Efforts on economic development, infrastructure, staff supervision, financial management and intergovernmental relations were cited as strengths based on the Philomath City Council’s most recent annual performance evaluation for City Manager Chris Workman.
The city released the results of the evaluation in a prepared press release. Councilors came out of an executive session at a Dec. 9 council meeting and approved the wording of the press release on a 4-0 vote (Jessica Andrade, Teresa Nielson absent; one seat vacant).
In addition to the accolades, councilors also emphasized a culture of continuous improvement. According to the release, Workman and the council jointly agreed to continue working to improve community relations, communication and responsiveness.
“I appreciate the council’s honest feedback and I’m excited to continue working with them as we make our city an even better place,” Workman said through the press release. “We’ve accomplished some really big things over the past few years, but there is always room for improvement. We are all committed to that.”
Christopher McMorran, who will be sworn in as the city’s next mayor this coming Tuesday, said the council looks forward to continuing a productive relationship with Workman. Outgoing Mayor Chas Jones said he and the council appreciates his leadership, dedication and work ethic.
“Over the past four years, the city has achieved significant progress on many priority projects, thanks to the commitment of the city manager and our staff to seeing them through successfully,” Jones said in the prepared statement. “Looking ahead, the city manager and council remain focused on continually enhancing services for Philomath and its residents.”
According to the release, the city manager’s review process took into account evaluations submitted by each of the city councilors and mayor individually, the city manager’s self-evaluation and evaluations submitted by city department heads who directly report to Workman.
State law allows the City Council to conduct evaluation deliberations in executive session.
Workman will begin his 12th year as Philomath’s city manager in March.