CC Minutes - 09/10/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Kelly cited the failure to carry through the funding for Measure 20-67 and the Goal 5 inventory. Mr. Meisner said that better listening would improve the situation. He added that sometimes, the same set of facts will produce a different conclusion. Regarding the CCIGR, Mr. Meisner said that the staff and committee could not have been successful if it had not had council acceptance of the legislative policies document. He said that along with having pride in the council's accomplishments, councilors must "own" those accomplishments, regardless of their personal opinion about the outcome. Ms. Nathanson believed that interdepartmental, interdisciplinary efforts contributed to successful outcomes. Departments brought different approaches and analytical skills to the challenges needing to be solved. 2. Consideration of Group Expectations Ms. Taylor determined from City Manager Taylor that the list of group expectations before the council was prepared by staff. City Manager Taylor emphasized the draft nature of the document. The council reviewed and revised the list. 1. PIP, PIP (Praise in Public, Problems in Private). Ms. Bettman objected to the item as she did not believe that it should even be associated with the council given the public nature of its work. Mr. Kelly agreed, and said that what the item addressed was attacking the person as opposed to attacking the issue. Councilors briefly discussed whether they could talk about their dissatisfaction with staff to those individuals directly or to the manager. Mr. Pap6 cited the City Charter as it related to the role of the council in terms of staff. Mr. Taylor recommended the council try to avoid ad hominem comments and focus on the outcome of the process. He said that staff concerns should be shared with the City Manager. Mayor Torrey suggested that the item translated to having a "better bedside manner." Ms. Taylor wanted a legal opinion about what the council could and could not say to City Manager Taylor about a department head, for example. She did not like the item. Mr. Meisner concurred with Ms. Taylor's request for a legal opinion so there was shared understanding. Ms. Bettman advocated that the item be dropped. She said that councilors were adults and their constituents would judge their efforts. Mr. Meisner agreed. He did not think it would be useful, and pointed out that the council could use Robert's Rules of Order to call for points of personal privilege. The council agreed that the City Manager would seek a legal opinion as requested by Ms. Taylor. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 2003 Page 3 Process Session