City Council

City of Hilliard Page 0 Governing Body Retreat City of MINOT, ND Governing Body Retreat June 22, 2021 City of Minot Page 1 Governing Body Retreat The City of Minot, North Dakota, held a Governing Body Retreat on June 11th and 12th, 2021. The retreat was planned and facilitated by The Novak Consulting Group, now a part of Raftelis. Day 1 Introductions & Expectations The retreat began with the City Council and staff introducing themselves and then sharing their expectations for the retreat:  Better understanding of roles and responsibilities, individually and as a group – internally and at a local/state/federal level. What’s our lane?  Clearer perspective for the group as to where we should be going, what we should focus on, what our limitations are, and to get to know fellow Councilmembers better.  Team building, getting to know other perspectives, understanding where each of us is coming from. We need to be able to put down our individual agendas and move in the best direction for the City of Minot. I’d like for everyone to be moving in the same direction.  We need to work collaboratively together, to move past some issues that we’ve experienced. Realizing that we’re a cog as part of a larger wheel – county, local legislators, etc.  Looking forward to foundation building, understanding high-performing governance, and what the potential for this City is.  We don’t have a strategic plan, and we need to have those elements, so that we can be singing from the same choir book and give the City direction on where we’d like to go.  I’d like Council to work together more effectively and productively – working well with the City Manager and staff. I’d like to plan and think and then look to the future.  Looking forward to good discussion.  I’d like to learn how to identify conflicts of interest.  Learn a lot about our community and city.  Learn about strategic planning generally, and help to set the goals for the City as we develop a clear understanding of where we’re going.  Insight into how everyone functions day to day and develop better ways to communicate.  Looking forward to hearing the Council’s direction.  Getting more involved in the Council process, so getting more clarity on roles.  Better understanding of how everything works and works together.  I want to see everyone working together, and I’m learning a lot.  Woven blanket – we’re each the tassels at the end, and we need to combine to form the fabric. Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 2 Governing Body Retreat High Performing Governance Workshop Dr. Nalbandian presented a workshop that explored the Council-Manager form of government and shared insights about the values, roles, relationships, and responsibilities of the governing body and staff. The workshop focused on the growing gap between what is politically acceptable and operationally sustainable. The workshop is captured in the graphic and discussion debrief section below. Values Debrief:  Mask Mandate – what values were in play? o Representation: The community wanted Council to step up, and there was a lot of outreach and information coming in from both sides of the debate; polarized at all levels of government. There was a real vacuum at the state level in terms of leadership, and every jurisdiction needed to wrestle with this issue. o Social equity: This was a big issue, in that some folks translated mask policies into individual rights – how can we protect our most vulnerable populations? What’s the effect on businesses? o Efficiency: The City couldn’t keep up with internments and the considerable loss of human life. Efficiency is also respect for rational, analytical thinking – lack of space, lack of capacity. Advice from the state, CDC, etc. was inconsistent and challenging to Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 3 Governing Body Retreat navigate. At the state level, a mask mandate wasn’t put in place, so it complicated the argument to put one in place at the local level. o Individual rights: folks who supported a mask mandate were seen as not supporting individual rights, mask mandate was challenging for some populations. o Was there a correct answer? There are compromises on a lot of different issues, but this felt like life and death. We may have an individual right answer, but others can look at the same information and come to a different and also valid conclusion. When there are right answers, there can’t be compromise. Sharing Expectations Participants reflected on the discussions from the High Performing Governance Workshop, and on the thoughts they had in preparing for this retreat to articulate the expectations have for one another as we move toward governing together. Prompt questions included:  What do you need from your governing body colleagues in order for you to be an effective governing body member? o What are you willing to give your governing body colleagues?  As a governing body, what do you need from the staff? o What are you willing to give the staff?  