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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/15/1990 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall October 15, 1990 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Emily Schue, Robert Bennett, Ruth Bascom, Shawn Boles, Freeman Holmer, Debra Ehrman. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Roger Rutan and Bobby Green. The adjourned meeting of October 10, 1990, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. 1. DISCUSSION TO REVIEW AND EVALUATE EMPLOYMENT-RELATED PERFORMANCE OF CITY MANAGER Councilors reviewed and evaluated Mr. Gleason's performance according to a list of nine performance criteria. Scores ranged from 1-9, 1 signifying a poor performance and 9 signifying an outstanding performance. e Mayor Miller announced that Councilors Green and Rutan would not be present at this meeting, but said that they had submitted written comments which he would be reading. Mr. Bennett said that he does not support using this type of process for evaluating the City Manager's work performance. He felt that a less formal, open-forum-type of discussion would be more useful and suggested that the council consider using that process next year. Ms. Bascom pointed out that using specific evaluative criteria enables the council to more readily identify and evaluate areas for improvement. A. Criteri a 1: Assists the Council in Achieving its Goals Mr. Green scored this a 7; no written comments were submitted. Mr. Rutan scored this an 8. He indicated that whenever possible, Mr. Gleason should push for a work plan tied to decision-making timelines to force the council to make decisions. Ms. Bascom scored this a 7. She expressed frustration with the progress the council has made concerning downtown issues. Ms. Schue scored this an 8. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 15, 1990 Page 1 Dinner/Work Session e Ms. Ehrman scored this an 8. She said that the council should not blame the City Manager when the council fails to achieve its goals. She pointed out that the downtown issue has been surrounded by a great deal of community controversy, which could explain why this goal has not made as much progress as the council had hoped. Mr. Miller scored this an 8. He felt that the council had good success with its goal for downtown. He said that Mr. Gleason takes the council's goals seriously and suggested that perhaps the council has not been entirely clear in its direction on this goal. Mr. Boles indicated that one reason why the council was not able to achieve its goal as it had hoped was because the list of goals for this year was too long. He acknowledged that the council's success with its goals does not rest entirely with the City Manager. Mr. Boles expressed frustration with the progress the council has made with respect to its transportation goals downtown. Specifically, he said he had hoped that the City would address a comprehensive transportation plan so that it would now be in a position to assess various alternative modes of transportation. He felt that the council should have received a work plan at the beginning of the year to chart its progress toward this goal. Ms. Bascom pointed out that this issue was raised previously during a council discussion, and said that Mr. Gleason had explained that the progress toward this goal would naturally take longer because of the number of entities involved. e Mr. Bennett echoed Mr. Boles' frustration with the council progress toward its transportation goal. He observed that in the past the council has only dealt with this issue on a political level. Mr. Bennett noted that the council made a strong commitment toward this goal at last year's goals session and said that the council should now be instituting policy to support alternative transportation modes. Ms. Ehrman said that her expectation of progress toward the transportation goal is not the same as Mr. Boles'. She noted that the City could not undertake a comprehensive transportation update in one year. When working with other agencies, Ms. Ehrman also cautioned that the City must be willing to negotiate on issues so that it is not perceived that the City is taking over. Mr. Bennett acknowledged that perhaps council expectations with respect to the transportation goal may have differed. He said that in his perception, the agencies involved in the transportation issue were pleased that the council had made the goal of transportation a priority. B. Goal 2: Works Effectively With the City Council. Includes Keeping City Council Informed, Assisting the Council in Its Decision-Making Processes, and Responding to Council Requests e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 15, 1990 Page 2 Dinner/Work Session e Mr. Green scored this a 7; he did not submit any written comments. Mr. Rutan scored this a 7+. He indicated that Mr. Gleason should work toward more one-on-one interaction and should not hesitate to state his opinions to the council. Ms. Schue scored this an 8. She requested that an attempt be made to schedule enough work for council meetings so that the agenda is always full. Mr. Boles echoed Ms. Schue's comment. He said that the process which is now being followed with respect to staff presentations is effective. When the council appears to be struggling on an issue, Mr. Boles encouraged Mr. Gleason to offer suggestions to the council for a change in the process. Ms. Ehrman scored this an 8. She commented that one of Mr. Gleason's strengths is his ability to proceed individually and collectively toward a goal. He understands important issues and is perceptive of