City Manager Performance Evaluation Committee

City Manager Performance Evaluation Committee 10 N. Division St., Room 302A Battle Creek, MI 49014 Wednesday, December 14, 2016 2:00 p.m. Committee Members Present: Vice Mayor Susan Baldwin and Commissioners Andy Helmboldt Committee Members Absent: Mayor Dave Walters and Kaytee Faris Staff Present: Rebecca Fleury, City Manager: Nancy Mullett, Labor Attorney: Vicki Houser, City Clerk Call to Order: Comm. Helmboldt called the meeting to order at 2:06 p.m. Public Comment: None Approval of Minutes: Approval of the minutes was postponed to the next meeting as a quorum was not present. Bi-monthly Performance Report A. City Manager Report of Performance Highlights and Concerns Ms. Fleury presented her bi-monthly report to the Committee. Ms. Fleury noted the report is very long, stating she approached it differently, wanting to fill in all of the boxes, asking if the Committee may want the information provided differently. Ms. Fleury noted staff provides updates on their areas. Ms. Fleury suggested the next month report focus on the “hot topics,” with a broad overview of other topics quarterly instead of bi-monthly. Comm. Helmboldt stated he thought she could start with the present report as a baseline, then going forward she would not need to go as much in depth. Comm. Baldwin suggested Ms. Fleury follow the format used by Attorney Steele, noting only if there was an update. Ms. Fleury noted a few items/goals would be completed soon, including the Quiet Zone and Engineering’s attendance at local NPCs. Comm. Baldwin expressed concern Ms. Fleury was spending a lot of time simply reporting, expressing concern she is also providing weekly reports to the Commission along with the bi-monthly reports. Comm. Baldwin suggested the City Manager Evaluation Committee could meet quarterly instead of every other month, as they were getting the weekly reports. Attorney Mullett agreed the Committee could reduce the meetings, but still be able to provide significant updates to the Committee and the Commission when needed. Attorney Mullett noted most private industry would have quarterly reports, not bi-monthly reports. Comm. Helmboldt asked if the Committee could review the updates Ms. Fleury receives from the department heads, expressing concern the bi-monthly reports are a duplicate of the weekly updates. Comm. Helmboldt noted the weekly reports do not tie the work to the goals. Ms. Fleury agreed the Committee could always see the staff updates. Comm. Helmboldt suggested the very detailed reports, tied to the goals, could be done twice a year instead of every other month. Comm. Baldwin suggested Ms. Fleury provide the detailed report to the Committee meet 3 times a year, once every 4 months, stating she did not want to make too many changes too fast, while recognizing there was a lot of duplication with the monthly reports. Comm. Baldwin requested Ms. Fleury do the bi-monthly report for the February meeting, then do the report 4 months from then. Comm. Helmboldt confirmed the Committee would still meet every other month to go over the weekly updates and Commission comments, stating they could still work without having to do the bi-monthly reporting. Comm. Helmboldt recommended the last comprehensive report prior to the evaluation survey would be in August, with reports following that in December, April and August during subsequent evaluation periods. Comm. Helmboldt stated the Committee would determine in February whether they could reduce the number of meetings throughout 1  the year. Comm. Helmboldt expressed his opinion there should be no problem with the Commission as they were still receiving weekly reports. Ms. Fleury noted most Commissioner comments have nothing to do with the bi-monthly report. Ms. Fleury asked if the same quarterly reporting would be applicable to the Managerial Competencies, stating they are also duplicative. Ms. Fleury stated she would be attending department meetings instead of the twice a year brown bag lunch visits. Comm. Baldwin recommended Ms. Fleury still use the tool, but pick out monthly highlights of her work to fit the expectations, and only adding additional information if it is special or out of the ordinary. Comm. Baldwin agreed the descriptor would remind the Commission of the managerial competencies. Comm. Baldwin stated she was comfortable to push the next report to August, after the February committee meeting. B. Commission Highlights and Concerns Comm. Helmboldt stated he only received a few communications, noting Comm. Gray was having difficulty with the new reports. Comm. Helmboldt noted a comment from Comm. Behnke was related to the overgrowth on the highway between Columbia Avenue and Jackson Street as drivers are coming into town. Comm. Helmboldt stated Comm. Behnke also felt Ms. Fleury was attempting to meet everyone’s needs. Ms. Fleury noted this is not City property, stating it is the State (MDOT) or the County Road Department’s responsibility. Ms. Fleury stated she would talk with Todd Gerber. Comm. Baldwin recommended Ms. Fleury contact Jim Ritsema to determine if they have any arrangements with MDOT or the county. Discussion of City Manager Contract Language Committee members discussed the placement of the COLA language, noting it is currently placed within the evaluation tool, whereas others are in their contracts, noting that if other employees receive COLA, the City Manager also receives the COLA. Committee members noted the City Attorney contract includes the COLA, but does not include a bonus. Committee members agreed to review the City Manager contract, to include the COLA and any other changes, when the evaluation is in process so that it could be presented to the Commission in September. Comparison of City Manager Wages Ms. Fleury stated she sent some salary comparisons to the Committee, with supporting documentation. Comm. Baldwin requested information for other city managers throughout Michigan, not just Calhoun County. Comm. Baldwin noted there were salaries surveys conducted for the City Manager Search Committee in 2014. Comm. Baldwin requested Ms. Fleury bring the information to the next meeting. Comm. Helmboldt stated the ultimate questions is what the process is for deciding the wage is insufficient and recommending an increase. Comm. Helmboldt also noted they would need to consider the city budget when considering an increase. Comm. Baldwin stated the determination should be made by the City Manager Evaluation Committee. Ms. Fleury informed the Committee that the City would be doing a Salary Survey in the near future, noting the costs was about $100,000. Committee members agreed to postpone the discussion to the next meeting. Committee Discussion: There were no additional Committee comments. Next Meeting: February 9, 2017 at 2:00 pm in Room 302A. Adjournment: Comm. Helmboldt adjourned the meeting at 3:22 p.m. 2