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09/26/1996 (2) I" ~.'." 1 . . ~ ~ , ." I." :'. :':f.:"~'\~~ 'y:';' '~'.( l~':): < 'c.: ~.(,,,~:,.,. ' ~. .....' " c".. '~'. . " ' ,.", \, " '. +. , . , , , ,. ,.~' ',' ,. ,.-:."..'t; .;, ., " COMMISSION City Commission Minutes '\ Date . <) :r~/C3 '3 \~ w . . ~ '. . .'. . .' . . .' . ./ " .... . ! 11. .. I',~':, . .~!c:. ~ I CiTY COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER September 26, 1996 Present: Rita Garvey J. B. Johnson Robert Clark Ed Hooper Karen Seel Elizabeth M. Deptula Kathy S, Rice Pamela K. Akin Cynthia E. Goudeau Pamela Skyrme Mayor/Commissioner . '.. Vice-Mayor/Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner City Manager Deputy City Manager City Attorney City Clerk Organizational & Employee Development Director The Mayor called the meeting to order at 9:00 a,m. at the Solid Waste Complex Conference Room for the purpose of strategic planning, The team participated in an ice breaker in which they gave each other complements based on their personality types. \ '-""," --j Dr. Skyrme reviewed strategic planning's prerequisites with include trust and confidence, clear goals and expectations, clear roles and responsibilities, and open and honest communication. She emphasized the need for clear and honest communication and reviewed two models. One being the Johari window and four styles of disclosure, She stated she felt this team was moving toward open and willing communications. Extensive discussion ensued regarding the need to dialogue and the difficulties of brainstorming in public. Opinions were expressed that if meetings such as this and worksessions were used more fully to have dialogue, the official meetings would be much easier. Concerns were expressed regarding the Commission dialoguing and the public then "sucking" them into a debate mode, Dr, Skyrme indicated when people are invited to dialogue the participants need to suspend what they believe and really listen to all sides. Further discussion ensued regarding the need to dialogue and discuss issues fully at. the worksession stage. It was indicated it Is important for staff to know what information the Commission needs in order to make decisions. Discussion ensued regarding staff's role in bringing forward recommendations. It was indicated staff has been reluctant to bring forward strong recommendations due to historically being chastised for having strong opinions. The meeting recessed from 10:19 a,m, to 10:27 a,m. Dr. Skyrme indicated the next portion of the meeting would be a dialogue between the City Manager and the Commission regarding roles and responsibilities. Ms. Deptula indicated a recent editorial regarding leadership of the City bothered her. She thought y msp09b,96 09/26/96 . . . . ,'" ~',' , . " . I . r ~;,::. . ............, some things in the editorial were incorrect, but some were true. She handed out sections of books from the City Managers' Association and sections of the Charter, She indicated the Charter was not real clear regarding the roles of the City Manager and the Commission. It tells more the City Commission what it can not do. She stated there has been some criticism that the City Commission is involved in decisions it should not be. It was Indicated the Commission is essentially a policy development board telling staff what should be done not how to do it. She stated she felt the Commission needed to set a strategic plan. She requested input from the Commission regarding what they felt the roles should be. Commissioner Johnson indicated the Commission is elected to be the policy makers and the Commission hires the City Manager to carry out those policies, He felt too much comes to the City Commission. He agreed there was some unjust criticism of Ms, Deptula but that some was justified. He indicated the Commission probably was not straight forward enough with Ms. Deptula. Ms. Deptula indicated staff would need more feedback regarding what should not be coming to the Commission. She also emphasized the Commission would have to be willing to tell the citizens that an issue is the City Manager's realm and not a Commission decision. '~~') .~-(' Commissioner Hooper stated the roles need to be clearly defined at the candidate orientation level. He stated each City Manager has their style. He indicated each Commissioner has probably provided direction to the City Manager individually but as a group they have not given proper direction on anything to the City Manager. Ms, Deptula agreed that individually she has received five different directions and there needs to be agreement regarding which direction to go. Commissioner Hooper expressed concerns regarding the way the Harborview Center had been handled, Ms. Deptula indicated she believed the situation was under control and it was an expensive and painful learning experience that would not happen again, Commissioner Seel expressed concerns regarding public perceptions and stated there was a certain lack of trust from the citizenry. She stated the trust needed to be reconstructed. The only way she could think to do that was to ask the questions that she asks. She stated sometimes she feels boxed in to a corner without a choice in the decision making. Ms, Deptula indicated often staff gets caught up in an issue and it has spent a lot of time on something that does not pass. Commissioner Seel expressed concern regarding staff needing to be proactive rather than reactive. She requested when information is brought forward, that all sides of the issue are presented, not just the pros, She indicated the City Manager needed to be more up front regarding her opinion on the issues, Ms. Deptula expressed concerns regarding staff spending time and money on issues before getting at least conceptual agreement. She indicated at worksessions staff will attempt to bring more information to the Commission regarding what has been done to bring the issue to its current point. She expressed concerns that staff often bring forward '...I msp09b.96 2 09/26/96 ,'" I... . . J '~J I . '. 1 . . . , , " ~Y'.":'. .