What does the staff need from the governing body in order to be effective? o What is the staff willing to give the governing body? The responses were captured in the tables below, and the following graphic shows the debrief. Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 4 Governing Body Retreat What do you need from your governing body What are you willing to give your governing colleagues to be effective? body colleagues?  No “alliances” – all Council members are part of  Time outside of meetings to discuss issues the decision-making process  More time  Understanding that the smallest comment at  Time to listen meetings can have far-reaching implications  My time and attention  I will be prepared  To have the best interest of the City at the  Being prepared for meetings foundation of all decisions  100% of my effort  100% focus at meetings  Full attention  To always have integrity  Knowledge of issues  No games – be honest  Benefit of the doubt  Honesty  Respect for opinions  Respect for one another  Civility in discourse  Be respectful to each other and follow the rules  An open mind  Thoughtful consideration of ideas to maintain order and professionalism  Respect  Courtesy towards all  Respect and courtesy  Professional manner at meetings and in public  Respect for each member  Respect for opinions  Respect for other opinions  To be open-minded to new solutions for issues  Help/advice  Willingness to consider other opinions  I will be passionate  Willingness to listen with an open mind  Take each issue separately  Support in struggles  Open mind to new ideas  Honest opinion  To be prepared to discuss topics at meetings  I will be honest  Be prepared  A guarantee for a chance to discuss (e.g.  To be prepared for meetings seconding a motion)  Prepared for meetings  One issue and then a clean slate  Honest communication  Forgiveness for past and future mistakes  Chance to discuss and dialogue  Reasonable community vision  Listen with two ears and talk with one mouth  Be okay with change  A sense of perspective and humor Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 5 Governing Body Retreat As a governing body, what do you need from the What are you willing to give to the staff? staff in order to be effective?  Subject matter expertise  Consistent leadership on issues  Different ideas, best practices, what  More autonomy and independence from works elsewhere, etc. – expand the interference horizon  Resources (within reason, understanding  Data and alternatives that are holistic limitations and trade-offs) and impactful to support  Support for Minot being an Employer of options/recommendations Choice  [Department heads] should be leaders o Competitive salary / benefits on given topics o Accountability  Be effective in teaching Councilmembers o Support for quality-of-life issues what they need to know about a given o Invest in employees (training, topic/ department development, etc.)  Provide all information that we need to be aware o Respect for a job well done, of recognition  The bad as well as the good  Benefit of the doubt – consider all sides,  Don’t minimize problems that need to be avoid jumping to conclusions addressed  Political cover from backlash – will defend  Not just what I want to hear (correct me if staff recommendations I’m wrong)  Avoid public criticism – private conversations  Play devil’s advocate (early in the around things that won’t work process, include context)  Accessibility – open door, open mind  Effective communication  Honest input and advice (feedback)  Trustworthy, truthful, honest  My motives for requests  Timely response to Council questions  Understanding of what should be filtered through the CM  Focus on customer service – as a business would be  What does this mean? Would be helpful to have a common definition  Fair process, feel like they’ve been heard, decisions explained (even when a decision isn’t in their favor)  Hustle, hard work, sense of urgency (communicate Council expectations for timeline) and ownership  Buy-in to Council vision (directives from the governing body aren’t optional)  Integrity and boldness  Ask for advice – take advantage of Council knowledge/expertise Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 6 Governing Body Retreat What does the Staff need from the governing What is the staff willing to give the governing body in order to be effective? body?  Big Picture Thinking Staff will:  Clear Direction  Act on the direction of the majority o Remember we move at the speed and  Respect your position as elected officials representing the community direction of the MAJORITY of Council –  Do our best to appreciate and understand respect that we can’t take action on the the political pressures you face direction of one individual  Support the Council o Be willing to make course corrections if o Won’t undermine your decisions we are on the wrong path  Provide Information  No surprises o Options and alternatives as o Predictability appropriate o Consistency o The tools you need to make informed decisions  Be Prepared  Give you our time and expertise  Make Decisions  Be Honest  Support o Tell you what you need to know o Get to know our operations – understand  Be Committed what we do 24/7/365 o Sense of duty o Respect each departments contribution  Treat you all the same – even dealing to the community  Give you a heads up – No surprises so you aren’t blindsided  Respect our professionalism, expertise, and competence  Trust  If you have questions, please ask! o We will all keep Harold in the loop.  