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Personnel committee reviews city manager evaluation process, staffing freezes and budget questions
Summary
The Benton Harbor personnel and finance committee discussed a draft city manager evaluation and set targets to distribute and complete it in July; the committee also received HR and income tax reports noting 104 employees (35 new hires), frozen public safety and income-tax specialist positions, and asked that the finance specialist attend future meetings to clarify budget lines.
Benton Harbor's personnel and finance committee spent much of its session reviewing procedures for the upcoming city manager evaluation, pressing for clarity on staffing freezes and budget categories, and requesting greater involvement from the city's finance specialist.
The chair opened by saying the city manager evaluation will cover January through the end of June and recommended having forms returned and tallied in time for the July commission meeting. Commissioners debated whether tallying should be done by an internal clerk team or an external neutral. The deputy clerk explained the proposed process: individual scores would be tallied, converted to percentages using a formula on the evaluation form, and a cumulative commission score produced; copies would be distributed to commissioners without identifying who gave which score.
Commissioner Fields asked for additional time to review a draft evaluation form and proposed establishing a regular annual review cycle so the commission does not repeatedly revisit format. The committee agreed to distribute Fields' draft to all commissioners and aim to finalize the evaluation by the July 20 commission meeting if the manager's absence requires a delay.
Human resources update: The personnel director summarized department activity, including renewing health insurance, onboarding for a summer youth program that began June 15, and ongoing union negotiations. She reported 104 total employees, of which 35 are new hires and four are rehires. Several positions remain frozen, including public safety and the income tax specialist role, though the speaker said budgeted funds exist for income-tax support.
Budget questions and finance presence: Commissioners repeatedly asked that the city's financial specialist (Rhonda) attend personnel and finance meetings to explain line items; Commissioner Fields said Rhonda's presence had clarified available communications funds. The city manager agreed to provide more detailed line-item information and commissioners requested quarterly budget reviews and a meeting with the finance specialist to improve understanding.
Why it matters: The evaluation process determines oversight of executive management; frozen positions and unclear budget lines affect the city's ability to deliver services such as public safety and tax collection. Commissioners said clearer budget transparency will help prioritize hires and program funding.
Next steps: The committee will distribute the draft evaluation, collect tallies per the agreed process, and reconvene to finalize the evaluation. Staff will provide more detailed budget line-item information and arrange the requested meeting with the finance specialist.
