06-08-2020 Council Special Work Session Minutes

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CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORK SESSION APPROVED 44 Ms. Bartholomew added that her understanding is that Ms. Cotton has been clear that if 45 she were to undertake the position of City Administrator with added high level finance 46 responsibilities she would need to have the restructuring and the proposed positions to 47 make it work. 48 49 Councilmember Lyden said that he wants to focus on having the right person for the right 50 job and he can't say enough that he feels Ms. Cotton is the right person. He understands 51 that adding duties to the City Administrator position would absolutely be contingent upon 52 the restructuring recommendations she has made. 53 54 Councilmember Ruhland noted the proposed Communications Coordinator position and 55 asked if that is currently part of the Administrator's or Finance Director's duties and more 56 specifically how that fits in going forward. Ms. Bartholomew explained that the position 57 is recommended because it is needed as part of internal and external communication 58 needs and the current situation is that communication work is spread and not coordinated. 59 60 Councilmember Ruhland asked if Ms. Cotton has indicated a preference toward the 61 current city administrator model. Mayor Rafferty explained that he is bringing the 62 question forward because it's an important consideration for the council. 63 64 Councilmember Cavegn remarked that he has felt some concern about the additional 65 duties being discussed for the new City Administrator. Both the city administrator and 66 finance director have been full time jobs and that model is working. He has been 67 supportive of the communications position but has questions about the salary proposed, 68 especially in comparison to the private sector; he wonders what duties are anticipated that 69 would merit that salary. Ms. Bartholomew said the salary proposed is comparable to 70 other city positions who handle external and internal cormumcations at a high level; in 71 speaking with Ms. Cotton about what she envisioned, she heard that it was not entry level 72 but a higher level of expertise and services. Councilmember Cavegn indicated his 73 support for a part time position that provides missing pieces while allowing current 74 employees to continue communications work. 75 76 Councilmember Stoesz suggested that he'd like to see Ms. Cotton settle into her position 77 and set her goals and then have the discussion about communication needs. 78 79 The council. discussed questions surrounding the filling of a finance director position, a 80 position that could be difficult to fill. When the mayor asked if Ms. Cotton would need 81 to have someone assisting in the functions of a finance director in the interim, Ms. 82 Bartholomew said she thinks that would probably be the case. 83 84 The council discussed salary options for the current model City Administrator position. 85 The discussion included how the finance director function can be addressed as that 86 position is advertised and filled. Ms. Bartholomew noted that it may be necessary to hire 87 services from the City's financial consultant to handle high level financial duties in the 2