Even dealing – no special favors  Don’t be quick to take the public’s side v. staff o Suspend judgement – don’t make assumptions about our intentions o Respect our professionalism o Don’t throw us under the bus Council and staff were asked to prioritize their most important expectations for each other. For Council, the most important expectations included subject matter expertise, providing all information that Council needs to be aware of, and effective communication. For staff, the most important expectations included support, trust and respect, big picture thinking, and clear direction. Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 7 Governing Body Retreat Day Two Initial Thoughts Participants were asked to reflect on the activities of the first day and share their reactions and reflections.  I liked the opportunity to have candid and honest conversation – healthy and beneficial  Setting expectations – putting things out in the room was appreciated  I appreciated that the staff were able to participate in the conversation and share their thoughts  It’s helpful knowing what Council expects and to all be on the same page  Good conversation – knowing that Harold is the interpreter is a key job Organizational Update The City Manager and staff provided an overview of the organization’s revenue forecast (Appendix A), as well as a summary of current commitments, big picture principles, and priorities for consideration, which are included below for reference. Current Commitments  NAWS  Flood Mitigation  New City Hall  Port  CTE  Fire Station 5  Moving the Landfill/Recycling  Software/Technology (JARVIS, GIS, etc.) Big Picture Principles  Taxing Capacity and Meeting Community Needs o Schools o Parks o Re-establish Community Facilities Funding  Taxing Sources o Keep Property Taxes Steady (no increases) o Grow Sales Tax Revenues (develop more businesses that generate revenue)  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  Internal (Organizational) vs. External (Community) Priorities Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 8 Governing Body Retreat Priorities for Consideration  Economic Development (Grow/Retain, Entrepreneurship, Recruitment, Retail)  Positions/Wages/Benefits  Preventative Maintenance/Replacement of Existing Infrastructure (Roads, Wells, Water lines, Sewer, etc.)  Downtown Revitalization (livability, sense of place)  Housing (Growth and Affordability)  Space Needs of Departments (PD, Library, T-Hangars)  Anne Street Bridge  Website Rebuild  Update/Review of Personnel Policies Council was polled to determine whether any of the priorities should be removed from consideration. The only priority removed from consideration was the Anna Street Bridge. Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 9 Governing Body Retreat True Today, True in Ten Years The City Council was asked to share their responses to two questions:  What is true about Minot today that you hope will still be true in ten years?  What is not true about Minot today that you hope will be true in ten years? Responses are captured in the following table. True Today – still true in Ten Years Not True today – hope it will be true in Ten years  We celebrate tradition and miss it when  Improve technology for citizen outreach it’s gone (Hostfest, NDSF, etc.)  Growth in high paying careers  Spirit of community  City of Minot to be active players in economic  Resilient community going forward development through collaborative efforts  We take care of our own, particularly in  More open to diversity times of need  Minot will have more women in leadership roles  We work hard and expect others to as  Minot is a community that embraces and well celebrates diversity  Opportunities for families  City Council is bold and willing to try new things  Stable community  Strong relationship with all community partners,  A hunger for more along with our local, state, and elected delegation  Minot has well-run essential City services  More people/residents step forward to run for at cost effective tax and user costs elected positions  Continue to provide resources to staff and  Minot will be a destination for visitors and departments to be effective in day-to-day individuals looking for great quality of life activities  Top destination  Growing, progressive hub city with  Be more realistic about what it costs to run the friendly and vibrant commerce City and meet citizen needs  Continued diversification on Council and  55-60k in population with