Agenda - Council - 02/14/2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Ramsey stated he has been on the Council for three years and studied City operations prior to being elected, which is long enough for him. He stated he has been trying to get information for three years or more and asked if the Council had to hire someone to tell the Council what staff is doing. Councilmember Backous stated he needed to gather information himself and assure a careful and responsible decision is made. Councilmember Strommen agreed the Council needed to start the process earlier than the end of the year but consideration needs to start at the beginning. She noted the Council received a third proposal this afternoon, which she had no time to review. Councilmember Strommen stated she was not prepared to discuss it tonight and there needs to be time for review and to follow a process. She noted the City has strategic priorities and asked what positions are needed to fulfill services. She also asked where the redundancies that can be targeted are, what the gap is, what the revenues are, and what the options are to meet the gap. Councilmember Strommen felt none of the proposals answered those questions. She stated she is not afraid of that debate and she can't support a proposal that she has not looked at or the Council debated. Mayor Ramsey asked the Council whether the City needs a Deputy City Administrator. Councilmember Strommen indicated that may be a valid question but in the past few years the Deputy City Administrator position has already been collapsed with the position of HRA Executive Director, Community Development Director, and oversight of Human Resources. She noted the Council needs to identify when it has reached the goal. Mayor Ramsey stated the goal will be reached when the Council can lower taxes so residents can pay for food and keep their houses. He noted the Council has previously made staff cuts but not sacrificed services. Councilmember Backous stated there had been impacts, as discussed with Case 1 tonight and the inability of Public Works to keep with road repairs. He agreed with the need to cut taxes and lower the levy. Councilmember McGlone stated he has been on the Council for three years and spent two years studying City operations before being elected. He indicated he was never happy with it up to today. Councilmember McGlone felt businesses and everyone else were still cutting and that none on the Council would argue the City needs two administrators. He felt it comes down to how things are evaluated; he has been evaluating for a long time, doesn't need more talk, and wants to do something today. City Administrator Ulrich agreed that if budget cuts are made, it should be done early in terms of staff cuts for the reasons mentioned. He provided a brief presentation and addressed the Council's belief the City is over staffed. He then reviewed the significant changes made to the Deputy City Administrator's job in 2011 and proposed the title be changed to Community Development Director/HRA Executive Director, with no salary change. This position would serve as Acting City Administrator in the absence of the City Administrator. The duties will be City Council Work Session / January 10, 2012 Page 11 of 13