what issues are important to individual councilors. Ms. Bascom concurred with Ms. Ehrman's comments and pointed out to Mr. Gleason the critical importance of continuing this type of guidance, particularly for the newly elected officials. Mayor Miller scored this a 7 or 8. He indicated that it is important for the City Manager to be focused on issues of importance with the council, and emphasized to the council the reciprocal need to initiate contact with Mr. e Gleason as well. C. Goal 3: Carries Out Council Policies Mr. Green scored this a 5. He indicated that this area may need more of an effort by the City Manager. He commented that while Mr. Gleason is accessible, the disenfranchised groups do not support a positive image of the City Manager. Mr. Rutan scored this an 8. He indicated that overall, Mr. Gleason does an excellent job in this area. Concurring with Mr. Rutan's comments, Mr. Boles also scored this an 8. Ms. Bascom scored this an 8. Ms. Ehrman scored this an 8. She said that the reaction from disenfranchised groups to which Mr. Green was referring may have been a result of frustration with council policies over which Mr. Gleason has no control. D. Goal 4: Establishes and Maintains an Effective Relationship with Other Agencies Mr. Green scored this an 8; no written comments were submitted. e October 15, 1990 MINUTES--Eugene City Council Page 3 Dinner/Work Session e Mr. Rutan scored this a 6. He indicated that Mr. Gleason still has difficulty dealing with certain individuals and needs to learn how to overcome those few conflicts with certain elected officials. Mr. Boles scored this a 6. He said that the City needs to improve its relationship with the Lane Transit District (LTD) at both staff and policy levels. He also noted that it is difficult to analyze the success that the City has had with the University of Oregon because the two organizations do not have comparable organizational structures. In light of this, he said that it is particularly important for the City to make sure that the University is on board at the legislative level. Reiterating concern for the lack of progress the council has made with respect to alternative modes of transportation, Mr. Bennett said that sometime in the near future the council should discuss with LTD what role the City should play in the transportation issue. Mr. Bennett observed that last year he directed the City Manager and staff to make a stronger effort toward improving the City's relationship with the County and Springfield. He said that he now realizes that this task was far more difficult than he had perceived. Ms. Ehrman scored this a 7. She expressed concern with the City's relationship to the County on the housing issue. She noted that County staff on the Intergovernmental Human Services Committee has voiced concern with the impact that council-supported temporary housing solutions might have e on its ability to support long-term housing projects. This reflects the need for improved communication between City and County staff. Ms. Bascom said that she has heard this concern from County staff. Ms. Schue agreed and said that perhaps there is a misperception among County staff on its position. Mayor Miller scored this an 8 and commended Mr. Gleason for the improvement he has made in his ability to work with other policy makers. Ms. Bascom scored this a 7. She felt that the City should continue to improve its relationship with Springfield and should work toward making Eugene/Springfield a single metro area. Ms. Schue scored this an 8. She commended Mr. Gleason for being aware of his limitations in dealing with certain individuals. E. Goal 5: Provides Direction for the Operation of City Departments; Includes Providing Leadership, Communication, Council Direction, and Staying In Touch with Major Projects and Issues Mr. Green did not rate this area. He commented that Mr. Gleason does a superb job of articulating and illustrating the council's position to the media. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 15, 1990 Page 4 Dinner/Work Session e Mr. Rutan scored this an 8; no written comments were submitted. Ms. Ehrman said that she does not have a basis for rating this area because she does not have the opportunity to observe Mr. Gleason's work with staff members. She said that it might be helpful for councilors to sit in on these meetings some time. Mr. Boles scored this a 9. He indicated that the City's ability for long-term retention of staff members provides some indication of the type of relationship which exists between Mr. Gleason and the staff. He said that if the City wants to continue to commit to long-term employment for City employees, it is imperative that it maintain standards of excellence for work performance. Mr. Bennett cautioned the council to remain aware of the possible effects of long-term employee retention. Speaking from personal experience, he said that it is helpful to have new employees in positions to encourage a fresh perspective and renewed vitalization on issues. He also spoke about the importance of employment-related changes from an employee's standpoint and said that a satisfied employee requires changes over time. Mr. Bennett said that while he does not feel that Mr. Gleason's performance has yet been affected by the amount of time he has been in this position, he urged the council to remain aware of possible impacts in the future. Mr. Boles encouraged the council to take a different perspective on this e issue. He said that to the extent to which the community continues to become involved in interesting and challenging goals, the City Manager could keep from stagnating