The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About04/07/1997 Work Session . City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, APRIL 7,1997 The City of Springfield Council met in Work Session in the Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, April 7, 1997, at 6:00 p.m., with Mayor Morrisette presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Morrisette, Councilors Ballew, Beyer, Dahlquist, Maine and Shaver. Councilor Burge was absent (excused). Also present were City Manager Michael Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Tim Harold, Administrative Aide Shari Higgins, Human Resources Director Frank Hotchkiss and members of the staff. 1. City Attorney Performance Evaluation . Council President Greg Shaver presented the staff report on this issue. Pursuant to the City Attorney retainer agreement, the services of the City Attorney are evaluated by the City Council on an annual basis. The evaluation process is coordinated by Greg Shaver, Chair of the Judiciary Committee. It summarizes the completed evaluations from council members, the Mayor, city department managers, city staff/supervisors and the partners in the City Attorney's office. Councilor Shaver proceeded to complete the review by category: 1. General Legal Counsel - 22 Excellent, 9 Good, and 2 Satisfactory Comments: Mayor Morrisette reminded those present that "good" is above average and that the difference between excellent and good is a hard rating to decipher. Council members praised the City Attorney's Office on its service to the city. Councilor Shaver commented that one year ago council asked to be kept abreast of pending litigation. He thanked the City Attorney's Office for the recent Executive session report. Mr. Harold said there were two satisfactory scores listed under the staff/supervisor category and he will follow up with Mr. Hotchkiss (staffto the Judiciary Committee) to see if they can address the problems and possibly contact those who gave the low rating. 2. Legislative Counsel- 14 Excellent, 12 Good, 1 Satisfactory, and 6 No Response . Comments: Councilor Maine said she would have liked to receive more information prior to the public hearing on the Gray/Hastings appeal. Mr. Leahy spoke on the appeal process, ex- parte contact and how the City Attorneys Office was trying not to taint the council's opinion of the case prior to the hearing, but could of done a better job of individually preparing council members. Councilor Shaver stated he would take a more active role as the Council President in preparing motions for tough land use issues and said that would assist council members in framing their discussion. Councilor Maine said she appreciated the recent land use law work session. City of Springfield Work Session Minutes - 4/7/97 Page 2 . Councilor Ballew asked for clarification of items that the City Attorney's Office performs under the category of Legislative Counsel. Mr. Leahy replied, ordinance review and preparation, the Springfield Code Recodification project, review of legislative bills and comments which represent Springfield on the state level and for the League of Oregon Cities. 3. Litigation - 19 Excellent, 9 Good, and 5 No Response Comments: Councilor Shaver said the City Attorney's Office is excellent in the area of litigation expertise. Mr. Leahy commented they try to achieve a good balance between problem solving and providing litigation services if needed. 4. Citizen Requests - 20 Excellent, 7 Good, and 3 No Response . Comments: Councilor Shaver asked Mr. Harold and Mr. Leahy how they handle citizen complaints and how they originate. Mr. Leahy said most complaints are over land use issues, are from other attorneys representing clients, or are sometimes from citizens who don't agree with staff. There was a discussion about the representation level the City Attorneys Office felt towards the City Council, City Manager and staff and the citizens of Springfield. Mr. Harold added that most calls from citizens are referrals from staff and only a small portion of their time is spent on citizen requests or complaints. Mr. Kelly commented he would check with staff regarding their use of the City Attorney's Office for citizen referrals or complaints. He explained to council that most inquiries regarding litigation are first referred to the city's Risk Manager prior to involvement by the City Attorney's Office. 5. Any other comments or concerns not already covered Councilor Shaver stated council's appreciation of both quality of work and wisdom of the community. He said he is concerned about reductions in the City Attorney's Office budget due to Ballot Measure 47. Council discussed fees charged by the attorneys and what items they purchase from their private practice (books, subscriptions, etc.) which funding from their city budget does not cover. Mr. Leahy explained the City Attorney's Office will continue to work harder on being "user friendly" to the entire city organization, as the unease of Ballot Measure 47 has affected most employees. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Shari Higgins !!:;#~&k<~ - ayor ATTEST: . C),~ (~ eputy City Recorder