HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-10-09 Special --A EN HILLS
Approved: January 11, 2010 -
CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
DECEMBER 10, 2009
6:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Stan Harpstead called to order the
special City Council meeting at 6:15 p.m.
Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead, Council Members David Grant, Brenda
Holden, and David McClung
Absent: Council Member Fran Holmes (excused)
Also present: None
1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Councilmember Grant requested that Council Comments and Requests be added
to the agenda after the Transition Process Discussion.
MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember McClure
seconded a motion to approve the meetina agenda as amended
The motion carried unanimous) 4-0 .
2. TRANSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION
Mayor Harpstead began the discussion by reading through Councilmember
Holmes' comments on the topic. She suggested that Sue Iverson be appointed the
Acting City Administrator during the interim period. It should be determined if Sue
has the time and capacity to serve as both the Acting City Administrator and
Finance Director.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10, 2009 2
2. TRANSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION(continued)
Councilmember Holmes indicated in her note that she spoke with Mark Nagel
about assisting in the search for a City Administrator. She suggested the City use the League of Minnesota Cities to assist in the hiring process to negate the need for
a recruiter. She recommended the City follow up with Melinda Coleman.
Mayor Harpstead indicated that she agreed with Councilmember Holmes'
comment to speak with Sue about filling the City Administrator position in the
interim. is
Councilmember Holden agreed that a joint position did not work last time.
Councilmember McClung explained he spoke with the directors after the
announcement was made and agreed that he would support Sue as the Acting City
Administrator.
Mayor Harpstead reviewed several caveats with the Council about the Acting
City Administrator position. He indicated he would like clarification from Sue on
the $249,000 negative revenue on the TCAAP revenue report. Mayor Harpstead
understood that the books were difficult for TCAAP but that it was Sue's
responsibility and needed to be resolved.
Mayor Harpstead noted the second caveat he had was the water meter
discrepancy that needed resolution.
Councilmember Holden stated this issue has been on-going for several years and
that she has spoken with staff about it as well. From her understanding, Pang has
brought this to Greg's attention and Greg has stated it was not a priority.
Mayor Harpstead explained that his third caveat was that he would like to see a
complete financial analysis from the Finance Department.
Councilmember Holden agreed with this statement indicating that Ron did not
agree everything had to run through the Finance Department.
The Council agreed that Sue Iverson would be the Acting City Administrator with
the understanding that the reporting relationships would need to be improved and
that the three above mentioned caveats would need further clarification.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10. 2009 3
2. TR,4NSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION(continued)
MOTION: Mayor Harpstead moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a
motion to appoint Sue Iverson, Acting City Administrator until
such time as another City Administrator, whether interim or
permanent, is appointed.
Councilmember Holden suggested that this decision be revisited in three months
if the Council has not made a decision on the position.
Mayor Harpstead indicated the Council could vote to revisit this issue at any
time.
The motion carried unanimously (4-0).
Mayor Harpstead indicated the next item for discussion on this issue was if the
City could get by with Sue as the Acting City Administrator or if an Interim should
be sought after.
Councilmember Holden explained that Jim Willis did the City a disservice
through his employment with us and another City at the same time and cautioned
the City creating this type of situation again. She questioned if it would be worth
the training spent on an interim position.
Mayor Harpstead stated he felt the City should bring in an interim City
Administrator, but felt Councilmember Holden's point on training was valid.
Councilmember McClung expressed concern about an interim position stating he
would only like to see someone hired if they were close to full time.
Councilmember Grant indicated he would like to see the City act quickly to
negate the need for an Interim City Administrator. He stated he knew Mark Nagel
on a personal level and stated he would make an exception if Mark were to serve as
the Interim City Administrator.
Mayor Harpstead questioned how the Council wanted to approach the recruiting
and hiring of a new City Administrator. He stated he would like to bring in a
recruiter, but not Harry Bruel or Richard Fursmen. Sharon Klump was suggested
from Springstead, as he does not feel the Council could complete this process
alone.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL, DECEMBER 10, 2009 4
2. TRANSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION(continued)
Councilmember Holden indicated there may be a conflict of interest with Sharon
Klump due to a previous situation involving their dog in the City.
Councilmember Grant agreed the Council could not complete this process
without assistance.
