Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 1993-11-01Mayor Roberta Cerri Teglia Council: Jack Drago Joseph A. Fernekes lohn R. Penna Robert Yee MINUTES City Council So. San Francisco Conference Center 255 So. Airport Boulevard November 1, 1993 023 AGENDA ADJOURNED SPECIAL MEETING CALL TO ORDER: (Cassette No. 1) ROLL CALL: 1. Strategic planning workshop to establish City goals and objectives. _6- ! .b' A_CI!ON TAKEN ADJOURNED SPECIAL MEETING 12:00 p.m. Mayor Teglia presiding. Council Present: Council Absent: Drago, Fernekes, Penna, Yee and Teglia. None. Council retired for lunch and resumed the meeting at 12:45 p.m. The following discussion ensued on what does the Council expect/need from the staff to work well together:' 1) two weeks advance notice on agenda items; 2) prior notice of Closed Session items; 3) no surprises - get Council involved early on and not as a last resort, i.e., negotiations with bargaining units as well as other agencies; 4) information with agenda items so they can prepare; 5) hear the full range of alternatives for solutions to a problem; 6) need to be kept informed of what is going on in the City - know about things before they appear in the newspaper; 7) communications that go out from the Manager's Office should be copied to Council- members when it is something that Council might want to know about; 8) response to Council requests - if it will take more than a week, let the Council know how long it will take; 9) let Council know what steps have been taken to fulfill a request, also inform Councilmembers of steps taken and what was done; 10) bring the Council into the loop early; 11) don't just tell us what we want to hear; 12) stand up professionally and do what needs to be done; 13) staff needs to ask the Council directly where they want them to go and make Council be clear about what'they want; 14) staff should be professional in attire, appearance and speech; 15) remember that we are public servants. The following clarification notes were made: 1) 11/1/93 Page 1 A~NDA 1. Strategic planning workshop - Continued. 11/1/93 Page 2 ACTION TAKEN 02..I ..... keep informed, let us know about important infor- mation; recognize that the Council is the one that the public looks to because the members are elected; what kind of policies are being established and what is going on in the City; ask yourself what you would want to know if you were a Councilmember; tell us the good news not just the bad news; keep us in- formed about public opinion on Council projects and politics. 2) Communicating information- communicate in writing or verbally depending on the issue; there needs to be dialogue between Council and staff on the information Council needs in a particular situation; need phone calls that inform, but don't just schedule meetings; information can go through the City Manager. 3) .Emergency issues - let the Council know immediately; need to be the first to know; communication from Department Heads; communication through City Manager may slow down the process; information items to be given to the Council should be told to the City Manager; City Manager will tell Department if that information would be better if it came from them; it is better to have too much information than too little information. 4) Trust between Council and staff; need to recognize that if we make a mis- take we won't do it again, and that it didn't happen because we are trying to hide something. 5) Agenda items need background and time to prepare; get information to Council before the day before the meeting. 6) Agenda items could alert Council and give them time to prepare for Council meetings; let us know "what is coming down the line" and give Council a minimum two weeks advance notice of items that are coming before us; bring Council in when staff's thoughts are clear. 7) Alternatives - staff should list all of the alternatives and their recommendations with the pros and cons of the one they chose; staff should be prepared to give pros and cons of alternatives that aren't chosen. 8) Res- pond to Council - let them know in at least a week what the answer is or how long it will take to get the answer. 10) Copying of letters - particularly regarding economic development about important issues should come from the City Manager's Office; if there are rumors - alert City Manager and he will decide whether to pass it on to Council; community meetings and their follow-ups need to go to the Council; Closed Session notification needs to be done in advance, except in an emergency; profes- sional liability on discussing recommendations and alternatives; staff has the responsibility to point out 1. Strategic planning workshop - Continued. 