12/18/2013 - Personnel CommitteePERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013
3:30 PM
CONFERENCE ROOMS 2A&B
AGENDA
I. AGENDA ADOPTION
II. REVIEW CITY ADMINISTRATOR PERFORMANCE REVIEW
III. EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION REVIEW
IV. OTHER BUSINESS
V. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda Information Memo
.Personnel Committee Meeting
Deeember 18, 2013
II. REVIEW CITY ADMINISTRATOR PERFORMANCE REVIEW
DIRECTION TO BE CONSIDERED:
No formal direction is needed. The intent is to discuss the feedback offered through the City
Administrator's performance review.
FACTS:
• Per the request of the City Council, an electronic survey was provided with questions relating to
the performance of the City Administrator.
0 All five City Councilmembers took the survey.
• There were 14 categories of performance indicators, and 37 specific criteria/traits that the
Councilmembers were asked to rate the City Administrator. All respondents noted that the City
Administrator has met or exceeded their expectations in all categories.
• Enclosed is a compilation of all the comments. offered by individual Councilmembers. Specific
comments that were offered on more than one occasion include:
o Dave successfully navigated the transition in leadership with both City staff and the
community.
o Dave's personality, professionalism, and listening skills, along with the experience he
brought to the job, have been instrumental in fulfilling his duties as Administrator.
o The public has been very receptive to Dave.
o Dave should continue to keep the Council informed on important issues.
o Dave should strive to provide more detail on occasion in his
presentations/communication.
o In the coming year, Dave should focus on new development, particularly CSM.
ATTACHMENTS: _
• Enclosed on pages through is a compilation of all of the written comments offered by
Councilmembers through the performance review survey.
N
December 1.8, 2013
Summar. of Comments Made in the 2013 Citi, Administrator Performance Review
The following is a compilation of all of the written (verbatim) comments provided in the 2013 City
Administrator Performance Review.
Q1. What were the City Administrator's most notable accomplishments during the past year?
• Acclimating himself to Eagan and becoming familiar with City staff and the Council; achieving a
seamless leadership transition; initiating the Council's goals process and communicating/coordinating
goals with staff; reflecting positively on Eagan through his LMC leadership.
• Getting up to speed quickly and be available to all Councilmembers
• Did not get fired
• Successfully executed existing budget plan, and guided the development of the next one.
• Acted as a reliable resource to Councilmembers.
• Surviving
• I think smoothly transitioning into staff and community culture, meeting people where they're at with
the transition from one city administrator to the next without creating anxiety.
• Showed up on the 2nd day of the job.
Q2. Which of:the City Administrator's qualities were most instrumental in fulfilling the role of City
Administrator ? .
• Dave'.s experience has been the quality most instrumental in fulfilling the role of City Administrator in
his first year as he's had a rich field of experience to fall back on while making the transition and
learning a different culture. I think Dave's approachability and listening skills have been real assets to
his assuming this new role and in that transition.
• Ability to listen
• Ability to refocus discussion onto pending action items
• Quickly adapting to organizational culture
• His experience, attitude and personality
• Experience and expertise as a city administrator, respected position and leadership within the public
sector; good working relationship with staff and the Council
Q3. What does the City Administrator do that you would like him to continue?
• Being on top of all issues and being available for questions
• Continue to keep the Council informed of issues that arise; promptly respond to Council requests for
information and coordinate as needed with staff; be open to council suggestions for dealing with issues
that arise; speak on behalf of the City to promote understanding of issues and way the city operates.
• Making certain the full Council is kept in the information loop on important issues
• Continue to respond to constituents openly and honestly
• Hard to name a specific thing, I'd like him to keep being sensitive to the existing culture in City Hall but
at the same time I think it is time for Dave to be more assertive with his leadership. Ultimately, the
transition into this job and that "tipping point" will be a matter of Dave's judgment as he works with
staff every day and I don't.
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Summary of Comments Made in the 2013 City Administrator Performance Review
December 18, 2013
Page 2
Q4. is there anything that the City Administrator does that you would like him to do differently?
• My sense is Dave is in a tough place between acting as an empowering leader and not "micromanaging"
versus having command of the deeper details on items. I'd like to see a little more "detail" orientation
reflected in Dave's presentations in Council meetings and communication.
• His knowledge and experience are great assets for Eagan. I have not observed any actions that I have
disagreed with or that have appeared to be unilateral or without reason.
• Although it may feel like the right thing to do, please do not try to mediate between Councilmembers
when they have sharp disagreements. Just don't. It is not a good place for the City Administrator to be.
Q5. In what areas should the City Administrator focus his attention in the coming year?
• Continue to learn the culture and personalities that make up the organization. Dave has the basics, this
year he should focus on the nuances.
• This is the "make or break" year for our broadband goals. Dave should either plan to marshal our staff
time and resources to attain significant movement on this goal or alternatively, start planning the P.R.
roll-out to the community that explains how and why the City faltered.
• Focus on administering cost-effective service to preserve the City's affordable tax base; continue to be a
reliable resource for the Council; work to promote orderly economic development, with particular focus
on the Lockheed Martin redevelopment to achieve our goals for the area.
• Keep up with the new development of CSM and Paragon. Any issues that we as city officials need to
know immediately and thoroughly.
• Continue to move forward with the community vision themes that came out of the Goals retreat without
losing steam and at the same time implementing work plan goals to give staff a better sense of day-to-
day direction and priorities.
Q6. Do you. have any other general comments to share with the City Administrator?
• Sure. "Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or to keep one."—Gen. Robert E. Lee
• "All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures."—Gen. Julius Caesar
• "I would rather have a good plan today than a perfect plan two weeks from now." –Gen. George S.
Patton
• "Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them." –Gen. Napoleon
Bonaparte
• Qreat job!!
Glad he is with us and look forward to a great relationship.
• I appreciate Dave's professionalism and his friendly and inclusive attitude. I look forward to working
with him on behalf of Eagan.
• Hard to. believe that it's already been 6 months! The quickness probably speaks to the challenge that
Dave had in filling Tom Hedges' shoes. Though Dave has very smartly not tried to fill those shoes, I'm
certain it sometimes feels like that's the measuring stick and Dave's handled the challenge of that quite
well and is to be commended.
Summary of Comments Made in the 2013 City Administrator Performance Review
December 18, 2013
Page 3
Other comments stated throughout the performance review survey:
Providing Information
. • I appreciate timely follow ups on requests for information or action.
Implementation of Council Priorities:
Specific to representing the majority of the Council while being sensitive to the minority. I think Dave's
to.be commended for navigating some challenges early on to the Council's dynamics without getting
pulled in.
• Dave understands his performance expectations and strives to meet them.
Financial Management
• . Dave has demonstrated good understanding of financial management matters.
Personnel Management
• For. the record ... I think meeting expectations during the transition period into the position/community is
performing quite well. After only six months I think it is difficult to exceed expectations in an
environment where there are no "burning repair" needs that stand out as now having been "fixed".
• ` My perception is that Dave was well received upon his hiring and is respected by staff.
Citizen Relations
• .: On citizen responses I maybe should have gone to "exceeds..."
• With few exceptions, I have heard compliments from the public regarding Dave's hiring and his
relations with residents and businesses.
Communications
• Thoughtful, clear and to the point... sometimes to a fault, i.e. at times details and nuances are a little.
smooth over. Not all the time but on occasion it feels like I'm not asking the question the right way for
whatever reason can't get to an important, to me, distinction or understanding of that distinction. Way
specific right!? You're welcome. O
• I appreciate Dave's to -the -point business -like approach
Management Style
•' Dave has been good at informing the Council if he won't be accessible for a period of time. He appears
to be receptive to suggestions for ways of doing things.
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Agenda Information Memo
Personnel Committee Meeting
December 1.8, 2013
IIL EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION REVIEW
DIRECTION TO BE CONSIDERED:
Provide feedback and/or recommendations on future adjustments to employee compensation.
FACTS:
• Periodically, the City of Eagan's Human Resource Department conducts a market study
of identified positions (union and non-union) to ensure that the City is maintaining
external equity with identified cities.
• The following cities are recognized as our comparable market: Brooklyn Park,
Bloomington, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, and
Plymouth.
• The City of Eagan adopted the Quartile 3 methodology roughly 20 years ago to use when
looking at identified, comparable cities. Quartile 3 or "Q3" analyzes the 75th percentile of
any given data. The City has long maintained the practice of paying Eagan employees
between the 70th and 80th percentile.
• A recent.review of a cross section of job classifications determined that the City is
maintaining its position within the third quartile.
• In addition to external equity, the City also reviews internal equity by reviewing
compensation of union versus non-union job classifications.
• The following is a summary of the compensation adjustments since 2008, with the
primary differences occurring in 2010 and 2012.
Union Non-union
2008 3.00% 3.00%
2009 3.75% 3.75%
2010 3.50% 0.00%
2011: 0.00% 0.00%
2012 1.00%/1.00% 2.00%/1.00%
2011 1.00%/1.00% 1.00%/1.00%
2014 1.00%/1.00% 1.00%/1.00
The committee is asked to discuss whether any compensation adjustments are warranted
to maintain internal and external equity.
ATTACHMENTS NONE
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