SPECIAL BROOKLYN PARK CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, August 21, 2007 7:00 p.m.

Brooklyn Township Conference Room 5200 85th Avenue North

CALL TO ORDER - Mayor Lampi PRESENT: Mayor Steve Lampi; Council Members Rich Gates, Terry Gearin (arrived at 7:30 p.m.), Jeff Lunde (arrived at 7:30 p.m.), Mark Mata, Jeanette Meyer, and Mike Trepanier; and City Clerk Devin Montero. ABSENT: None. Mayor Lampi stated that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss what Council wanted in a City Manager and introduced facilitator Kevin Frazell, League of Minnesota Cities, Director of Members Services to the Council Members. Mr. Frazell gave the Council a brief background of himself and stated the agenda for the meeting would be: ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ

Overview of History and Contemporary Realities of Council-Manager Government Review Process and Decision Points for Recruitment and Appointment Review of Core Competencies for Managers Council Discussion and Discussions o Qualifications o Process Adjourn

He briefed the Council with a PowerPoint presentation covering an overview of history and contemporary realities of Council-Manager Government. At 7:58 p.m. Mr. Frazell stated that he would take a break and then have the Council discuss specific competencies for a City Manager. At 8:04 p.m. Council Member Mata departed. At 8:06 p.m. the meeting reconvened and Mr. Frazell reviewed with the Council the Core Competencies for City Managers. He stated that the 18 Core Competencies were placed on the board and reviewed each one with the Council. Mr. Frazell asked each Council Member what core competency they thought was important to them. Discussions were held on: Adding Likeability and Charisma as item #19 to the Core Competencies; integrity and budgeting; technological; strategic planning; diversity; staff effectiveness; and functional operational planning.

BROOKLYN PARK SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING; AUGUST 21, 2007…Page 2 Mr. Frazell stated that he would provide six colored dots to each Council Member and asked them to place the dots next to a Core Competencies they felt was important in a City Manager. After each Council Member placed their dots next to a Core Competency, Mr. Frazell reviewed the results with the Council.

Core Competencies #1-Staff Effectiveness #2-Policy Facilitation #3-Functional and Operational Expertise and Planning #4-Citizen Service #5-Qaulity Assurance #6-Initiative, Risk Taking, Vision, Creativity, and Innovation #7-Technological Literacy #8-Democratic Advocacy and Citizen Participation #9-Diversity #10-Budgeting #11-Financial Analysis #12-Human Resources Management #13-Strategic Planning #14-Advocacy and Interpersonal #15-Presentation Skills #16-Medial Relations #17-Integrity #18-Personal Development #19-Likeability/Charisma

# of Dots Received 5 1 4 0 3 5 2 0 2 2 4 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 0

Discussions were held on the following Core Competencies receiving high votes: #1-Staff Effectiveness (5 votes) ƒ Consensus of Council was an important core competency; recruit properly and make them function as a team #6-Initiative, Risk Taking, Vision, Creativity and Innovation (5 votes) ƒ The city faces some very unique challenges and not solved in traditional ways and will have to look at different approaches to resolve the problems; and a risk for the Council and City Manager ƒ Sometimes encourages waste; sometimes reinventing the wheel, a path already been well laid out on what to achieve what we want to get and no one is really looking for the path. ƒ Unless it is an idea that says, you know this really does have some potential; and this Council has exhibited that with the Neighborhood Action Program; it is a change for the sake of change but be sure to be open to and looking for new ideas ƒ Its not just about going out there for the sake of doing it but it does have to do with removing barriers and trying to achieve results and take responsibility for results and can

BROOKLYN PARK SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING; AUGUST 21, 2007…Page 3 find the balance what you’re looking for #3-Functional and Operational Expertise and Planning (4 votes) ƒ Interpreted as just being good with the basics. Taking care of basic business #11-Financial Analysis (4 votes) Do you think you have particular financial challenges right now that need to be addressed or just saying you want to be confident the City Manager is on top of that or what do you mean when you address this? ƒ Budget issues without the housing being built ƒ No Local Government Aid ƒ Housing stock values going down ƒ Tax rate was at 36.0% and projected within next couple of years to be over 40.0%; ƒ How we can minimize that impact and what kind of steps we have to take to do that; ƒ Heard from residents and taxes has always been an issue ƒ We do not have an adequate amount of commercial/industrial development and majority of the tax burden is placed on the homeowners and will change ƒ It’s not just filling in pieces of property, its making sure it’s the right kind of fill-in ƒ Our current financial person is going to be very good at this; that was one of the balancing skills talked about ƒ To do budgeting, need to have a good financial person and need someone to help see the future and see it interchangeable ƒ Financial analysis and strategic planning being closer related #13 Strategic Planning (4 votes)-Do you have a strategic plan now? A Comprehensive plan? Strategic Planning is a little broader than Finance. This has to do with the overall goals and objectives of the city. ƒ Created a 5 year rolling budget; forces us in making long range planning; part of how we came to understand the next 5 years projected levy rates ƒ When given the budget each fall, and tax rate explained why projected to be high, this helps to look out on making a better policy ƒ When 5 year plan moves forward, every time there is a discussion of large amount of money, then it is automatically gets what the effect of the 5 year plan ƒ Base line expectation from a City Manager #17 Integrity (4 votes)-What is the reason why this was rated so high? ƒ Base line expectation from a City Manager ƒ If you’re not dealing with a person of integrity, you not going to get anything else good out of that person ƒ Don’t think anybody has the right to be abusive to anybody else or the organization has the right to be abusive; can’t have that without the leadership person; by abusive meaning treating people with respect; sometimes you have to make decisions people don’t like

