City Council

CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY OF ODESSA, TEXAS March 7, 2023 On March 7, 2023, a special meeting of the Odessa City Council was held at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 5th floor, City Hall, 411 W. 8th, Odessa, Texas. City Council present: Mayor Javier Joven; Council members: Mark Matta, District One; Steven P. Thompson, District Two; Greg Connell, District Four; Chris Hanie, District Five; and Denise Swanner, At-Large. City Council absent: Council member Gilbert Vasquez, District Three. Staff present: Agapito Bernal, Interim City Manager; Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo, City Secretary; Dan Jones, Interim City Attorney; and other members of City staff. A quorum being present, Mayor Joven called the meeting to order, and the following proceedings were held: Initial findings and SWOT Analysis: Pathway for Positive Change. Mike Wilson, T2 Professional Consulting, stated that there were three phases of Comprehensive Evaluation and assessment of the organization, diagnostic meetings with stakeholders and SWOT, recruit, and training. Mica Lunt stated that the evaluation and assessment included the analysis of raw Human Resources data and the City’s Policies and Procedures Manual. He reviewed the employee separation and hiring. Data indicated that there were more separations from the City in 2019 and 2022 than 2021 and 2022. There was no mass exodus since January 2022. The 90 day turnover was low with 51 people hired and 16 employees that separated from the City. Mr. Lunt reviewed the quantitative survey with a 54% response rate from the survey. He stated it was a good representation of the work force. He reviewed the patterns and practices, trust, leadership and morale findings. He explained the working unit dynamics. Mr. Wilson stated that the City did not have a unified mission or vision. There was no communication or goals. He provided the results for leadership, management, supervision and training. Employees wanted to receive coaching at 67% to advance and 76% of employees wanted to receive training to perform. He reviewed the team atmosphere and communication which was in the 60% to 70% range. The morale level was at 28% high and 29% moderate. Mr. Wilson reviewed the toxicity in the environment with racist and sexually offensive material/behavior. There were employees that experienced discrimination and harassment in the last 12 months. Most were comfortable in reporting sexual harassment. He identified the problems that included an inaccurate protected class in the Personnel Policy Manual, no formal training on sexual harassment and diversity since pre-COVID. The last update to the Manual was 2008. Mr. Lunt stated that the manual was not compliant with the law. The problems could lead to exposure and liability. A consultant was recommended to update the Policy Manual and would be completed by the end of April. The qualitative survey results were reviewed with improvements on communication, training, compensation and accountability. The employees wanted discipline and equitability with no favoritism. The interviews and focus groups findings were reviewed. The findings revealed that there was no long term vision and there were issues with training and tolerance. The trends and SWOT analysis indicated that there was a communication deficit. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were reviewed. Mr. Wilson reviewed the work completed and the next steps of the Council Minutes March 7, 2023 Page 2 process. He stated that the social media training was completed that included basic rules on social media. Mayor Joven asked about the formulation of a Social Media Policy and it correlate with the Personal Policy Manual. Council member Matta left the meeting at 6:53 p.m. Appoint City Manager Benchmark Committee Members. Mr. Lunt recommended that the Benchmark Committee be comprised of two Council members, two directors and two citizens. The attributes of the benchmarks would be identified and compared to the candidates which removed the bias and identified strengths. The benchmarks measured skills, talents, motivation, values and communication. He stated it was scientifically backed, legal and field proven. Mr. Wilson heard the concerns of Dr. Seitz and was removed from the project. He was replaced with Suzie Price, a practitioner and trainer. He explained the benchmark process with a brainstorming session, an assessment, and report. Council member Thompson stated that Council member Matta believed that the Council should make the decision, as elected officials. He recommended Council member Vasquez to serve on the committee. Council member Swanner stated that the committee needed to be comprised of an odd number. The Council agreed that they should serve as the committee. Charles Hurst, Director of Human Resources, would work with the consultant on the manual. He reported that it was not normal to not update the manual for many years. He stated that updates were discussed to the former City Manager. The updates were not brought to Council. Council member Hanie stated that the training needed to be done immediately. Mr. Hurst stated that a training process would be developed. Council member Connell was impressed with the TTISI research. Mr. Wilson stated that Council would review the job description. Council member Swanner was disappointed with the last Personnel Policy Manual update being 2008. She stated the City needed to run like a business. Mr. Lunt stated that there were fantastic employees and were interested in guidance and training. Motion was made by Council member Hanie and seconded by Council member Swanner to appoint the seven members of the Council to the City Manager Benchmark Committee. The motion was approved by the following vote: Aye: Joven, Thompson, Connell, Hanie, and Swanner Nay: None Motion was made by Council member Swanner and seconded by Council member Thompson to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved by the following vote: Aye: Joven, Thompson, Connell, Hanie, and Swanner Nay: None The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. ATTEST: APPROVED: Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo, TRMC, CMC Javier Joven City Secretary Mayor