Minutes - Council Work Session - 05/05/2022 - Special

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Councilmember Howell replied she could see Councilmember Heineman's proposal as being beneficial. She felt this would fuse the business mindset with the governmental mindset. Mayor Pro Tem Riley asked if Councilmember Howell had a preference. Councilmember Howell replied she would like to see a relationship where Mr. Hagen was in a higher position, not equal to Mr. Korin. She stated she couldn't vote for Mr. Hagen because he isn't experienced enough. Mayor Pro Tem Riley suggested talking to Mr. Ulrich about being a consultant a day or two a week to help bridge the gap. Councilmember Howell replied she felt there was frustration during the past year and there are policy issues that haven't been brought forward under Mr. Ulrich. She thought bringing in someone different would shift the dynamic. Mayor Pro Tem Riley replied he didn't have that experience and understood wanting something different. He thought having Mr. Hagen move into leadership would be the change and Mr.Ulrich could offer the needed support. He asked if having someone come out of retirement for a consulting position was something that could be done. City Attorney Knaak replied it is done all the time. Administrative Services Director Lasher replied there are complications because a statement is signed after retirement that the employee will not return to work for the City within 30 days. Mayor Kuzma commented that by hiring another person they aren't showing trust in Mr. Hagen, which he sees as a problem with the Staff. Because of the tie in votes, he suggested going back through the hiring process and hiring a consulting firm to get a bigger applicant pool. Councilmember Heineman commented that is an option but added the reason he suggested bringing in Mr. Korin as a consultant without authority over anyone was because of his unique experience as a business owner and former City Administrator experience. He supported going back through the hiring process or hire Mr. Hagen as the sole City Administrator with the caveat that Mr. Korin could come in part-time to be an asset. He felt if the Council was going to hire someone who isn't fully qualified it would require that they provide support for them to be successful. Mayor Pro Tem Riley asked because of the tie in votes, if this was a viable option for the Council to move forward with. Councilmember Musgrove stated the Council hasn't been as involved with Mr. Hagen and had concerns about communication style. She expressed concerns about the working relationship between Mr. Hagen and Mr. Korin. Mayor Pro Tem Riley replied to her questions about communication with Mr. Hagen and gave a recent example where he demonstrated good communication. City Council Special Work Session/May 5, 2022 Page 4 of 7