HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-1215 Study Session PACKET
CITY OF
ASHLAND
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
AGENDA
Monday, December 15, 2014
Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way
5: 30 p.m. Study Session
1. Public Input (15 minutes maximum)
2. Look Ahead review
3. Discussion of procedures for getting proclamations and endorsements on Council
business meeting agendas
4. Discussion of succession planning and department head compensation
5. Update on deer education program
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this
meeting, please contact the City Administrator's office at (541) 488-6002 (TTY phone number 1-800-735-
2900). Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to
ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1).
COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE BROADCAST LIVE ON CHANNEL 9. STARTING APRIL 15, 2014,
CHARTER CABLE WILL BROADCAST MEETINGS ON CHANNEL 180 OR 181.
VISIT THE CITY OF ASHLAND'S WEB SITE AT WWW.ASHLAND.OR.US
City of Ashland Cour neeting Look Ahead
*****THIS IS A DRAFT AND bUBJECT TO CHANGE*****
Departments Responsible 1 Discussion of pavement management strate Mike PW ss
2 Ordinance update proposals from the ci administrator Dave Admin SS
1/6 Coun MosOn 1/8
3 Election of Council President Barbara Recorder NEW
4 Proclamation re: Christmas Tree Recycling Diana Admin PROC
5 Approval of Council Liaison for 2015 (Mayor) Admin CONS
6 Council approval of AFN Strategic Business Plan Mark Electric NEW
7 Resolution declaring the Black Swan Fountain surplus property and Admin RES
discussion of Options for the Black Swan plaza Dave
Council d osdn
1/20
6 Results of the Citizen Survey Ann Admin NEW
s Franchise agreement with Hunter Communication Dave L/Ann) Legal Admin NEW
10 Aerial ladder truck discussion John Fire SS '
11 Discussion regarding Culture of Peace Commission (request of Admin SS
Council)
2/3 Xftulw Council Mrtetfn 2/3
12 Presentation b SOU on their co- en project Dave Admin PRES
13 Request from ODOT to extend Siskiyou Welcome Center PW Admin NEW
Improvement Agreement Mike/Dave
Two separate ordinances amending the City of Ashland CD
14 Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Plan Maps, Transportation
System Plan, and Street Standards to adopt the Normal ORD-1 CRD-2
Nei hborhood Plan Bill
2/17 R plar Council Mwitin 2/17
15 Annual presentation b the Transportation Commission Mike PW PRES
16 Semi-annual update from Ashland Community Resource Center Admin
Dave PRES
17 CIP status update and review Mike PW NEW
Two separate ordinances amending the City of Ashland CD
16 Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Plan Maps, Transportation
System Plan, and Street Standards to adopt the Normal ORD-z
Nei hborhood Plan Bill
2/19 Budget Committee Meetin 2/19
19 Budget Committee kick-off & budget assumptions Dave/Lee Admin Finance BDGT
20 Discussion of amendments to Special Events Policy (request of Admin
Councilor Marsh ss
21 Economic Development Strategy Review Adam Admin SS
3!3 ftaular Council Meetin
313
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. J
City of Ashland Cour Meting Look Ahead
*****THIS IS A DRAFT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE*****
Departments Responsible J7t 7 Rowsw county 3/17
zz Annual Presentation b the Tree Commission (Bile CD PRES
Annual re GowtCit 4n
23 port on use of force, crime rates, and downtown Police
enforcement efforts (Terrv)
NEW
AMEN SM
uit
Asaut" Council Maotin
r
1 74
Comma ion P on Dates - 2015
February 17 - Transportation Commission
March 17 - Tree Commission
April 21 - Historic Commission
May 19 - Wildfire Mitigation Commission
June 2 - Band Board
Jul 21 -Forest Lands Commission
August 18 - Conservation Commission
September 15 - Airport Commission
October 20 - Public Arts Commission
November 17 - Housing and Human Services Commission
December 15 - Planning Commission
Resolution declaring fountain surplus property
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CITY OF
ASHLAND
Council Communication
December 15, 2014, Study Session
Council discussion of procedures for getting proclamations and endorsements on
Council business meeting agendas
FROM:
Dave Kanner, city administrator, dave.kanner@ashland.or.us
SUMMARY
At the Council's October 7 business meeting, Councilor Morris requested a study session discussion of
procedures for getting endorsements on business meeting agendas. Councilor Rosenthal requested a
study session discussion of procedures for getting proclamations on business meeting agendas.
