HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-1027 SPECIAL Mtg MINSPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION
October 27, 1997
Attending: Mayor Golden, Councilors Hauck, Reid, Laws, Wheeldon
and DeBoer, Interim City Administrator Greg Scoles and City
Recorder Barbara Christensen.
Meeting open: 2:00 p.m., facilitated by Mary De La Mare Schaefer.
Agenda as set by Council, followed by discussion, ideas and
comments:
Communication Requests; Communicating with each other
1. Ideas need clarified, need feedback to get to
closure. No speech making.
a. Council should use point of
clarification when confused on an issue.
This can be done on their own, or
through assistance of Mayor.
b. Mayor will allow equal time to all
councilors for discussion.
c. Concerns need to be more specific with
examples, in order to share in the
moment.
Some council members are more "process" oriented
and this needs to be kept in mind.
a. Council needs to recognize that they
each come to a decision in different
ways.
b. Council needs to feel free to bring
ideas forward.
Pointed out that conversations during regular
council meetings are time limited, and do not
allow "rich" discussions. This makes consensus
difficult. It was suggested that council members
commit themselves to having more "brief"
conversations with each other outside of the
council meetings.
a. It was discussed that if more than two
councilors should wish to meet with
staff to develop a proposal, then this
would need to be a directive from
council.
Noted that some ideas are better that they are not
"aired" first time, in public.
City Council Work Session 10-27-97
II.
o
Agendas are needed for work sessions, and when
appropriate, to set goals or an action plan for
what is to be completed for that particular
session.
a. Follow time constraints with start and
stop times for work sessions. Should
allow 15 minutes for closure.
o
Need to "Team Build" every couple of years,
particularly with new members of the council.
Expectations during transition of the hiring of new City
Administrator and the role of the Interim City
Administrator.
1. Should not expect Interim City Administrator to do
two jobs. Assistant City Administrator position
should be covered.
a. Scoles should keep personnel to some degree,
but delegate where possible.
Hiring of new City Administrator is Mayor's role.
Council has been well served by encouraging those
with potential.
o
Council fully supports Greg Scoles as the "City
Administrator" in its entirety. As Interim City
Administrator, Scoles will implement policy and
coordinate staff.
4 o
Council will back up Scoles with the same
authority as was the practice with outgoing City
Administrator Brian Almquist.
o
Staff is to know that Scoles is City
Administrator.
o
Council needs clarity on the role that outgoing
City Administrator will play, in relation to the
possibility of his brief return, in February.
o
Council and Mayor request ongoing communication
with Interim City Administrator.
a. Scoles and Mayor must share and spend more
time together
b. Open discussion between Scoles and Department
Heads should take place.
o
Voiced concern that items or issues may be
"falling into a hole", that citizens don't know
what is happening. Need to be especially
attentive to the community.
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IV.
o
Need a list from outgoing City Administrator on
duties and meetings that he attends.
a. Interface with community organizations and
check in at least one time during transition.
10.
Department Head job descriptions should be
reviewed, as this is an opportune time to do this.
a. The whole picture should be looked at and
ideas should be prepared to be brought
forward on reorganization in the future,
including city charter issues.
11.
Don't underestimate the experience and skills of
the Interim City Administrator.
a. Keep projects going, need to think of the
future, don't start new ones.
Defining Community.
1. Diverse community, feel this is the strength of
our community.
a. Need to learn to live with the conflict this
brings. Don't need unanimous decisions.
o
Role of government is to help people to learn to
live together when they have different values.
a. Need more than majority rule. Not our
purpose to make everyone live same life.
~
Concern that the decisions made by the council
should help to support the majority of the
community.
a. If council is split, maybe doing nothing is
better.
There is a need to listen and display the
diversity in the community.
a. A lot of people "LIKE" to live here, in
different parts of Ashland, for different
reasons.
b. The community is more than buildings and
tangible items, people help each other, know
each other and the elected officials are
accessible.
Ve
How to integrate community vision and council vision in
Goal setting session plans for this year. (Mid January)
1. Look at visioning together with the goal setting
session.
2. Secure new facilitator.
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o
o
o
o
Look at goal setting, as more of a community goal
setting, with the possibility of starting the
process in August.
Need to prepare material ahead of time, and have
Department Head review and goals ahead of time.
a. Allow question and answer time with
Department Heads.
Continue to have at least two Strategic Plans from
Departments each year.
Consider adding Strategic Planning as a goal for
next year.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m.
Submitted by,
Barbara Christensen
City Recorder
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