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City auditor finds gaps in Denton—s employee performance program, recommends new guidance
Summary
The city auditor told the Denton City Council that HR vacancies and inconsistent guidance left supervisors without clear, written expectations and training; the audit issued 11 recommendations and a follow-up review is planned for 2028.
Madison Rochaw, Denton—s city auditor, presented the results of Audit Project 047 on the city—s employee performance management program and concluded that staffing gaps and inconsistent guidance limit transparency and consistent treatment of employees. Rochaw said the city—s organizational development team has experienced “significant turnover” and that all three positions in that team are currently vacant, delaying guidance and training until 2025.
Rochaw pointed to survey results from 67 of 258 supervisors (about 25% response) showing that roughly 90% reported they write performance expectations that align with departmental goals, but only about 58% said expectations were clearly defined and 52% said they were measurable. She said "helping supervisors establish specific, written, individualized expectations would help further ensure the performance management program is transparent and consistent for all employees." The audit also found that only 22% of supervisors who responded indicated they communicated individualized performance expectations in writing.
On underperformance, the audit reported limited use of formal interventions: only seven performance-improvement plans (PIPs) were issued in 2023—24. Rochaw told council the HR log of interventions lacked employee ID numbers and used preferred first names, reducing usability. She recommended developing standard operating procedures to ensure required information about interventions is captured and retained in personnel files.
Rochaw also criticized how annual ratings are used, saying aggregate rating data are generally not shared with department management and HR does not routinely analyze ratings to identify citywide training needs. The audit made a total of 11 recommendations; city departments agreed or partially agreed with the recommendations and a follow-up review is planned for 2028 unless council requests an earlier review.
Council members asked detailed questions about the supervisor survey and the vacant organizational development positions. Cassie Ogden, deputy city manager, said the city has approved hiring an organizational development manager and will advertise externally. Rochaw said the survey was distributed by email to identified supervisors, with reminders, and that while 25% is not ideal, staff believed the sample was reasonably representative across departments.
