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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-30 City Council Summary Minutes Council Appointed Officers Committee MINUTES 1 Special Meeting Thursday, October 30, 2014 Council Member Klein called the meeting to order on this date at 5:18 P.M. in the Council Conference Room, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Present: Klein, Kniss, Shepherd Absent: Scharff (Chair) ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None AGENDA ITEMS 1. Discussion of Recruitment for City Clerk. Kathy Shen, Chief People Officer; People, Strategy and Operations, articulated Staff had sent out Requests for Proposals (RFP) to four recruitment firms and received responses from three; Bob Murray & Associates, Peckham & McKenney and Ralph Andersen & Associates. All three firms had participated in City recruitments in the prior five years. Staff recommended using Peckham & McKenney because their firm had conducted numerous City Clerk recruitments. Vice Mayor Kniss asked what the differentiators were between the firms. Ms. Shen stated while the differentiators were subjective, all three firms were qualified for the specified recruitment. Vice Mayor Kniss felt Ralph Andersen & Associates provided positive service with the recruitment of the Planning and Community Environment Director. Ms. Shen agreed with the assessment and recalled Ralph Andersen & Associates was currently performing the recruitment for the Community Services Director. MINUTES 2 October 30, 2014 CAO Committee Minutes Vice Mayor Kniss asked if Peckham & McKenney was the only firm not presently performing recruitment for the City. Ms. Shen clarified that Bob Murray & Associates had responded to the Request for Proposal, but had not returned her phone call. Mayor Shepherd asked if Peckham & McKenney was an offshoot of another firm. Ms. Shen stated Peckham & McKenney had been their own firm for 17 years. Council Member Klein noted he and Chair Scharff agreed the Council Appointed Officer’s Committee (Committee) should interview the three firms. Ms. Shen believed that could be arranged and Staff had inquired of their availability for this meeting; it was too short of a timeframe for them to appear. Council Member Klein clarified the interview could be in person or via Skype. Mayor Shepherd felt the prior work with Bob Murray & Associates as well as Ralph Andersen & Associates was sufficient knowledge of their abilities, but not being familiar with Peckham & McKenney an interview would be warranted. Council Member Klein agreed; although, a brief interview comparing their efforts between other recruitments and the City Clerk recruitment would be beneficial. Vice Mayor Kniss had concerns with Bob Murray & Associates not returning Staff’s call. She was satisfied moving forward with Peckham & McKenney. Mayor Shepherd asked if Vice Mayor Kniss was familiar with the recruitment processes and style of Peckham & McKenney. Vice Mayor Kniss stated no, she was basing her decision on Staff’s research and recommendation. Council Member Klein believed an interview of at least Peckham & McKenney was warranted since none of the Committee members were familiar with them. MINUTES 3 October 30, 2014 CAO Committee Minutes Vice Mayor Kniss mentioned the difficulty in interviewing was not whether to but when. MOTION: Vice Mayor Kniss moved, seconded by Council Member Klein to interview the three recruitment firms; Bob Murray & Associates, Peckham & McKenney and Ralph Anderson & Associates. Interviews should be conducted at one meeting if possible. Council Member Klein asked if the Committee members would be available the first week in November. Vice Mayor Kniss stated she would be out of town after November 4th and returning on the 12th. Mayor Shepherd concurred she would not be available either. Council Member Klein believed Staff should strive for the 13th of November to conduct the interviews. Vice Mayor Kniss expressed her schedule had multiple conflicts on November 13th. Council Member Klein suggested November 14th might be better. Mayor Shepherd noted Mayor’s office hours were from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm; although she was willing to work around the schedule if necessary. Vice Mayor Kniss acknowledged her availability with some adjustment to her schedule. Council Member Klein expressed a key interview question would be what their actual dedicated availability to the recruitment would be based on their other work load. MOTION PASSED: 3-0 Scharff absent Vice Mayor Kniss asked to look at Monday, November 17th for the interviews in the event the potential firms were unavailable on the 14th. Council Member Klein agreed. Ms. Shen confirmed she would recruit for November 14th and would default MINUTES 4 October 30, 2014 CAO Committee Minutes to the 17th if necessary. Council Member Klein stated if the interviews were complete on the 14th the Committee could agendize their recommendation to the City Council for the 17th. Mayor Shepherd asked Staff to ensure the firms come to the interview prepared to divulge the actual recruiter. Ms. Shen asked if there were other specific questions the firms should be prepared to answer. Council Member Klein desired to know the number of other searches they currently had underway. Vice