HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-15-2002 Council Work SessionMINUTES OF COUNCIL WORK SESSION
HELD AT 5:30 P.M. ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 15,2002
Members present: Mayor Peterson and Council Members Richard Flint, Jay Nygard, Bob
Sansevere and Jim White
Staff present:Ron Moorse, City Administrator
1.The Council discussed the Governor ’s plan for dealing with the slate’s budget deficit and
the impact of that plan on the City. The Council directed the City Administrator to
contact the City ’s legislative delegation to schedule a breakfast meeting to discuss the
City ’s concerns regarding the impacts of the state budget deficit on cities.
2.The Council discussed a number of issues related to compensation for department
heads and other overtime exempt staff. The Council discussed compensation for
overtime exempt staff who are required to attend numerous evening meetings. The
Council determined that a reasonable compensation would be as follows:
An exempt employee who is required to attend three or more evening
meetings in a calendar month will accrue 4 hours of vacation time.
3.The Council conducted the annual City Administrator performance evaluation. The
Council expressed appreciation for the City Administrator's efforts and achievements in
2001. The Council indicated the use of e-mail has been a good way to communicate with
the Council, and encouraged the City Administrator to use e-mail to update the Council
on current issues, and to provide highlights of meetings such as the Joint Fire Station
Committee meetings. The Council agreed that the City Administrator ’s salary should be
increased by 3.75%. The City Administrator benefit package, which includes a $375 per
month car allowance and full payment of the mid-priced family coverage health insu.ance
option, was continued unchanged.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
ATTEST:
Linda S. Vee, City Clerk Barbara A. Peterson, Mayor
I
N
TO:Mayor and City Council
FROM:Ron Moorse, City Administrator
DATE:January 11,2002
SUBJECT: Goals for 2002
The following is a list of goals for 2002 for discussion at the January 15 work session.
4.
Long l^e Fire Station
a.Ensure the design of the station provides for demonstrated current and future
needs of the Long Lake Fire Department in a cost-effective manner, and
mitigates the impact of the station on surrounding properties.
b. Ensure the construction of the fire station occurs in the most cost-effective
manner, tlie Change Orders are minimized, and cost overruns prevented.
2. Highway 12.
a.Ensure the final design adequately addresses the goals, issues, and concerns
identified in the City ’s preliminary design approval.
b. Ensure proper mitigation is provided for the noise to be generated by the
traffic on the corridor.
c.Ensure a timely, responsive, and fair process by Mn/DOT for the acquisition
of properties for right-of-way.
Work out an agreement with Mn/DOT regarding the installation of a
semaphore at the intersection of Highway 12 and Brown Road North on an
accelerated schedule to serve the senior housing development.
e.Persuade Mn/DOT to allow the entrance ramp at County Road 6 to operate
without a ramp meter.
3. Dakota Rail Corridor.
a.Ensure the Dakota Rail corridor is preserved and used as a continuous public
transportation corridor.
Ensure the senior housing development at Brown Road and Highway 12 is
constructed according to plans, and in a manner that will ensure it is a quality asset
for the community for the long term.
1
k
Goals for 2002
January 11, 2002
Page 2
5. Maintain close relationships with other governmental jurisdictions and agencies with
whom we may need to work concerning issues of importance to the City.
6. Develop a long term plan for the most efficient and effective provision of fire service
to the City.
a. Develop a response to the plan for a new Mound fire station that reflects the
long term plan for fire service provision.
b. Work with the area cities and fire departments to determine whether there is
a better way of organizing and structuring for the provision of fire service
than numerous small volunteer departments operating independently.
7. Long Lake Fire Service.
a. Develop a fire service agreement/arrangement with Long Lake that provides
a management structure that ensures full accountability and fiduciary
responsibility regarding all budget and financial matters related to the fire
department.
8. Pursue grant opportunities to fund a planning/visioning process for the Navarre
commercial area.
9. Planning for current Highway 12.
a. Develop a plan for the character of Highway 12 following the turn back to
Heimepin County, including streetscaping, roadway width, sidewalks, etc..
b. Work with Hennepin Count}' and Long Lake to develop a plan for access
points along current Highway 12 that provides safe traffic flow while
providing adequate access to businesses along the highway.
c. Develop design guidelines for development along Highway 1 2.
10. Kelley Parkway.
a. Develop a plan for the character of Kelley Parkway including landscaping,
trails, etc.
b. Develop design guidelines for development along Kelley Parkway.
11 . Develop a plan for commercial development along Highway 12 in Orono and Long
Lake.
a. Develop a shared vision and understanding with Long Lake regarding
conunercial development along Highwi^ 12.
J
UJo^(<.
TO;Mayor and City Council 3, < f, «rv^
FROM:Ron Moorse, City Administrator /'5/
DATE:January 11,2002
SUBJECT: Goals for 2002
The following is a list of goals for 2002 for discussion at the January 15 work session.
1. Long Lake Fire Station
3.
4.
a.Ensure the design of the station provides for demonstrated current and future
needs of the Long Lake Fire Department in a cost-effective manner, and
mitigates the impact of the station on surrounding properties.
b.Ensure the construction of the fire station occurs in the most cost-effective
manner, the Change Orders are minimized, and cost overruns prevented.
2. Highway 12.
a. Ensure the final design adequately addresses the goals, issues, and concerns
identified in the City ’s preliminary design approval.
b. Ensure proper mitigation is provided for the noise to be generated by the
trafl'ic on the corridor.
c.Ensure a timely, responsive, and fair process by Mn/DOT for the acquisition
of properties for right-of-way.
d.Work out an agreement with Mn/DOT regarding the installation of a
semaphore at the intersection of Highway 12 and Brown Road North on an
accelerated schedule to seiA’e ? senior housing development.
e.Persuade Mn/DOT to allow the entrance ramp at County Road 6 to operate
without a ramp meter.
