CCMinutes - 05/26/04 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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felt she needed to be kept in the loop in order to be responsive to her constituents. Mr. Kelly noted that his written comments provided more detailed feedback. He called the City Manager a ;;quick study" and expressed appreciation for his enthusiasm. He thought Mr. Taylor's community and citizen relationships were outstanding and that he had done a fine job of reaching out. Mr. Kelly opined the City Manager had been part of a shift toward more positive fiscal management. He hoped Mr. Taylor could help the council and community to engage in efforts to become more financially sustainable. Regarding Mayor and council support, Mr. Kelly thought there had been too many surprises and a lack of timely information. Ms. Nathanson commended Mr. Taylor for his ability to keep the organization moving ahead and working hard in a positive manner. She applauded him for this. She acknowledged the council, community, and organization asked much of him and he had risen to the challenge in a remarkable manner. Ms. Nathanson remarked that the City continued to show signs it was experiencing growing pains and that the feeling that there was a lack of access to information grew from this. She attributed this to the City Manager/Council structure of government, in that the councilors were part-time and not always present to be more aware of issues as they arose. Ms. Nathanson said Mr. Taylor projected enthusiasm, sincerity, and competence. She commented that he was smart and very capable of doing the job for which he was hired. Mr. Pap6 wished to emphasize the comment Mr. Kelly had made in which he called Mr. Taylor a ;;quick study." He commended the City Manager's energy in reaching out to both the community and the City organization. He noted there were almost no negative comments in the reviews submitted by employees. He related that the City of Billings, Montana had ;;raved" about Mr. Taylor. He believed that Mr. Taylor would improve in any areas in which it was suggested some improvement was needed. Ms. Solomon left the meeting at 1 p.m. Mr. Pap~ applauded the work the City Manager had done to help the council function more fluidly. He said the process sessions and consultant work had made the council a better body. Mr. Meisner stated that the City Manager had been exactly what he had expected from his conversations with residents of Billings. He said Mr. Taylor had the talent, the skills, the professionalism, and the ethics that had been sought in the city manager position. He commented that any qualms he had expressed in his individual evaluation were not about Mr. Taylor per se, but were about pieces of the organization. He hoped that Mr. Taylor's leadership skills would trickle down into the organization. Mr. Meisner commended the City Manager for his ability to say that things could be done or could be done differently, while the organization was not as open to movement. He underscored the importance of meeting the expectations of the public and not lowering those expectations. In closing, Mr. Meisner thanked Mr. Taylor for coming to Eugene and suggested he should stay ~a long MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 26, 2004 Page 2 Work Session