Resident accuses Scappoose city manager of undermining accountability; council moves to refine evaluation tool

Scappoose — During public comment at the Sept. 15 council meeting, Scappoose resident Alicia Higgas criticized the draft city manager evaluation tool and alleged the city manager had inappropriately responded to complaints about himself. "Allowing the subject of a complaint to control or limit the council's response directly undermines the very accountability this draft tool calls for," Higgas said.

City Manager Ben Burgener responded at the meeting, saying staff and council had "responded according to our policies and procedures with the appropriate response according to personnel investigations" and that the council had been made aware of the process. Burgener said he would "leave it at that" for the public record.

Councilors discussed the draft evaluation tool in a subsequent work-session segment and agreed to circulate the draft to department heads and the city manager for written feedback. Council members said they want an assessment tool the council can actually use meaningfully — one councilor suggested a three-point scale ("needs improvement / meets expectations / exceeds expectations") to reduce ambiguity.

Why it matters: The exchange highlights tensions over oversight, transparency and the performance-evaluation process for the top city executive. Council direction to circulate the draft and collect department-head feedback sets a timeline for more detailed review at the Sept. 30 work session.

What’s next: Staff will distribute the draft to department heads for comment; the council will consider feedback at the Sept. 30 work session and again at the Oct. 4 meeting if needed.