City Council Members Will Do It Themselves

The City Council has reversed a decision by the city manager to hire an outside evaluator of his performance, council member Shawn Boyd said Tuesday.

Keith Till hired the facilitator last month to oversee the yearly evaluation of his job performance as city manager, but a majority of the council members voted for the City Council to do the assessment as it has done in the past.

Till hired Dr. William Mathis, an independent, Napa-based psychologist who has taught seminars on government efficiency and who recently helped with the appointment of the chief executive for the Orange County Transportation Authority.

At a meeting two weeks ago, council members dismissed Mathis, citing concern over the $5,500 cost of the evaluation.

“The consensus of the council was that we didn’t want to spend 5,000 bucks for something we have always done ourselves,” Boyd said.

Till, who has been under fire the last two months after his controversial decision to fire the city treasurer, was up for the yearly review of his annual job performance.

“The intention is not to consider dismissal but to review his performance,” Boyd said.

The only member of the council in favor of hiring Mathis was Mayor Paul Yost, an outspoken supporter of Till.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that there’s been miscommunication,” Yost said. He said he wanted to hire Mathis to improve relations between the city manager, the staff and the council.

Till refused to comment on the hiring of the evaluator, forwarding all questions to Yost. He has also declined to comment on the firing of former City Treasurer Elizabeth Stoddard except to say that she was fired over “philosophical differences.”

The dismissal of Stoddard prompted council members Boyd and Patty Campbell to ask the city attorney to study whether the City Charter allows the council to appoint a future city treasurer, a power previously exercised by the city manager.

Stoddard was dismissed by Till just days after receiving a national award for excellence in financial reporting. She has since filed a claim against the city, alleging wrongful termination and emotional distress. She is also demanding her job back.

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Louise Roug can be reached at (714) 966-5977