Item 2A: Approval of Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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the telephone and call the reporter as part of project management. That did not require public relations staff. Mr. Kelly expressed appreciation for the manager's acknowledgement of the big issues mentioned by councilors during the executive session. However, that only went so far for him, because many of the same issues had come up the past year and nothing had improved. In fact, some things had gotten worse. He cited the issue of council support as an example. He said the majority of the questions he posed to the manager in their monthly one-on-one sessions were not answered unless he asked them again. Mr. Pap6 thought the manager did a good job of leading the organization and managing the staff. He was concerned about certain aspects of the council-manager relationship and looked forward to work on those issues over the next year. Mr. Pap6 expressed appreciation for the manager's attempts to get the council to sit down and establish some high-level goals. He wanted to see the action plans associated with those goals sooner than the council seen them. He looked forward to regular review sessions to keep the council informed. He hoped that set a future pattern. Mr. Pap6 thought the manager had done a good job in his hires, which spoke to his managerial skill. Ms. Ortiz expressed general satisfaction for the manager's performance. She hoped she continued to feel good about it. She expressed her interest in getting sufficient and accurate information that allowed her to make a good, educated vote. Ms. Ortiz had observed that people seemed to be happy to be employed at the City of Eugene and she was glad to be a part of the organization. She looked forward to continued work with the manager. Ms. Bettman expressed regret that she had to write such a critical evaluation of the manager. She said the only recourse the council had when it perceived something wrong in the organization was through the City Manager. She expressed appreciation that the manager had acknowledged her comments were not new to him, but said she had seen no change in his approach. Ms. Bettman also expressed appreciation for the manager's strong management philosophy, but she saw a disconnection between that and how the council's policy was implemented "on the ground." She said it was important to her to know how City policies impact residents. Ms. Bettman expressed disappointment at the minimal amount of feedback into the manager's evaluation from employees as opposed to management and questioned why more employees did not participate. Ms. Bettman said the way the manager interpreted the charter provisions defining manager/council roles and function was so strict that it became an obstacle to the manager and council working together. Mr. Pryor discussed the relationship between the manager and council. He touched on the issue of communication, and said a trusting relationship was a product of better communication. He said the council's needs must be at the "top of the food chain" if the relationship was to work. Mr. Pryor emphasized the importance of the manager being responsive to the council. He said the more informed the policy makers could be, the more focused and effective they would be at their jobs. Mr. Pryor noted his own employment as a public relations officer for a government organization and said he did not think he was a propagandist. He thought that information was extremely important to MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 18, 2005 Page 6 Work Session