent performance-evaluation process for the city manager.

A speaker said the commission had conducted what amounted to a "coaching conversation" but treated it as a vote of no confidence without established interim steps. The speaker recommended a written benefits-and-risks document and a formal onboarding and evaluation timeline for executives, arguing that such paperwork would create clearer expectations and reduce public conflicts.

The mayor said he had asked for onboarding materials for elected officials and called for a formal approach to performance reviews. He said not all commissioners had turned in written performance evaluations for the city manager before a public vote and that holding a public vote without completed evaluations was inconsistent with best practice.

Speakers also criticized decorum at recent commission meetings, calling some public exchanges "unprofessional" and urging stronger adherence to rules of order. The mayor said he has tightened time limits for public comment and that workshops should be used for longer, collaborative discussion so routine commission meetings run more efficiently.

No formal policy change or ordinance was adopted at the town-hall. Attendees and the mayor urged the commission to develop written onboarding materials for elected officials, a standard performance-evaluation process for executive staff, and clearer public-comment rules to reduce interruptions and repeated decorum violations.