{"MatterTextId":11017,"MatterTextGuid":"1B197183-B21E-4A62-B1C6-BA0C36DA9FB5","MatterTextLastModifiedUtc":"2026-10-08T17:01:51.967","MatterTextRowVersion":"AAAAAAEOL4g=","MatterTextMatterId":21064,"MatterTextVersion":"2","MatterTextPlain":"..title\nAn ordinance amending Title 3 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to examine best practices for Metropolitan Government to conduct periodic surveys of employees of departments, boards, and commissions of the Metropolitan Government. \n..body\nWHEREAS, surveys distributed to employees of the Department of Emergency Communications in the summer of 2025 have been insightful to the department, and using this type of survey throughout the Metropolitan Government would provide similar benefits; and\nWHEREAS, this survey will help to gather policy input, increase employee engagement, and evaluate employees’ service in the furtherance of the department’s mission.\nWHEREAS, anonymous employee surveys can provide broad, thematic observations if they are properly planned and constructed and use methodology that ensures accuracy and fairness; and\nWHEREAS, factors that must be considered in conducting surveys include identifying the unique functions and priorities that exist across departments; determining a time and manner to ensure adequate resourcing to plan, develop, conduct, and participate in the surveys and tabulate and analyze results; protecting the anonymity of respondents to increase participation and reduce selection bias; understanding variances between administrative resources in different departments; and identifying optimal frequencies, lengths, and subject matter; and\nWHEREAS, the department of human resources has not been allocated funding for either studying best practices for department-specific surveys or conducting such surveys; and\nWHEREAS, employees of the metropolitan government and the level of service provided by the metropolitan government will be best served by a survey process that takes into account these factors; and\nWHEREAS, the Metropolitan Charter places the authority to determine such process with the director of personnel, typically referred to as the Director of Human Resources.\nNOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:\nSection 1. That Title 3 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws is hereby amended by adding the following new Chapter 3.62:\nChapter 3.62 - Annual Periodic employee surveys\n3.62.010. - Surveys regarding departments, boards, and commissions\nA. The department of human resources shall, upon appropriation of adequate funds, commission a study to determine best practices for surveying employees of metropolitan departments, boards, and commissions. Such study shall be completed within six months of funding and shared with the metropolitan council.\nB. The department of human resources study shall fund and facilitate the provision of annual examine best practices for providing periodic surveys to the employees of departments and boards and commissions established by the Metropolitan Charter or ordinance to assess topics consistent with best practice, such as:\nLeadership and management practices that contribute to the performance of the department, board, or commission; and\nEmployee satisfaction with categories that could include but would not be limited to:\nleadership policies and practices;\nworkplace culture;\ncommunication from peers and leadership within the department;\nindividual and workplace morale; \nopportunity for professional development and growth; and\nopportunity to contribute to achieving the goals of the department, board, or commission.\nAdditional subject matter that could prove beneficial to the surveys’ goals.\nB. The annual surveys shall be administered by a third party outside of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.\nC. The study shall further examine best practices for survey frequency, distribution and collection methods that protecting the anonymity of respondents, other factors that could help or harm equitable access and treatment, required resources, and any other issues regarding survey administration.\nC. The department of human resources shall notify the metropolitan council when these annual surveys are submitted to employees.\nD. The department of human resources shall report on the results of provide an annual report regarding the results of these surveys to the mayor, the metropolitan council, and the relevant department director or the board or commission, as applicable. The report shall include the completion rate of the employee surveys. The study shall further provide guidance on how survey results are interpreted, maintained, used, and distributed to properly protect from interpretation bias and retaliatory behavior and to achieve the goals of improved workplace culture and actionable change, as appropriate, in response to survey data results.\nE. The provisions of this section are intended to supplement and not conflict with the work of the civil service commission, as provided in article 12 of the Metropolitan Charter.\nSection 2. The Metropolitan Council requests that the surveys be anonymous and confidential, distributed annually to be completed between March 15 and March 31 of a calendar year, distributed via email with an option to be completed outside of the workplace, provided to the mayor, the director of the department of human resources, the relevant department director, or the board or commission, as applicable, and made available to the metropolitan council upon request.