BACKGROUND AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS:
Councilor Morris requested a study session discussion of procedures for getting endorsements on
business meeting agendas during the October 7 Council meeting at which the Council voted to endorse
the Rogue Valley Transit District levy request in this past November's election. The endorsement had
been placed on the agenda by Councilor Voisin, who prepared the resolution and submitted it to the
City Administrator by noon of the Wednesday prior to the Council meeting. Councilor Voisin thus
exercised her ability to place an item on a business meeting agenda under AMC 2.04.030(B)(1), which
states:
"Any Councilor may place an item on the Council's agenda provided that preparing the
matter for Council consideration would not require more than two hours of staff time,
including policy research and document drafting. The Councilor shall notify the City
Administrator of such an addition to the agenda no later than noon of the Wednesday prior
to the Council meeting. The City Administrator shall determine the order of business of the
item. The City Administrator may request that the matter be deferred until a later meeting if
the agenda of a particular meeting is already lengthy. Council members will endeavor to
have subjects and any materials they wish considered submitted prior to finalization of the
Council packet."
Taken in the context of the code section that deals with agenda-setting, staff has interpreted this
provision to mean that a Councilor can place an item on the agenda - including an endorsement of
another agency's ballot measure that would otherwise require more than two hours of staff time for
preparation.
Other methods by which a Council can get an item on an agenda are as follows:
1. Request that an item be placed on a study session agenda for discussion and direction to staff. As a
rule, any Councilor can request that almost any item be added to a study session agenda. Usually,
this will be for the purpose of discussing whether the Council wants to direct staff to spend time
developing an item for Council consideration at a future meeting. (AMC 2.04.030(B)(2))
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CITY OF
-ASHLAND
2. At any time during a business meeting, a Councilor can make a motion to add an item to the end of
the agenda. Such additions, if approved by the full Council, can be for discussion and direction to
staff only. At the end of any business meeting, under Other Council Business, a Councilor can
make a motion to add an item to a future agenda. If approved, the City Administrator determines
the agenda to which it will be added. (AMC 2.04.030(C))
3. A Councilor can ask the Mayor to add an item to an agenda, including action items. There are no
limitations on this authority (e.g., amount of staff time involved). The Mayor and only the Mayor
has the discretion to add whatever items he/she chooses to any agenda. The Mayor is not obligated
to honor the Councilor's request. (AMC 2.04.030(A)(3))
Note that the above procedures do not differentiate endorsements from other types of items or actions
that might be placed on a Council agenda. Therefore, discussion at this study session could potentially
focus on whether such a differentiation should be put in place and, if so, what form it might take.
Also at the October 7 Council meeting, Councilor Rosenthal requested a study session discussion of
procedures for getting proclamations on business meeting agendas. Currently, when an individual or
organization requests that a proclamation be placed on the agenda, it is circulated among the Council
for feedback to the Mayor. Based on that feedback, the Mayor decides whether to place the
proclamation on an agenda. Should the Council, after discussion, wish to change this procedure, there
are several options for doing so:
1. Informal agreement, recorded in the meeting minutes. This would be similar to the agreement
regarding Councilor announcements at the end of meetings.
2. Provide sufficient direction for staff to draft a policy or resolution on this subject that could be
adopted by the Council, thus memorializing the procedure in a formally adopted document.
3. Amend the codified Council rules to specify a procedure for placing proclamations on the
agenda.
