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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/19/1994 Council Minutesj1 COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 19, 1994 CITY OF LINO LAKES COUNCIL MINUTES DATE January 19 1994 TIME STARTED 5:00 P.N. TIME ENDED ;I 6:50 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Reinert, Neal, Kuether, Elliott! MEMBERS ABSENT Bergeson Staff members present: Chief of Police, David Pecchia; Assistant to the City Administrator, Dan Tesch; City Administrator, Randy Schumacher and Clerk -Treasurer Marilyn Anderson. QUARTERLY POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT Chief Pecchia presented a summary report of the first five (5) months of his administration. The report includes changes in department operation such as training, DARE Program, equipment purchases, calls for service, arrest statistics and the operation of the Community Service Officer (CSO). He noted that further reports will be on a quarterly basis. Council Member Kuether asked if Lino Lakes has had an increase in domestic calls. Chief Pecchia said he felt the calls were fairly steady. Chief Pecchia noted that CSO Kenow was featured on a recent Channel 11 TV program. He felt that CSO Kenow did a good job in educating the public regarding the roll of a CSO. Chief Pecchia noted activities that he has participated in during the first five (5) months of his administration: several Neighborhood Crime Watch group meetings, met with the Lino Lakes Lions Club, met with the McGruff House leaders, and held department meeting. The department head meetings included topics on crime prevention updates, committee updates, training updates, community policing updates, DMH updates, Rice Lake Elementary School drug presentation to parents, new forms update, equipment calibration updates, and preparation of a mission statement for 1994. PAGE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 19, 1994 Chief Pecchia said that he is having a "blast" as the Chief of Police and the position is the challenge that he thought it would be. He noted that the police officers are very cooperative and noted little successes to this point. The City Council thanked Chief Pecchia for his presentation. DISCUSSION REGARDING ORGANIZATIONAL RESTRUCTURING AND REPORTING Mr. Schumacher gave each Council Member a copy of the draft Organizational Chart as well as two (2) text handouts. He explained that the Ways and Means Committee has spent some time reviewing this information. Mr. Schumacher emphasized that this organizational chart is not a hierarchy. It is a method to get employees to be more responsible for their particular job. The organization chart defines responsibilities and these persons will be held responsible for their particular position. He explained that he wanted the City Council to study the chart and if they did not feel comfortable with it, let him know so that changes can be made. Mr. Schumacher outlined the organization chart. Council Member Kuether asked how Mr. Schneider ended up over Mr. Volk? Mr. Schumacher explained that when municipalities have a city engineer, this person is also designated the Public Works Director. Mr. Tesch explained how this is addressed in the Stanton Report. Council Member Kuether asked if job descriptions have been prepared for positions on the organizational chart. Mr. Schumacher said yes. Council Member Kuether said that she would not like to see any lawsuits filed because of the proposed restructuring of staff. Mr. Tesch said that the organizational chart will make staff a more "fluid" organization. Mr. Schumacher noted that there may be some amendments to the current job descriptions. Council Member Kuether asked if the organizational restructuring means a promotion for the City Engineer. Mr. Schumacher explained that most divisions under the City Engineer previously fell under the Public Works Department. Council Member Kuether asked if approval of the draft organizational chart will increase the City Engineer's work load. Mr. Tesch explained that Engineering is more of an umbrella than Public Works. Implementation of the organization chart will allow utilizing employees better and placing them under the division that more accurately defines their field of expertise. For instance, under the new organizational chart, the Parks and Recreation Supervisor will not be under the Public Works Division, but will report PAGE 2 11 4. COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 19, 1994 directly to the City Administrator. Mr. Schumacher explained that Mr. Volk does not have the time to deal with park and recreation needs. He said the Parks and Recreation Supervisor should take responsibility for his department and report directly to him rather than through Mr. Volk. Council Member Elliott noted that after a certain period of time, some people fall into titles that are not in their job description. The draft organizational chart will say what each person is doing and what each persons title will be. Mr. Tesch noted that the gas utility function is not included in the organizational chart. Mayor Reinert explained that he felt it is important to prepare an organizational chart because of how work is expanding in all employee positions. Council Member Neal asked if approval of the new organizational chart will mean that when someone leaves the building, the receptionist will know where that person went? Mr. Schumacher explained current reporting procedures and explained that it is important that department heads follow through on the procedures. Mayor Reinert suggested that all boards and commissions such as the Planning and Zoning Board and the Park Board should be added to the organizational chart. Mr. Schumacher explained that these people are policy makers and not employees. He also noted that consultants are not included in the organizational chart. Mr. Tesch explained that he has talked to all persons affected by the new organizational chart and has had some feedback but no negative reactions. Council Member Neal said he felt that a good reason for adopting the organizational chart is so that there will be more accountability and also so that the receptionist will know where everyone is at all times. Mayor Reinert felt that sometimes Mr. Asleson and Mr. Volk had overlapping responsibilities and it appeared that the "right hand did not know what the left had was doing." Mr. Schumacher noted that the same thing is happening to Mr. Volk and Mr. Schneider. Council Member Kuether asked if the City Council was to assume that all persons on the first line were on the same pay scale. Mr. Schumacher said no, this is for organizational purposes only. Mr. Tesch explained that the organizational chart gives a brief outline of the responsibilities of each department head. He PAGE 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 19, 1994 added that department heads will meet quarterly with the City Council and will also submit reports to Mr. Schumacher. Mr. Tesch also explained that division heads will have similar responsibilities. Mayor Reinert said the organizational chart will give the City Council a better "handle" when considering salary reviews. Mr. Tesch referred to the second text