Dakota Rail Corridor.
a.Ensure the Dakota Rail corridor is preserv’ed and used as a continuous public
transportation corridor.
Ensure the senior housing development at Brown Road and Highway 12 is
constructed according to plans, and in a maimer that will ensure it is a quality asset
for the community for the long term.
1
Goals for 2002
January II, 2002
Page 2
5. Maintain close relationships with other governmental jurisdictions and agencies with
whom we may need to work concerning issues of importance to the City.
6. Develop a long term plan for the most efficient and effective provision of fire service
to the City.
a. Develop a response to the plan for a new Mound fire station that reflects the
long term plan for fire service provision.
b. Work with the area cities and fire departments to determine whether there is
a better way of organizing and structuring for the provision of fire service
than numerous small volunteer departments operating independently.
7. Long Lake Fire Seivice.
a. Develop a fire ser/ice agreement/arrangement with Long Lake that provides
a management structure that ensures full accountability and fiduciary
responsibility regarding all budget and financial matters related to the fire
department.
8. Pursue grant opportunities to fund a planning/visioning process for the Navarre
commercial area.
9. Planning for current Highway 12.
a. Develop a plan for the character of Highway 12 following the turn back to
Hennepin County, including streetscaping, roadway width, sidewalks, etc..
b. Work with Hennepin County and Long Lake to develop a plan for access
points along current Highway 12 that provides safe traffic flow while
providing adequate access to businesses along the highway.
c. Develop design guidelines for development along Highway 12.
10. Kelley Parkway.
a.Develop a plan for the character of Kelley Parkway including landscaping,
trails, etc.
b. Develop design guidelines for development along Kelley Parkway.
11. Develop a plan for commercial development along Highway 12 in Orono and Long
Lake.
a. Develop a shared vision and understanding with Long Lake regarding
conuneicial development along Highway 12.
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Mayor and City Council
Ron Moorse, City Administrator
January 10,2002
SUBJECT: Compensation for Evening Meetings
The Council has asked staff to develop a method of compensating staff who arc exempt from
overtime pay for their routine attendance at evening meetings. As staff understands the direction of
the Council, the compensation is not necessarily to fully compensate hour-for-hour for evening
meetings, but rather to provide* a benefit that enables employees to periodically take an extra day off
to get some extra family time or personal time that they miss due to the evening meeting schedule.
This benefit would apply to six positions as follows:
Planner/Assistant Zoning Administrator
Planner/Zoning Administrator
Planning Director
Public Services Director
Police Chief
City Administrator
Three compensation options have been identified as follows:
I.Enable the City Administrator, or the Department Head through the City
Administrator, to authorize time off with pay periodically to compensate for
attendance at evening meetings.
2. Provide hour-for-hour compensatory time for evening meetings.
3. Provide additional vacation time for those who arc regularly required to attend
evening meetings.
For case of administration, the recommended option is to provide additional vacation time. The
amount of additional vacation time needs to balance the number of evening meetings with the current
regular vacation schedule. Orono staff receive two weeks of vacation per year until their fifth year,
when they move to three weeks per year. Although the number of hours spent at evening meetings
is equivalent to several weeks of vacation, the purpose of the compensation for evening meetings
is to provide some additional days off rather than to fully compensate for every hour of time spent
in evening meetings. An additional one week of vacation time seems to be a reasonable balance and
a reasonable level of compensation.
V.
TO;Mayor and City Council
FROM;
DATE:
Ron Moorse, City Administrator
Januarv 10, 2002
SUBJECT: Salary Range Proposal for Police Chief, Public Ser\ ioes Director and Finance
Director Positions
Prior to the hiring of the new Police Chief; the Fimmce Director, Public Ser\ices Director and Police
Chief positions were all in the same salary range. When Chief Good was hired, her salary was set
at a level substantially higher than the Department Head salary range maximum. At that time, there
was discussion regarding whether the higher Police Chief salary level should have an impact on the
salary range of the Finance Director and Public Services Director.
1'o address the comparative salary ’ level issue, it was necessary to determine whether the Police Chief
position was treated differently in the marketplace than the other Department Head positions. To
make this determination, a compensation consultant w as hired to conduct a salary suiA'ey and provide
a recommendation regarding whether the Police Chief position should be at a different pay level than
the other Department Heads. The salary' suix'ey found that there was not a significant differential in
pay level between the Police Chief and the other Department Heads in the marketplace. The
recommendation of the consultant w as to keep the three Department Heads in the same pay range.
Based on this recommendation, the consultant was directed to provide a recommendation for
reconciling the large difference bctw'een the Police Chief s starting salary and the Department Head
salary range mo.ximum. The consultant has recommended that the Department Head salary range
be widened substantially to encompass the Police Chiefs salary, with substantial room for salary
growth. He has also recommended that movement to and through the upper portion of the salary
range be based on performance. The recommended Department Head salary range has as its mid
point the current salary level of the Finance Director and Public Services Director. Beyond the mid
point is performance-based pay that is earned through achievement of specific goals and objectives.
The recommended salary range, as well as the current salary levels of the Department Heads, are
attached.
The concept of performance-based pay has been discussed periodically for a number of years. I
believe the Department Head level is the best place to initiate a performance-based pay system, since
the Department Heads can be responsible and accountable for the accomplishment of objectives that
have the greatest impact on the effectiveness of departmental operations.
2001 Department Head Salary Range
Step I Step »
$60,450 $64,009
SteitiU
$67,565
SlSILlV
$71,120
2001 Salaries of Department Heads
Finance Director $71,120
Public Services Director $71,120
Police Chief $74,000