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4.3. SR 08-02-2021Request for Action To Item Number Mayor and Ci T Council 4.3 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Consent August 2, 2021 Tina Allard, City Clerk Item Description Reviewed by Update to Advisory Board Policy Cal Portner, City Administrator Reviewed by Action Requested Adopt, by motion, the proposed changes to the Advisory Board Policy. Background/Discussion Council has had two discussions this year (February 16 and June 7) regarding the interview and selection process for appointing advisory board members. Changes agreed upon at the last work session have been incorporated into the Advisory Board Policy as shown in the attached. Financial Impact N/A Mission/Policy/Goal Elk River Vision Attachments ■ Proposed Changes ■ February 16 Minutes ■ June 7 Minutes The Elk River Vision A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires pi ospei ly. M TUREJ Updated.• August 2020 Commission Organization and Procedures Applications All applicants, including board and commission members who are seeking reappointment, must complete an "Application for Appointment to City Board or Commission" and submit the application to the City Clerk by the deadline date. 2. Notification of Openings Except for openings filled by Mayoral appointment, board and commission expirations and vacancies will be advertised in the Elk River Star Nenv, The Current newsletter, ERtV 12, and the city website. 3. Appointments The Council will review all applications. Applicants will be interviewed by the City Council at a special meeting held prior to a regular City Council meeting to make board ata Council will discuss applicant qualifications at the work session of the regular meeting held the same evening. Appointments will then be made at the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. 4. Vacancy Board and commission applications will be kept on file for one year. If a vacancy occurs during the year, the Council may make an appointment from the applications on file. Vacancies in commissions are filled for the remainder of the unexpired term. City Council Minutes February 16, 2021 Page 8 Council consensus was to move forward with an ordinance amendment for further discussion. 9.5 Advisory Commission Selection Process Ms. Allard presented the staff report. Councilmember Wagner noted there were a lot of community members who came forth and are willing to be engaged with the city. She stated with this new procedure Council would never know their names and who they are. She questioned how Council could make this process a step better and ensure capturing these individuals who step forward to keep them engaged. She stated she would like to ensure the Council is aware of the interest out there so they could serve later if there is a vacancy or could be added to the Elk River Resident Advisory survey group. She expressed concern with only capturing reappointments. Mayor Dietz and Councilmember Westgaard asked how to do this if these applicants will not be appointed, which makes it worse when they come in and don't get appointed. Councilmember Beyer asked what if the new candidate is better than the current member. Councilmember Wagner stated she doesn't want the uncomfortable situation as we've had in the past, but she also doesn't want to miss the opportunity to meet new applicants and suggested a different avenue to bring them in. She also noted it can be awkward with appointments when a new applicant gets nominated over an existing member who is also very good. Councilmember Christianson stated he liked Councilmember Beyer's idea to still advertise and interview for vacancies and then appoint at the next meeting. He didn't feel there should be an automatic appointment of existing members. He stated the new applicants have a willingness to want to serve and he doesn't want to turn them away. Mayor Dietz stated he doesn't want to get the expectations up for the new applicants and then have them walk away upset and questioning why they bothered to apply. Councilmember Beyer stated he felt the process was rushed. He stated being new he didn't have the connections other Councilmember may have. Mr. Portner suggested having a language where it's known that after a set number of terms, such as three, then the position would be advertised. He stated it would give someone else a chance to serve and let the current board member know Council is happy with their work but want to give others opportunity. P.0 FRI U! er u City Council Minutes February 16, 2021 Page 9 Councilmember Westgaard noted it's nice to have some continuity because it takes time to learn everything. Councilmember Christianson stated term limit are a good idea. It's clear and concise and you still have continuity, and are getting new people in. Mayor Dietz stated he is not in favor of term limits and the process should stay as it is if Council is not happy with the proposed changes. Councilmember Westgaard stated he is not opposed to the current process but would like to do the interviews at a separate meeting from the appointments. Council concurred on the separate meetings for interviews and appointments. Councilmember Wagner suggested turning this back to the commissions and asking their opinions about how they feel the appointment process has been, as a volunteer, do you think they should have unending time as a member and would it be helpful to have turnover on the commissions. Council directed staff to get feedback from the advisory boards and report back to Council. 9.6 Street Impact Fee Legislation Mayor Dietz presented the staff report. He asked Councilmember Christianson to discuss his recent testimony at the legislature. Councilmember Christensen stated he contacted staff to ask about process for tracking legislation. He stated his Council packets only show League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) point of view and no other viewpoints. He stated he was going to have someone present another viewpoint at tonight's meeting, but they were not able to make it. He stated the language for this legislation is vague and as he dug into it, he was not in support. He expressed concern with future unknown impacts of this fee. He had an opportunity to express his views to the legislature and utilized it. Mayor Dietz stated Council prides itself on being open and transparent. He stated the Council voted 5-0 to support LMC's position by adopting a resolution to support infrastructure accountability and he felt Councilmember Christianson should have informed Council he would be testifying in opposition. Councilmember Christianson stated he disclosed he was a Councilmember for Elk River but was speaking on his own behalf and not as a representative of Council. He stated there is a short dineframe to review packet material and they are only provided one viewpoint. He questioned how Council can make an informed decision when they don't see other viewpoints of an argument. He stated he took it upon himself to do extra research as more information became available. P..0 W E R I 0 r City Council Minutes Page 8 June 7, 2021 ----------------------------- 10.4 2022 Budget Ms. Ziemer presented the staff report. She stated staff will plan on the same level of services in 2022 as was used in 2021, realizing more amenities have been added with the FTCenter and park amenities, which adds maintenance costs. Council consensus to hold special council budget meetings on the Monday dates outlined in the staff report. Council asked for calendar invites for meetings and events. Ms. Ziemer discussed union contracts, wages, and benefits. Mr. Portner suggested an update to the wage study to make sure we are comparable with peer cities. He stated we are competing with other communities for employees on wages. He noted the study wasn't completed when implemented four years ago because of intentions to develop a wellness program that didn't occur, so the city never got to market rate. He stated we should look at internal/external equity and the current market. Mayor Dietz stated having a $2 million debt levy is too much and he'd like to keep it around $1.4 million because it would be too big of a hit to the tax rate. He stated why not wait until 2023 when the $600,000 debt levy is gone, and this would only add $1.4 million to the tax levy versus $2 million. He said what difference would one more payment be out of existing reserves. Ms. Ziemer discussed current park improvement funding as noted in the staff report. Mayor Dietz stated it would help the Parks and Recreation Commission planning process when they know they get a set amount or more each year. Council consensus to change the Park Improvement Fund as outlined in the staff report. 10.5 Advisory Board Selection Process Ms. Allard presented the staff report. Councilmembers Beyer and Christianson would like more time to make the process more meaningful and spend more time to review and discuss candidates after interviews. Councilmember Wagner wasn't sure about term limits and gave examples of long- term members who do a lot for the community. Councilmember Christianson stated he doesn't like the idea of lifetime appointments either. He stated it is good to have an accountability component added. E tAE9BY- City Council Minutes Page 9 June 7, 2021 Mayor Dietz suggested updating the application form for interview questions. Councilmember Wagner noted the Council could be better at asking interview questions as well. Council consensus to interview candidates prior to the regular Council meeting, then have a discussion later in the evening during the worksession portion of the regular meeting, with appointments made at the following meeting. 10.6 Schedule joint Meeting with Sherburne County Commission Mr. Portner presented the staff report. Council reviewed dates and staff will coordinate with the county. II. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 10:16 p.m. Tina Allard, City Clerk