Mayor Harpstead suggested that a Councilmember or two interview several
recruiters and see which would work best for the City.
Councilmember McClung indicated he felt the City should use a recruiter and
find out what they can do for the City of Arden Hills.
Councilmember Holden questioned if the Council was interested in speaking with
Melinda Coleman.
Councilmember Grant stated this may be a good starting point.
Councilmember McClung explained that in hindsight he would have thrown out
the entire batch of candidates and went out to the market a second time.
Mayor Harpstead indicated he has learned a lot over the past year and a half as to
what the City is missing in a quality City Administrator. He explained that he
would have a different set of criteria than he did from the last hiring process.
Mayor Harpstead then reviewed the criteria he would like to see the new City
Administrator exemplify in this position. The main areas of concern were
experience in managing staff is critical, along with communication, follow up and
leadership from experience.
Mayor Harpstead noted that Melinda Coleman may not have the experience the
City needs at this time as she is not managing staff.
Councilmember McClung stated he hoped the Council had learned from the past
experience and could take from it the knowledge needed to find a proper candidate
to administer the City going forward. He indicated he created a similar list to the
Mayor's on who the City should seek and hire.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10, 2009 5
2. TRANSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION(continued)
Councilmember Holden explained quality candidates may not be willing to throw
their name in the hat as they were weeded out early in the process last time. She
indicated this could be detrimental to the leadership position.
Councilmember McClung indicated these were concerns of his at this time.
Councilmember Grant stated he would be interested in looking at candidates
outside of the City Administrator realm, depending on who the person was.
Councilmember McClung noted a recruiter does look through the candidate pool
making decisions the Council is unaware of. He indicated it may benefit the
Council to be more involved in this process.
Mayor Harpstead suggested the recruiter be told who to target, while also
reevaluating the job description. He added that the recruiter should provide the
Council with information on their processes, if they are available and their
understanding of the talent in the marketplace.
Mayor Harpstead further reviewed a suggested hiring process to be used with a
recruiter the Council could follow through the hiring of a City Administrator.
Councilmember Holden stated Harry Bruel was less expensive than many of the
other recruiters and questioned how much money the City was willing to spend
through the hiring process.
Councilmember Grant questioned if Sharon Klump had a previous lawsuit in the
City of Arden Hills and suggested that may be a conflict of interest for her working
with the City.
Mayor Harpstead noted the City could have a conversation with her to see if this
was fact.
Councilmember Holden stated the City Attorney could clarify this as well. She
suggested that the recruiters provide the City with pricing information before a
decision was made.
Councilmember McClung agreed that further investigation would be needed
before a recruiter could be chosen.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10. 2009 6
2. TRANSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION(continued)
Councilmember Holden admitted that the City was in a great position for hiring as
the pool of candidates could be increasing and suggested that the posting be -
completed by the beginning of January.
Mayor Harpstead noted he would follow up with Jerry Filla about the Sharon
Klump situation and questioned who would be willing to interview recruiters on
behalf of the City.
Councilmember McClung stated he would be available for these interviews.
Mayor Harpstead suggested that the recruiters provide the City with a proposal
that could be reviewed by Council on December 21 st. The rate, process, availability
and perspective schedule should all be discussed within the proposal.
Councilmember Grant indicated he would review the job description and draft a
new one before the next meeting.
Mayor Harpstead explained if the Council reviewed the proposals on December
2 1" the job posting may be done the middle of January.
Councilmember Holden questioned where the job description would be posted.
Mayor Harpstead noted the job was posted a bit broader than the League of
Minnesota Cities last time. He did not recall how this was completed.
Councilmember McClung suggested that this be discussed with the recruiter in
that the City was open to a broader list of candidates than just those with City
upper management experience.
Mayor Harpstead asked if the City was interested in interviewing candidates from
out of state.
Councilmember Holden stated then the City would be responsible for flying
people in and paying for relocation expenses. She was not in favor of this and
suggested the City seek local candidates where information on them is well known.
Councilmember Grant agreed.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10, 2009 7
2. TRANSITIONPROCESS DISCUSSION(continued)
Mayor Harpstead questioned if the Council would entertain a one-day drive as the
perimeter allowed for the candidates.
