Council approves launch of city manager recruitment, directs facilitated goals‑based review of appointed officers

Sacramento’s City Council voted unanimously to launch the recruitment for a new city manager and to direct staff to develop a facilitated, goals‑based performance review process for the mayor and council’s appointed officers.

Councilmember Jennings introduced the agenda item and CPS HR consultant Pam Derby summarized stakeholder outreach conducted in April, reporting about 400 survey responses and four in‑person neighborhood meetings. The recruiter said an ideal candidate profile in the brochure emphasizes a ‘‘bold, unifying leader’’ who is a strategic operator and equity‑focused and noted the council had approved a salary range of $273,311–$420,684 for the city manager.

After CPS HR’s presentation, the council discussed total compensation considerations — severance, deferred compensation, relocation, health and wellness provisions and performance evaluation ties — and then voted to permit CPS HR to release the recruitment materials and begin the formal search. Councilmember Jennings moved the motion and it passed 9‑0.

Separately the council approved a proposal to hire an external facilitator to help the council collaboratively set measurable goals and evaluate performance for the city’s charter officers (city manager, city attorney, city auditor, city clerk, city treasurer) and other council‑appointed leaders such as the director of Public Safety and Accountability. Shelly Banks Robinson described the facilitator’s role as helping avoid inadvertent Brown Act violations by gathering individual input and producing a neutral, measurable set of goals for review and evaluation. The council directed city staff to work with the Personnel & Public Employees (P&PE) committee to develop a facilitated process and return with a proposed structure, with the aim of having it in place before appointing the next city manager.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Direct CPS HR to proceed with the executive recruitment for city manager and direct staff to develop a formal facilitated, goals‑based review process for appointed officers. Mover: Councilmember Jennings. Second: (recorded). Vote: 9 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain.

Why it matters

The council move starts the formal search for the city’s top executive and establishes a timeline and structure for holding appointed leaders to collaboratively set and measured expectations. Council members and stakeholder groups emphasized centering racial equity in recruitment and evaluation; several community speakers urged specific equity‑focused evaluation criteria.

What’s next

Staff expects to launch the recruitment the week following the meeting, with a closing date of June 30, interviews in July, and a candidate selection and negotiation period anticipated in August. The P&PE committee will work with a facilitator to return to council with a recommended review process before the new manager is hired.