Minutes - Council Work Session - 01/12/2021

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Mayor Kuzma stated that he would like to reserve the decision on EDA until after the special election. He noted that Councilmember Howell is listed as an alternate and he would agree with that. Councilmember Musgrove commented that this discussion is important and asked why the EDA appointment would be tabled. Mayor Kuzma commented that Mr. Heineman is already on the EDA and if he is elected in the special election, he would like to keep him on that group. Councilmember Musgrove stated that it is unknown as to whether Mr. Heineman would be interested in maintaining that position and Councilmember Howell is interested now. She stated that even though the Mayor makes a recommendation, the Council still needs to ratify that decision. City Administrator Ulrich confirmed that the Council needs to ratify the appointments. Councilmember Musgrove stated that she also noticed a disparity when reviewing the proposed appointments. She stated that in 2018 when she joined the Council, she wanted EDA and Public Works and was instead appointed to Happy Days and the Lower Rum River Water Management Organization. She stated that she is glad to now be joining the Public Works Committee. She commented that as a newcomer to the Council she had to wait her turn to receive her desired appointments and now a newcomer is being assigned to both the EDA and Public Works Committee. She stated that the Fire Board will most likely go away in the coming months and therefore she did not believe an alternate would be needed for that group. Mayor Kuzma stated that he did not recommend these appointments and noted that it was drafted based on the input Councilmembers provided. Councilmember Howell asked which staff chose to allocate these positions. Administrative Services Director Lasher stated that staff used the rankings provided by the Council in order to allocate the positions. She recognized that the allocations for Councilmember Howell are not equal and noted that was not done intentionally. Councilmember Specht asked if there are other positions outside of the EDA that Councilmember Howell would be interested in. Councilmember Howell stated that she tries not to overextend herself and would be interested in the Fire liaison position if the Police liaison position is not available. She stated that she would be interested in the Public Works Committee if the EDA is not an option. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that he also put the EDA as his top priority as he also has years of experience in the business community and provided background information on his experience. He stated that he respects the decision of the Mayor to postpone that appointment until the next City Council Work Session / January 12, 2021 Page 2 of 6