department heads  Minot has a population of 60k  That people who love the City are on City  NAWS and flood control are complete (strong Council lobby, local elected officials succeed)  Seen as a good place to live, work, and  MREFFP is complete and 100-year flood play projection is complete  Minot is a good place to live, work, and  Flood control and NAWS are nearly complete play  Flood control projects will be complete  Minot is a financially stable city  NAWS is supplying the full system Proposed Aspirations Based on the results of this exercise, Minot is:  Dynamic and Prosperous  Resilient and Prepared  Excellent and Connected  Safe and Welcoming Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 10 Governing Body Retreat Magic City Aspirations City Council and staff broke into groups to discuss what success looked like in each of the proposed aspirational areas. The aspirations are captured in the following graphic, and the directional statements are presented below. Dynamic and Prosperous Minot is a thriving and vibrant community, built on a spirit of sharing strengths, a commitment to sustainable strategic growth, and investments in targeted partnerships. Resilient and Prepared Minot rises up and is positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. Safe and Welcoming Minot is a caring community where people feel safe and engaged, with opportunities to celebrate our histories and diverse identities. Excellent and Connected Minot is an innovative, professional, fiscally stable City government that works collaboratively with residents and community stakeholders to deliver high quality services. Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 11 Governing Body Retreat Council Priorities Council Members were asked to share their individual priorities for the next 12-24 months. These priorities were then categorized into the City’s aspirations, and included: Dynamic and Prosperous  TMC – New hospital/medical building, downtown buildings plan  Make it easier to do business in Minot  Family connection space Resilient and Prepared  Community facilities/forgivable loan program upon sunset of NAWS  NDR and CDBG grant progress close-out Safe and Welcoming  Military (MAFB) integration of personnel and DOD economic opportunities  Work harder to make Minot more welcoming/embracing of Air Force personnel  Progress/policies that increase quality of life for vulnerable populations Excellent and Connected  State leadership (legislators) joint priority building to align with the City  Fiscal responsibility  Continue to build relationships with other taxing entities  Build and improve the relationship with the City Manager  New high school  Improve Council processes and discussions  Finish lawsuits (Cypress development, 16th Crossing)  Improve connection between the City and taxpayers Council members were then provided with six dots each and given the opportunity to place dots on the activities that they each most wanted to see pursued. Based on the number of dots assigned, the top priorities, high priorities, and other were identified, as shown below. Top Priorities  TMC – New hospital/medical building, downtown buildings plan  Military (MAFB) integration of personnel and DOD economic opportunities  Continue to build relationships with other taxing entities  Fiscal responsibility  State leadership (legislators) joint priority building to align with the City Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 12 Governing Body Retreat High Priorities  Improve Council processes and discussions  Build and improve the relationship with the City Manager Other Priorities  New high school  Community facilities/forgivable loan program upon sunset of NAWS  Progress/policies that increase quality of life for vulnerable populations  NDR Close-out/CDBG Close-out  Make it easier to do business in Minot  Family connection space  Finish lawsuits (Cypress development, 16th Crossing)  Improved connection between City and taxpayer Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 13 Governing Body Retreat Day Two – Parting Thoughts Participants were asked to reflect on the retreat and share their parting thoughts.  This has been one of the most impressive parts of my first year in City Council. Encompassing, challenging, and I think this has been a good focus point for the future.  Great way to get everyone speaking openly, which is difficult in the structured settings.  Encouraging to see the progress that was made. There’s a lot that we can do in the future, if we’re all on the same page and can bring others along with us.  Good to hear the expectations of the Council and to learn where Council’s priorities stand.  The honest and frank dynamics are really important to the future of the City. My fervent hope is that we’ve built an open, honest, sustainable and resilient foundation.  I’m hearing everyone come together, and it’s beautiful.  Understanding the priorities and the sense of direction is really helpful.  