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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-02-25 City Council Summary Minutes 02/25/08 103-013 Special Meeting February 25, 2008 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS.......................................................................14 1. Council and Recruiter Take Input From the Community on the Candidate Profile and Council to Provide Direction to Recruiter Regarding Process for City Manager Recruitment...............................14 COUNCIL COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND REPORTS FROM CONFERENCES .............................................................................19 ADJOURNMENT.....................................................................................19 02/25/08 103-014 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Conference Room at 7:03 p.m. Mayor Klein announced Boy Scout Troop 50 would present the pledge of allegiance and the Scout Oath. Present: Barton, Burt, Drekmeier, Espinosa, Kishimoto, Klein, Morton, Schmid, Yeh ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Marie Huang, 2293 Princeton Street, spoke regarding her support for the Children’s Theatre. Yersey Margolin’s Family, 617 Addison Avenue, spoke regarding their frustration with the BMR program. Donald Freiberg, 523 Sullivan Drive, Mountain View, spoke regarding his support for the Children’s Theatre. Nancy Ferguson, 121 Forest Avenue, spoke regarding her support for the Children’s Theatre. Lynn Chiapella, 631 Colorado, spoke regarding her concerns with the additional approval for basements in mid-town and the loss of groundwater. 1. Council and Recruiter Take Input From the Community on the Candidate Profile and Council to Provide Direction to Recruiter Regarding Process for City Manager Recruitment Mayor Klein stated there was a website set up at Mgr4PA@cityofpaloalto.org to invite the community’s input into our recruitment process for our new City Manager. John K. Abraham, 736 Ellsworth Place spoke regarding the City Manager needing good communication skills when working with the citizens. Cy Ashley Webb, 2454 West Bayshore #9 spoke regarding the new City Manager needing to have support for the arts, children’s programming and all community services. Art Kraemer, 1116 Forest Avenue stated the new City Manager should set objectives to ensure the Council and the residents understand what direction he or she is going. Tom Jordan, 474 Churchill Avenue spoke regarding the new City Manager needing an understanding of Land Use Planning. 02/25/08 103-015 Ellen Wyman, 546 Washington Avenue stated there should be extensive research into the background of any applicant to avoid any City Managers who had put other Cities into debt. Suzan Stewart, 1550 Middlefield Road stated the City Manager should be able to recognize the uniqueness of our community and utilize the arts programs and the Children’s Theatre. Ralph King, 1084 Fife Avenue spoke regarding the next City Manager needing to be someone who defends the City staff and who understands the importance of art to our City. Steve Broadbent, 575 Washington Avenue spoke regarding the need to improve the quality of service and the new City Manager should be open to advice and input from the staff. Robert G. Moss, 4010 Orme Street spoke regarding the new City Manager understanding the uniqueness of Palo Alto in comparison to other Cities including our utilities, our City Auditor as well as our knowledgeable citizens that were very involved. Sanford Forte stated the new City Manager would need to learn to deal with nine Council Members. Bob Murray, Murray & Associates stated he would like to meet with the Council Members individually and as a group to ensure what direction they were heading with the new City Manager. Mayor Klein asked Mr. Murray what he would be working on between now and the next time he met with the Council. Mr. Murray stated he wanted to meet with the Council Members individually, and incorporate their remarks into the recruitment. Council Member Barton asked whether he would be engaging the community in focus groups and talking to School Board Members, Chambers of Commerce and Neighborhood Associations. Mr. Murray stated it could be possible. Council Member Barton stated Mr. Murray would get a complete view of the issues facing the community if he engaged the leaders within the community. Mr. Murray asked to receive more information from the Council on who exactly he should meet with. 02/25/08 103-016 Mayor Klein asked whether it was customary for Mr. Murray to talk to other community leaders during this selection process. Mr. Murray stated in a third of the searches he dealt with the City Councils did choose to engage the community to a significant degree. Mayor Klein asked how many other people he could talk to in addition to the Council Members. Mr. Murray stated in an entire day their firm could meet with 40 to 50 people in small groups and have two to three meetings. Council Member Morton stated that our City had important aspects to the budget that other Cities did not have. Our citizens moved here because of the kinds of experiences in our City like the art, the Junior Museum, the Children’s Museum, the Children’s Theatre and the Adult Theater gave our community. He asked that the candidates for City Manager be interviewed in private considering most of the people applying for the job already have a job. Council Member Yeh stated this was a rare occasion to be able to consider what qualities we wanted in the incoming City Manager. There were different organizational structures in Palo Alto with the utilities and City Auditor Vice Mayor Drekmeier stated globally and our area would be facing some challenges in the future with growing population and diminishing resources. The citizens would have the same expectations they have always had and it would get more challenging for communities to meet all of those needs. The new City Manager would need to be a global thinker and innovative to meet the needs of our community and to stretch resources further. He asked for the person to have knowledge of the AB32 Global Warming Protection Act, the Green Building Ordinance, Zero Waste and creative ways to finance programs. This person should be able to prioritize all of the needs of the community and engage the citizens in those processes to overcome any challenges. Council Member Kishimoto stated the challenges in Palo Alto were the day to