Hoover mayor announces open council-staff communications, orders review of staff performance evaluations

The mayor of Hoover addressed city employees and announced three administrative orders, reading two aloud and setting deadlines for personnel reviews.

The mayor said the city will “improve” and “innovate” rather than maintain the status quo, and emphasized higher expectations, transparency and regular communication with staff. He read two orders that take effect immediately: one authorizing employees and city council members to communicate directly about city business while explicitly prohibiting council members from directing employees’ work; the other directing the director of Human Resources to provide the mayor’s office with a list of any employee who does not have a current performance evaluation on file and requiring departments to complete overdue evaluations by Dec. 1, 2025.

Why it matters: The orders change internal rules about who may communicate about city business and place an explicit, citywide deadline on performance evaluations, tasks that could affect department workflows, supervisory responsibilities and human-resources staffing priorities.

Details from the address

The mayor framed the event as the “first day” of working together and repeatedly raised standards for service. “We’re not here to maintain the status quo,” he said, adding that employees should practice “planning” and “foresight.” He described excellence as a daily commitment: “Excellence is not a destination that we reach once and then just coast.”

Administrative orders read aloud

• Administrative order 1 (communication policy): Effective immediately, “all city employees are authorized and encouraged to communicate with members of the city council in person, by telephone, or email regarding any information relative to the city of Hoover.” The order includes an exception: council members are not authorized to direct employees’ actions “relative to the discharge of duties on behalf of the city.”

• Administrative order 2 (performance evaluations): Effective immediately, the director of Human Resources is directed to provide the office of the mayor with a list identifying any employee who does not have a current job-performance evaluation on file at the close of business on 2025-11-03. The list must include each employee’s name, title, date of hire, date of last promotion, date of most recent evaluation and the name and job title of the person responsible for completing the evaluation. Department heads are directed to confirm to Human Resources that each employee has a current evaluation; if not, the department must ensure the evaluation is completed on or before Monday, 2025-12-01.

The mayor said these orders are “consistent pursuant to the city of Hoover personnel policies and procedures.” He also said he would be signing three administrative orders at the event; the transcript records the text for the two orders above but does not specify the third order’s text.

What the mayor asked of staff

The mayor asked for a heightened standard of professionalism and for staff to adopt a planning mindset: anticipate problems, prepare, and execute. He promised regular communication, more transparent feedback channels and support from the mayor’s office: “I’ll listen to your concerns and work with you to solve problems. I’ll communicate regularly and create opportunities for meaningful feedback, and I’ll lead by example.”

What the record shows and what is not specified

The transcript records the mayor reading two administrative orders in full and stating that he would sign three orders. The text of the third order was not included in the meeting transcript provided. The transcript does not specify the mayor’s full name, the exact date of the meeting, or whether the third order was distributed in writing at the event.

Staff and officials mentioned

The mayor recognized several council members and city officials by name in the remarks. The transcript names President Casey Midbrooks, President Pro Tem Chris Driver, Councilor Derek Murphy, Councilor Jean Smith, Ashley Lovell, Robert Schultz and the city attorney, Charles (Charlie) Waltrip. The transcript also references a person named “Steve McClint”; the spelling appears in the record as provided but is not confirmed.

Next steps noted in the remarks

Human Resources is to prepare the evaluation report to the mayor’s office by close of business on 2025-11-03. Departments must complete any missing evaluations by 2025-12-01. The mayor said the orders are effective immediately. The content of the third administrative order the mayor said he would sign was not specified in the transcript.