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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999 [09] Sep 22 Page 3625, SepteDlber22, 1999 I City of St. Joseph City Council Special Working Meeting 9/22/99, 2:30 PM 1. Call to Order. Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of st. Joseph met on Wednesday September 22, 1999 at 2:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present: Mayor Kenneth J. Hiemenz, Bob Loso, Cory Ehlert, Ken Twit and Mary Niedenfuer, and Clerk-Administrator Cari Schmidt. 2. Approve Agenda: Ehlert made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was seconded by Twit and passed unanimously. . 3. Police Chief Recruitment - Niedenfuer asked if we could gef a list of the candidates from Waite Park, as they just finished a search for a Chief of Police. We could interview their finalist candidates and see if any of them would work for St. Joseph. Even though the individual wasn't a fll in Waite Park doesn't mean the person wouldn't be a perfect match for St. Joseph. Loso commented that this is a good idea as Waite Park is súrely looking for an individual with different skills and characteristics. Schmidt stated th81 Waite Park used Criminal Justice Associates for their recent recruitment. They were initially quoted $6,000 for the search. The final bill came in around $10,000. Loso stated that in previous years we used an investigator from Morris to do our background investigations. He indicated that we might be able to do something like that for this process. I Hiemenz stated that the process with Brimeyer might be cheaper this time as he already has a lot of our inform81ion. Schmidt stated that Brimeyer indicated th81 the search would still run around $10,000. Loso stated that he is comfortable with Brimeyer if the cost is going to be the same as a new recruiter anyway. At least Brimeyer is already familiar with the community. It was suggested that we could also set up a search committee as was done in years past. Residents that served on the committee in years past include Greg Reinhart, Bud Reber and Mike Loso. Schmidt stated that she would gather more information and options and bring it back to the Council at the next meeting. 4. Administrative Assistant Positions- Schmidt reported that the Personnel committee met this morning to discuss the Police Department Administrative Assistant position as well as the current Administrative Secretary position. After much discussion the Committee agreed that the two positions should be pointed the same as they require similar skills and abilities despite the different departments in which they serve. It also made sense to discuss both positions at the same time. The Personnel Committee recommended that the positions be pointed at 168.6, which places the positions in class 7 (160-190). The Administrative secretary position would move from a Class 5, step 6 $12.73Ihr. to Class 7, step 3, $13.28/hr. Her anniversary date would then become the date ofthe Council action for the next step increase. Schmidt stated that the title "Administrative Secretary" should be changed to "Administrative Assistant" as the former title is outd81ed and does not accurately reflect the duties of the position. ! I Schmidt reported that Lorraine Minier is the top candid81e for the Police Department position. She stated that she would like to start as early as Monday, so ifthe Council agrees, the position would be offered immediately. Page 3626 September 22, 1999 Niedenfuer stated that she has some concerns regarding Lorraine Minier as the candidate for the position. She received a call from Carolyn Anderson regarding Lorraine. There appears to be a tight rel81ionship between Jeff Young and Lorraine's husband Bill. They are neighbors ofthe Andersons, who are in the middle of a dispute with the Police department concerning a hit and run incident. Bill Minier made a complaint about the Anderson's children which brought the police to the Anderson home. 1- Twit stated that the relationships between Jeff Young, the Andersons and Lorraine Minier are not pertinent to the selection of this candidate. They are two separate issues. Niedenfuer expressed concern as to how the candid81es for the positilon were chosen. After seeking verification, Schmidt st81ed that the candidates were given a numerical score by Officers Jeff Young and Jean Gustin. Weyrens then ranked the candid81es by score and called them for interviews. Minier was the second top candidate of six that were interviewed. Ehlert stated that even if Young had given Minier a higher score due to their personal rel81ionship, she became the candidate of choice through the interview process. Once the candidates were chosen for an interview, they were put on a level playing field. She was offered the position on her own merit. Niedenfuer stated that although she was initially concerned, she is now satisfied th81 Lorraine was offered the position on her own merit Ehlert clarified that Lorraine would start at Step 1 in Class 7, ($11.98). He stated that the class increase for the Administrative Assistant position is justifiable and seems reasonable in light of the market comparison. Loso stated th81 the numbers