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BL2026-1514 — Employee Surveys

This discussion topic was requested by Council Member Tasha Ellis regarding Ordinance No. BL2026-1514.

Colleagues,

At yesterday's Government Operations and Regulations Committee meeting, we discussed CM Styles' bill and my proposed substitute. The committee voted on my substitute, which received a favorable vote, and the bill was then deferred one meeting to October 6.

Everyone agrees on the goal: Metro employees should have a meaningful way to provide feedback. The question is how we build a process that employees trust and that produces reliable, actionable information.

WHY THIS MATTERS

As Council members, we often hear about departments from directors and liaisons or from individual employees who reach out when something is already wrong. A well-designed employee survey can give us a broader picture of workplace culture, leadership, morale and other trends before problems reach that point.

But that only works if employees trust the process and the results are collected and interpreted appropriately.

HOW THE TWO VERSIONS DIFFER

Original bill: Requires HR to fund and facilitate annual surveys and establishes the survey structure now. It identifies six specific areas to measure, requires administration by an outside third party, and requests that surveys be anonymous and confidential. However, it directs HR to fund the surveys even though no money has been appropriated. Survey funding was not included in the adopted FY27 budget, and the Council cannot direct mid-year funding on its own.

My substitute: Requires HR, once funding is appropriated, to complete a best-practices study within six months and report back to Council. That study must address survey administration, frequency, anonymity, equitable access, resources, interpretation of results and protections against retaliatory behavior. The six subjects in the original bill remain as potential areas to measure rather than an exhaustive list.

There is also a Charter issue. The Council Office analysis states that the original legislation does not align with Article 12 of the Charter, which assigns responsibility for personnel rules to the Director of Personnel and Civil Service Commission. My substitute is structured around that existing authority while directing HR to develop the framework and bring the results back to Council.

Practically, the earliest funding for either version is the FY28 budget, which begins July 1, 2027. Under my substitute, the study would be completed within six months, so the framework is ready when surveys could realistically begin, not later.

The goal of my substitute is simple: use the time before implementation to build the framework first, so when Metro surveys employees, employees can trust the process and Council receives information we can responsibly use.

I respectfully ask for your support of the substitute on October 6, and I'm glad to answer any questions before then.