HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/02/1996 Work Session
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City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1996
The Springfield City Council met in Work Session in Springfield City Hall, City Manager's
Conference Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon at 6:05 p.m. with Mayor Morrisette
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Morrisette and Councilors Ballew, Beyer, Burge, Maine and Shaver.
Councilor Dahlquist was absent (excused). Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, City
Attorneys Tim Harold and Joe Leahy and Administrative Aide Shari Higgins.
1. City Attorney Performance Evaluation
Councilor Shaver, chair of the Finance and Judiciary Committee, presented the City
Attorney evaluation. He asked both Mr. Harold and Mr. Leahy and the City Council
their preference on whether the City Manager should be present. After discussion, it was
agreed that Mr. Kelly would be present for the evaluation.
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Councilor Shaver explained the changes in the evaluation form and reporting process, which
were suggested at last year's City Attorney performance evaluation. He stated both Mr.
Harold and Mr. Leahy have received copies of the evaluation summaries, completed by
the City Council, the Management Team, staff/supervisors and their own self-evaluation.
Councilor Shaver proceeded to complete the review by category:
1. General Legal Counsel- 22 Excellent, 12 Good, 3 Satisfactory
Comments: Councilor Shaver listed specific comments about the performance of the
City Attorneys, including, "good communication" and "provides excellent feedback and
suggestions on legal documents".
Suggestions: Councilor Shaver listed suggestions for improvement, including, " routine
items sometimes take a long time to get addressed", "return phone calls sooner" and
"discipline issues. . . ".
Mr. Leahy asked if Human Resources Director Frank Hotchkiss could provide the City
Attorney's Office with more specific information on areas that need improvement. Mr.
Hotchkiss stated he would contact staff/supervisors or Management Team members who
provided unclear comments and ask if they would be willing to discuss them with Mr.
Harold or Mr. Leahy. This is the same process that has been used in years past to
provide the City Attorney's Office with more information regarding their performance.
2. Legislative Counsel- 23 Excellent, 6 Good, I Satisfactory, I Unknown and
4 No Responses
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Comments: Councilor Shaver listed specific positive comments, including, "very responsive
to the many resolutions/ordinances we process" and "consistently provides excellent work".
City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting - 4/2/96
Page two
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Suggestions: Councilor Shaver listed suggestions for improvement, including, "making time
for the weekly agenda process" and "it would be helpful if Leahy would attend the Legal
Issues in Planning annual seminar along with the planners".
3. Litigation - 19 Excellent, II Good, I Satisfactory, 1 Unknown and 1 No Response
Comments: Councilor Shaver detailed specific comments about the performance of the
City Attorney's Office, including, "avoids unnecessary litigation through tactful handling
of potential claims against the City" and "alerts staff to potential litigation issues".
Suggestions: Councilor Shaver reviewed a few areas for improvement, including, "keep the
other dist's on their legal toes" and "additional help on keeping depts. informed on potential
litigation issues. . . .".
Council discussed the possibility of the City Attorney's Office providing quarterly updates on
current litigation. Mr. Harold stated they could provide the information on a regular
basis by either scheduled executive sessions or by written reports, listing limited details.
There was a discussion over the types of litigation that have occurred during the past year.
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Council asked Mr. Harold and Mr. Leahy to provide them with litigation updates at a
minimum of each quarter and at a maximum of each month. Council also asked that the
City's Risk Manager, provide them with the City's insurance litigation/case load report,
via the Communication Packet.
Councilor Burge stated he is pleased with the information provided from the City Attorney's
Office regarding litigation and is comfortable with their judgment level in providing Council
with information. Councilor Maine stated she would like to receive the litigation reports, as
that type of information could assist Council in providing input on policy decisions. By
consensus, it was agreed the City Attorney's Office would begin providing litigation
reports and at a future date, Council would review the reporting process and provide further
input.
4. Citizen Requests - 20 Excellent, 5 Good, 4 Unknown, and 5 No Response
Comments: Councilor Shaver listed specific good comments, including, "Joe is very good
with the PIC and citizens at the PIC meetings" and "they are good ambassadors for the
City organization".
Suggestions: Councilor Shaver stated the only suggestion was to provide the Council with
an update on time spent for "Ms. Dena Newman's requests".
5. Other Comments
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Councilor Shaver reviewed some comments, including, "the addition of Meg Kieran to the
City Attorney's Office has been very positive", "increase the use of Joe Trudeau and Meg
on City issues", "should become more knowledgeable about the current technology and
information systems. . . ." and "when Tim handles the Council meetings, he may not be
aware of the full background on certain agenda topics".
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City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting - 4/2/96
Page three
Mr. Harold explained the process that he and Mr. Leahy use to brief each other before the
City Council meetings. Both Mr. Harold and Mr. Leahy stated they would follow up with
Mr. Hotchkiss for more detailed information from staff on some of the comments that
they were unclear on.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Minutes Recorder - Shari Higgins
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Mayor
ATTEST:
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City Recorder