Bedford Twp. talks employee reviews

Officials expected to begin process

2/8/2017

TEMPERANCE — The Bedford Township board appears poised to approve the implementation of performance evaluations for township employees.

Trustee TC Clements led the effort and drew up a three-page review to be completed on a biannual basis. The board first publicly discussed the possibility at its Jan. 17 meeting.

Mr. Clements said during Tuesday night’s board meeting he will submit the final product for approval at the next meeting, Feb. 21.

“We don’t currently have any review system that provides any metrics to our employees at all,” Mr. Clements said. “I think it’s difficult to expect good performance from employees when we’re not engaging with them and showing the area where we think they’re excelling, and areas where we would like to see improvement.”

A draft of the evaluation sheet indicates employees will be given a score of 1-10 on 10 factors, such as quality of work, attitude, and communication.

There is also a job-specific portion of the evaluation.

“It also provides a historical basis,” Mr. Clements said. “So as we see changes in leadership, there are documents where we can look at an employee’s history.”

Mr. Clements also said the review assists the township in the event of a termination lawsuit. It’s still being determined who will conduct the reviews, but Mr. Clements suggested each department could choose.

Trustee Rick Steiner provided suggestions and feedback.

“Money’s great, but sometimes just being told you’re doing a great job is worth more,” he said.

The board also discussed how to proceed with lifetime health-care benefits for township employees. The current policy adopted in 2010 states employees with at least 17 years of service qualify for lifetime care upon retirement. 

Bedford Township currently provides a total of $42,000 a year in coverage for five retirees.

Supervisor Paul Pirrone proposed dropping the spousal portion beginning Jan. 1, 2018.

The supervisor’s request failed to generate support, and the policy was left untouched. 

The 2010 changes also ended the program for future township employees. Five current retirees and three future retirees are eligible to receive lifetime benefits.

Contact Jay Skebba at: jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.