05/27/1997 - City Council SpecialAGENDA
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday
May 27, 1997
5:00 p.m.
Municipal Center Building
I. ROLL CALL & ADOPTION OF AGENDA
II. VISITORS TO BE HEARD
III. COUNCIL DISCLaSSION
IV. OTHER BUSINESS
V. ADJOURNMENT
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
MEMO
city of eagan
HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES
MAY 23,1997
SUBJECT: SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING/MAY 27,1997
A Special City Council meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, 1997 at 5:00 p.m. at
the Municipal Center Building with no specific agenda items other than "Council
Discussion." At the retreat held on April 22 at the Holiday Inn Select, there was a desire by
the City Council to hold periodic meetings without any specific agenda. It was suggested
that a meeting be scheduled for May or early June on either a Tuesday evening or Saturday
morning. Possibly, in the future consideration could be given to the fifth Tuesday of the
month or a Saturday morning.
It was the City Council's desire to not include any department heads at the first work
session, allowing this meeting to be a follow-up to the April 22 retreat. In the future, it was
suggested that these work sessions without a specific agenda could be structured: 1) as a
Council/City Administrator dialogue and retreat; 2) the City Council/City Administrator and
one department head, which provides a departmental theme for the meeting; or 3) City
Council/City Administrator and all department heads for the consideration of goals.
To provide some information and preparation for the meeting on Tuesday, there are three
questions that might provide some framework for a general discussion:
1. What is our purpose?
+Mission Statement
2. How do we measure our effectiveness?
♦ Customer surveys, focus groups, community surveys, community reach -out
3. What is our future vision?
♦ Comprehensive guide plan update
♦ Community reach -out
♦ Community visioning process
The following attachments might be of interest in preparing for the meeting on Tuesday:
1. Attached on pages __q_ through _Y is a copy of the City of Eagan's Vision
Statement that was prepared by the City- Council and management team at a two-
day retreat held several years ago at the IDS Retreat Center.
2. Enclosed on page � is a simplified Mission Statement that addresses the main
focus of the City. which is to provide specific service delivery needs. (This is not
an official Mission Statement, but was developed as an example of how the Vision
Statement could be condensed into one or two sentences.)
3. Also enclosed on page is a copy of an article that appeared in American City
& Counri� dated Decem er 1996 entitled, "Village strives for stronger sense of
community." This is a case study of one community which established some goals
that essentially brought the entire community into a process with the City Council.
This is similar to the City Council's approach to involve the community in the
comprehensive guide plan update discussion at the work session on May 19. The
study reflects how the culture has changed in recent years and the community's
desire to be a part of the process through either focus groups or other forums.
4. Also enclosed on page 3_ is an article entitled, "Government isn't what it used
to be" that was written by Jim Miller and appeared in the Minnesota Cities October
1996 edition. This article talks about how citizens expect their opinions to be
persuasive with their elected officials no matter how complex or multi -faceted the
issue. Again, the change in culture that was addressed at the May 19 work session
applies to citizen involvement and expectations.
5. There are numerous studies that exist regarding vision which reinforce vision as a
means to achieve our mission. The whole interest by the City Council to consider
a visionary leadership format is possibly best summarized in a one page article
entitled, "Visionary Leadership" appeared in the May 1997 edition of The
Rotarian. The article, enclosed on page �, talks about the Rotan- Club moving
into the next century and how Rotarians must be proactive and innovative
practitioners of what the author calls visionary leadership. The article could very
easily substitute City Council for Rotary.
6. Also enclosed on pages la through �is a copy of the Positioning Anal,%Isis
which the Wallace Group facilitated with the City- Council and staff. This is
provided as a reference.
In summary, I thought some of this reading material might be helpful both in the discussion
on the future, a visionary process and how the City Council wants to design its leadership
objectives for the future.
Aril 22 Q3, Council Retreat
Enclosed on pages -d through ?3 is a summary of notes that were recorded by the City
Administrator at the April 22 Council retreat. These are not official minutes. The City
Council may want to discuss certain aspects of the retreat.
