CC_Minutes_2013_0718 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Special City Council Meeting Thursday,July 18,2013 Page 21 Councilmember Willmus opined that he continued to see the HRC and Civic En- gagement groups as two separate commissions with two (2) separate charges. Mayor Roe clarified that the Commission Task Force would be looking at all citi- zen advisory commissions and their current charges, opining that whether or not there was different staffing in the future, any and all staff liaisons may be affected as well as whether or not an existing commission moved forward. Until that dis- cussion occurred at a City Council level, Mayor Roe opined that it would be diffi- cult to determine appropriate staff liaisons going forward. Mr. Trudgeon thanked Councilmembers for their initial input, opining that it was helpful for him going forward and in attempting to make any net levy impacts as neutral as possible. Mr. Trudgeon advised that, given current levy limits, even though some positions may seem like great ideas, he was attempting to balance and be sensitive to the interest of the City Council and meet the needs of Depart- ments as well. Mr. Trudgeon advised that this was only his first attempt and pre- sented as "Interim Plan A"with any implementation probably occurring and iden- tified as "2015 B Implementation." If the City Council preferred something to happen immediately, Mr. Trudgeon asked that the City Council make him aware of that now rather than later. Councilmember Etten advised that he needed to see the direct impacts and impli- cations for each department and how transferring duties from one department to another served to assist their overall focus. Councilmember Etten noted that Communications staff needed to be regularly and directly involved with Depart- ment Heads to understand each department's functions; and if that was proven as a positive,he could more easily support Mr. Trudgeon's reorganization proposal. Mr. Trudgeon noted that while the eventual goal was that the Communications Fund provided an easier answer, the administrative support functions would still require levy funding. Councilmember Etten reiterated that if by removing communications functions from other departments it could alleviate stress from those departments and shift the overall picture positively,he could support that goal. Mayor Roe opined that the City Clerk and Human Resources functions could also be positively impacted as well. Councilmember Laliberte, having heard hedging in communication function de- scriptions and whether or not they would drive the City's strategic vision, opined that those strategic plans were still to be generated or developed in each depart- ment. From her perspective, Councilmember Laliberte opined that this did not serve to help the departments. If the intent was to reorganization, Councilmember Laliberte supported that reorganization; however, if this was simply an attempt to