11/1/93 Page 3 the pros and cons of particular alternatives, howev- er, once the Council makes a decision, support that decision; recognize that staff fulfilled their responsi- bility by presenting alternatives and their recommen- dation; be conscious of the present issues; act pro- fessionally and recognize the importance of appear- ante; wear business attire when appearing before the public; be prepared to make articulate presentations; deliver presentations professionally. Discussion followed on what does the staff ex- pect/need from the Council to work well together: consistent direction on policies; respect; open dia- logue to staff prior to Council meeting; realistic expectations; any new policies from a Councilmem- ber should be a consensus of Council before involv- ing staff; clear communication; timely or six month evaluations as a group between Council and staff; focus on the broad issues at initial stages instead of specifics; recognition of existing workload; answer to group, rather than five individuals; promote risk taking; focus on policy setting role as opposed to implementation; support by staff; Executive Manage- ment should be treated equal to Mid-Management; more staff; the Council needs to bury old political issues and move on; treat staff professionally; direct- ness in communication; accept some mistakes will be made. Discussion followed on clarification of staff expec- tations: clearly define policies; when should staff be flexible in interpreting City Codes; staff will be assertive in asking questions about policy; when staff is interpreting City Code be sure to analyze risk vs. benefit; risk taking environment - if we are asked to take risks we need to not be criticized for taking risks; accept that some mistakes will be made; right now there is a fear of making mistakes, so risks are not taken and people tend to stick behind all regulations; risks should be encouraged at Mid-Management level and above - especially De- partment Heads; risk taking needs to be discussed more; trust that we are operating from our views of what is the best for the City; we have a lack of trust in the City; we all need to act like we trust each other; Council needs to trust that staff doesn't have ulterior motives; respect - if you disagree do it respectfully, don't make disagreement personal and avoid attacks; attacking inhibits risk taking; don't interrupt each other; allow others to fully express themselves; more staff needed - Council needs to AGENDA ,, 1. Strategic planning workshop - Continued. ^DJOURNMENT: 11/1/93 Page 4 ACTION TAKEN , 026-- realize that we are asking staff to do more with less people; open dialogue; Council should know contents of staff report and should alert staff before Council meetings if there are questions; why doesn't City Manager call Councilmembers to see if any questions on meeting items; consistent direction on policies when Council makes a policy - stick with it until you change it as a group, also staff will not go off in a different direction; what are the priorities - if the Council is laying things on staff that don't relate to the set goals; etc. There was a discussion of the summary of three year goals and revisions made on 10/26/93: the develop- ment of an incentive program to reward cost savings should be in two years rather than by 3/31/94; the City Manager working with the Conference Center on an economic development marketing plan will be combined with the preliminary set of options for an updated economic development strategy by 1/1/94; the development of a public information program will be considered in the second year rather than by 6/30/94; by 12/1/93 the City Manager will define customer service and share it with Council and Department Heads; "provide and focus resources to do the job" should be changed to "provide adequate resources to do the job"; delete - by 3/31/94, where the City Manager and Executive Management Team will make a recommendation for funding facility maintenance needs to the City Council; delete - by 11/23/93, City Engineer will develop a public infor- mation process to publicize the Noise Insulation Program status and timetable; Goal IV (G) - add plan for Corporation Yard; Goal IV (H) should read, by 1/30/94, the City Engineer will have a complete definition and project management plan for the Corporation Yard; add - by 1/30/94, develop a plan for Orange Park; add - by 3/1/93, City Engi- neer will have noise insulation program operational; Goal V (B) should read second year; Goal V (C) add - including issues of accountability, creativity and problem solving; Council- members Jack Drago and Yee will be on the permit planning task force; Council to adopt strategic plan on 11/10/93; etc. M/S Drago/Yee - To adjourn the meeting. Carried by unanimous voice vote. Time of adjournment was 4:48 p.m. AGENDA ACTION TAKEN . 02'7 RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Barbara A. Battaya, City Clerk (_./ City of South San Francisco APPROVED. City of South San Francisco The entries of this Council meeting show the action taken by the City Council to dispose of an item. Oral communica- tions, arguments, and comments are recorded on tape. The tape and documents related to the items are on file in the Office of the City Clerk and are available for inspection, review and copying. 11/1/93 Page 5