Operations Committee Meeting

MINUTES Operations Committee Meeting Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 2:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104 1. Call to Order Present: Committee Chair Greg Neitzert, Committee Member Marshall Selberg, Committee Member Pat Starr Absent: Committee Member Christine M. Erickson Committee Chair Greg Neitzert called the meeting to order at 2 p.m. 2. New Business  Review of the City Council Policies and Procedures Manual and the City Council Reference Manual Neitzert reviewed the purpose of the Operations Committee. He explained the Committee's primary responsibility is to review the Council's policies and procedures and to make recommendations for changes to the City Council. The Council maintains two separate documents covering its operations. The first is the "Policies and Procedures" manual which is formally adopted by resolution. The other is a reference manual that outlines factual information for member reference. The policies and procedures manual was last adopted in 2018, with an addendum pertaining to voting order at meetings adopted in September, 2018. The focus for the present meeting is to review the current policies and procedures manual in order to solicit recommended changes from the Committee and staff. Neitzert explained that editorial changes to current sections may be drafted by staff for further review by the Committee, but new subject matter and changes to policy would be included as discussion items for future meetings. The Committee briefly discussed whether the immediate past City Council Chair seat should be addressed in "Council Seating and Voting Order." There was no consensus that it should. There were no recommended changes to "Remote Meeting Attendance." Tom Greco, City Clerk, recommended that "Agenda Deadlines and Submission of Documents" be updated to reflect the current Executive Order reference. The Committee directed him to prepare a draft. The Committee noted that the "Public Input" section requires changes to reflect the current ordinance governing the topic. Neitzert asked if there is a need for other substantive changes. There were no recommended changes. The Committee directed staff to prepare a draft update to the section. Neitzert reviewed "City Council Hiring Policies." He pointed out that the policy recognizes the possibility that the Assistant City Clerk positions may be converted to appointive positions upon vacancies in the current positions. Neitzert also noted that the section does not expressly address the hiring process for an Internal Auditor and asked the Committee if there should be a more in depth review of the section by staff. The Committee concluded there should be a review and directed staff do so and report to the Committee at its next meeting. Neitzert reviewed "Outside Legal Services." Dave Bixler, Budget Analyst, stated that the Council typically budgets $12k per year for this. The Committee did not recommend changes to the section. Neitzert reviewed "City Council Travel Policy." Bixler was asked to explain the differences between the Council's travel policy and the policy used by the administration. Bixler said the primary differences were the assignment of a travel coordinator and the Council requirement to fly out of Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Bixler was asked if he recommended any changes. Bixler recommended that for vehicle trips, councilors be reimbursed for gas opposed to mileage. He explained the change would yield a savings of approximately 45% per year, or $400. He further explained that members typically drive to various events sponsored by the Municipal League. In all cases, it's preferable to use a City vehicle, but circumstances frequently lead to councilors using their personally owned vehicles. Bixler also recommended that the requirement for preauthorized travel request forms to be signed by the Council Chair be deleted. He explained the current signing requirement is unnecessary because of the preauthorized nature of the request. Neitzert asked if the policy adequately addresses travel which is not preauthorized; Bixler said it does. Bixler went on to explain examples of travel requests which are not preauthorized. Neitzert asked if preauthorized travel should also address staff organizations such as the International Association of Auditors, Association of Local Government Auditors, and International Institute of Municipal Clerks. There was no objection from the Committee to including these. There was also discussion about the requirement to fly out of Sioux Falls. The Committee did not see a need to make any changes to that provision. Neitzert reviewed the subsection "Education, Travel, and Training Policy" and asked Bixler if there were any needed changes. It was noted that the subsection does not fully address staff or the process for determining Council Member education and training opportunities. The Committee concluded that the travel policy should be placed on the next meeting agenda to further explore reimbursement for gas versus mileage, education, and training. There were no recommended changes to "Carnegie Town Hall Use Policy," although Greco clarified that the policy does not provide for a usage fee. There is, however, a fee applicable to individuals when a special meeting is held upon the request of an individual. The fee is authorized by City ordinance.  Neitzert asked the Committee if there were further items that should be addressed in the Policies and Procedures Manual. There were none from the other members, but he opined whether the staff performance review process should be reviewed as well as job descriptions. It was suggested that a discussion about the topics with Human Resources could be useful. 3. Next Meeting Neitzert explained that the Committee meets quarterly, so a future meeting will be coordinated to occur sometime next quarter. He asked if there was a preference for which day of the week to meet. Members were open to available options. 4. Public Comment Council Member Janet Brekke recommended the hiring policy be more closely reviewed with regard to bringing candidates forward. She also spoke about members attending non-recurring events and suggested this should be reviewed. She also requested that the Committee place her on a future agenda to discuss two topics: Committee Meeting Structure and the use of electronic devices. 5. Adjournment Committee Chair Greg Neitzert adjourned the meeting at 3:04 p.m. Thomas M. Greco, City Clerk