/S/ Thomas L. Hedges
City Administrator
3
CITY OF EAGAN
VISION STATEMENT
VIEW OF MISSION
The City of Eagan exists to serve the needs and interests of its present and future citizens
by providing quality public services, personal and property protection, a healthy
environment, a stable tax base, attractive amenities, a sense of community and ethical
representation. The City will endeavor to reflect community values in an effective,
responsible, efficient and visionary manner.
VIEW OF CONSTITUENTS
The City of Eagan considers everyone with whom it interacts as a constituent and as a
customer. First and foremost among these customers is its citizens. To serve its
customers, the City is committed to equal representation, personal dignity, the value of
diverse opinions, democratic participation and the importance of honest feedback. In its
interactions with citizens and all other constituents, the City of Eagan is committed to the
qualities of fairness, openness and responsiveness. Quality customer service will be central
to all interactions with the City.
VIEW OF SERVICE DELIVERY
The City of Eagan is committed to being responsive in meeting the needs of the community
within the fiscal parameters the community will support. Services will be provided
effectively and efficiently for the quality and level of service desired by the public, through
the employment of highly -qualified, creative, dedicated employees and the application of
the highest standards of responsible fiscal management.
VIEW OF QUALITY OF LIFE
The City of Eagan encourages the maintenance and enhancement of all aspects of its quality
of life. This includes its commitment to economic opportunity, educational excellence,
efficient service delivery, environmental integrity, recreational variety, attractive
neighborhoods and community pride.
VIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENT
The City of Eagan will proactively protect its natural environment. The land, water and
air, as well as the things which live in them and on them, are important assets to be
preserved and enhanced for our own enjoyment and well-being and that of future
generations. The City's role with respect to the environment shall be that of active steward
and conservator. Pollution, abuse of the environment and unnecessary modifications of
the environment will be opposed. The City, collectively and individually, will endeavor
to maintain the environment, mitigate impacts on it and enhance it to the extent possible.
I
VIEW OF DEVELOPMENT
The City of Eagan is committed to encouraging and fostering orderly, high-quality
development and redevelopment. The City will maintain a balanced variety of housing
types, diversity of commercial and industrial development and effective integration of land
use types. Eagan is planned to be a fully developed city in the future and efforts will be
made to effect that growth in a rational, deliberate manner in the best interests of all
-residents, both present and future. The City will maintain its standards while recognizing
the need to be sufficiently flexible and creative to permit quality development to occur.
VIEW OF ECONOMIC VITALITY
The City of Eagan recognizes the need to foster an attractive and desireable business
environment in order to ensure employment opportunities for its citizens, a strong tax
base, retail services for its citizens and economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, The City
of Eagan will encourage the formation of head of household jobs, clean industries,
economic diversity, commercial stability and effective relationships with the regional, state,
national and international economies.
VIEW OF ROLE IN THE REGION AND STATE
The City of Eagan recognizes the importance and value of intercommunity and
intergovernmental relationships in the advancement of the interests of its constituents. In
this regard, the City is committed to active participation in activities and organizations
which further these interests. The City is further committed to balancing its interests with
the needs of the region and the state and will conduct its affairs in a manner that
recognizes the interests of its neighbors.
VIEW OF IMAGE
The City of Eagan will encourage community identity and community and neighborhood
pride by fostering an image of quality in its built environment and excellence in its services
and amenities.
VIEW OF THE FUTURE
The City of Eagan recognizes that its future is shaped by the decisions made today. It is
also bounded by current circumstances and their dynamics over time. While growth and
economic vitality continue, services must continually adapt over time to meet the changing
needs of a diverse population, technological change and a global, service -based economy.
To meet these needs, the City must plan with vision, encourage balanced services and
welcome orderly change.
s
CITY OF EAGAN
MISSION STATEMENT
The City of Eagan exists to serve the needs and
interests of its present and future citizens by
providing quality public services, personal and
property protection, a healthy environment, a
stable tax base, attractive amenities, a sense of
community and ethical representation. The City
will endeavor to reflect community values in an
effective, responsible, efficient and visionary
manner.
rWA
Village strives for stronger sense of community
Vernon Hills, Ill., is an emerging
"edge" city 30 miles north of
Chicago. Although the village is the
largest non -home rule municipality in
the state without a property tax, it
boasts an AA bond rating as a
result of prudent public service
budgeting and land use deci-
sions made within a larger eco-
nomic development strategy.
