City Council - 10/19/2010 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010 CITY CENTER
5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOM II
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Phil Young, Council Members Brad Aho, Ron Case, Jon Duckstad, and
Kathy Nelson
CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George Esbensen,
Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and
Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric
Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Heritage Room H
Mayor Young was absent.
I. WORKING SESSION WITH M & A EXECUTIVE SEARCH REGARDING THE
CITY MANAGER SEARCH PROCESS
A. Finalize Qualification Survey
Greg Albrecht reviewed the results of the Qualification Survey. Albrecht asked
Council Members for areas in which they were willing to adjust their ratings.
Albrecht asked Council Members to review the draft Position Profile and e-mail him
with their approval or revisions.
B. Finalize Process and Timeline
City Manager Scott Neal said that November 11 is Veterans Day and City Offices
will be closed. Aho also said he will be out of town on November 11. Case asked
why the timeline is so rushed. Albrecht said he does not want to risk losing good
candidates to other cities. Aho agreed with Albrecht, and said candidates don't like
to be put on hold. Case said he is okay with pushing the November 11 meeting out a
week or two. There was general agreement on scheduling a work session on
Tuesday, November 30, for Albrecht to present his recommendation of the
candidates to the City Council. A 7:00 p.m. start time was set to accommodate
Mayor Young's schedule.
Nelson said the timeline feels rushed. She asked how Albrecht can make a
recommendation to the City Council on the day of the deadline for applications.
Albrecht said most candidates will apply well before the deadline. Nelson said she is
concerned about the City Council and staff trying to conduct the search process at
the same time they will be finalizing the 2011 budget. She said there may also be
changes on the Council due to the election.
Case suggested shooting for a February 1 date, and formulating a timeline working
backward from that date. Nelson said interviewing during Thanksgiving week is
problematic for people with families.
There was general agreement on setting Saturday, December 11, as the date for the
City Council to interview the top five or six candidates and narrow the field down to
the top two candidates. There was also preliminary discussion around scheduling
candidate interviews with department heads on December 13, and holding a meet
and greet for the candidates with the public and City staff on the same day.
Council Chamber
II. OPEN PODIUM
Abdullahi Muhamed said he has been a resident of Eden Prairie for 20 years. He told the
Council he is part of a group called Bridging the Gap, which holds activities for Somali
youth at Oak Point School. He said the group is looking for a facility for after school
programs. Council Member Case asked if there is anything the City Council can do to
facilitate their search. Council Member Duckstad said he is a member of the City/School
Facility Task Force, and he would be happy to present the group's request to the task force.
III. ADJOURNMENT