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Home My WebLink About250512 WSMINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 May 12, 2025 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Eliza Kashinsky, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Lyndsie Leech, and Randy Groves Mayor Knudson opened the May 12, 2025, work session of the Eugene City Council in a hybrid format at 500 E 4 th Avenue, North Building, Eugene OR 97401. 1. Executive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f) (ORS 192.355(1) and ORS 192.355(2)) and ORS 192.660(2)(a) 2. WORK SESSION: Police Auditor Selection Assistant City Manager, Kristie Hammitt, introduced Keri Beraldo, Employee Resource Center Co-Director, to discuss the opportunity to hire a new Police Auditor. Councilor Discussion: • Councilor Zelenka -noted he was impressed with Mr. Renetzky's background and strong references; stated eagerness to have him join the City as Police Auditor. • Councilor Groves -noted he was impressed with Mr. Renetzky's interview and background investigation results; stated he is comfortable moving forward with the hiring process. • Councilor Clark-noted he is looking forward to having Mr. Renetzky join the organization. • Councilor Yeh -stated she agrees with her colleagues; noted her appreciation for the work of staff throughout this process. • Councilor Leech -noted she is looking forward to working with Mr. Renetzky; stated his qualifications seem well-suited for the role. • Councilor Zelenka -noted his appreciation for former Police Auditor Mark Gissiner for serving as the interim Police Auditor during the recruitment process. MOTION: Councilor Evans, seconded by Councilor Leech, moved to appoint Craig Renetzky as the Eugene Police Auditor and to authorize the Council President to negotiate an employment agreement with an annual salary that falls within the advertised range of $125,798 to $169,811, with final employment agreement approval to be given by Council through the consent agenda prior to its execution. VOTE: 8:0 PASSED MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session May 12, 2025 Page 1 IN FAVOR: Kashinsky, Keating, Zelenka, Yeh, Clark, Evans, Leech, and Groves. OPPOSED: None. 3. Work Session: City Manager Recruitment Process (Initial Steps) Assistant City Manager, Kristie Hammitt, introduced Mia Cariaga, Central Services Director, to discuss process options for the recruitment process. Councilor Discussion: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Councilor Zelenka -noted the importance of the hiring process for this position; stated the recruitment should be a Council-driven process; cautioned against using a subcommittee of Council for critical decision points; stated he is in favor of option 1; noted a preference to complete the process as quickly as possible. Councilor Kashinsky -noted that selecting a new city manager is an important decision which requires care; asked about the process options for crafting the job description; clarified what decisions are made by Council during the process; stated her support for a recruitment subcommittee. Councilor Groves -stated the importance of this hiring decision; spoke in favor of shortening the recruitment timeline if possible; noted he was glad to see community engagement included in the process; asked to include labor units and a survey of employees in the process; stated the important role the media could play during this recruitment in educating the public about the role and responsibilities of a city manager. Councilor Clark -spoke against forming a recruitment subcommittee; stated the community should have an opportunity to meet the candidates; stated the value of including diverse community groups in the process; noted a preference that the process be shortened to eight to ten months; believes there is a benefit if every Councilor is a part of every step in this process. Councilor Keating -stated the full Council should be involved in the process; noted this is one of the most important decisions they will make as a Council. Councilor Leech -stated she does not have a strong preference between options 1 and 2 because the final decisions will come before the full Council; noted not all of Council participated fully in every step of the Police Auditor recruitment; noted the work required for the recruitment process is serious and time- consuming. ■ Councilor Evans -noted a small recruitment subcommittee will help expedite the initial steps of the process; suggested Council leadership and at least one other Councilor work to review the Request for Information (RFI) going out to recruitment firms and then review the firms' applications; suggested the subcommittee then present their finding to the full Council; stated all other decisions should be made by the full Council. ■ Councilor Yeh -stated support for Councilor Evans' approach; noted she does not have strong opinions about the options; stated the Council is a good team and can trust each other to share tasks. ■ Councilor Groves -stated his support for Councilor Evans' suggestion because it streamlines the initial steps of the process; noted the importance of the full MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session May 12, 2025 Page 2 Council interviewing the candidates; noted he has participated in the City Manager hiring process as an executive manager for the City; suggested an informal mixer with candidates as part of the interview process; stated the importance of the position of City Manager. ■ Councilor Zelenka -believes a subcommittee would not save time and may lead to more or longer discussions; stated the full Council should weigh in on the position description. ■ Councilor Kashinsky -noted one benefit of forming a subcommittee of Council is that they can meet outside of Council's regular scheduled meetings; noted for example the subcommittee could meet in August, during Council's regularly scheduled summer break; asked if additional Council meetings would need to be scheduled to speed up the process. ■ Councilor Evans -believes a subcommittee could narrow the options for recruitment firms through recommendations and it would speed up the process; noted the final decision will still come before the full Council. • Councilor Zelenka -stated his expectation that extra Council meetings will be needed during this process; stated support for a volunteer subcommittee. • Councilor Clark -noted Lane County had recently gone through a similar hiring process; noted the University of Oregon may be able to help in this process. MOTION: Councilor Evans, seconded by Councilor Leech, moved to proceed with Option 1 as outlined in Attachment A to this AIS, with the additional caveat that Step 1 of the process be made up of Council leadership and any volunteers from Council. Councilor Discussion: • Councilor Kashinsky -asked how many Councilors would constitute a quorum. VOTE: 8:0 PASSED IN FAVOR: Kashinsky, Keating, Zelenka, Yeh, Clark, Evans, Leech, and Groves. OPPOSED: None. Councilor Discussion: ■ ■ ■ ■ Mayor Knudson -asked for volunteers for the subcommittee. Councilor Keating -clarified the meaning of the motion. Councilor Zelenka -asked if the subcommittee would be making a recommendation on the hiring firm or a decision; asked how many firms the committee intends to recommend. Mayor Knudson -asked to confirm that Councilors Zelenka, Yeh, Evans, and Leech will serve on the subcommittee; asked if she had a role on the subcommittee; noted she would be happy to volunteer if needed. The meeting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session May 12, 2025 Page 3 Respectfully submitted, Katie LaSala City Recorder (Recorded by Cherish Bradshaw) Link to the we beast of this City Council meeting here . MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session May 12, 2025 Page 4