~ recommendations based on technical reasons and the Commission may have other criterIa. She stated it is okay for the Commission not to approve staffs recommendations but it does not mean the City is not well run. Mayor Garvey expressed concern that the last three years have tainted the Commission perception. She stated she has learned to trust and respect staff and requested the Commission not micro-manage. She stated that if the Commission is uncomfortable with a staff recommendation, the Commission needs to let them know that up front. The City Manager stated some staff members refuse to come to the City Commission because they have been "beaten up" in public, She stated some have even gone so far as to leave the City due to how they were treated by the City Commission. She stated when citizens confront them, the Commission needs to know staff brought forward their best professional recommendations, She stated she also hopes the Commission has noted she has been more participatory in the discussions. .Further discussion ensued regarding the need for open and honest communications with it being indicated the Commission should not be blind-sided by staff nor should the staff be blind~sided by the Commission. 2> Commissioner Clark expressed concerns regarding the City Manager indicating not having clear direction, Using the downtown lake as an example he questioned the City Manager as to what he has told her regarding his stand on the lake, The City Manager emphasized that the difficulty is that these comments had come from Commissioner Clark. He was opposed to the lake but she had never received direction from the Commission as a whole.. Commissioner Clark indicated it was part of his frustration that he felt he had to "bang his hand" on the table to get attention. The City Manager again indicated it is difficult for her if the direction is coming from one Commissioner. She stated the worksession needs to be used to get direction from the Commission as a whole. Discussion ensued regarding the worksession being used to brainstorm. Concerns were expressed that brainstorming sessions should not be put at the end of the meeting when all are anxious to go their separate ways. Commissioner Clark stated he is new and admits he has a lack of confidence in staff. He said it is what has gone before that has colored this. He stated staff can bring forward alternatives. Ms. Deptula indicated some of the difficulty has to do with timing, Staff is pursuing goals that were agreed to by the previous Commission. She stated there is a need to come back and review these goals with the current Commission to see if they wish for them to still be pursued. Discussion ensued regarding the Commission wanting to relax a lot of the restrictions. Ms. Deptula indicated the Commission has been articulate about that, , \"",J msp09b.96 3 09/26/96 . ' ~. , . , " ~ . . , . t I N?";" "l however, there had been a delay while waiting for the replacement for the CRA Executive Director. It was indicated there was some irustration in that government takes a lot longer to do things than in private business. An opinion was expressed this is because the City can not afford to make big mistakes. The City Manager indicated Scott Shuford, Central Permitting Director, is wanting to do a entire rewrite of the Land Development Code. She stated before he can do that however, he needs direction on the downtown plan which should not be finalized until Bob Keller, who has recently been hired as the Assistant City Manger for Economic Development, is on board. To summarize the City Manager indicated she had heard the Commission would like more pros and cons on information, more information on the thought process that took place to lead to the recommendation. more definitive participation by the City Manager, more feedback from City staff, a need to have a section of the worksession for brainstorming, a need to be more forthright, more direction from the City Commission regarding whether or not an idea should be pursued, and a need to work on building confidence in staff. It was indicated there are some staff and departments that are trusted completely. Concerns were expressed regarding people that supply numbers and proformas that cause concerns. The City Manager indicated in order to have more confidence, issues will be diverted to the fiscal review committee and public input will be requested. She indicated focus groups will be used where practical. 1"""'") "'J"'';''; It was questioned what staff needs from the Commission, A concern was expressed that staff only thinks the Commission is good if they vote for the staff's recommendation. It was indicated this is not the case and staff simply does not want to be humiliated in public. It was indicated staff often gets mixed messages from the City Commission. The rest of the team was asked to comment on what they had observed. There was agreement the discussion was not finished and more dialogue needs to take place. There still is a need to address roles and what to do regarding direction given at private meeting verses direction from the entire Commission. It was stated it was clear that everyone wanted to do a good job. The need to schedule additional meetings was discussed. The City Manager suggested a possible retreat or day away to accomplish things, She stated the target is to be finished by the end of February. The following dates were set: November 10, 1996, 1 :00 p.m. to 5:00 p,m, November 11. 1996, 8:30 a.m, to 1 :00 p.m. November 19, 1996, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. November 25, 1996, 9:00 a,m, to 5:00 p.m, December 3, 1996, 9:00 a.m, to 5:00 p.m. \..) msp09b.96 4 09/26/96 f I c I' . . ~~~V.?>.::::'<'}':: ,o': ". ;~. ';'''''.: .J'-.::'. ;-, '. :.l () The agenda for the next meeting will Include continued dialogue of City Commission and City Manager roles, envisioning, and goals, Dr. Skyrme expressed concerns regarding the mission statement and asked If the Commission still had concerns. Commissioner Clark indicated he was concerned that the organization would become so married to the words that it would not be willing to break the mold, Dr, Skyrme indicated the Commission does not have to be locked into the mission statement and there is opportunity to look at it and to see if we can live with it. She stated it shouldn't be so specific that the next group would have to change it but also, it is not engraved in stone, She stated staff is still saying they do not know what the Commission wants and they need to know what the Commission's values are. The meeting adjourned at 12:41 p.m. ATTEST:4'\~2:'. Lfl.... , City Cle.rk. . ~~;.~ ~ msp09b,96 5 09/26/96