Agendas and Minutes

City Council (View All)

Study Session

Agenda
Monday, November 14, 2011

MINUTES FOR THE STUDY SESSION
ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL
Monday, November 14, 2011
Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way
 

Council Chair Lemhouse called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Siskiyou Room.  Mayor Stromberg was absent.                                                                                                                                                           
  
Councilor Silbiger, Slattery, Chapman, Morris, and Voisin were present.
 

1.    Look Ahead Review

Item not reviewed.
 
2.     Does Council have questions about the proposed design for improvements to the existing Police Station? Does Council have questions about the recommendation from the Public Safety Bond Committee?
Management Analyst Ann Seltzer introduced Public Safety Bond Committee members, Chair Darrell Boldt, Clark Custodio, Mary Margaret Modesitt, Laura Daugherty, Roberta Stebbins, George Kramer, and Jerry Kenefick. 
 
David Straus of Straus & Siebert Architects explained the corridor for the new addition allowed access to the women’s locker room.  They moved the current door to maximize efficiency of the building.  Roof replacement and installation would start in Phase 1 with completion in Phase 2.  
 
Police Chief Terry Holderness provided examples of how the current building was over crowded, inefficient, lacked security, needed a modern booking area and seismic retro fitting.  Breaking the project into two phases allowed the Police Department to fund Phase 1 without borrowing.  The Police Department had over $200,000 in forfeiture funds and $94,000 previously saved.  Interim Assistant City Administrator Lee Tuneberg explained $1,100,000-$1,200,000 of the remaining $1,500,000 would come from undedicated Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds.  Chair Boldt added the remodel was set up to postpone Phase 2 until there was money to fund the project.
 
Chief Holderness anticipated completion of Phase 1 the end of 2012.  Mr. Straus explained seismic ratings, that buildings 2 or below had a significant chance of incurring damage during an earthquake where buildings 2 or above had less.  The current Police Department building was 2.2 and The Grove had a 2 rating.
 
Mr. Straus noted moving the women’s locker room next to the men’s locker would allow the break room to have an outside wall and create more synergy.  The corridors did not line up between the buildings because the plan widened one corridor to accommodate the booking area.  The Phase 2 addition would include a meeting room the public could also use.  The size of the meeting space increased the parking requirement and the sidewalk would allow public events to happen without interfering with police functions.  The proposed plans were preliminary and could change as the project progressed.  They were not sure at this time what electrical needed to be redone but were certain they would replace the heating and cooling system.
 
3.     Does Council have questions about the proposed recruitment and selection process for City Administrator?
Human Resources Director Tina Gray explained Andrea Simms from Waters Consulting Group had 33 candidates and would send 18 individuals questionnaires the following week and present the finalists to Council the week of December 5, 2011 to determine the top 6 or 7 applicants.  
 
City Attorney Dave Lohman confirmed Council could review the candidates during an executive session as long as they had a public session prior that discussed the criteria they would use.
 
Ms. Gray described previous interview processes the City used that involved panels, citizens, and experts from other jurisdictions.  Council addressed the following questions: 

1.  How does the Council want to choose a subcommittee of the council to narrow the candidates down from 25 to the top candidates you wish to bring into Ashland?

Council thought the entire Council should be involved in the selecting the top candidates during an executive session to retain candidate privacy.  One suggestion was having Ms. Simms narrow the list further than 25 before submitting resumes to Council.  

2.  What are the formal selection criteria you wish to use for this position? 

Council suggested 3-5 years experience for a current City Administrator and 5-7 years for an Assistant City Administrator.  Council would consider private sector with transferable experience and Department Heads with proven progressive upward movement and stability.  All candidates should be able to demonstrate their ability to supervise staff.  A Bachelors degree was required and a Masters degree in Public Administration was preferred.  They were open on some points regarding the Personality Profile but wanted an inclusive management style that was collaborative with the ability to work with a variety of different people.  Other criteria included written, verbal, and non-verbal communication skills, critical thinking, interpersonal relationships, and the ability to relate one-to-one as well as in groups. 

3.  How does the Council wish to structure the final interview and selection process?

Council majority preferred a two-day interview process that included a reception the first day where candidates would take five minutes to discuss their interest in the position, answer some questions then mingle with Council, stakeholders, and the public.  The public would submit questions that Ms. Gray would randomly ask.  Opposing comments thought each candidate should field questions in separate rooms instead.
 
For the Day 2 interviews, Council wanted two panels consisting of Council, elected officials and specific citizen representatives.  Some of Council supported one panel of citizens only. 
 
Councilor Voisin left the meeting at 7:11 p.m.
 
Council provided potential participants for the interview panels.  Ms. Gray would forward interview questions for Council to review that would include questions received from the public.
 
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
 
 
Respectfully submitted,                                
Dana Smith
Assistant to the City Recorder
 
 
 
 

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