December 10, 2018, 4:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers
Attendees: Wes Lester, Scott Winkler, Beryl Grant, Pete Lane, Tonya Kennedy
City Administrator Discussion: Wes explained since becoming Mayor, he has been involved in numerous issues that are time consuming and deal with some of the day to day issues of the City. When looking toward the future of the City, he felt there could be a better option. He started looking into the Administrator position and how that position would interact with staff, Mayor, Council and the citizens. He pulled the personnel committee together to discuss the idea.
Overall, Wes felt it was good for the city, both now and in the future. The administrator would work on the day to day issues concerning the City. The administrator would work closely with the mayor to follow out directives of the City. It would provide continuity for the city and tie up all the loose ends when no one is really in charge. Because the Mayor is a part time position, the mayor is not always on site at City hall; however, the administrator would be available to answer day to day questions. The Administrator would oversee the Chief of Police, Fire Chief, Public Works Director, Snowhaven Manager, Pool Manager, Library Director and City Hall. The position would include discipline and close communication with the mayor. The City Attorney is excluded because he’s an independent contractor. The Mayor supervises the City Administrator.
Currently Snowhaven/Pool managers and the Library director work closely with the clerk. If one of the managers has issues, the clerk has no authority to require them to do anything because she is not their supervisor. This would provide the City with a position in which managers can be actively supervised with guidance provided and to make sure policy and procedure of the City is being followed. The Administrator would be available to bounce ideas with other managers and they could get instant support rather than needing to wait for the mayor to get back to them.
The administrator would be available to the public during normal City Hall hours, would have an overall vision of the City and be available to act as an onsite coordinator among all departments and to keep the Mayor and Council well informed. Communication among employees will increase.
Wes stated part time department heads (Snowhaven/Pool) may need more guidance then full time as they are only here part of the year and they aren’t involved in the day to day City requirements. This would help provide overall continuity among the City.
Scott thinks the City would be more efficient and run smoother. The administrator will fill the gaps since the mayor is not full time. The mayor position requires a lot of work and time to accomplish the duties. The administrator will help bridge the gap between a part time Mayor and the time necessary to keep the City running smoothly. It would provide for a cohesive team and face to the city.
Pete felt it would allow day to day efficiency at the City. The Mayor is not always available, and the Administrator would be. It would provide long term continuity for the City and may make others more interested in becoming part of the city as we may be more efficient. It would provide for instant communication for employees and citizens during normal working hours and may provide resolution to many issues upfront. An Administrator is very common in small to midrange towns.
Discussion occurred on how the reassignment of duties would occur. Beryl stated the Treasurer would be best as a standalone position so there is oversite by Administrator. This would allow the Administrator to be combined with the City Clerk position. Then Administrator would report to Council rather than having Treasurer come to meetings.
The committee recommended creating a new job title of City Administrator and redistributing duties in City Hall. The committee recommended appointing Tonya Kennedy as the City Administrator and City Clerk and Janell Arnzen as the City Treasurer.
The committee also recommended repealing Title 1 Chapter 7 Municipal Officers and Employees and Title 1 Chapter 8 Election Precincts from the City Code. Jim McNall of ICRMP previously recommended deleting these chapters which are outdated and creating a policy adopted by resolution that designates all the appointed positions for the City.
A resolution will be drafted to designate all appointed positions as follows:
City Clerk
City Treasurer
City Attorney
City Administrator
Police Chief
Fire Chief
Public Works Director
The meeting adjourned at 5:05 P.M.
Tonya Kennedy – City Clerk
