04-10-2024 Workshop Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING CITY COUNCIL LITTLE CANADA, MINNESOTA APRIL 10, 2024 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a Workshop meeting of the City Council of Little Canada, Minnesota was convened on the 1 Oth day of April, 2024 in the Conference Room of the City Center located at 515 Little Canada Road in said City. Mayor Tom Fischer called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. and the following members of the City Council were present at roll call: ROLL CALL: In attendance were Mayor Fischer, City Council Members T. Miller, Gutierrez, Kwapick and D. Miller. Absent: None. ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Chris Heineman, Community Relations Manager Laura Linehan and City Clerk/HR Manager Heidi Heller. DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION NEXT STEPS The Community Relations Manager reported that since November 2023, the City of Little Canada has been working with the League of Minnesota Cities to build a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative, as outlined within the City of Little Canada 2022 Strategic Plan. She stated that at the February 14 City Council Workshop, staff provided an overview of DEI, including background on the city's initiatives, city demographic data, initial training plans for the organization, and potential next steps. She noted that the City Council and all employees participated in introductory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training with the League of Minnesota Cities. The Community Relations Manager explained that since initial DEI training has been completed, city staff is proposing the next steps for the City Council's consideration. She reviewed what some other cities are doing with their DEI efforts and proposed next steps for Little Canada. INTRODUCTION TO CLIFTONSTRENGTHS The Community Relations Manager stated that in working to ensure employees are appreciated and that Little Canada is an employer of choice, all employees are in the process of completing CliftonStrengths assessments and will participate in an all -staff training with a certified CliftonStrengths coach. She reported that this will allow city staff to focus on individual employee strengths to aid in personal development and enhance our organization's performance. The Community Relations Manager explained that city staff are currently completing the online assessment, and each person will receive a personal report that outlines their individual top five dominant out of 34 talent themes. These themes are additionally placed into four domains that describe how individuals execute, influence others, build relationships, and absorb and think about information. The Community Relations Manager stated that results from each staff member will be charted into a grid and provided in advance of the training. She noted the coach will then utilize our organization's results and provide custom training that will articulate the themes, domains, and how individuals can best utilize their strengths, and work with coworkers with different strengths.