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COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - MINUTES - 2/4/2004 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – CITY OF MUSKEGO Approved MINUTES OF MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 4, 2004 Mayor Slocomb called the meeting to order at 5:40 PM. Also present were Aldermen Petfalski, Patterson, Buckmaster, Damaske, Salentine, Schroeder and Madden, and Clerk-Treasurer Marenda. The Clerk stated the meeting was noticed in accordance with the open meeting law. Those present recited the pledge of allegiance. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Britt Hall will facilitate a workshop to discuss the organizational structure of the City. Mr. Hall stated he was asked to facilitate a workshop as a result of discussions on changes that might need to be made in Muskego. The process used will be an affinity diagram, where he would put up a question, the committee would put their ideas on post-it notes on the wall and they would be sorted to find the general themes. The question was asked, “What are the things our current city government structure fails to provide to our citizens (what is broken)”. The responses should be from the citizen’s perspective. Mr. Hall took the group through the process, which resulted in the following main categories related to People and Structure: PEOPLE: The Presenter is withholding information to sell their idea. No Action Plan – determined to be not under the control of the aldermen. Improve Leadership (subcategories Leadership, Accountability; Direction) Improve Customer Service (subcategories Timelines; Timely response to concerns/issues from certain departments; Timely responses). Action Plan: Develop current people (training). STRUCTURE: Increase Efficiencies (subcategories Too Expensive; Taxes Too High). Action Plan: Understanding true needs versus wants during budget process (demonstrating the need for a project by providing all the information) Increase Terms of Office (subcategories Knowledge of Discussions; Continuity from election to election – terms too short). Action Plan: Consider Charter Ordinance to increase terms. Maintain Structure (subcategory Nothing). Ald. Salentine stated that most department heads are hired as being qualified, educated, or experienced. But our chief elected official only needs to be 18 years old and live in the City. With the City becoming big business, maybe our leadership needs to be a non-political, well educated, degreed person that can keep the status quo going when novice individuals get elected. We have been fortunate in our City to have Committee of the Whole Page 2 February 4, 2004 qualified, intelligent people come in. Ald. Schroeder noted you can Maintain Structure and improve leadership, or you change structure and improve leadership by hiring a professional. Britt Hall noted that some of what he heard might be having a Chief Operating Officer type of person. Another solution said was increasing the terms would give you the continuity that you needed. You also said “we’re becoming big business” and that we need somebody who has that knowledge base to interact with big business. How does the current structure supply that now? Ald. Salentine didn’t believe it does anymore because a candidate runs for Mayor and it’s political. The question is can that candidate run human resources and manage the departments, and do collective bargaining? Probably not. They could learn – but not overnight. The City wouldn’t take a dip with a professionally trained person and a part-time paid Mayor. Mr. Hall said to bring in somebody who would be an administrator of your City and reducing the amount of control the elected Mayor has would require a change to the organizational structure to be a different type of City. Ald. Petfalski said you could go to a City Manager structure where there is no Mayor or you have a Mayor, and that Mayor, as chief executive officer of the City still has control over the Administrator. So it would be up to the Mayor how to use the services of that Administrator, and you still have a situation where the Mayor has the authority to take over any of the responsibilities given to the Administrator. Ald. Salentine thought the Administrator could report to the Council. The Clerk said a survey of other communities stated their administrator reported to the Council, but she didn’t know if that was legal. Mr. Hall stated if the Mayor is the CEO there may be some reporting structure, but they would report directly to the CEO – unless it is a City Manager structure reporting to the Council. Ald. Petfalski noted that even if the elected Mayor had the authority to usurp the responsibilities of the professional administrator that would be unlikely. Mr. Hall asked how adding an administrator would affect the category “Efficiencies”. Ald. Petfalski noted it could be more expensive but might get more work done overall. Mr. Hall asked then where does that leave us as to “Maintain Structure”? Ald. Schroeder felt that the Council is probably split on the avenue to take to improve the structure. There are people that believe that a full-time Mayor as administrator is still the correct avenue based on the size of the City, size of the government, etc. Others feel the correct route to take because the City is too big, it’s a multi-million dollar operation, there needs to be a Chief Operating Officer, and the City is at the point that’s a necessity to compete. Mr. Hall asked what would we do tonight based on everything we discussed. Ald. Buckmaster said it’s hard to know right now without knowing the expectations of a new structure. Mr. Hall offered to facilitate another workshop to discuss if you want to have a chief operating officer reporting to the chief executive officer or the Council. Ald. Buckmaster asked the Mayor if he would entertain appointing a committee to just look at the development and mechanics of the existing organization and look at that first and if nothing can come out of that, the other avenue is to change. Mr. Hall responded one example was the action plan to develop current people. If you know that you only have the Mayor and Aldermen in and out of office and you feel certain skill sets are Committee of the Whole Page 3 February 4, 2004 necessary, could you have someone within your own organization develop that skill. Ald. Madden said we need to do an analysis, a cost analysis, and an evaluation of the existing structure. Ald. Buckmaster added, and if the Mayor so chooses he would recommend some parameters of this team, and if we can repair, fix or improve, then go back to Council and we’ll be back right where we are now. Mayor thought those discussions should be held by the Committee of the Whole in order to involve all aldermen. Mr. Hall said he would be glad to help with that. If there is anything you truly want to change, determine how it will impact our constituents – how is it going to increase or decrease service, how is it going to increase or decrease costs. If you’re going to make a change, it’s just change for the sake of change unless you’re going to affect those two things positively. Secondly, we need to agree that whatever the issues are, they come out on the table. One of things mentioned earlier was it would be really nice to have all the information up front instead of afterward. So if you would agree to do those two things, he would facilitate. All Aldermen and Mayor agreed to invite Mr. Hall to facilitate another workshop at a COW meeting dedicated to this topic. Ms. Marenda will work with Mr. Hall to find some meeting dates. Ald. Petfalski agreed, but stressed the need to move forward with the Clerk-Treasurer position, and noted the matter will be back on the Council agenda next Tuesday. Ald. Madden moved to adjourn at 7:10 PM. Ald. Petfalski seconded; motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Jean K. Marenda, CMC Clerk-Treasurer