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<br /> <br />Mayor Piercy called on the council for comments and questions. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon said that City Manager Taylor was the consummate City Manager. She perceived his role as <br />two-fold in that he both looked out for the organization and implemented the decisions of the council. She <br />believed that latter task included keeping the council from making bad decisions, and she appreciated the <br />“push back” from the manager when he thought the council was moving in the wrong direction. She also <br />appreciated the monthly meetings she had with the manager, and looked forward to working with him <br />another year. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz thanked the manager for his time in Eugene as the council’s employee. She said it had been <br />challenging to evaluate the manager on the performance on the entire organization. When the council gave <br />direction to the manager, he gave direction to the organization, and that was where she perceived some <br />difficulty in communication was occurring. She supported the manager and thought he did a good job, but <br />some things were lacking. For example, the prohibition on council interactions with staff was an issue for <br />her as City employees were also the council’s constituents. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz expressed appreciation for the work City Manager Taylor and challenged him to take more time <br />for himself and to take better care of himself. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly also thanked the manager for his hard work for the City of Eugene. He had no doubt as to the <br />manager’s commitment, enthusiasm, and doggedness. He appreciated those qualities, and that, along with <br />the fact he liked City Manager Taylor as an individual, made it difficult for him to offer criticism. However, <br />this was his third evaluation of the manager and he continued to be frustrated that some fundamental things <br />had not changed with regard to the relationship between the manager and council. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said the council-manager of government “was fine” with him. For it to work, however, the <br />council and manager must feel like a team. He did not feel like he was part of a team most of the time that <br />City Manager Taylor had been in Eugene. He liked the concept of policy governance but its success <br />depended on having the council’s policy direction followed, and on feedback that indicated the policy was <br />implemented as directed or staff had encountered a roadblock in its implementation. Too often, the feedback <br />loop was lacking. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly believed that City Manager Taylor did a great job on internal organizational operations. <br />However, that was overshadowed by his dissatisfaction with the breakdowns in implementing council policy <br />and the poor relationships between the staff and some members of the council. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly was pleased to hear that City Manager Taylor planned to revise his policy regarding communica- <br />tion between the council and staff. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly referred to remarks made by the mayor in the executive session with regard to “proactivity” and <br />said he felt that was most wanting in the areas of planning and development, particularly in community <br />development. He thought the City should be more proactive, and not merely wait for the “latest proposal to <br />come in the transom.” <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor said she also liked City Manager Taylor as a person and respected him. She had sympathy for <br />his having to “work for nine bosses.” She knew City Manager Taylor had a difficult job and worked hard. <br />However, she believed that City Manager Taylor usurped the council’s role as policy makers. She thought <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 31, 2006 Page 2 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />