Teams of District government employees would be awarded bonuses of up to $5,000 for outstanding service under a bill now under consideration by the D.C. Council.
The “Excellence in Government Act,” recently introduced by Ward 3 Council Member Kathy Patterson, would honor as many as five divisions a year for excellence in innovation, customer service or problem-solving.
The bonuses would be limited to $5,000 per employee, or no more than 10 percent of the worker’s annual salary.
If the city is serious about results and accountability, Patterson said, it must reward those who attain the highest levels of excellence — and the honors must reach beyond the individual.
“What we haven’t done is anything that really pushes in the area of teamwork,” Patterson said.
Under the bill, a division is defined as an “office, program or other sub-unit of a District of Columbia government agency, board, or commission that is comprised of no more than 20 full-time equivalent employees.”
To qualify, the employee division must exceed performance measures and demonstrate all-around excellence.
The proposed bonuses would be awarded on March 1 of each year, following a performance review by a selection committee comprised of the mayor, city administrator, council chair, chief financial office and inspector general.
The bill is patterned after the annual Cafritz Awards, which honor individual employee achievement.
The legislation was co-sponsored by D.C. Council Chair Linda Cropp and Ward 6 Council Member Sharon Ambrose.
It is unknown whether the measure will be heard by the government operations committee before the end of the year, when Patterson, Cropp and Ambrose leave office.