day work, while keeping high standards and engaging the community. Our major challenges were to: 1) lead Palo Alto through our transformation into a green economy; 2) maintaining a quality of life while supporting a vital and changing economy; 3) Land Use and Transportation Comprehensive Plan updates; 4) significant organizational changes with retirements; and 5) finances and infrastructures. Council Member Burt stated the new City Manager would have to embrace the innovation, technology, organizational structure, a green economy and sustainability. The ability to look for ways to streamline our government and 02/25/08 103-017 provide better services at lower costs was critical. He asked that we seek out more input from citizens and staff members on what qualities we are looking for in our new City Manager. Council Member Schmid stated we need someone to help manage change, a staff, the process, understand that the budget is a strategic tool, and know the importance of making a decision when the time is right. Mayor Klein asked whether the push back of one week while Mr. Murray was out of town would affect our goal of having a City Manager by July 1, 2008 and whether his proposed materials were going to be available for viewing before he left town. Mr. Murray stated it was possible. Mayor Klein asked whether we would be on time with the rest of the schedule. Mr. Murray stated we were on track to have the position filled by July 1, 2008 at the latest. Mayor Klein stated our new City Manager should have an understanding of technology, embrace citizen involvement, and have a personal commitment for climate protection. The new City Manager should be involved in the details of the management of the City and he was curious to see what the relationship would be with the new City Manager and the new City Auditor. MOTION: Mayor Klein moved, seconded by Council Member Barton to include in the citizen outreach that each Council Member name two persons in the community, who are not part of the Chamber of Commerce, School Board, or Neighborhood Association Presidents who should be contacted by Mr. Murray. Council Member Burt stated that in addition to the community leaders we have stakeholder interests who tend to have an interesting perspective on the community. Council Member Morton stated that if each of the Council Members gave three people’s names that were not amongst the mentioned groups it would only be an additional 27 people. He asked what the point was of talking to an additional 27 people. Council Member Barton stated the point was that there were things we can do to find the right person and there were things we can do to make someone’s job easier for them. He added that the person who takes this 02/25/08 103-018 position would be stronger in their position because the community was more engaged during the hiring process. Council Member Schmid stated there were people around the City who were not involved in organizations and that would help us get more into the community. Mayor Klein clarified the Motion as outreach from each Council Member to name two persons in the community. MOTION PASSED: 8-0, Schmid abstaining MOTION: Mayor Klein moved, seconded by xxxx that the interviews for the final three candidates be done in public. MOTION FAILED FOR LACK OF SECOND Council Member Morton stated we live in a community next to Stanford and the ability to deal with this educational industrial complex was a crucial part of the job. We share the community with Stanford and dealing with this entity would be an important part of the job. Council Member Barton asked regarding the first Motion how the information should be provided when the Council Members named two persons in the community. Mayor Klein stated the Assistant City Manager would check to make sure there were no duplications. Assistant Manager Emily Harrison asked that she also receive contact information for the people. Mr. Murray suggested March 10, 2008 and March 11, 2008 their firm could be available to meet with Council Members, and any citizens. The information could be available for the March 24, 2008 meeting. Mayor Klein asked whether he could also have his profile done before he left. Mr. Murray replied yes. Mayor Klein stated on March 10, 2008 and March 11, 2008 both he and Council Member Kishimoto would be out of town. Mr. Murray stated he could arrange to speak to them on the phone prior to that time. 02/25/08 103-019 Mayor Klein asked when the names would be needed to the Assistant City Manager Emily Harrison. Mr. Murray stated the sooner the better and he suggested March 3, 2008. Council Member Schmid asked how much time Mr. Murray would need for each interview. Mr. Murray stated for Council Members he would need about 30 to 45 minutes and for citizens in small group around 30 minutes. COUNCIL COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND REPORTS FROM CONFERENCES Council Member Drekmeier spoke about the new solar photovoltaic tracker at the Municipal Service Center and was glad to see them up. Mayor Klein spoke about the recruitment for the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury. Council Member Burt requested that the information be sent to the Council Members electronically so they can forward it to qualified individuals. Mayor Klein attended the Santa Clara County Cities Association (SCCCA) meeting last week and they announced their three priorities for 2008: Countywide Uniform Streamlined Solar Permitting Process, Countywide Green Building Standards; and ABAG Housing Allocations. The cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, Campbell, Los Gatos, and possibly Mt. View will be on the ABAG Housing Allocations Committee. Also from the SCCCA meeting, Mayor Klein spoke about a legislative report that was presented by the City of San Jose Director of Legislation pertaining to the Eminent Domain Propositions that will be on the November 2008 ballot. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. ATTEST: APPROVED: City Clerk Mayor NOTE: Sense minutes (synopsis) are prepared in accordance with Palo Alto Municipal Code Sections 2.04.180(a) and (b). The City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are made solely for the purpose of facilitating the preparation of the minutes of the meetings. City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are recycled 90 days from the date of the meeting. The tapes are available for members of the public to listen to during regular office hours.