Mayor Kniss expressed the person being recruited should be knowledgeable and up-to-date on the most current and upcoming technological advancements in the of City Clerk field. Vice Mayor Kniss asked the cost for a recruitment search. Ms. Shen clarified $25,000. Vice Mayor Kniss asked if that was a standard fee. Ms. Shen stated yes. Council Member Klein noted one of the firms was at a higher rate. Ms. Shen explained that was the prior fees charged and that was the rate the City agreed to pay. Council Member Klein acknowledged the flat fee was $25,000 although that did not appear to cover candidate expenses. Mayor Shepherd asked if the other firms included candidate expenses in their fee. Ms. Shen stated no. MINUTES 5 October 30, 2014 CAO Committee Minutes Council Member Klein read that all of the firms noted a $7,000 to $8,000 cost for expenses. Ms. Shen explained the expenses were for the candidates travel and to produce the brochure. Vice Mayor Kniss confirmed the expenses were in addition to the $25,000. Ms. Shen stated yes. Vice Mayor Kniss asked that the firms bring a breakdown of their fee. 2. Discussion and Direction on Information to be Included in the City Clerk Recruitment Flyer. Council Member Klein asked why the Parking Examiner position was listed under the City Clerk duties to oversee. Kathy Shen, Chief People Officer; People, Strategy and Operations, explained Staff was working closely with the City Attorney’s office to assume the role prior to removing it from the City Clerk responsibility. Vice Mayor Kniss asked if there was new information on the flyer from prior City Clerk recruitments. Ms. Shen noted on the back page there was a suggestion for a change in the minimum qualifications; to a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree with a Master’s Degree preferred. Vice Mayor Kniss understood and agreed. Ms. Shen recommended experience with city or county administration or an elected official. Mayor Shepherd asked if the position would remain as the elections official. Ms. Shen stated yes. Vice Mayor Kniss asked what was meant by the following sentence: Ability to maintain mental capacity that allowed the capabilities in making sound decisions. MINUTES 6 October 30, 2014 CAO Committee Minutes Ms. Shen said it was in reference to the quality in decision making. Vice Mayor Kniss felt the wording was awkward and unclear. Council Member Klein recommended striking the word ability which was used too frequently in the current flyer. Mayor Shepherd noted the information was from the recruitment of 1995 with minor updates in 2011. Ms. Shen agreed to reword. Vice Mayor Kniss felt the following wording was interesting and should be addressed for clarity: to maintain custody of public records. Council Member Klein asked why “the ability to train and supervise staff members” was a separate bullet point. He was uncertain what was meant by the phrase “effective discrimination”. Vice Mayor Kniss was not able to locate the technical requirements added to the position. Ms. Shen agreed the flyer needed to be re-written. She added a bullet at the bottom on technology to apply to agendas, packets, public records requests, conflict of interest and campaign statements. Mayor Shepherd suggested calling out the current technology used; Minute Traq and NetFile. She asked what was meant by conflict of interest and campaign statements. Ms. Shen clarified those terms referred to the Fair Political Practices Commissions (FPPC) forms 700, 460, 410, 470 and the like associated with contributions. Council Member Klein requested to see the technology section expanded. Vice Mayor Kniss agreed. Council Member Klein suggested adding lines such as “ability and experience to work with the technological skills of the office and work with the City’s Chief Technology Officer”. Technology should be a key criterion in the recruitment. MINUTES 7 October 30, 2014 CAO Committee Minutes Vice Mayor Kniss suggested reviewing other cities recruitment flyers for City Clerks for a more updated description. Ms. Shen requested to add critical thinking skills in addition to the ability to operate the technological capabilities of the office. Mayor Shepherd asked for a new term for self-starter. Vice Mayor Kniss believed that terminology fell under critical thinker and initiative. Mayor Shepherd asked Staff to bring back the City Clerk financial package; she believed the current position had a vehicle allowance. Council Member Klein clarified the City Council established a Policy that there would no longer be a vehicle allowance. Ms. Shen agreed to return to the Committee with the current City Clerk financial package. The current base was $134,784 plus the vehicle allowance. Mayor Shepherd asked for Staff to return to the Committee with the City Clerk’s retirement plan and the City Auditor’s retirement plan. She noted the City Manager had a vehicle allowance and asked if the City Attorney did as well. Ms. Shen agreed to supply the information and noted she did not believe the City Attorney had a vehicle allowance but she would verify. The City Attorney did have a larger deferred compensation plan than the current City Clerk package. FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Proposed next meeting November 14, 2014 ADJOURNMENT: Meeting adjourned at 5:45 P.M.