08-12-2015 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL AUGUST 12, 2015 house. Keis noted that the City will have to purchase new election machines and asked if the City would avoid this cost if it contracts with the County. The Administrator indicated that if the City contracts with the County to run its elections, the City will still have to pay these costs. There was some discuss on the pros and cons of contracting with the County versus retaining elections in-house. With regard to minute taking, the Administrator estimated that contracting with a service would cost between $4,000 and $5,000 per year and perhaps higher given the number of workshops that are held each year. The Administrator stated that it was his preference to keep this work in-house, but perhaps finding someone to do the Park Commission minutes. The Administrator noted that eliminating the election and minutes duties from the City Clerk position reduces the position to part-time. There was general discussion of the other job duties of the City Clerk position. Montour indicated that based on his discussions with the City Clerk he estimated that the cost of contracting for minute preparation may be $5,000 to $6,000 per year. Montour suggested that there may be other work focusing on direct citizen contact that this position could then undertake. The Administrator noted that if the position became an Assistant Administrator position, there may be typical City Clerk duties that would not be the right fit. He expressed concern for longevity in an Assistant Administrator position and the ability to build institutional knowledge. The Administrator felt the chances of longevity in an Assistant position versus Clerk position were better with a City Clerk because the desire for career advancement possibilities may not be the same. The Administrator also felt that having the City Clerk at the meetings was a help to him with regard times when it is necessary to clarify Council direction. McGraw noted the Administrator's comment in his report that minutes will likely not be as detailed going forward. The Administrator felt that that would not be an issue given that meetings are now available through web streaming, etc. McGraw indicated that the past minutes have been an asset to him in understanding previous Council actions. McGraw stated that he felt having a long-term employee that has developed institutional knowledge was an asset for the City. Keis indicated that when this opportunity presented itself, his goals were to find someone to back up the City Administrator and take his place when he is out of the office. Keis stated that he would also like to reduce the work load on the City Administrator so that he can concentrate on the high value work. The Administrator indicated that in some cities the City Clerk functions in the Administrator role, although that is not typical in the Metro. The Administrator felt that it will come down to the person's skill 2