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Mr. Meisner noted that there was a certain tension in the evaluation process in that Mr. Taylor <br />was the council's only employee and any council concern or dissatisfaction with one department, <br />manager, or program would be reflected in the evaluation. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner appreciated the suggestion of a dual goal-setting process in February. He added that <br />with eight councilors, there could be some tension between what the council and Mr. Taylor <br />agreed on as goals and what an individual councilor might want as goals for Mr. Taylor. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said he looked forward to seeing reflections of Mr. Taylor's innovations and input <br />into future deliberations, in particular in regards to the budget. Mr. Meisner said that he was <br />satisfied with the performance appraisal form. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon said she thought that Mr. Taylor was doing an outstanding job and she enjoyed <br />working with him. She particularly appreciated Mr. Taylor's efficient handling of constituent's <br />concerns that she delegated to him. Further, she admired Mr. Taylor's desire to bring the council <br />together as a group. She acknowledged that while it had been difficult she looked forward to <br />continuing work on this issue. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey said that Mr. Taylor had some tremendous attributes. He seconded Mr. Kelly's <br />remarks and added that Mr. Taylor's expertise was needed at the council table. He emphasized <br />that Mr. Taylor was the professional and had been hired to provide expertise and guidance. He <br />acknowledged that Mr. Taylor's early attitude of taking time to learn and not having all the <br />answers immediately would serve him well. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey said that his comfort with Mr. Taylor as City Manager had grown since the day he <br />was hired. He said Mr. Taylor had demonstrated his ability to balance the business community <br />and the environmental community in such a way that no one would be able to criticize him. He <br />concluded by saying he thought the council had made an excellent choice in hiring Mr. Taylor. <br /> <br />Mr. Taylor said he had "hit the ground running" in terms of learning and listening. He <br />acknowledged that in dealing with some of the difficult issues facing the City in the last six <br />months, he had to defer to the City Council on policy direction. He was very gratified that the <br />council had been willing to convene sessions to discuss how the council could work together <br />more effectively. He said he would like to add to the performance appraisal form a council <br />priority list that was a reflection of the entire body. <br /> <br />Mr. Taylor said that he still thought it would be most useful if the performance appraisal could be <br />done outside of the public forum in a more relaxed setting. He asked that each councilor fill out <br />the form, but that the council try to create a composite evaluation and to speak with as close to a <br />single voice as it could both in terms of expectations and feedback on performance. <br /> <br />Mr. Taylor observed that as he got better at working with the council and understanding the <br />issues, he would be more assertive at ~weighing in." He added, however, that his style had been <br />to allow the council to set the policy directions and then to align the City's resources, program, <br />and staff behind that direction. He stressed the importance of the council working to improve its <br />ability to %teer" rather than to ~row" and to figure out its focus and priorities. He repeated his <br />desire to have a list of council priorities not only for him but for the organization and community <br />as well. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 2003 Page 3 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />