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Hamilton Select Board completes annual evaluation discussion, asks manager to finalize goals by Sept. 8
Summary
At a workshop on Aug. 13 the Hamilton Select Board praised Town Manager Joe's performance on operations and finances while urging stronger long-term planning and communications; members agreed to finalize the manager's evaluation and vote on goals at the Sept. 8 meeting.
The Hamilton Select Board reviewed the town manager's annual evaluation and narrowed the board's priorities for the coming year during a workshop on Aug. 13.
Board members repeatedly praised Town Manager Joe's operational leadership, citing improvements in materials preparation, contract negotiations and financial reporting, but they also pressed for more multi-year planning and clearer public communications. "You've had seven years now ... you've greatly improved and made strides in all of the areas," one member said. The manager acknowledged the compliments and said critical items flagged by the board would be addressed in the coming year: "I appreciate all that feedback. ... We'll get to addressing those in the coming year." (Joe (Town Manager))
Why it matters: The review will determine whether the board exercises annual contract options and how the manager's work plans align with measurable town goals, including a possible timeline and deliverables for major projects.
What the board decided: Members agreed they could not vote on the evaluation at the workshop because the consolidated evaluation document had been distributed the same day. They asked the manager to collect additional examples and timelines and to place the finalized evaluation on the Sept. 8 agenda for potential approval and any contract action.
Key context and next steps: The board discussed shifting from a single yearly evaluation to a year-round performance "sync" model while keeping the annual contract requirement intact. The manager said he would provide alternate evaluation formats and sample goal templates for the Sept. 8 meeting. Board members also recommended periodic 360-degree feedback exercises of department interactions to help measure progress.
The manager emphasized that some goals are affected by external constraints (for example, a delayed master plan approval) and asked the board to treat some measures as directional rather than binary. The Select Board closed the session asking the manager to return a cleaned-up evaluation, a prioritized list of top goals, and proposed measures of success for the Sept. 8 agenda.