in his position. Mayor Miller scored this a 6. He said that in order for the organization to gain a new perspective on issues and yet retain a strong organizational structure, it might be helpful to offer a sabbatical-type program. He also pointed out the benefits in terms of increased power that are gained by continuing to work consistently in one area. Mayor Miller agreed with Ms. Schue on the need to have a full council agenda at every session. F. Goal 6: Provides Effective and Strategic City Administration; Includes Planning, Budgeting, and Internal Systems Mr. Green scored this an 8; no written comments were submitted. Mr. Rutan scored this an 8. He commented that rarely, but sometimes, Mr. Gleason can be overprotective in regard to certain topics or people. Ms. Schue scored this a 7. She spoke about the dissatisfaction of the lay members of the Budget Committee this year and said that they might have received unrealistic expectations about their role. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 15, 1990 Page 5 Dinner/Work Session e Mr. Boles scored this a 7. He expressed his appreciation that the budget did not have a major reorganizational component associated with it, as suggested by the council. Ms. Ehrman scored this an 8. Mr. Miller scored this an 8. Ms. Bascom scored this a 7. She said that she perceives that Mr. Gleason is satisfied with the City's level of efficiency. G. Goal 7: Aware of Emerging Community Trends, Problems, Issues and Integrates the Same into Staff Recommendations Mr. Green scored this an 8; no written comments were submitted. Mr. Rutan scored this a 7. He felt that the City Manager should push the council and staff to be more visionary. Ms. Bascom scored this a 6. She noted that there is a perception in the community that the council is drifting more than it should. Mr. Miller asked the council to consider whether the City Manager's attention should be focused on the councilor on the community; he suggested the former. e Ms. Ehrman said that Mr. Gleason has done a good job in this area. She pointed out that the City Manager needs to be keenly aware of issues of concern within the community in order to effectively direct the work of the council; she suggested that Mr. Gleason review the Community Attitudes Survey to target issues of importance. Mr. Bennett acknowledged that there is community perception that the council has been drifting on some issues, such as downtown. He said, however, that the responsibility for these decisions lies with the council, not the City Manager. He spoke about the dangers associated with not working on a compromise within the community. It is the council's responsibility to work toward consensus on an issue. Mr. Boles suggested that Mr. Gleason could make improvements in the area of integrating larger societal trends into the staff recommendations. Ms. Schue pointed out that devising the long-term goals of Eugene is not always easy and felt that this is the council's responsibility, not the City Manager's. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 15, 1990 Page 6 Dinner/Work Session e H. General Comments Related to Performance and Development Mr. Green scored this an 8. He noted that since the beginning of his term on the council, Mr. Gleason has been very supportive of his needs and had made a continued effort to ensure that he has ample access to departments heads and support staff. Mr. Rutan scored this an 8. He commented that Mr. Gleason listens intensely, but needs more personal contact with the council. He suggested that Mr. Gleason be aware of areas of possible personal burnout and deal with them. Ms. Basco~ scored this a 9. She said that Mr. Gleason has had continued success in the area of controlling his temper and acknowledged that Eugene is a challenging community to work with. Mr. Boles commended Mr. Gleason for his work. He noted that even when Mr. Gleason feels strongly about an issue, he provides the council with the information necessary and allows the council to come to a decision. Ms. Ehrman said that the fact that the City has good success in long-term staff retention is a good indication that staff is supportive of the City Manager. Mayor Miller offered his appreciation to Mr. Gleason. He said that Mr. Gleason is sensitive to emerging trends in the community and had made a e genuine commitment to Affirmative Action. The council discussed the City Manager's compensation. It agreed that the Council's Committee on Committees would review the information and make a recommendation to the council, taking into consideration cost-of-living changes, the salaries of other department heads, and a comparison of City Manager salaries in other comparable cities. Mr. Boles noted that given the budget realities, it would be difficult to justify a major change in compensation. Mr. Gleason thanked the council for its willingness to conduct this evaluation in public. He said that he appreciates working with the council and is energized by the different viewpoints which often emerge during discussion. Mr. Gleason voiced concern that the propensity of Eugene citizen's to use special-interest vetoes has paralyzed the community from having adequate debate on some issues. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 15, 1990 Page 7 Dinner/Work Session e The meeting of the Eugene City Council adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, - ~./!;7~~ ~ tJ,# . ~:....r ~;;. ~'_1" '. "1 Micheal Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Traci Northman) mncc 101590-530 e e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 15, 1990 Page 8 Dinner/Work Session