Chief Administrative Officer Performance Appraisal

The CAO's Performance

The performance of the CAO can have such a direct and lasting impact on the ability of council to carry out its mandate that a functional and successful relationship should be viewed as essential. A CAO performance appraisal is a valuable tool for councils to use when assessing competencies and provides an opportunity to establish consistent and regular feedback for the CAO role. The performance appraisal allows the CAO with the opportunity to draft and discuss their annual objectives, assess the results, and make necessary changes for future evaluations.

It is in everyone’s best interests that an atmosphere of trust, respect and transparency develop and characterize this relationship; a well-developed and planned CAO performance appraisal can help establish this.

The performance appraisal is mandated in the Municipal Governance Act Section 205.1, so it should be expected. The appraisal should set out:

• To formally discuss the relationship between the municipality and the CAO.
• To relate performance to the role, responsibilities, authority and duties as defined by the MGA, the bylaws and policies and the job description.
• To set objectives and criteria for future evaluation.
• To recognize strengths and weaknesses and reward or correct them.
• To serve as a basis for salary adjustment.

The review should at least include the following areas:

• Management and leadership practices
• Relationship with council
• Relationship with staff
• Relationship with the public and media
• Objectives and accomplishments
• Areas for improvement/suggested training

The following resources are available for you to use and to help develop a CAO performance appraisal that works for your municipality’s council and CAO. 

Webinar - Performing Chief Administrative Officer Evaluations 

Gord Syme of Conroy Ross Partners