City Council Worksession

Watertown City Council T Work Session Mayor Steve Washburn Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawelk F Michael Walters Dan Schuette A 4/26/2022 - Minutes 1. Call To Order And Roll Call Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the work session of the Watertown City Council was called to order in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2022, by Mayor Steve Washburn. R Council Members present: Washburn, Mike Walters, Adam Pawelk, and Lindsay Guetzkow. City Staff present: City Administrator Jake Foster, Public Services Superintendent Mike Dressel, Public Utilities Superintendent Doug Kammerer. D 2. New Business 2.I. Personnel/Succession Planning Discussion City Administrator Jake Foster provided background information on Administrative Assistant, Nancy Pysick's impending retirement, and staff's conversations about her succession planning, as well as how it presents and opportunity for staff training, cross-training, lateral movement, etc. Within this context, Foster presented the idea of adding an additional staff member (along with the eventual replacement of Pysick). This new staff member would support the City's community development efforts through the permitting processes, code enforcement, and planning and zoning administration. This staff could take some of the burden off of the City's Planning Consultant and provide additional services. Councilmember Walters expressed concern with adding additional staff, especially after the recent compensation study and significant wage increases for certain staff members. He also wanted to make sure any permit review processes were not redundant currently, or with the proposed new staff. The Council had general discussion relating to these raised issues and Ms. Pysick's current duties. Mayor Washburn asked Council to identify what was needed for staff to bring back to the City Council at a future meeting to further the discussion. Councilmember Guetzkow wanted to ensure no other staff had additional capacity to take on the duties outlined for the new position. She also wanted to ensure that the City Administrator specifically did not have additional capacity by accounting for previous duties/activities of the prior City Administrator.  at a future meeting to further the discussion. Councilmember Guetzkow wanted to ensure no other staff had additional capacity to take on the duties outlined for the new position. She also wanted to ensure that the City Administrator specifically did not have additional capacity by accounting for previous duties/activities of the prior City Administrator. 2.II. Wastewater Treatment Facility Update Public Utilities Superintendent, Doug Kammerer provided plans for the City's Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion project and provided the City Council an update on the initial progress on the project. He also shared images of the on-going excavation. Mr. Kammerer invited City Council to tour the project site at a future work session once the project has made more significant progress. T 3. Adjournment Mayor Washburn adjourned the work session at 6:25 p.m. F 309 Lewis Avenue South; P.O. Box 279, Watertown, MN 55388 __________________________________________________________ Steve A Washburn, Mayor ATTEST:__________________________________________ Lynn Tschudi, Admin. Services Director D R