City Council Special Meeting - Closed Session

Mayor Donald Williams Vice Mayor Irais Lopez-Ortega Councilmembers Lisa M. Gift AGENDA Scott Cooper City Council Special Meeting - Closed Session Kevin Eisenberg Thursday, October 26, 2023 - 1:00 PM In-Person Please participate in the meeting by observing or listening to the meeting in one of the following ways: 1. In-Person – Community Center - 1307 Washington Street, Calistoga. COMMENT ON THIS MATTER: Please participate in the meeting by providing public comment on the item on the agenda. Participate in the meeting by providing public comment on the item on the agenda via email. Please submit your comment, limited to 350 words or less, via email to publiccomment@ci.calistoga.ca.us. Written public comments submitted by email should clearly indicate the Agenda Item No. or specify “Oral Communications” in the Subject Line for items not on the agenda and are requested to include the submitter’s full name. Comments received by 10:00 a.m. on the day of the meeting will be posted online with the agenda packet and included in the record but will not be read aloud. If a comment is received after the agenda item is heard but before the close of the meeting, the comment will still be included as a part of the record of the meeting but will not be read aloud. Note: The methods of observing or listening to the meeting or providing public comments may be altered or the meeting may be cancelled, if needed. You may check on the status of the meeting by visiting the City website at www.ci.calistoga.ca.us for any updates Page 1. CALL TO ORDER – ROLL CALL 2. ORAL COMMUNICATION This is a Special Meeting, pursuant to provisions of the Government Code §54957, this is the time provided for members of the public to address the City Council regarding matters of municipal concern for the item listed below (maximum of three minutes per speaker). 2.1. 10.26.23 Public Comment 3 3. ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION ON THE FOLLOWING MATTER: 3.1. Conference with Real Property Negotiations, GC §54956.8 Property: 1435 North Oak Street, APN 011-140-006, APN 011-140-007, APN 011-140-055, APN 011-481-022 Agency Negotiator: Laura Snideman, City Manager Negotiating Parties: Napa County CEO, Ryan Aslop Under Negotiation: Price and/or Terms for Payment for Potential Purchase of Property 3.2. Public Employee Performance Evaluation, GC §54957, City Manager 4. ADJOURNMENT NOTICE: If you challenge a city’s zoning, planning, or other decision in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or Page 0 of 3 prior to, the public hearing. Judicial review of any City administrative decision may be had only if a petition is filed with the court not later than the 90th day following the date upon which the decision becomes final. Judicial review of environmental determinations may be subject to a shorter time period for Litigation, in certain cases 30 days following the date of final decision. Pursuant to GC §54957.5: any writings/documents provided to a majority of the City Council regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection on the City website at www.ci.calistoga.ca.us. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: The City can provide special assistance for persons with disabilities to participate in public meetings. To make a request for disability-related modification or accommodation please contact the City Clerk at ygalvan@ci.calistoga.ca.us or (707) 942-2807. If you need assistance or accommodation, please provide notice at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. For TTY/ Speech-to-Speech users, dial 7-1-1 for the California Relay Service, offering free text- to-speech, speech-to-speech, and Spanish language services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ACTA DE AMERICANOS CON DISCAPACIDADES: Se les pide por favor que avise con 48 horas de anticipación cuando necesite hacer un pedido para asistencia. Esto les da suficiente tiempo antes de la junta para permitir que la ciudad tome medidas razonables. POSTING: I declare a copy of this agenda was posted at City Hall, 1232 Washington Street, Calistoga, among other locations in the city limits of Calistoga, on October 25, 2023 by 12 p.m. Yudiana Galvan, City Clerk Page 1 of 3  AdditionalWritings Mectingof .:.' 17 Ce l . oismt?dhgn n ' D§F4"Zgg_i An Vudiana Galvan From: Lana Richardson Sent Wednesday, October 25, 2023 621 PM To: PublicComment Subject: Public Comment 10/26/23dosed session; Agenda item 3.2 - CAUTION: Thisemailoriginated fromoutsideof the organixatlon. Do not clicklinks or open attachments uiilessyai reoognizethe senderand Jgigw the content is safe. 7 — Mayor Williams Vice Mayor Lopez-Ortega Council members Scott Cooper, Kevin Eisenberg, Lisa Gift - As I and others have mentioned in previous public comments and letters to the paper, staf?ng for the City of Calistoga has been challenged at many levels overthe past year. There has been significant impact on staf?ng resulting from resignations of employees, others electing early retirement and on-going difficulty recruiting replacements. We have lost valuable resources. While there may be other factors influencing their decisions, many have stated that the City Manager‘s communication and management style has ultimately been a signi?cant factor in their decisions. The other serious result is the ?nancial impact on the City budget. Although I don't have specific amounts, items listed below are undoubtedly costing more and/or providing less return on this considerable investment. consultant fees [ locations Fees for consultants are typically much more than would be necessary for an employee, - even with consideration for benefits- lreferto items 6.1; 6.3; 6.6 on 10/17/23council agenda). Most consultants are working remotely and lack knowledge of/ familiarity with Calistoga. The Interim PB director is on-site only 1 day/wk and available remotely other times. There is a considerable pipeline of projects that need ongoing review and management. Recruiting for positions using a remote HR person makes hiring even more difficult. The available pool of qualified applicants is further decreased by their knowledge of current City Manager's management style. hours committed —Thepositions consultants are 'staf?ng' are likely budgeted as full time. However, the consultants, as stated above, are signi?cantly less than full time but likely cost much more than a full time employee with bene?ts. recruitment fees At the recent Planning Commission meeting, Bob Murray Assoc was introduced as recruiting for PB - Director. Typical recruiting fees are 20% 30% of first yr salary of position placed. I believe there are other agencies - recruiting for other exec/dirlevel positions. This is a signi?cant expense that is likely not budgeted and could have been avoided. Attorney fees interviews with 26 employees were conducted by City attorney’s office for investigation of this issue. — This no doubt took many hours at a rate of $200 $400+/hr. Another considerable expense that likely wasn't budgeted - and avoidable. Council needs to make a decision and take corrective action on this issue immediately. Lana Richardson Calistoga Page 3 of 2