Session 02-22, a Special Meeting of the Homer City Council was called to order at 7:34 p.m. by Mayor Jack Cushing at the Homer City Hall Council Chambers located at 491 E Pioneer Avenue, Homer, Alaska, and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

PRESENT:     COUNCILMEMBERS:        BECK, FENSKE, KRANICH, LADD, STARK,                                                                               YOURKOWSKI.

           

                        STAFF:                                   CITY MANAGER DRATHMAN

                                                                        CITY CLERK CALHOUN

AGENDA APPROVAL

 

(Addition of items to or removing items from the agenda will be by unanimous consent of the Council. HCC 1.24.040.)

 

The agenda was approved by consensus of the Council with the notation that Memoranda 02-54 and 02-55 will be acted upon separately and an Executive Session will be held tonight.

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS UPON MATTERS ALREADY ON THE AGENDA

 

Ken Castner commented that he thinks that Mr. Drathman is the seventh City Manager that has been with the City since he has lived here. He voiced his opinion that it is incumbent upon any employer  to evaluate and lay out the goals for an employee, adding that those goals are the sole assessment for the evaluation. He noted that the Council hires an administrator for their administrative skills. The City sets out its agenda each year through its budget, primarily, and policies and these are the things that the Council needs to use to measure the success or lack of success of  its primary employee, the City Manager. He advised that he does not support going outside of that process and voiced his belief that the Council has all the tools needed to make a fair evaluation. He noted that if there are any  grievances there is a grievance process, if there are other deals going on and if employees have any kind of grips they do have a proper way of having redress for those concerns. He encouraged the elected officials to find the means to pull together the evaluation to make it meaningful and responsive to the people that the elected officials are responsible to, those who elect them.

 

Robert Archibald stated that Mr. Castner was eloquent and that he  agrees with him. He added that the citizens need to be heard and hoped that their elected officials would respond to that.

 

Councilmember Stark stated that he would like to see the resident/non resident item on the Public Sign In sheet eliminated.

 

Mayor Cushing suggested that he make it an agenda item.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

A.        Memorandum 02-54, from City Clerk, Re: Manager’s Evaluation and Request for Executive Session pursuant to AS 44.62.310(c)(2).                                             

 

Recommendation: Approve the request for Executive Session and conduct under New Business as Item A. 1.

 

FENSKE/YOURKOWSKI - MOVED TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION OF MEMORANDUM 02-54.

 

Council briefly discussed moving forward with the evaluation process.

 

Councilmember Fenske called for the question, there was non objection.

 

VOTE: YES: NON OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.

 

Motion carried.

 

Memorandum 02-55, from Councilmembers Ladd and Kranich, Re: Evaluation Process.

 

Recommendations: 1. That the City Council request optional, confidential employee input using the attached “Employee Input” form prior to the completion of the Manager’s annual performance evaluation.  This process will afford the Council to more accurately assess components of the manager performance evaluation that includes terms such as, “approachable, delegates, motivates, guides effectively, and understands concerns” as associated with the Manager’s interaction with employees. 2. That the executive session scheduled for October 21, 2002 be postponed and rescheduled pending employees receiving and having the optional opportunity to complete the attached confidential “Employee Input” form.

 

KRANICH/LADD - MOVED FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF MEMORANDUM 02-55.

 

The pros and cons of obtaining City employees’ input was deliberated. It was noted that there are about ninety employees listed in the 2001 Annual report and these are the dedicated people that make Homer the City that Works.