\nSection 32. This Ordinance shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.\n\n..Agenda Analysis\nAnalysis\n\nThis ordinance, as substituted, amends Title 3 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to examine best practices to conduct periodic surveys of employees of departments, boards, and commissions of the Metropolitan Government.\n\nThe ordinance, as substituted, requires the Department of Human Resources to commission a study to determine best practices for surveying employees of metropolitan departments, boards, and commissions, upon appropriation of adequate funds. That study shall be completed within six months of funding and shared with the Metropolitan Council. \n\nThe study would examine best practices for providing periodic surveys to employees that assess leadership and management practices, employee satisfaction, and additional subject matter that could prove beneficial to the surveys’ goals. The surveys would also examine best practices for survey frequency, distribution and collection methods that protect the anonymity of respondents, other factors that could help or harm equitable access and treatment, required resources, and any other issues regarding survey administration.\n\nThe study also provide guidance about the interpretation, maintenance, use and distribution of survey results to properly protect from interpretation bias and retaliatory behavior and achieve improved workplace culture and actionable change.\n\nThis ordinance states that it is intended to supplement and not conflict with the work of the Civil Service Commission, as provided in Article 12 of the Metropolitan Charter. \n","MatterTextRtf":"{\\rtf1\\fbidis\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033\\deflangfe1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fswiss\\fprq2\\fcharset0 Arial;}{\\f1\\fswiss\\fprq2\\fcharset0 Calibri;}}\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\ltrpar\\sa160\\sl252\\slmult1\\f0\\fs22 ..title\\line An ordinance amending Title 3 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to examine best practices for Metropolitan Government to conduct periodic surveys of employees of departments, boards, and commissions of the Metropolitan Government. \\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\sa160\\sl252\\slmult1\\qj ..body\\line\\strike WHEREAS, surveys distributed to employees of the Department of Emergency Communications in the summer of 2025 have been insightful to the department, and using this type of survey throughout the Metropolitan Government would provide similar benefits; and\\par\nWHEREAS, this survey will help to gather policy input, increase employee engagement, and evaluate employees\\rquote  service in the furtherance of the department\\rquote s mission.\\par\n\\ul\\strike0 WHEREAS, anonymous employee surveys can provide broad, thematic observations if they are properly planned and constructed and use methodology that ensures accuracy and fairness; and\\par\nWHEREAS, factors that must be considered in conducting surveys include identifying the unique functions and priorities that exist across departments; determining a time and manner to ensure adequate resourcing to plan, develop, conduct, and participate in the surveys and tabulate and analyze results; protecting the anonymity of respondents to increase participation and reduce selection bias; understanding variances between administrative resources in different departments; and identifying optimal frequencies, lengths, and subject matter; and\\par\nWHEREAS, the department of human resources has not been allocated funding for either studying best practices for department-specific surveys or conducting such surveys; and\\par\nWHEREAS, employees of the metropolitan government and the level of service provided by the metropolitan government will be best served by a survey process that takes into account these factors; and\\par\nWHEREAS, the Metropolitan Charter places the authority to determine such process with the director of personnel, typically referred to as the Director of Human Resources.\\par\nNOW, THEREFORE, \\ulnone BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:\\par\nSection 1. That Title 3 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws is hereby amended by adding the following new Chapter 3.62:\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\li720\\sa160\\sl252\\slmult1\\qj Chapter 3.62 - \\strike Annual \\ul\\strike0 Periodic \\ulnone employee surveys\\par\n3.62.010. - Surveys regarding departments, boards, and commissions\\par\nA. \\ul The department of human resources shall, upon appropriation of adequate funds, commission a study to determine best practices for surveying employees of metropolitan departments, boards, and commissions. Such study shall be completed within six months of funding and shared with the metropolitan council.\\ulnone\\par\n\\ul B. \\ulnone The \\strike department of human resources \\ul\\strike0 study \\ulnone\\strike shall fund and facilitate the provision of annual \\ul\\strike0 examine best practices for providing periodic \\ulnone surveys to the employees of departments and boards and commissions established by the Metropolitan Charter or ordinance to assess\\ul  topics consistent with best practice, such as\\ulnone :\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\fi-360\\li1440\\sa160\\sl276\\slmult1\\qj\\kerning2 1.