On May 11, 2025, Ms. Cluckie outlined a path forward for the city. In the spirit of accountability and transparency, The Hamiltonian revisited our earlier exchange with Ms. Cluckie to assess what progress has been achieved since that time.
Below are our follow-up questions and Ms. Cluckie’s responses. We thank Ms. Cluckie for once again engaging directly with Hamiltonians through The Hamiltonian and invite our readers to consider whether her answers reflect the progress they expect and deserve.
Ms. Cluckie:
On May 11, 2025, you responded to a number of questions posed to you by The Hamiltonian. This article can be found here.http://www.thehamiltonian.net/2025/05/promises-promises-or-finally.html
We are doing a follow up to this article and the assurances you gave in your responses. Specifically, can you provide an update on the following:
1. Customer Service Strategy Progress:
In your May 11, 2025, response, you stated that the City of Hamilton had approved funding for a customer service strategy in the 2024 budget, but the rollout was delayed due to the cyberattack. You also mentioned that a Request for Proposal (RFP) would be issued “shortly.” Can you provide an update on the timeline for the RFP release and any significant progress made thus far? Specifically, how far along is the City in implementing customer service expectations and standards? Are there any measurable outcomes to date that can be shared with the public?
City of Hamilton staff are currently assessing the proposals that were received through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for third-party experts to assist with the development of the Customer Service Strategy. The RFP closed in September 2025 and staff are working to select the successful vendor in the coming weeks.
2. Employee Performance Evaluations:
As part of the City’s Performance Accountability and Development (PAD) Program, you mentioned in May 2025 that one of the first steps is setting performance expectations and conducting evaluations at year-end. Given that we are now well into 2025, could you provide the current percentage of City employees who have up to date performance documents in place? Additionally, we request a breakdown by management versus non-management staff.
The Performance Accountability and Development (PAD) process includes a collaborative discussion between each employee and their leader to support career growth and establish goals and objectives for the year. For employees to be successful in their role and feel like contributing members of a team, they need to clearly understand what is expected of them and how their work connects to the priorities of the City.
The PAD process is a critical tool for the collective success of the organization to deliver on priorities, enabling continuous improvement, service excellence and accountability to residents.
Editor’s Note:Ms. Cluckie’s response to this question did not address the substance of our inquiry. We specifically requested statistical information indicating how many City of Hamilton employees currently have an active performance plan in place, and how those figures compare between management and staff. We also wrote to Ms. Cluckie inquiring if she had any questions about our questions, prior to her responding. We did not receive any indication that she did.
After receiving her response to question 2, we wrote to the Ms. Cluckie expressing our concern regarding the lack of a direct response and extended our original deadline to provide Ms. Cluckie an additional opportunity to answer the question and demonstrate transparency. Unfortunately, she chose not to provide a further response.
In our previous exchange, you mentioned that employee goals and objectives are aligned with departmental and divisional workplans. Can you make these workplans available for public review, so that Hamilton taxpayers can see how their tax dollars are being allocated and what specific objectives departments are working toward?
As part of each year’s Budget process, City Departments present to Council on their priorities and programs, including financial figures related to the investments in high-quality municipal services residents rely on. These presentations reflect this term of Council’s approved priorities and provide an important opportunity to enhance public transparency regarding City priorities and resource allocation. While internal departmental workplans are not published in full, residents can access the comprehensive information about departmental priorities and planned investments through this process. More information on the annual budget process can be found here https://www.hamilton.ca/city-council/city-administration/city-budget/2025-tax-rate-budget.
4. Formalized Performance Contract:
You previously indicated that your performance objectives are set in collaboration with the Mayor and reflect Council’s approved priorities. However, there does not appear to be a formal written performance contract in place for you as City Manager. Has there been any discussion or progress in establishing a formal, written contract that clearly outlines the goals, performance metrics, and expectations for your role as the most senior public servant in Hamilton? If such a contract exists, can you provide any details regarding its structure and accountability measures?
Consistent with the response shared this past May, the City Manager’s annual performance goals and objectives are set in collaboration with the Mayor, who reviews and evaluates outcomes. While there is not a formalized, public-facing performance contract, the City Manager’s objectives are designed to deliver on Council’s approved priorities for this term: Sustainable Economic & Ecological Development, Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods, and Responsiveness & Transparency. The City Manager continues to focus on delivering results, improving service, strengthening accountability and fostering a high-performing organization to meet the needs of Hamilton residents.
