08/12/1981 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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" e the City Manager's Office is to reach out in the organization and use the skill of the organization as opposed to creating a circle of commitment around the Manager's Office. The advantage to it is that it emphasizes existing linkages. It commits the department's whole resources, not just one person. It reinforces the objective that you want to accomplish through all the people in the organi- zation, not just the one person. The task team would meet once a week for the first few months. Assignments would be parceled out. They would have a staff person committed to the task team full time (Susan Smernoff). Ms. Wooten agreed with Mr. Obie that having it done internally with Mr. Gleason's busy schedule might possibly produce the same results. Having a consultant working with staff might result in a recognizable impact. Mr. Gleason did not disagree, but pointed out that the City was not rich. The program would be a $50,000 to $100,000 commitment. Mr. Obie did not care if it was a consultant. He thought a staff member could do it if they were free to do only the implementation of the task team. Ms. Wooten said there was not an economic development specialist on the staff. She hoped to see someone who had done the work before. Ms. Smith questioned if they could contract for a short time with someone. Mr. Gleason said that they could not contract for leader- ship, it must come from the institution. It is true the knowledge resides in specialization, but the dynamics comes from the leadership. Leadership cannot be injected. Ms. Smith reiterated Mr. Obie's and Ms. Wooten's concern that Mr. Gleason participate in the task team but that they have an individual to monitor and e direct the program for at least the first six months. I Mr. Lindberg said that if they were hiring an administrator, Mr. Gleason was right. If they wanted staff services, in terms of research and information, then the council members were right. You do not hire an administrator to be the head of Ford Motor Company for six months. The council and Mr. Gleason agreed to flag this as an issue to be resolved. Mr. Gleason suggested they were talking about purchasing the skills and having a full-time staff person that is part of the task team. C. What Will the Task Team Do? Mr. Gleason reviewed the six-point program in the Eugene Economic Diversifica- tion Program: 1) industrial sitings; 2) core area redevelopment; 3) increased destination point activities; 4) small businesses; 5) employment and training programs; and 6) capital improvement programming. Mr. Gleason said the City was undercapitalized. Parks and sewers are needed. The problem will get increas- ingly worse. They will have less and less capacity to get the utilities, sewers, fire sations, etc., in place. They will do less and less maintenance on what they have. It will get worse slowly. Politically it is possible to do it. After being asked about the remedy, Mr. Gleason replied the capital improvement plan is the first step. An execution model will have to be developed. The capital improvement program cannot be accomplished solely through the General Fund. What has been done in some cities with some success is a series of e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 12, 1981 Page 3