Huntington Woods commissioners discuss hiring HR consultant, updating handbook and sharpening city manager review

Huntington Woods, Mich. — Commissioners at the Oct. 21 City Commission meeting discussed whether to hire an outside human-resources consultant to update the city’s employee handbook, develop a citywide code of conduct and add more quantitative metrics to the city manager review process.

Commissioners and staff framed the discussion as a mix of compliance, organizational culture and talent-management work rather than only legal review. The current employee handbook has not been updated in about six years, commissioners said, and some departments — notably public safety — maintain different, more-developed personnel policies and evaluation tools.

The conversation focused on three questions: what gaps an outside HR professional would fill beyond the city’s labor counsel, which items could be handled internally by staff, and how to prioritize tasks. Commissioners suggested workstreams that include an employee-handbook audit, a citywide code of conduct (distinct from a procedural handbook) and a revised city manager evaluation that would incorporate 3–5 measurable goals tied to deadlines.

City Manager Andrew Pasachowski and commissioners noted public safety’s CALEA-accredited practices as a model to adapt across other departments. Commissioners also raised cost concerns and recalled an earlier local consulting engagement on inclusion that some members found unsatisfactory, underscoring a desire to know the specific problems an outside consultant would address before issuing an RFP.

As a next step, commissioners agreed to compile individual lists of items they want addressed and to send those to the city manager within 30 days. The city manager and city attorney were asked to sort the submissions and indicate which matters could be handled by existing staff or labor counsel and which would require outside assistance. No formal contract or RFP was approved at the meeting.

Commissioners said the work could include: an audit of personnel policies across departments, development of a citywide code of conduct, a more structured city manager review with measurable performance goals and design of consistent on-boarding and annual training practices. Labor counsel involvement was recommended for matters of collective bargaining, discipline and legal compliance.

Next steps: commissioners will submit their lists to the city manager within 30 days; the manager and city attorney will triage items and report back with recommendations on which require outside consulting, legal review or can be implemented by staff.