BROOKLYN PARK SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING; AUGUST 21, 2007…Page 4 Discussions were held on the following Core Competencies receiving low votes: #2 Policy Facilitation (1 vote) ƒ Have to be capable of working with the Council and helping us make a decision and not alienating the Council ƒ Not to advocate just one position but also like them to facilitate the process of the Council reaching a consensus ƒ He shouldn’t try to change Council’s mind but inform the council and let them know what their decisions will create and what the problems will be ƒ Not make a decision based on input from a minority of the Council ƒ A base line expectation from a City Manager ƒ Primary responsibility of any City Manager is to facilitate policy #4 Citizen Service (0 votes) A given for a City Manager? Or things going well that citizen service doesn’t need attention? ƒ Other things have to be attended to before you can deal with citizens ƒ If you don’t have the money, the citizens aren’t going to be served ƒ If they don’t have integrity, I don’t want them to have any kind of relationship with the citizens ƒ Staff effectiveness drives citizen service #5 Quality Assurance (3 votes) Need to do a better job at quality assurance or a base line expectation? ƒ We want all of these things, we are just saying these are the things we think Brooklyn Park needs ƒ Goal of any organization is to continually improve the quality of service they provide and how to continue that process #7 Technological Literacy (2 votes) ƒ City Manager has to embrace the use of technology #8 Democratic Advocacy and Citizen Participation (0 votes) Would you or would you not like for your new City Manager to promote active citizen involvement in local government? ƒ Same thing as citizen service ƒ Without the rest of the competencies and emphasis that can’t happen ƒ Making sure citizen get the services they need and respond to individual requests and complaints ƒ Actively promoting and soliciting citizen involvement and community decision making ƒ Pushes the Council to get citizen involvement or neighborhood involvement and a new emerging area ƒ Could fall under #6-Initiative, Risk Taking, Vision, Creativity and Innovation-not a traditional way about making decisions but an innovative risk taking Manager and Council might start seeing those things as important ƒ Some candidates will be strong in this and other will not be strong in this and will

BROOKLYN PARK SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING; AUGUST 21, 2007…Page 5

ƒ

differentiate the candidate whether they are comfortable doing this and whether they want to do it and more of an emerging role for Managers Decision making powers is going to be often shared by a broader group of people-some Councils may like that and some may not

#9 Diversity (2 votes) ƒ Consensus is important to the community #12 Human Resources Management (0 votes) – Sounds like you have strong staff expertise in that area now? ƒ Don’t have a Human Resource Director ƒ Assistant City Manager and City Manager handled human resources ƒ Area looks like it doesn’t need more attention ƒ Will look at it down the road and goes under #1-Staff Effectiveness and #3-Functional and Operational Expertise and Planning ƒ Satisfied with the Assistant City Manager #14 Advocacy and Interpersonal (0 votes) ƒ Need to develop personal communications ƒ Needed in a City Manager #15 Presentation Skills (0 votes) ƒ Needed in a City Manager ƒ Good at presenting to the public #18 Personal Development (0 votes) ƒ Professional development ƒ Supportive of City Manager pursuing professional development Mr. Frazell asked the Council if they felt comfortable on what was important to them relating to the core competencies. Discussions were held on: ƒ Search to be diverse as possible and provide opportunities to a wider range of background experiences when searching for a candidate and let best the candidate rise; look at the search as a function of diversity ƒ Idea of diversity is something we’ve asked our City Manager in terms of hiring and keep working at that and hasn’t borne as much fruit as we thought Mr. Frazell asked about internal candidates. What was the Council thinking about that? Is it something the Council can resolve or talk about tonight? Couple of different ways to handle it: 1-We think we got some great internal candidates and just look inside; 2-do an open recruitment and internal candidates are welcomed to apply along with everybody else; or 3- want someone from the outside because we want new fresh blood.

