Informational Meeting

MINUTES Monday, May 17, 2010 Informational Meeting 4:00 p.m. at Carnegie Town Hall Sioux Falls City Council 235 West 10th Street Members Present: Sue Aguilar, Kenny Anderson Jr., Vernon Brown, Jim Entenman, Michelle Erpenbach, Greg Jamison, Bob Litz, Rex L. Rolfing, and Mayor Mike Huether. Members Absent: None. Staff Present: Debra A. Owen, City Clerk/Chief of Council Operations, and Jamie L. Palmer, Assistant City Clerk. 1. Call To Order Council Vice-Chair Jamison called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. 2. City Council Staff Report A. Debra A. Owen, City Clerk / Chief of Council Operations Owen gave a special thanks to Central Services, Media Services, Building Services, Channel 16 staff, City Council staff, and the Edison Middle School students for their help with the Swearing-In Ceremony. She shared that the Council Chambers and the Multi-purpose room were filled with people and approximately 20 viewed the Swearing-In ceremony via a big screen TV outside under the oak tree. Owen stated that there were questions about City Council agenda Item 22 and Item 26. She said that Scott Rust, Purchasing Managed, sent a memo relating to Item 26 and that he is present at this meeting to answer additional questions. 3. Mayor Huether Mayor Huether thanked everyone involved with the Swearing-In Ceremony. He said that he is looking forward to working with the City Council and having a higher level of transparency between the Council and City departments. He stated that he plans to attend the Informational meetings. 4. Audit Committee Jamison stated that the committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, May 20, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. in the Multi-purpose room. 5. Fiscal Committee Brown stated that the Fiscal Committee normally meets the first Monday of every month immediately following the Informational meeting. 6. Land Use Committee Litz stated that there is no report at this time but gave a brief overview of the Land Use Committee. 7. Public Services Committee Brown stated that the Public Services Committee normally meets the second Monday of every month immediately following the Informational meeting and addresses a variety of issues. 8. City Council Open Discussion Jamison ask for input on how Council Members wish to be addressed. Litz stated that in order to uphold decorum during meetings, he would prefer that they be addressed as Council Member or Councilor. Erpenbach agreed. Rolfing expressed his appreciation for the armed forces personnel and their service. 9. Presentations Scott Rust, Purchasing Manager, came forward to address Item 26 on tonight’s City Council agenda. Discussion followed. Discussion occurred regarding Item 22 on tonight’s agenda. Erpenbach stated that she questioned why an item that was denied by the Planning Commission is coming before the Council and she also had some questions about notification requirements for planning and zoning issues. She stated that Mike Cooper, Director of Planning and Building Services will be addressing her questions at the meeting this evening. Jamison stated that an appeal regarding an assisted living facility located near 81st Street & Audi drive will be coming before the City Council on June 7, 2010. Jamison spoke about the Council Committees and formulating a plan to fill the vacancies on those committees. He encouraged the new members to seek information about each committee so that committee assignments can be made soon. Mayor Huether spoke about transparency in government and his plans to work with the City Council. He encourages open communication. He stated that if the City Council would like a department director to be present at an Informational meeting, they can either make that request to the Mayor’s office or directly to the department director. He continued to say that if thed director is unable to attend, they should appoint another person to be their representative at that meeting. Erpenbach asked about the expectation for the weekly Informational meeting. She asked for clarification on open discussion. Discussion and suggestions followed. Jamison spoke about the leadership meetings that are held on Thursday mornings after the Director’s meeting between the City Council leadership and the Mayor. He suggested that all Council Members give input on priority items that they would like Council leadership to discuss with the Mayor. Entenman asked the Mayor about his plan to update the Council regarding the Railroad Relocation Project. Discussion followed. Jamison reminded Council Members that the election of the Council Chair and Council Vice-Chair will occur at the meeting tonight. Brown asked the Mayor about his plan to update the Council about any personnel changes that may occur. Discussion followed. 10. Adjournment Council Vice-Chair Jamison adjourned the meeting at 4:43 p.m. Jamie L Palmer, CMC Assistant City Clerk