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Agenda Item 3. HRA Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, August 18, 2015 Page 3 1 Members Majerus and Lee clarified that these concerns regarding the role not answering to the 2 HRA were related to the position itself, and in no way reflected on Executive Director 3 Kelsey’s service. 4 5 Member Lee noted this opened up the potential that this position as outlined provided at the 6 least a conflict of interest, opening up a basic remedial question: “Does the Executive Director 7 work for the RHRA full-time?” 8 9 Chair Maschka confirmed that the RHRA Executive Director position was full-time for the 10 RHRA, referencing the list just presented in the Consent Agenda of activities provided in the 11 role. 12 13 Member Etten noted that even though Ms. Kelsey served as the HRA’s Executive Director, 14 there may be times when Ms. Kelsey was working on a project for the city, while Mr. Bilotta 15 may be working on a project for the HRA and vise versa. 16 17 Member Lee questioned if that needed to be better clarified, since it appeared lopsided with the 18 HRA having no authority with its own employee. 19 20 Chair Maschka stated that he did not disagree with concerns raised, but in his conversations 21 with City Manager Trudgeon, as City Manager, neither he nor the City Council were prepared 22 to give up that part of the agreement. Chair Maschka noted that this services agreement model 23 arrangement had worked in the past and continued to work well. 24 25 With all due respect, Member Majerus noted that when the HRA was initiated in 2002, 26 services were provided by a Consultant with assistance from the City’s Community 27 Development Director; and that model had continued bur failed to evolve or make the lines 28 clear as the HRA evolve, resulting in this document that continues to place the HRA Board in a 29 conundrum. 30 31 Member Etten referenced an e-mail request brought to the HRA Board last week, seeking 32 feedback, and suggested making that more formal. Member Etten suggested language such as, 33 “…On an annual basis, the City shall seek formal comments from the HRA Board regarding 34 the Executive Director for consideration as part of that position’s annual review… 35 Councilmember Etten opined this recognized that the City was not relinquishing its 36 hiring/firing authority of a City employee, but providing a role for the HRA in the annual 37 review process as well. 38 39 Chair Maschka advised that the suggestion was a result of his last meeting with City Manager 40 Trudgeon. 41 42 Member Lee asked to hear from City staff and the City Council in more detail. Member Lee 43 advised that she had taken the Survey Monkey survey, and found it one-sided and essentially a 44 waste of her time. Member Lee opined that the one-sided aspect was part of the problem, and 45 in the past the HRA hadn’t been aware of how the City Council or city management felt. In 46 her career role outside government, Member Lee noted boards typically had a considerable 47 amount of authority for and input about their executive directors. While recognizing that the 48 HRA wasn’t interested in taking on its own staff exclusively, Member Lee opined that they 49 should be much more involved in the oversight of the position. 50 51 With Member Majerus encouraging the Board to vote this motion up or down and move on, 52 Member Etten suggested amending this motion, to which Member Majerus responded that 53 would take more time than a new separate motion. 54