can be used though to get the result that you want, but that this increase seems reasonable. Niedenfuer suggested that Mary Generous's position be made retroactive to the beginning of the year. Hiemenz pointed out that she had been given a pay increase to compensate for the time when Rachel was gone, which ended when the new administrator took office. Niedenfuer suggested in the alternative that the pay increase be retroactive to the date that Schmid!! started (August 16, 1999). Loso made a motion to move both positions forwanri. Twit made a second to the motion and the vote passed unanimously. I Niedenfuer stated that she would like to discuss the issue about Carolyn Anderson and Jeff Young. Twit expressed frustration that he had only recently heard about this incident. Hiemenz stated that the Council could not be made aware of this situation until a report was done and the information became public. He explained th81 a formal complaint was filed against Jeff Young by Carolyn Anderson. An independent investigation was done that resulted in the City agreeing to pay a $250 bill for some damage to a car. Hiemenz stated that the entire report is on file at City hall that the Council can see. It is a lengthy document which is why the entire thing wasn't copied to the Council. Schmidt stated that she would make an additional copy of the report for the Council to come in and read. Niedenfuer stated that she would like to see the City form a Civilian Review Board. Loso stated that there was such a board but that it disbanded for lack of interest. Schmidt stated that she would gather inform81ion on how this is done in other cities and report back to the Council on the matter. Ehlert stated that he really enjoys these working meetings when everyone is working together. Lately, however, he has received a lot of negative feedback from residents commenting on how poorfy the Council is working together. He feels that the Council relationships have deteriorated and as a result, Council meetings are no longer enjoyable. He feels that there must be healthy discussion and a respect level for one another at the table. The community needs to see a group of professionals at the table that can make decisions without being disrespectful to one another. The confidence of the community is being lost. 1 Page 36271 September 22, 1999' 1 Loso stated that he agrees and added that he doesn1 like to be a1tacked at the Council table. Niedenfuer stated th81 she never meant to a1tack him, but that we need to relay credible information and try not to bring persol1al issues to the table. If a commul1ity member calls I with inform81ion but no facts to back it up, then don1 bring it to the table because it implies or , insinuates that something more is going on. Loso stated that he is not implying or insinuating' anything. Hiemenz interjected th81 Loso often makes it seem like his OWI1 personal issue. Twit suggested that perhaps the Coul1cil should write down their thoughts so they don't lose them, instead of interrupting. This will help the discussion remain civil and controlled. The perception by the public is that the Council cannot work well together if they don1 show a level of respect for one another at the meetings. The Council needs to function better collectively and just agree to disagree sometimes. Hiemenz stated that he has received calls regarding Ehlerts behavior specifically at the table, particularly relating to the ballot question discussion. Ehlert st81ed that he felt disrespected at that meeting in that venue. Hiemenz stated that sometimes the discussion goes on too long and it is his job to put an end to it and move on. Hiemenz stated he was sorry if he cut off other Council members at times. He expressed frustration about the meetings getting away from him, especially when questions are not routed through the chair. Niedenfuer stated that she does often feel like the Council works as a team. They can disagree vehemently on one issue and move on to the next leaving any negative feelings behind. Hiemenz agreed that the Council is a unique group in that they can often agree to disagree. I Ehlert st81ed that he was glad the Council discussed this matter. He feels like the Mayor is more aware as well as the rest ofthe Council. He understands that some things need to be kept confidential, but hopes th81 the Mayor will do his best to keep the Council informed. Communication is the most important element of this relationship. Hiemenz expressed frustration with the Council playing to the camera. Instead oftrying to explain everything, just conduct the City business. People can call or a1tend if they have questions. Twit suggested that the Mayor write a memo each week to fill the Council in on the issues th81 are going on. This will help increase the communication. Hiemenz stated that this would be difficult just because of time. He stated that he tries to keep the Councif abreast of what happening in his Mayor's report. The Council agreed that this was a good discussion. 5. Adjourn - 4:20 P.M. Loso made a motion to adjoum, seconded by Ehlert. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, ~~ 1 Carl Schmidt Clerk/Administrator City of St. Joseph