Councilmember McClung indicated he did not want the potential caliper of the
candidates to be limited by location.
Councilmember Holden stated Arden Hills was a city of 9,000 people and
understood the need for the right person. She indicated she would like the
candidates to remain local.
Mayor Harpstead questioned if the Council would be in favor of entertaining out
of state candidates if they were willing to pay their own travel expenses.
The Council was in favor with this scenario and reiterated they were not in favor of
funding travel or relocation expenses.
Mayor Harpstead set a tentative application date as January 22°d
Councilmember Grant suggested this not be set until after speaking with a
recruiter.
Mayor Harpstead indicated he would like to see the Council be proactive in
setting a date to have the recruiter meet the City's timeline.
Councilmember McClung stated he would like to see the hiring process move
rather aggressively, but stated he would like to seek input and advice from the
recruiter before confirming any dates.
Councilmember Holden felt that January 22"d was a reasonable date.
Councilmember McClung suggested the Council focus on the long-term position
and hiring for this position before discussing the short-term interim position.
Councilmember Holden and Mayor Harpstead agreed.
Mayor Harpstead further reviewed a potential hiring timeline with the Council.
After reviewing the suggested steps it was noted the process could take roughly
three months before a contract could be negotiated.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10 2009 8
2, TRANSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION(continuer)
Councilmember McClung felt the Council would be doing well if a contract were
offered before April 15t
Mayor Harpstead noted no Council action would be taken on December 14th, but
that the Council would request bids that would be reviewed on December 215t at a
Special Council meeting.
The Council was in favor of this suggestion.
Councilmember Holden stated she did not want to lead any recruiter candidates
and wanted to hear what they had to say.
Councilmember Grant suggested that Melinda Coleman and Mark Nagel be
considered in the permanent pool.
This information would be passed along to the recruiter.
Councilmember Holden indicated she had a list of several potential candidates as
well.
Councilmember Holden questioned how Sue would be compensated as the Acting
City Administrator.
Mayor Harpstead asked how this was handled last time. He suggested a 7% pay
increase.
Discussion ensued regarding a staff reprimand.
Councilmember Holden suggested a 10% increase as she would be acting outside
of her class. She questioned if City Administrator Moorse would be completing
performance evaluations before leaving the City.
Mayor Harpstead indicated this would need to be decided by the Council, and
that he did not see any value in having him complete the evaluations.
Councilmember Holden asked if staff would be receiving a step increase or
COLA.
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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10, 2009 9
2. TRANSITION PROCESS DISCUSSION(continued)
Councilmember McClung reported that step increases were in the budget for 2010
and COLA was not.
Councilmember Grant stated he did not want to see the step increases become
automatic.
Mayor Harpstead suggested the decisions be deferred until a permanent
administrator be put in place.
Councilmember Holden stated the only problem with this was that the step
increases were based on past work that the new administrator would have no
knowledge of.
Mayor Harpstead indicated the biggest issue will be with Sue as she was under
her current step increases.
Councilmember Grant suggested this be addressed in January and that the City
Council act as the City Administrator in the absence of a City Administrator.
Mayor Harpstead questioned if the Council was in favor of the 10% pay increase.
Councilmember McClung suggested the Council investigate these numbers
further and vote on it December 215t
Mayor Harpstead indicated he would speak with Sue about the Council's decision
and if Sue has the capacity to complete both jobs during an interim period.
The Council indicated they would further discuss the need for an Interim City
Administrator after discussing this with Sue, if she feels the need for an intern or
would not be willing to serve as the Acting City Administrator.
Mayor Harpstead questioned if anyone was interested in sitting in with him when
he brought this information to Sue.
Councilmember Grant stated he would sit in with the Mayor.
ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL-DECEMBER 10. 2009 10
3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS
Councilmember Grant indicated he spoke with Community Development
Director Lehnhoff about adding an item to the work session agenda to discuss the -
Vaughn Tower.
The Council was in agreement with this suggestion.
ADJOURN
MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember McClung
seconded a motion to adiourn. The motion carried unanimously
(4 0) — -
Mayor Harpstead adjourned the Special City Council Meeting at 7:35 p.
Susan K. Iverson Stan Harpste
Acting City Administrator Mayor