handed to the City Council and noted that it further describes project monitoring, timing, provides an outline of how each department and division was created and an outline of logical grouping of duties. Mr. Schumacher explained that reorganization of the finance department is not complete. He noted that the contract with White Bear Township will be redrafted to allow the City of Lino Lakes to be the lead organization since Lino Lakes has more of a need for a finance director. Mr. Tesch noted that some computer skills were lost when Laurie Tschida resigned. No one has been hired to replace Laurie, however, Mary Vaske is filling this position at this time. Mayor Reinert asked what assurances does the City Council have that all is going as outlined and what would be proposed to keep the City Council updated. Mr. Tesch explained that the City Council will get quarterly reports from department heads. Mr. Schumacher will have particular goals which will be brought forward to the City Council by the Ways and Means Committee. Mayor Reinert said he did not want to see the Administrator become a bureaucracy and an island to itself. He also noted that there are three (3) other Council Members that do not sit on the Ways and Means Committee and he asked that they be kept abreast of all that happens in this matter. Mr. Schumacher suggested that the Ways and Means Committee meet with the City Council on a quarterly basis. Mayor Reinert noted that previously the entire City Council was the Ways and Means Committee. Presently there are two (2) City Council Members who are well informed but the others are not. Council Member Elliott noted that the Ways and Means Committee met with Mr. Tesch and Mr. Schumacher on this matter and now the entire City Council is getting the same presentation. Council Member Kuether expressed the same concern expressed by Mayor Reinert and suggested that the City Council could meet prior to a regular City Council meeting to discuss Ways and Means items. Mr. Schumacher was asked to give the draft organizational chart more thought. Mr. Tesch explained that reducing the number of meetings that Mr. Schumacher attends will give him more time to spend on other issues. Mr. Schumacher said he is open for suggestions from Council Members and noted that he did not feel PAGE 4 1 5 COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 19, 1994 that the draft organizational chart is set in stone. Mayor Reinert asked Mr. Schumacher when he would like to see the draft organizational chart implemented. Mr. Schumacher said soon because specific job descriptions must be drafted and put in place. Consideration of the draft organizational chart will be placed on the January 24, 1994 City Council agenda. Mayor Reinert noted that in the past meetings were held with the builders in the City. He asked if such a meeting has been scheduled for this spring. Mr. Tesch will meet with the Building Inspector to set this meeting and prepare an agenda. Mayor Reinert asked that a meeting with all boards and commissions be scheduled and an agenda drafted. This meeting will be scheduled for March, 1994. Council Member Kuether asked if a date has been set to tour the Elk River city hall. A date will be considered at the Council meeting. ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS Mr. Tesch explained that another ad announcing the vacant positions has been placed in all the local newspapers. Also letters have been sent to the persons who applied last year. Interviews will be conducted by the City Council following this meeting tonight and also on February 9, 1994. Mayor Reinert said he would like all appointments completed at the February 14, 1994 City Council meeting. AGENDA All items on the agenda were discussed. Mr. Schumacher explained that there have been several written requests for a portion of the Community Development Block Grant Funds. The City Council asked that each agency requesting a portion of the funds give information regarding how many Lino Lakes residents have been served by that agency. Mayor Reinert asked if the Lino Lakes City Council will be meeting with the City of Hugo soon. Mr. Schumacher explained that Mr. Wessel will be meeting with them in the next week or two. Council Member Elliott noted that it is Lino Lakes' turn to host the meeting. A meeting will be scheduled in late February or March. PAGE 5 1 1 1 1 1 COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 19, 1994 Mr. Schumacher noted that Mr. Wessel has met with residents in Centerville on two different occasions. He has documented these meetings. BUILDING INSPECTIONS Mr. Schumacher explained that the Building Inspector has been notified about a new program that would allow the City Building Inspector to perform the plan reviews and inspections on public buildings such as schools and prisons. Normally the State would do the plan reviews, however inspectors there are overwhelmed with work. The new program would allow the City to issue building permits and collect the plan review and building permit fees as well as perform the field inspections. The State is mandated to continue performing plan reviews of prisons and rest homes. Mr. Schumacher noted that the Building Inspector is covered by the blanket errors and omissions insurance policy. Council Member Neal and Mayor Reinert noted that they will be attending the party for Mayor Marshall Dahl who has retired from the City of Circle Pines. COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN Mr. Schumacher explained that there is a Project Management Meeting every two weeks to discuss and update every ongoing project in this City. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan is used as a guide for many issues and many problems have been noted with the Plan. The projections in the Plan are very out of date and there are many wetland and MUSA issues. For instance, the Metropolitan Council thinks that Lino Lakes has 2,000 acres of undeveloped land in the MUSA. No money has been budgeted to update the Plan and it would take nearly a year and one half to have a consultant perform the update. Mr. Schumacher noted that many bits and pieces of the update have already been done by staff. He asked if the City Council would meet with the Consulting Planner, the Community Development Director and the City Engineer to talk about issues and to determine if the Comprehensive Land Use Plan should be formally updated. Mayor Reinert said that when property is designated within the MUSA district is it logical to think that at some point utility lines will be extended into these areas. However, the City Charter does impact some of the plans. Mr. Schumacher explained that it is important that the City Council and all the boards and commissions be updated so everybody has the same understanding of the planned future for Lino Lakes. The City Council will meet in a work session on February 2, 1994 with staff for an update on this matter. PAGE 6 COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 19, 1994 The meeting adjourned at 6:50 P.M. These minutes were considered, corrected and approved at a regular City Council meeting held on February 14, 1994. Marilyn G. Anderson, Vernon F. Reinert, Clerk -Treasurer Mayor PAGE 7