4. An individual Councilor could place a proclamation on an agenda using one of the existing
Council rules procedures above.
COUNCIL GOALS SUPPORTED:
N/A
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND REQUESTED ACTION:
N/A
SUGGESTED MOTION:
N/A. This item is scheduled for discussion only.
ATTACHMENTS:
None
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CITY OF
-ASHLAND
Council Communication
December 15, 2014, Study Session
Council discussion of succession planning and department head compensation
FROM:
Dave Kanner, city administrator, dave.kanner@ashland.or.us
SUMMARY
In the course of the Council's recent strategic planning and goal setting, there was discussion of
succession planning, as there are several department heads who are likely to retire in the next few
years. Although it was agreed that succession planning is an administrative task and it did not make
the final list of Council goals and objectives, there was a request for a study session discussion of this
subject. The Mayor subsequently requested a discussion of department head compensation, as such
compensation is tied to our ability to recruit the best and brightest candidates to City of Ashland
positions and to encourage internal candidates to work toward such positions. A review of other,
similarly sized cities found that our department head salaries are competitive, however Ashland is not
competitive with larger cities of similar staff size and complexity. Adjusting the department head pay
structure is also covered in this communication.
BACKGROUND AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS:
Even before this came up as a Council discussion topic, I had been working with our human resources
manager to create a "leadership academy" for the City's management staff and others in the
organization who have demonstrated the potential to move into management positions. I have also had
conversations with the leadership of other large organizations in the community to assess the potential
for combining our training resources into an effort that could benefit multiple large employers and not
just the City. We are currently in discussion with various trainers to provide sessions on subjects such
as team leadership, integrity and customer service, initiative and risk-taking, etc.
Subsequent to the Council discussion of succession planning, the Mayor raised questions about
department head salaries and whether the department head salary scale offered by Ashland is sufficient
to attract the types of candidates we would like to have for these positions and whether our department
head salaries are competitive with comparable cities. The question of what constitutes a "comparable
community" is a tricky one. If we look only at cities of comparable population, Ashland department
head salaries are about average. However, it we look at larger cities that are similarly complex in
terms of scope of services and citizen engagement, Ashland lags slightly behind. A spreadsheet
showing this comparison is attached. (These comparisons do not include benefits or deferred
compensation, nor do they account for the significantly higher cost of housing in Ashland.)
In addition to the City's competitiveness in the marketplace, there is a longstanding problem with
"compression" between department heads and senior managers in some departments. For instance, a
deputy police chief, with longevity and education bonuses, earns more than the third step in the police
chief range. A Fire Department battalion chief, with overtime, earns as much as the top step of the fire
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chief range. This compression creates an economic disincentive to promote into a department head
position.
Finally, it must be acknowledged that many, many factors, not just salary, come into play when
candidates consider whether to apply for department head positions with the City of Ashland.
However, salaries that are too low likely limit the field to an undesirable degree.
The mechanics of adjusting department head pay are discussed under fiscal implications below.
COUNCIL GOALS SUPPORTED:
N/A
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If the City Council decides to move forward with increasing department head salaries, I would propose
to do so by adding steps to the existing range. (Two additional steps at 5% each.) Therefore, there
would not be any fiscal impact until FY 2016, at which time all department heads who are currently at
top step would receive an additional 5% pay raise. The additional cost to the City would be a function
of the number of department heads who are at top step at that time. However, assuming that no
department heads other than the Police Chief retire between now and then, the additional cost to the
City (just in that fiscal year) would be about $54,000, plus an additional $13-14,000 in payroll roll-ups,
spread across multiple funds.
Note that if we increase the department head salary range, we should also increase the ranges of the
city attorney and human resources manager. Such increases are not discussed in this Council
Communication and are not factored into the numbers above.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND REQUESTED ACTION:
N/A
SUGGESTED MOTION:
N/A. This item is scheduled for discussion only.
