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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-29-08-WS ~ r-A~HILLS Approved: December 8, 2008 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 5:30 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 City Council Work Session meeting at 5:35 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead; Council Members David Grant, Brenda Holden, and Fran Holmes. Absent: Council Member Dave McClung. Also present: Former Interim City Administrator Jim Willis. 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Debrief with Former Interim Citv Administrator Jim Willis Former Interim City Administrator Willis (herein after Administrator Willis) presented the City Council with comments on his time with the City of Arden Hills. He indicated he enjoyed his brief tenure with the City and wanted to provide the Council with the challenges he saw in working for the City. Administrator Willis stated that a stable team of employees would greatly benefit the City. In the past there had been a fair number of turnovers for various reasons, which complicate things internally. Administrator Willis stated the current department heads were very capable individuals but could do more and become more effective. He went on to offer several suggestions to the Council. Administrator Willis stated that because of the high turnover rate, there was a lack of a "team" environment. Relationships between key staff and other staff members could be improved. He indicated the City Administrator should be tasked with developing a program to create a cohesive team within the management team to carry out the City's mission. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - SEPTEMBER 29,2008 2 Administrator Willis stated the City also would benefit from a stronger working relationship between the Council and staff. Council needs to treat staff and one another with respect. The working relationship between Council and staff could be improved if staff were not publicly criticized. Comments can and should be made privately, which would greatly assist in building morale. He noted the primary goal for Council should be to develop a reasonable set of goals that all members and staff can support and attain. Administrator Willis understood that the Councilmembers were each elected officials with unique perspectives and need to work together for a consensus. He indicated the goal setting would be challenging work but would allow for a positive focus. Administrator Willis explained a series of broad based goals, established with the City Administrator would provide an action plan for the Council. He stated this would give the City a unified vision and plan of attack. Administrator Willis noted staff would have to then stay on task with the achievement of the main goals, as well. Councilmember Holmes inquired as to how Council could establish only six to eight goals when the City was responsible for much more than that. Administrator Willis suggested that the Council should decide on what is most important and rank the issues. He noted things could be consolidated together if agreed upon. He explained there could be more than six to eight goals but it should remain manageable by staff and Council. Councilmember Holmes expressed concern that too much time and effort focused on one area may allow for other areas to suffer. Administrator Willis stated this could be an issue but encouraged the Council to "keep the main thing the main thing". Councilmember Grant agreed that there are many issues the Council is dealing with at this time but staff would need to be tasked accordingly, reporting back to Council on a regular basis on progress. Councilmember Holden stated that in the past some projects were not being completed, which led to more Council interaction with staff and direct involvement. Administrator Willis indicated it was vital to have the proper human resources with proper skill sets to support the City's established goals. Mayor Harpstead explained it may not be the governing body's priority to focus on the delegated details but, rather, to deal with the structure and capability of the organization. Councilmember Grant indicated he did not want to get into the details as long as goals were being met. However, when management was not progressing he would like to be aware of the situation. Administrator Willis explained this has elements of trust and competence. Discussion ensued regarding the City staff management along with City policy and procedures. ARDEN HILLS crty COUNCIL WORK SESSION - SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 3 Administrator Willis encouraged the Council to be effective with their time. The more time that was spent on less significant issues, the less time could be spent on TCAAP or other large issues. He indicated time was a limited resource for each Councihnember. Administrator Willis stated maintaining a disciplined focus on policy formation and implementation could be the primary responsibility of the Council. This could not to be established at a staff level, but was essential for the Council to handle in order for issues to be resolved. Administrator Willis indicated Council has decided to proceed with the TCAAP redevelopment and that could now be the first and primary goal. He explained that the TCAAP development, if done well, can provide a host of services and open spaces for all of Arden Hills to enjoy. Administrator Willis indicated TCAAP would create a sense of pride for the community, increase the tax base, etc. Administrator Willis indicated it was critical for there to be a transportation solution that addresses the community's desires and is needed for TCAAP to be successful. Administrator Willis encouraged this development to also be driven by a single entity developer with a master plan approved by Council. Mayor Harpstead asked ifhe had any concerns with Ryan Companies as the developer for this project. Administrator Willis stated he had worked with Ryan Companies in the past and they were a great company to work with, providing excellent communication. He stated Ryan Companies has a realistic view of the market and has staying power in this economy. Administrator Willis encouraged the Council to allow Ryan Companies to implement the plan once approved. Council should also be more interested in architecture and landscaping than who was occupying each lot. Councilmember Holden indicated there were some trust concerns with Ryan Companies in the beginning. Administrator Willis stated trust was a very fragile issue. Mayor Harpstead stated this could be due to the fact that there were other parties, Rhebein and Centex, involved at the beginning with Ryan Companies. Administrator Willis stated his final comment for the Council would be that prior planning prevents poor performance. Mayor Harpstead thanked former City Administrator Willis for his input and asked if he could offer additional comments regarding individual staff performance based on his observances. Councilmember Holden agreed stating she would like to build the team environment. ARDEN HILLS ciTy coUNcIL WORK SESSION - SEPTEMBER 29,2008 4 Further discussion ensued regarding the past staff for the City of Arden Hills and the impact they had on the community. Councilmember Grant questioned how cohesive the current staff was. Administrator Willis stated his sense was there was a high level of competition between some staff members. He cautioned the Council that as the City grew in size that the staff needs to grow as well. Councilmember Grant asked if he believed City staff worked as a team. Administrator Willis stated there was a team, but that it was not functioning at its best. He indicated he was only with staff on an interim basis but noted some staff members were trying to drive things. Councilmember Holden indicated she felt staff was still not a team; there was very little communication between them. Councilmember Holmes explained the City Administrator felt staff was working as a team while individual feedback from staff indicates that there are disruptions and miscommunications. Administrator Willis indicated he was new and would need to provide Council with the perception that staff was working together as a team. Mayor Harpstead asked how the Council could build a team at the staff level. Administrator Willis indicated he was unsure how the Council could build the team noting this should be done by the City Administrator. Staff was accountable to the City Administrator, and the City Administrator was accountable to Council. Administrator Willis suggested the Council leave this issue to the City Administrator and not become an additional location for accountability for each staff member. Mayor Harpstead questioned how the Council could help test or create visibility of a functioning team at the staff level. Administrator Willis suggested individual Councihnembers are not going to help in team building. This should be done by the City Administrator and make it known that you want him to demonstrate a responsive team at the staff level; that they are working and communicating with each other. Mayor Harpstead suggested the Council find a way to empower the City Administrator to be accountable and responsible. The Council agreed. Councilmember Holden questioned who handled the HR responsibilities during the interim period. Administrator Willis stated this was shared between Sue and Noah. The Council thanked Former City Administrator Willis for his comments and for his time. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - SEPTEMBER 29,2008 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS There was nothing at this time. 5 Mayor Harpstead adjo 6:47 p.m.