BROOKLYN PARK SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING; AUGUST 21, 2007…Page 6 ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ

Should be an open recruitment If taking internal candidates would then have to fill the vacant position How many internal candidates meet the job description of an Assistant City Manager If internal candidates meet qualifications they have the right to apply Previously got qualified candidates out state when cap was still at $110,000 If going national, look at the Universities in the State of Minnesota that do city planning and city administration; can add to their alumni letters-good way to get candidates who want to come back to Minnesota

Mr. Frazell stated that City Manager professional was a small group of people and could advertise in the ICMA newsletter or their job bank and would be seen in State and out of State. He also stated if Council wanted to consider reaching out to some specific candidates and encourage them to apply. He asked the Council if they wanted to use a professional recruitment firm for candidates. Discussions were held on: ƒ Don’t have a Human Resource Director and won’t have the time dedicated to it internally ƒ Council won’t have the time to dedicate to it and a professional recruitment firm would be the best direction ƒ Don’t want the firm to shrink it down-possibly miss out on great candidates ƒ If hiring recruitment firm to do this for Council, need to take advantage of professional expertise and listen to their recommendations ƒ If Council wants to take time to peel through the candidates, makes perfect sense for the Council to do that ƒ Worried about getting recycled candidates ƒ Don’t want to tell recruiter not to give Council advice-don’t tell us who the top 12 candidates are ƒ Councils should be active and find candidates and call them Council Member Gearin asked about the reputation of the city and stated there was history and tough times in attracting good candidates. Mr. Frazell stated that there were two strong things going for the city and two challenges. ƒ The strong things were: o One of the largest cities in the state-will be able to move up for a lot of candidates and will be real attractive; o Have some intriguing issues with what is going on in terms of redevelopment and new development with the Target corporation and would be excited to be in the city; ƒ The challenges were: o Salary cap to some extent o The fact that the last four city managers have all left and not of their own choosing-most stayed several years.

BROOKLYN PARK SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING; AUGUST 21, 2007…Page 7 He stated that if Council could resolve why that happened and had resolved the conflict that caused that and could convince candidates that Council has talked it through and were a cohesive Council, that would go a long way to overcame that. He stated that Council should be prepared to address that question because candidates might want to talk about it. Mayor Lampi stated that the process was important because Council would have to come to agreement with important issues and able to communicate that to the potential candidates. Discussions were held on: The city was a very dynamic city and changed a lot in a short amount of time and reason for City Managers resigning; wanting a 30 year candidate or looking for a 5 or 7 year candidate; City Managers or School Superintendents’ longevity had shrunk for the last 20 years; and the City Manager field accepting short tenures. Mr. Frazell stated that the tenures were getting longer because they didn’t want to move; they had two career families. He stated the average use to be 2.6 years and now nation wide was over 5 years. He stated the other thing Council should be prepared for was that city management has become an old profession and the average age of a City Manager was over 50. Mr. Dave Looby, North Chamber of Commerce, stated to also look for a City Manager who has a team building kind of personality or community building. He stated that the last time the city searched for a City Manager he offered to the search firm to conduct his interviews and conduct his own background checks using their own forms. He stated he called the chamber executives from those cities where those candidates had been for over a period of time and just asked their opinions and were the same questions they were already being asked and would be happy to do that again if Council was okay with it. Mr. Frazell asked if Council was going to use an executive recruiter and they would have to decide on inviting a couple of local firms or putting out a Request For a Proposal (RFP) because there were a variety of firms in the country and had provided a copy of the RFP for a recruiting firm in the packet the last time the city recruited. Discussions were held on: League of Minnesota Cities having a list of recruiting firms; PDI provided psychological profiles on last two candidates that added some value to the Council in making a decision. Mayor Lampi stated that the question on the table was to limit the search to a local recruiter or going national. Discussions were held on: Using an RFP; staying local in the State; local recruiting would have an understanding of what the lay of the land was and what was important to Minnesotans; a lot of recruiting was done networking in order to attract candidates; having the firms going out proactively finding people to encourage them to apply, especially in another State; getting people to nominate candidates or calling them to apply; concerns with only a couple of firms in the

BROOKLYN PARK SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING; AUGUST 21, 2007…Page 8 State; 6 recruiting firms nation wide; how long an RFP process would take; Assistant to the City Manager preparing the RFP; and consensus of the Council was to do an RFP for a recruiting firm and a national search for a City Manager. ADJOURNMENT - With consensus of the Council, Mayor Lampi adjourned the meeting at 9:08 p.m.

_____________________ STEVE LAMPI, MAYOR _____________________________ DEVIN MONTERO, CITY CLERK