This is how you run a high-functioning government. This process is how we do that, and we need to add in the connection with stakeholders and community. We need to continue to repeat, engage, and stick to the plan as best we can.  This is the most productive and therapeutic City meeting that I’ve been in in 23 years. It sets the stage for good on-going work. I like the less formal structure.  The strategic stuff, and also the interpersonal stuff – it feels like we’ve gelled. We’ve learned more of the plays and we get better by connecting. I feel like we’re committed to the visioning, and need to be equally committed to the expectations that we laid out yesterday for each other and ourselves.  Our Team Minot has had some fractures, but I feel like we’ve made good progress over the last few days. We need to add to the team, and I think we can do that.  It’s tough to do these sorts of things in a very formal setting – it’s easy to lose sight of each other – we need to take care of our relationships with each other, and remind ourselves that we’re on the same team. Fights happen, and we need to make sessions like this a fixture of how we interact with each other.  I think it’s important for groups who will be successful to have a common denominator of operations and how things work; we needed the foundation, which the facilitators helped with. I also feel that building relationships within the aldermen and also conveying to the staff how valued and respected they are.  As we’ve talked about our priorities, a lot has changed in recent memory. Six years ago, this wouldn’t have happened. There’s been a lot of progress made, and strengthening of Team Minot. Having an external entity come in and help push the conversations was useful – the difference between a City Council meeting and this – we needed to have the bigger, broader conversations. This was exceptionally beneficial. I’m hoping to see more input from department heads and staff in the future. Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities City of Minot Page 14 Governing Body Retreat Appendix A: Organizational Revenue Forecast Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities  6/22/2021 2021 REVENUE FORECAST As of June 10, 2021 1 Budget 1,400,000.00 Sales Tax Collections 1,300,000.00 1,200,000.00 1,100,000.00 1,000,000.00 900,000.00 800,000.00 700,000.00 600,000.00 500,000.00 400,000.00 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2016 1,073,447.1 982,501.96 708,597.79 790,569.80 960,563.47 845,164.38 743,207.04 1,112,766.0 924,022.07 921,549.07 891,184.03 733,998.53 2017 1,092,148.2 711,861.09 705,525.30 640,082.86 993,474.66 865,945.71 945,977.21 792,535.87 748,469.32 1,078,494.9 757,235.69 685,831.47 2018 1,202,974.0 753,896.84 524,286.77 924,895.07 760,100.12 713,433.15 1,152,039.2 916,349.83 762,096.37 1,101,698.0 872,289.59 906,973.11 2019 1,043,272.8 903,257.47 565,591.28 1,000,807.1 859,680.24 637,916.33 1,302,838.8 843,498.66 1,041,767.4 1,074,156.9 663,787.39 1,143,540.6 2020 1,120,906.3 615,653.81 914,086.27 642,955.12 501,580.95 1,074,529.2 974,267.77 936,920.71 899,404.51 841,510.53 910,224.30 895,515.07 2021 760,382.96 844,018.10 961,695.58 1,047,183.7 653,650.00 681,700.00 795,600.00 732,700.00 753,100.00 758,200.00 731,000.00 744,600.00 2 1  6/22/2021 1,400,000.00 Sales Tax Collections 1,300,000.00 1,200,000.00 1,100,000.00 1,000,000.00 900,000.00 800,000.00 700,000.00 600,000.00 500,000.00 400,000.00 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2016 1,073,447.1 982,501.96 708,597.79 790,569.80 960,563.47 845,164.38 743,207.04 1,112,766.0 924,022.07 921,549.07 891,184.03 733,998.53 2017 1,092,148.2 711,861.09 705,525.30 640,082.86 993,474.66 865,945.71 945,977.21 792,535.87 748,469.32 1,078,494.9 757,235.69 685,831.47 2018 1,202,974.0 753,896.84 524,286.77 924,895.07 760,100.12 713,433.15 1,152,039.2 916,349.83 762,096.37 1,101,698.0 872,289.59 906,973.11 2019 1,043,272.8 903,257.47 565,591.28 1,000,807.1 859,680.24 637,916.33 1,302,838.8 843,498.66 1,041,767.4 1,074,156.9 663,787.39 1,143,540.6 2020 1,120,906.3 615,653.81 914,086.27 642,955.12 501,580.95 1,074,529.2 974,267.77 936,920.71 899,404.51 841,510.53 910,224.30 895,515.07 2021 760,382.96 844,018.10 961,695.58 1,047,183.7 769,000.00 802,000.00 936,000.00 862,000.00 886,000.00 892,000.00 860,000.00 876,000.00 2021 FORECAST 3  Forecast a slight increase from 2020 actuals  YTD collections are 9.71% above the same period last year  YTD collections are 27.53% above budget YTD  Sales Tax Revenues are highly variable SALES TAX REVENUE 4 2  6/22/2021 2021 5 Hub City Revenues budgeted at $4,000,000 Forecast based on YTD average is $4,904,664 Legislative forecast used $50/barrel and 1M bpd. YTD production has averaged over 1.1 M bpd Price is favorable with WTI reaching $70+ 21 active drilling rigs compared to 12 last year. 6 3  6/22/2021 City is well positioned with cash reserves Continue to evaluate and adjust revenue forecasts Monitor and control spending Pursue other funding sources (grants) KEYS TO CLOSING THE BUDGET GAP 7 QUESTIONS? 8 4