Red Deer County Hires $3,675 Consultant for CAO Performance Review

External Consultant Hired

Red Deer County’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Human Resources Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to hire BLHR Consulting to conduct the 2025 performance evaluation of the county’s top staff official.

The committee, consisting of Mayor Jim Wood and Councillors Connie Huelsman and Brent Ramsay, authorized a payment of $3,675, including GST, for the external services. The decision was reached during a special meeting that lasted a total of seven minutes at the Red Deer County Centre.

Why It Matters

The CAO is the only employee who reports directly to the Council and is responsible for overseeing all municipal operations and staff. While the $3,675 fee is a relatively small budgetary item, the evaluation process determines the leadership direction of the county. Using an external consultant is a standard move intended to provide an objective assessment of the CAO’s performance, though it adds a direct cost to taxpayers for a process that was previously handled internally or as part of regular governance.

Meeting Conducted in Private

The committee spent nearly the entire duration of the meeting in a "Closed Session." After calling the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m., the committee moved behind closed doors at 11:01 a.m.

Officials cited several sections of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) to justify the privacy, including protections for personal privacy, confidential evaluations, and the business interests of a third party. The committee returned to the public gallery at 11:06 a.m. to formally vote on the hiring and the evaluation process before adjourning at 11:07 a.m.

Citizen Input and Debate

No residents spoke during the meeting, and there was no public gallery participation recorded. Because the meeting was a specialized HR committee session, there was no scheduled time for public comment.

There was no debate among the committee members regarding the cost or the selection of BLHR Consulting. All motions, including the ratification of the evaluation process and the hiring of the consultant, passed with 3-0 votes.

Other Business

* Evaluation Process Ratified: The committee formally approved the framework for the 2025 CAO evaluation, though the specific details of that framework remain confidential under the ATIA sections cited during the closed session.

What’s Next

With the consultant now hired and the process ratified, BLHR Consulting will begin the review of the CAO's performance for the 2025 cycle. The final results of the performance evaluation are personnel matters and are typically not released to the public, though any resulting changes to the CAO’s contract or compensation would require public council approval.