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Board adopts amendment to CEO duties, adds 360‑degree evaluations for department heads
Summary
Supervisors approved an ordinance amending the county code to clarify duties of the county CEO and to require use of a 360‑degree evaluation process for non‑elected department heads who report directly to the board.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Feb. 25 to introduce and adopt (first reading) an ordinance that amends Chapter 2.28 of the Mendocino County Code to refine the duties and responsibilities of the county Chief Executive Officer and to require a 360‑degree evaluation process for non‑elected department heads.
The revision clarifies the evaluation workflow for department heads who report directly to the board: the CEO will prepare an evaluation draft, present it to the board, and the department head will be available for closed‑session discussion at the board’s direction. The ordinance as adopted by the board also adds the phrase "utilizing a 360 evaluation process" to subsection G concerning performance evaluation.
Members discussed the cadence and level of reporting the CEO will provide to the board. Several supervisors asked that the CEO provide at least quarterly status reports on department expenditures; after discussion the board agreed to language clarifying that the CEO will report on department expenditures at least quarterly and recommend adjustments as necessary. HR staff said they were testing an automated performance module in the Munis system with the goal of rolling out evaluations by July 1.
Why it matters: The change formalizes board involvement in evaluations of department heads who report to the board while preserving the CEO’s accountability for departments that report to the executive office. Supervisor Mulhern, who participated in earlier drafting, said the change puts greater onus on the CEO to ensure department heads manage to board policy and priorities.
Board action: The proposed ordinance, as edited on the floor to explicitly reference the 360‑degree process, passed unanimously on first reading. Supervisors directed HR to continue implementing Munis‑based evaluation tools and to work with the CEO on rollout timing.