ATTACHMENTS:
Department head salary comparison
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SUMMARY DEPT HEAD COMPARISON
Average of Smaller Average of Larger Average of ALL
Comparables: Comparables: Comparables:
Falls, Central Point
Redmond, Roseburg, Corvallis, Bend, Medford,
Forest Grove Springfield
Position: Ashland AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE
Min Max MIN MAX MIN MAX MIN MAX
Police Chief $94,130 $114,416 $88,846 $117,428 $89,124 $129,704 $88,957 $122,338
* Police and Fire Chief are paid at the same level in all agencies,
however several cities don't have fire services, so the actual
average for Fire Chief calculates inconsistently due to fewer
Fire Chief $94,130 $114,416 $97,720 $117,428 comparable matches
PW Director $94,130 $114,416 $87,560 $116,650 $90,285 $131,034 $88,416 $122,464
Community Development
Director $94,130 $114,416 $86,280 $115,010 $88,449 $128,561 $87,147 $120,430
* Springfield combines PW and Community Development
under one Director
IT/Electric Director $94,130 $114,416 * There were not enough comparables for IT and Electric
Director for a meaningful salary comparison
Finance Director $94,130 $114,4161 1 $86,088 $114,7141 1 $87,606 $127,29211 $86,696 $120,431
CITY OF
-ASHLAND
Council Communication
December 15, 2014, Study Session
Update on deer education program
FROM:
Dave Kanner, city administrator, dave.kanner@ashland.or.us
SUMMARY
The Council, at its October 21 st business meeting, requested that staff prepare a program to educate the
community about living with deer. Staff has assembled such a program, which includes print
materials, electronic communication and a community forum just before the start of fawning season.
This is presented to the Council for information only.
BACKGROUND AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS:
The Council has requested that staff propose a deer education program, the goal of which would be to
inform Ashland residents on the ins and outs of living with wildlife. In order to successfully execute
such a program, the City would have to partner with local agencies, in particular the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife and the OSU Extension Service. This ensures that any information
given to the public is sourced and accurate.
To that end, staff proposes the following:
1. Produce a "Living with Wildlife" brochure that is distributed to all utility customers through utility
bills and provided to all new utility customers at sign-up. This brochure could also be given to local
nurseries and garden stores (if they're willing to distribute them).
2. Staff has already created a fixed, front-page "Living with Deer and Wildlife" button on the City
web site. As new information is gathered and created, this page will be updated.
3. Stage a "Wildlife Summit" in the spring. This would be a community meeting, similar to what
we've done with drought and emergency preparedness, as which local wildlife management agencies
can present information and engage in direct Q&A with citizens. We'd propose doing this in April,
when fawning season is beginning.
4. Invite the same presenters who would speak at the Wildlife Summit to appear on the mayor's Town
Hall TV show.
5. Connect presenters with local service clubs.
6. Make it a practice to include articles about living with deer and wildlife in the City Source in the
spring and fall when deer are most problematic.
7. It may be possible to offer "Living with Wildlife" classes in Ashland as part of our recreation class
offering. We could then include information about living with wildlife in the Parks Department's
recreation guide.
8. Op-ed pieces in the Daily Tidings.
There was some discussion at the October 21 Council meeting of warning Ashland residents of the
dangers of potential deer attacks. Staff has been unable to find any information about preventing deer
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attacks or what to do if attacked by a deer. State wildlife managers say such attacks are so rare that no
one has compiled or provides information on the subject. According to Dr. Michael Parker, chair of
the Biology Department at SOU, there is no scientific literature on the subject. The brochure
mentioned above will contain a section on what to do when you encounter deer (taken from a Cody,
Wyoming, brochure and verified by ODFW), but as noted above, we are extremely reluctant to offer
information on this subject that is not sourced from the experts in this area.
COUNCIL GOALS SUPPORTED:
N/A
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND REQUESTED ACTION:
N/A
SUGGESTED MOTION:
N/A. This item is scheduled for information only.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
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