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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—FEBRUARY 8, 2010 4 LA Engineering 2009 Year End Review and 2010 Work Plan Councilmember McClung cautioned the Council against continuing to outsource the engineering. At some point the City may need two outsourced engineers, which could have been avoided by bringing the work in house. Mayor Harpstead expressed there were not any items on the work plan with a low priority other than Arden Plaza, the County Road E Bridge and the Valentine Lake Watershed Drainage Study. He felt these three items would not need attention in the next three months. Councilmember McClung questioned what staff felt they would not have time for over the next three months. Civil Engineer Bloom stated the discussion tonight was a first step to address the engineering hours concern. She indicated this could be addressed further at the March worksession allowing staff time to assign hours to each project. Councilmember Holden expressed concern about the expense of monitoring construction and managing projects. She questioned if Ms. Giga had to oversee every project for the City, or if someone else within the engineering pool could be used to allow Ms. Giga to take on other responsibilities. Civil Engineer Bloom explained that the City benefited by having Ms. Giga overseeing the progress of the consultants to ensure they are done in a timely manner and on budget. Councilmember Holden questioned which projects Ms. Giga could not complete for the City. y Civil Engineer Bloom reviewed how projects were completed through Ms. Giga's service and coordination with Bolton & Menk and other consultants. There was very little time savings b g y shifting work to another engineer as it would still be managed through Ms. Giga. As there was no agreement at this time, the Council agreed to discuss the engineering work plan further at the March worksession meeting. B. City Administrator Recruitment Update Richard Fursman presented the City Council with information on the recruitment process noting there were 71 applications so far. He reviewed the City Administrator profile and asked that the Council consider how travel expenses will be reimbursed. The interview schedule was handed out and discussed. - Mayor Harpstead questioned how many of the applicants were from the state of Minnesota.