Could employee performance evaluations have prevented the state’s takeover of Back River?

Serious personnel problems within the Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) led to the state takeover of the city’s Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) reported that the plant was on the verge of “catastrophic failure” when it was inspected on March 23.

One of the likely problems is the haphazard manner in which the city does employee performance evaluations. City Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Chris Shorter identified the problem early in his tenure.

The immediate cause of the crisis at the Back River plant was the shortage of DPW employees competent to run it. The city blamed the situation on the lack of “adequate and qualified candidates to replace retiring employees.” A former maintenance supervisor at the plant who was fired last year told the Baltimore Brew that the fault lay with the current head of DPW’s Water and Wastewater Bureau for forcing out knowledgeable senior staff.

There may be elements of truth in both accounts, but neither adequately explains the scope of the problems within DPW. The problems are not limited to wastewater treatment, and they long predate the pandemic.

DPW has been in a slow, painful decline for years, leaving city residents plagued by chronic water billing issues, trash accumulation in rights of way, and erratic trash and recycling pickup. And those are only the problems that we are aware of.

DPW also is responsible for inspecting underground pipes and other water, wastewater and stormwater management facilities, and for preparing a long-term plan for repair and replacement. How many other potential catastrophic failures are out there?

I don’t know the exact standard for determining whether an office or department of local government is a “failed agency.” I am pretty sure, however, that DPW meets it. And I believe that it is likely that a major deficiency in personnel management identified by Mr. Shorter played a role in DPW’s demise.

The position of CAO was added by voters to the city charter in 2020 to improve day-to-day operations of city government. Shortly after he was hired as Baltimore’s first CAO, Mr. Shorter addressed the fact that the city did not do routine performance evaluations of all its employees.

It’s hardly surprising that the shortcoming caught his attention. A system of periodic performance evaluations for employees, including supervisors and managers, is the primary means that almost all large government agencies rely upon to maintain the quality of their workforces.

Mr. Shorter explained at a meeting in July of last year, as reported by The Sun, that only one of the 10 bargaining units representing city employees requires performance evaluations. In that unit of 1,200 employees, only 60% were regularly evaluated. Contracts with the other unions, including the city’s largest, don’t require evaluations, so it was “not clear” how many of those employees were being evaluated, according to Mr. Shorter.

The city has about 14,000 employees. Mr. Shorter said his goal was to have 50% of the city workforce evaluated within the year. I suggest that he also take a look at why the employee evaluation process is “completely separate” from the promotion process, as described at the meeting.

The mayor’s chief of staff, Michael Huber, a longtime city employee, stated that the evaluation process was “extremely burdensome” and caused “resentment” among employees. Suffice it to say that the fact that performance evaluations are time-consuming and not always appreciated by employees does not make them any less essential.

Mr. Shorter described his plan to establish a comprehensive system of employee performance evaluations as a “culture shift.” The culture that he was referring to is the city’s questionable commitment to accountability. Accountability includes making sure that employees not satisfactorily performing their jobs are terminated.

Would an effective performance evaluation system have made a difference at the Back River plant? Perhaps. MDE reported that only two of the 76 plant operators were fully certified by the state. Certification requires passing a test on how to inspect, maintain, and repair wastewater treatment plants.

A DPW official told MDE that some employees couldn’t pass the required test and others weren’t motivated to try because there is “no incentive” to do so. Those are the type of issues typically addressed in performance evaluations.

Making sure that all city employees undergo regular and properly done performance evaluations is critically important. It won’t solve all the problems with DPW or other city agencies, but it’s a step in the right direction.