11/17/1992 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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~---- 1 1 gauged Mr. Gleason's performance by how well the council achieves its goals. . Mr. Green emphasized the importance of the organization being accessible to its customers and delivering the service they expect. He urged Mr. Gleason to guide staff to be completely prepared when coming before the council by having all the information the council will need to make a decision. Mr. Nicholson focused on how Mr. Gleason could improve and said that the organization's interface with the public needs to be strengthened. Specifi- cally, Mr. Nicholson maintained that staff inappropriately drove the council's processing of the Lincoln and Broadway low-income housing project, the Lincoln School project, and the development of alternative transportation modes. He added that Mr. Gleason sometimes failed to proceed with appropriate alacrity. Mr. Nicholson noted that the council depends on staff's work on issues to guide its decision making. He wished the council had more authority concern- ing department heads. Responding to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Nicholson said that he would like individual department heads to be present at council goals sessions for the discussion of specific issues that would directly affect them. Recogniz- ing there are charter constraints, Mr. Nicholson expressed the desire to evaluate department heads in order to make them more accountable to the council. Cautioning the council about directly involving itself in managing the organization, Mr. Rutan said that if Mr. Gleason is to have management respon- sibility he also needs to have authority. Continuing to question the council's relationship with department heads, Mr. . Nicholson said that staff's presentations to the council filter information according to staff's position on the issues. Mr. Green agreed that executive managers should be included at the council's goals sessions, but said he did not want the council to assume an administra- tive management role. Mr. Boles stressed the importance of the council, City Manager, and department heads working together to implement Eugene Decisions, with administrative authority remaining with Mr. Gleason and the department managers. Mr. MacDonald saw room for imprOVing communication between the council and the organization within the framework of the current charter. Ms. Ehrman said it was inevitable that individuals would have different priorities and biases on issues. She pointed out that Mr. Gleason invited councilors to sit in and observe the interview process for a recent recruit- ment. Mr. Boles told the council that agenda control was the way the council could require equal treatment of issues by staff. Mayor Miller said the manager needs to ask the council for its priorities in order to ensure that those issues that are high priority to the council receive adequate staff energy and treatment. Mr. Rutan observed that new issues may take time to become a council priority. MINUTES--Eugene City Council Special Meeting November 17, 1992 Page 2 . 11 :30 a.m.