Agenda Packets - 1999/10/04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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make up this organization. Choosing criteria appropriate for Mounds View is certainly appropriate, but I think the City is becoming less competitive for the third group of employees within the region for city types of positions. The current pay system for non-aligned personnel essentially increases at a cost of living pace once the employee has moved through the step system. While this in and of itself has created debate, the real problems seems to come when replacing third category staff and adjusting to the developing abilities of existing personnel. The options when hiring fall along the following lines: a) Replace with no job description changes b) Replace with adjustments to fit the new needs of the organization c) Replace with adjustments to fit the developed ability of an existing staff member within the needs of the organization d) Do not replace and either no longer perform the duties or distribute the duties to other personnel or perform duties some other way The existing pay plan serves as the starting point for determining the appropriate level of pay if the position is to be replaced, but options b or c are considered, then a determination needs to be made whether to adjust pay accordingly. Determining pay right now comes down to these considerations: a) Affordability, generally in terms of the current year's budget and an eye to future demands on succeeding budgets b) The current or most recent pay in the position or most similar position c) The pay of comparable positions within the organization as to their responsibilities and education requirements d) Pay for similar positions in other cities or the market demand This still doesn't complete the picture. Interviewing and selecting someone not only brings all of these into account, the fit of the individual with existing personnel and their ability to establish themselves as a credible worker has to be positive in order to maintain moral, a sense of purpose and cohesion amongst employees. For efficiency, a balanced team has to be created. A poor hire affects that balance. I have attached a table showing not only the changes in what I feel are the key administrative positions over the past three and a half years, but have included for some perspective changes in the Council leadership and the major issues the City has dealt with. This doesn't include changes in housing and the planner positions. It is clear that the leadership of the organization has been transitioning, but it is not clear from what to what, or why. The question then becomes what is the appropriate setup for staffing and what to do to ensure that happens. I don't have any terrific answers here, but I do know that an inordinate amount of time is going to the recruitment and development of staff, particularly of the third type. All sorts of conclusions can be drawn, but rather than attributing cause and effect for staffing turnover, I think three areas of consideration should be discussed. First, what ability does the City have to pay for personnel it wants. Our reference point for budget discussion is often the prior year so this question does not always get addressed. Instead the debate seems to be one of too much or not enough. The reality is no one really knows and this I propose should be studied in the coming year. Some evaluation of what is considered to be a fair price to pay for City services should be done. Second, what motivates personnel to stay