City Council

Trail to the Past. Road to the Future. Mantorville CITY COUNCIL Minutes Special Session Location: MUNICIPAL COUNCIL CHAMBERS Date: Monday, December 30th, 2024 1. Call to Order Mayor Bradford called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM Present: Mayor Chuck Bradford Councilmembers: Henry Blair Lyle Hoaglund Jeffrey Ingalls Lynnette Nash Others Present: Gretchen Lohrbach 2. Pledge of Allegiance Everyone stood and recited the pledge of allegiance. 3. Executive Session Per a motion by councilmember Ingalls seconded by Hoaglund, and unanimously (5 / 0) approved, the meeting proceeded into a closed executive session at 4:01 PM pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 13D.05, subdivision 3(a), to evaluate the performance of an individual subject to the City Council's authority, Ms. Gretchen Lohrbach. It is noted that no members of the public were present, so no one was asked to leave. Motion to reopen the session by councilmember Blair, seconded by Ingalls and carried unanimously (5/0). Councilmember Ingalls announced outside chambers that the open meeting would resume; no members of the public were present. 4. Open Session resumed at 4:15 PM Mayor Bradford summarized the performance evaluation of City Clerk/Treasurer Gretchen Lohrbach as follows: “The Mantorville City Council conducted a performance evaluation of City Clerk- Treasurer Gretchen Lohrbach on December 18, 2024 and December 30, 2024, and the summary of the City Council’s conclusions regarding the evaluation are as follows: The Council identified performance objectives and requirements for Ms. Lohrbach, including but not limited to Council goals, administration goals and requirements, responsiveness, adherence to policy requirements, necessary workplace adjustments, attendance requirements, and ongoing profession advancement training. The Council desires to work with Ms. Lohrbach moving forward through continued evaluations and interactions to facilitate successful implementation of the goals and objectives of the Council and Ms. Lohrbach.” Mayor Bradford noted that the next council will need to approve the meeting minutes. Mayor Bradford noted that an assistant was starting in the office December 31st. Mayor Bradford noted that Camille Reber helped get office work caught up for now. Mayor Bradford initiated a discussion on the staff raises for 2025. Ingalls noted that he would like to see a market analysis of how our staff compensation compares to other similar communities and that he had asked Al Roder from Byron for some example personnel policies. Council discussed various options for raise amounts. Bradford noted that candidates were asking for about 5% more than current staff compensation rates. Blair noted we don’t have to do the raises now. Bradford indicated it's usually done before the end of the year. Hoaglund noted that he would like to see comparisons as well. Nash located the approved increase amount in the budget. Ingalls mentioned that we need to see written evaluations from Council. Ingalls confirmed COLA amount is 2.63%. Ingalls proposed COLA be applied to all staff members and 3% increase for Joe and Wade. Bradford noted that the assistant from Express is contract for hire. Ingalls noted that we need more information before we make any market adjustments. Ingalls made a motion to raise Joe and Wade’s compensation by 2.63% COLA plus 3% merit. Motion was seconded by Hoaglund. Nash noted that we may want to raise Brad’s salary the same as Joe and Wade. Ingalls amended the motion to include Brad. Amended motion seconded by Hoaglund and passed 5/0. Ingalls made a motion to raise Lohrbach’s salary by 2.63% COLA, and leave Lohrbach’s merit pending the outcome of her performance evaluation. Seconded by Nash. Motion passed 5/0. Discussion ensued on council compensation. Bradford noted that no change can be made for the next council. Hoaglund noted that most councils pay their members per meeting. Nash indicated the rate should be addressed by the next council. Everyone agreed that it should be addressed next year. Nash noted the annual Chamber dinner is on Thursday, January 16th at 6 PM. Hoaglund asked about a lot split for Martha Vrieze. Lohrbach indicated a resolution or minutes are on file and available. Motion to adjourn by Ingalls, seconded by Hoaglund, approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned 4:45 PM.