 

Councilmember Ladd read for the record: The City Manager’s evaluation process includes a number of considerations, dealing with his interaction, relationships and overall effectiveness with the Mayor, Council, City employees, City residents and other organizations and groups that contribute and have ownership in our City. If the City wants to make this a worthy process, meaning the evaluation process of the City Manager, then the Council should have a thorough knowledge and understanding of all evaluation performance considerations. There is a tremendous difference between these considerations and what Mr. Castner spoke of as the grievance procedure. Those are two different items altogether. The employee input form provides an opportunity for meaningful employee input. It will then, later, be the Mayor and Council’s responsibility to analyze employee input. I want to emphasize that this process is being proposed simply as a measure to make the City Manager’s evaluation more meaningful and productive for all involved. This includes the Manager, the employees. the community, all that are involved. Some might ask this question, “Do other communities ask for employee input and evaluation of the Manager or their Chief Administrator?” I think Homer can stand on its own merit. I am not concerned with how they may do it elsewhere in Alaska or the lower forty-eight. Homer must do what is best for Homer. I might ask this other question, “Do large businesses follow this practice in evaluating the Chief Executive Officer or other administrative personnel?” We are different. Remember that funding to support local government is derived from public revenue and from the public. The City Manager is a public employee and if we want our City to be the City that works then it is the Council’s responsibility to ensure that every measure is taken to guarantee that success. Lastly, I believe the Council has the intelligence, the thinking ability here and the intelligence to distinguish between genuine input and unfounded comment that might come in from employees. The proposed process is simply gathering input. We should not fear information and we must believe in the competence and the perspective of our employees. I worry about any organization or individual who has the answer prior to gathering as much data as possible in support of the finding or conclusion. So, in being a co author of this memorandum, the intent is for us to gather as much information as possible to make this a meaningful process to take that, weigh it and come out with some conclusion. We are not unique. You will see this done in other organizations within this peninsula. The School District has a similar type process only they go further, the community can also have involvement.

 

YOURKOWSKI/KRANICH - MOVED TO STRIKE RECOMMENDATION NUMBER 2 OF MEMORANDUM 02-55.

 

VOTE: (primary amendment)    YES:    KRANICH, BECK, LADD, YOURKOWSKI, STARK.

                                                  NO:   FENSKE.

 

Motion carried.

 

Stark/  - CALLED FOR THE QUESTION.

 

There was objection.  Mayor Cushing called for a roll call vote.

 

VOTE: (call for the question) YES: STARK KRANICH, LADD, YOURKOWSKI.

                                                  NO: BECK, FENSKE.

 

Motion carried.

 

VOTE: (main amended motion) YES: LADD, STARK, KRANICH.

                                                      NO: BECK, FENSKE, YOURKOWSKI.

MAYOR: TIE VOTE: NO.

 

Motion failed.

 

A.1.     Recess to Executive Session.

 

Mayor Cushing recessed the special meeting to Executive Session at 8:25 p.m. reconvening the special meeting at 11:51 p.m.

 

A.2.     Statement or Action after executive session.

 

Mayor Pro Tempore Yourkowski stated that the Council met in Executive Session to discuss the evaluation of the City Manager. Council acknowledged that major accomplishments were completed by the volunteers, Council and management team in the last year. Recommendations and criteria were given for improving management skills and Council will evaluate that criteria at the last regular meeting in March.

 

COMMENTS OF THE AUDIENCE

 

Comments of the Audience on any matter.

 

COMMENTS OF THE CITY ATTORNEY

 

City Attorney Tans was not present.

 

COMMENTS OF THE CITY CLERK

 

City Clerk Calhoun had no comment.

 

COMMENTS OF THE CITY MANAGER

 

City Manager Drathman had no comment.

 

COMMENTS OF THE MAYOR

 

Mayor Cushing stated that, based on the time, he will report to the Council on his normal Mayoral activities at the next meeting.

 

COMMENTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

 

There were no Councilmember comments.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

There being no further business to come before the Council the meeting was adjourned at 11:53 ­­­­ p.m. The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for October 28, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. The Committee of the Whole is scheduled to meet at 4:00 p.m. and a Budget Worksession is scheduled for 6 p.m. on October 28, 2002. These meetings will be held in the Homer City Hall Council Chambers located at 491 E. Pioneer Avenue, Homer, Alaska.

 

 

______________________________________

MARY L. CALHOUN, CMC, CITY CLERK

Approved: _______________________