Minutes - Council Work Session - 03/25/2014

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City Administrator Ulrich stated statistical information could be gained from an annual employee survey, which could be segmented between management and employees to address items such as workload and burnout. Mayor Strommen agreed that would be beneficial so the Council can learn of staff’s thoughts on the ‘reality’ of the City and it would also identify lack of communication. City Administrator Ulrich felt replicating the survey would create a good trend marker and be the best approach. Councilmember Kuzma stated one area it has shown up is with the type of staff reports being presented to the Council when compared to reports presented prior to the Strategic Plan. He felt staff’s reports were now more thorough and complete. Councilmember Johns asked if employees were surveyed on an annual basis. City Administrator Ulrich stated the employee survey was done specifically for the Strategic Plan but the survey is not conducted annually. Human Resources Manager Lasher stated an employee survey was done in 2011 and 2013. She explained the Labor Management Committee determines whether a survey should be conducted and the City has acted accordingly. City Administrator Ulrich stated staff wanted to discuss an item related to its ability to provide good service and quick turnaround with building permits and inspections. Currently, the City is using a mix of in-house staff, consultants, and contractors. Development Services Manager Gladhill explained that several weeks ago, the City talked about extending the RFP process with Inspectron. However, since that time, the City’s inspector with Inspectron took a job with the City of Coon Rapids. It is expected that position will be replaced in the next two weeks. Currently, the City is down to a single inspector and permit tech. This works during winter weather and when road restrictions are on. However, if re-hiring extends into spring weather when road restrictions are off, the Council may receive feedback if the inspection schedule is seriously impacted. Development Services Manager Gladhill stated staff will reach out to area communities, including the City of St. Francis, to ask whether shared building inspection services is an option. Councilmember Riley encouraged staff to be sure it is clearly and adequately communicated with the public if there is going to be a lag in inspections or building permit issuance. The consensus of the Council was to support the new Strategic Plan format. 3. TOPICS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION Councilmember Riley asked when the Council will receive an update on CBRE’s activity. City Council Work Session / March 25, 2014 Page 5 of 7