By Carol Britton Meyer

The process for evaluating the town manager’s performance – a review that has not taken place at least in recent years – was discussed at length by the select board this week, with a vote expected at the next meeting on which evaluation document to use.

The town’s labor counsel, John Clifford, who earlier provided the different forms to board members, explained this week the recommended process based on its success in other communities. Board member Greg Grey was not present.

The process involves Town Manager Jennifer Constable filling out a self-assessment form and each of the five select board members completing individual assessments of her performance – citing, for instance, areas of needed improvement and specific examples.

The board is permitted to talk with town staff and department heads about how they rate the town manager’s work.

After the five assessments are compiled into one summary document by the human resources director, the select board chair, or an outside party or town counsel, the results will be presented during a public meeting and voted upon.

Board members are not allowed to take a look at each other’s evaluations until after that vote. The summary document, which will not be available to the public, will become part of Constable’s personnel record, along with any responses she makes about the contents of the document, once presented.

‘Fully and fairly vetted evaluation’

Constable said she would be most comfortable with town counsel compiling the assessments into one document and favors a “full and fairly vetted evaluation.”

Performance evaluations are “a critical part of the board’s relationship with the town manager and [his or her] relationship with the board,” Clifford said. “This should be viewed as an ongoing annual process, and if there’s not enough information available the first year, more will be available to consider later in the town manager’s tenure. A performance evaluation is not a snapshot.”

Because there is not already an evaluation process in place, Chair Irwin Nesoff said it’s important to take the necessary time to do it right.

“This needs to be done properly, and next year we’ll be able to move forward with a process in place,” he said.

The select board will receive the summary document well before the public meeting during which it will be discussed.

In other business at the meeting…

• Jason McCann was appointed as the board’s designee to serve on the MBTA Advisory Board as well as the ferry subcommittee.

• Robert Pahl, an architect who said affordable housing is needed in Hull “big time,” was appointed to the affordable housing committee and Scott Plympton and Judeth Van Hamm were reappointed to the Weir River Estuary Committee, while Pat Finn was reappointed to the zoning board of appeals.

• Tami Schein, whose family has been summering in Hull for generations and who moved her permanently a year ago, was appointed to the beach management advisory committee. “I want to help protect the beach as much as I can,” she said. “It’s the biggest thing in Hull that brings everyone here.”

• At James Ianiri’s request, the select board agreed to appoint him to a vacant permanent seat on the No Place for Hate Committee once he officially resigns from the alternate position the board appointed him to earlier, which has no voting rights.

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