City Manager Performance Evaluation Committee

City Manager Performance Evaluation Committee Battle Creek City Hall Room 302B, Third Floor 10 N. Division St. Battle Creek, MI 49014 Thursday, May 24, 2012 12:00 p.m. Committee Members Present: Mayor Susan Baldwin, Vice Mayor Fulton, Comm. Walters, and Comm. Gray Committee Members Absent: None Staff Present: Ken Tsuchiyama, Susan Bedsole, and Russ Claggett Call to Order: Mayor Baldwin called the meeting to order at 12:01 p.m. Public Comment: None Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Comm. Gray, supported by Comm. Walters, to approve the meeting minutes of May 1, 2012, as presented. All yes. Motion carried. Discussion Mayor Baldwin asked the City Manager if he wanted to respond to the survey results. City Manager Ken Tsuchiyama stated he was pleased with the results. He further stated there were some issues raised that he expected and is working on them. Additionally, he noted the issue of timeliness in the response. Mayor Baldwin noted the results as a whole are all above average, with the exception of the timeliness issue. Mr. Tsuchiyama stated he was proud of the results from the community partners because he had made it a priority to improve the City’s relationship with outside organizations. Comm. Gray stated it was clear that the City Manager took some of the issues raised last time seriously and had made improvements on those issues. Mayor Baldwin noted the staff survey given in October 2011 showed the City Manager scored very high is treating staff with respect and dignity. Comm. Gray asked if there was any way to address the issue of communication between the City and the community. Mr. Tsuchiyama said staff reductions in the City Manager’s office and across the entire organization have made it difficult to simply delegate. He further stated he has thought about creating a new position in the City Manager’s Office to help communicate to residents and employees better. He added he was not certain that would be that helpful because often times the information requested is time consuming. 1 Mayor Baldwin stated that perhaps we should first determine what exactly the commissioners are looking for when they indicate they want increased communication. Comm. Gray said that perhaps an idea is to have more AccessVision programs that show residents how to access information. The second part of it is making certain that our website is kept current. Mr. Tsuchiyama responded he considered including that type of work in the description for the potential new position. Mayor Baldwin stated we should work on the front page of the web site. Mr. Tsuchiyama said he would prepare a proposal for the new position, with included dollar amounts for any new technology that would be necessary. Mr. Tsuchiyama spoke briefly about citizen expectations regarding responses and that expectations regarding response time with modern technology have definitely changed over time. Mayor Baldwin reviewed the overall results of the surveys with the committee. Comm. Walters asked the City Manager if there were any comments that he wished to address. Mr. Tsuchiyama responded that the responsiveness comments have been addressed. He further stated the comment regarding being intimidated by unions simply was not true. He stated he treats everyone with respect and dignity. He further found interesting the community partner comments regarding his empathy for stakeholders making him more cautious and wanted to know more about what that meant. Vice Mayor Fulton asked if there were any Commission comments that need to be addressed. Mayor Baldwin felt the public is actually getting more information now because it is contained on the website. Mr. Tsuchiyama said the Commission comment stating that sometimes the Commission is the second to know is often times difficult to do with technology today, but staff always strives to make certain commission is informed first. Mayor Baldwin stated it is clear the committee intends to renew the contract and asked the City Manager if he had any requests. Mr. Tsuchiyama provided information to the committee regarding his requests. Comm. Gray asked how the car allowance compared to the mileage reimbursement guidelines that allow 55.5 cents per mile. Mr. Tsuchiyama indicated that was difficult to calculate that because he does not record actual mileage. He further noted, it is not just the fuel usage, but also the wear and tear on his car that count toward it. 2 Mayor Baldwin stated she would want to know if other communities used any of the suggested terms of employment. Mr. Tsuchiyama stated the ability of the City Manager to receive $1000 to support community organizations is not for the recognition, but for support. Mayor Baldwin responded she has a problem with giving money especially with our budgetary concerns, but perhaps the requests could be sent to the Commission who could then decide if they wished to participate. Comm. Walters asked the Employee Relations Director Russ Claggett what his concerns were regarding the community support suggestion. Mr. Claggett responded it would have to be structured carefully so that it was not seen as a pass through to the City Manager on behalf of the City, since the City cannot make the contribution. Mr. Tsuchiyama stated his last request was a full membership to the FullBlast Fitness Center and Binder Park Golf Course. Vice Mayor Fulton stated she agreed with the Mayor’s hesitation in providing $1000 per year to support community organizations. She further indicated she liked the idea of the information being sent to the whole Commission. Comm. Walters stated it was admirable to ask that the base salary be kept the same. He further indicated he did not have a problem with the increased car allowance and memberships. Mayor Baldwin said she was in favor of the car allowance, putting language in regarding an increase, and paying for a Fitness Center membership for the City Manager only, not any family members. Comm. Gray agreed the committee should focus only on the employee. Vice Mayor Fulton asked the City Manager how other non-represented employees would react to the $100 increase in the car allowance. Mr. Tsuchiyama said the responses will be varied since some staff use the mileage reimbursement or have a city vehicle, and some do not. He further stated that traditionally the committee gives the Mayor a general sense and then the Mayor negotiates with the City Manager. The Committee set the next meeting for June 5, 2012, at 6:00pm. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 1:10 p.m. SEB 3