Lacking Personnel Management at the City of Scottsboro

UPDATE: October 4, 2010 8:00PM City Council Member Keith Smith withdraws agenda item to discuss moving Department Heads to Classified Position employees instead of appointed, non classified employees. Mr. Smith stated, "I do not not have the support of the other council members, I request withdrawal of item 5 [Department Head issue] from the agenda."

At Monday's October 4, 2010 City Council meeting, Council Member Keith Smith may bring up issue concerning changing the Department Heads from Non-Classified appointed employees to Classified regular employees. (The police chief and city clerk must be appointed employees in accordance with state law.)

Unfortunately Scottsboro does not have a system of contractual, objective performance standards in place, although an investigator recommended a system of performance standards be implemented due to legal and administrative action concerning the City of Scottsboro and their employees. The standard for personnel operations concerning employee appraisals of government entity's employees is a system of Objective Performance Standards. The City of Scottsboro is failing its responsibilities in relationship to accountability of its employees.

The City of Scottsboro's Personnel Management System is lacking in supervisory accountability, management employee communications and performance planning and standards. Management Training has historically been lacking for the City of Scottsboro.

City Officials of Scottsboro have created and changed job descriptions to meet the individual instead of hiring the individual to meet the requirements of job descriptions. The current management and performance system is seriously lacking and allows for unwarranted political intervention by unscrupulous officials and non-accountable employee performance at all levels.

To move the Department Heads to classified regular employee status is a mistake without improving Scottsboro's deficient Personnel Management System concerning employee performance planning and implementing a system of contractual objective performance standards.