\\tab Leadership and management practices that contribute to the performance of the department, board, or commission; and\\par\n2.\\tab Employee satisfaction with\\ul  categories that could include but would not be limited to\\ulnone :\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\fi-360\\li2160\\sl276\\slmult1\\qj a.\\tab leadership policies and practices;\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\fi-360\\li2160\\sl276\\slmult1 b.\\tab workplace culture;\\par\nc.\\tab communication from peers and leadership within the department;\\par\nd.\\tab individual and workplace morale; \\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\fi-360\\li2160\\sl276\\slmult1\\qj e.\\tab opportunity for professional development and growth; and\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\fi-360\\li2160\\sa160\\sl276\\slmult1\\qj f.\\tab opportunity to contribute to achieving the goals of the department, board, or commission.\\ul\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\fi-360\\li1440\\sa160\\sl276\\slmult1\\qj\\ulnone 3.\\tab\\ul Additional subject matter that could prove beneficial to the surveys\\rquote  goals.\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\li720\\sa160\\sl252\\slmult1\\qj\\kerning0\\ulnone\\strike B. The annual surveys shall be administered by a third party outside of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.\\par\n\\ul\\strike0 C. The study shall further examine best practices for survey frequency, distribution and collection methods that protecting the anonymity of respondents, other factors that could help or harm equitable access and treatment, required resources, and any other issues regarding survey administration.\\ulnone\\strike\\par\nC. The department of human resources shall notify the metropolitan council when these annual surveys are submitted to employees.\\par\n\\strike0 D. \\strike The department of human resources shall report on the results of provide an annual report regarding the results of these surveys to the mayor, the metropolitan council, and the relevant department director or the board or commission, as applicable. The report shall include the completion rate of the employee surveys.\\ul\\strike0  The study shall further provide guidance on how survey results are interpreted, maintained, used, and distributed to properly protect from interpretation bias and retaliatory behavior and to achieve the goals of improved workplace culture and actionable change, as appropriate, in response to survey data results.\\par\n\\ulnone E. The provisions of this section are intended to supplement and not conflict with the work of the civil service commission, as provided in article 12 of the Metropolitan Charter.\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\sa160\\sl252\\slmult1\\qj\\strike Section 2. The Metropolitan Council requests that the surveys be anonymous and confidential, distributed annually to be completed between March 15 and March 31 of a calendar year, distributed via email with an option to be completed outside of the workplace, provided to the mayor, the director of the department of human resources, the relevant department director, or the board or commission, as applicable, and made available to the metropolitan council upon request.\\par\n\\strike0 Section \\strike 3\\ul\\strike0 2\\ulnone . This Ordinance shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.\\par\n\\f1\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\sa120\\sl276\\slmult1\\qj\\kerning2\\f0 ..Agenda Analysis\\par\n\\pard\\ltrpar\\sl276\\slmult1\\qj\\ul Analysis\\par\n\\par\n\\ulnone This ordinance, as substituted, amends Title 3 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to examine best practices to conduct periodic surveys of employees of departments, boards, and commissions of the Metropolitan Government.\\f1\\par\n\\par\n\\f0 The ordinance, as substituted, requires the Department of Human Resources to commission a study to determine best practices for surveying employees of metropolitan departments, boards, and commissions, upon appropriation of adequate funds. That study shall be completed within six months of funding and shared with the Metropolitan Council. \\f1\\par\n\\par\n\\f0 The study would examine best practices for providing periodic surveys to employees that assess leadership and management practices, employee satisfaction, and additional subject matter that could prove beneficial to the surveys\\rquote  goals. The surveys would also examine best practices for survey frequency, distribution and collection methods that protect the anonymity of respondents, other factors that could help or harm equitable access and treatment, required resources, and any other issues regarding survey administration.\\f1\\par\n\\par\n\\f0 The study also provide guidance about the interpretation, maintenance, use and distribution of survey results to properly protect from interpretation bias and retaliatory behavior and achieve improved workplace culture and actionable change.\\par\n\\f1\\par\n\\f0 This ordinance states that it is intended to supplement and not conflict with the work of the Civil Service Commission, as provided in Article 12 of the Metropolitan Charter. \\par\n}\n"}