The municipality's strategy
has brought rapid growth, cre-
ating a relatively young com-
munity that is surrounded by
more established towns. To
compete more effectively in the region-
al market and ensure the village
remains an attractive place to live and
work, Vernon Hills is striving to forge a
stronger sense of community.
To that end, the village adopted a
plan in 1994 that established a vision
statement and a series of objectives, all
aimed at promoting a greater sense of
community. The objectives included
building community facilities, organiz-
ing community activities and reforging
the newly built environment with
community -oriented planning.
This attempt to reconsider the
building blocks of community, based
on residents' input,
was the heart of the
Vernon Hills Tradi-
tional Neighborhood
Design Charrette.
Though other plan-
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36 December 1996
ning charrettes have
been conducted, Vernon Hills' effort
was unique in that it was initiated by a
local government and its citizens.
At a public meeting in May 1995,
the village's board and planning com-
mission embarked upon the charrette
with a focus on the Ranney Property
Planning Area. This area was a collec-
tion of parcels, located across from a
commuter rail station to be opened in
1996, that represented one of the last
remaining large tracts of land in the
village. Some of the goals outlined in
the meeting included:
• exploring "neo -traditional" plan-
ning opportunities;
• opening up the process to the
entire community and designing the
site plan in accordance with the input
that residents provided;
• facilitating collaboration among
all stakeholders; and
• publicizing the process so that oth-
er communities could benefit.
The charrette began with a neigh-
borhood planning survey and the
notion that each resident could be a
village planner. A video showing 30
images of a wide range of existing
developments in the region was pro-
duced in-house, and residents viewed
the video on local cable TV, recording
preferences on a sliding scale. In all, 14
percent of the village's residents
responded to the survey.
Next, a "Traditional Neighborhood
Tour" enabled charrette participants to
experience the different environments
depicted in the survey. Working with
the local mass transit agency, the vil-
lage secured a bus and participants
spent a Saturday morning visiting tra-
G
ditional neighborhoods built before
Vernon Hills was incorporated in 1958.
Most post-war suburban develop-
ments do not resemble the evocative,
small town neighborhoods that survey
respondents said they preferred. Thus,
it was imperative that all charrette
stakeholders actually visit older neigh-
borhoods, to experience the sense of
place and take note of nuances like lot
size and setbacks.
The third step in the design
process was a series of work-
shops involving residents, vil-
lage staff and elected officials, plan-
ning -area property owners, staff and
elected officials from other public orga-
nizations serving the property and
Planners/architects retained by the
developer. The intensive workshops
continued for an entire week, during
the day and evening, and included a
series of visioning exercises and con-
ceptual site studies.
This approach and the openness that
was encouraged was a marked contrast
to the customary development review
process, in which parochial interests
and more closed processes have so
often limited the outcome to an
assuredly typical product.
The charrette concluded in July
1996 with the approval of a conceptual
design for the planning area. With a
budget of less than $150 for printing
and food, the Vernon Hills charrette
accomplished each of the established
process and site specific goals. The tra-
ditional neighborhood project is now
under construction.
The charrette has been so widely
reported that the village has delivered
several presentations in the last year on
this unique approach to economic
development. Vernon Hills has also
drafted a model ordinance based on the
project, working with the Northeastern
Illinois Planning Commission, the
regional planning commission for the
Chicago metropolitan area.
The Traditional Neighborhood
Design Charrette conducted by Vernon
Hills now stands as an example for oth-
er communities attempting to better
address environmental, aesthetic and
social issues in their on-going econom-
ic development programs. Q
AMERICAN CITY &, COUNT
Government
isn't what it used
to be
JIM MILLER
ne of the most perplexing
questions facing local
government officials today is
why. despite their best
efforts. their dealings with
citizens often seem to be
increasingly acrimonious. There is also
growing frustration among these
officials because at times it appears no
matter what actions they take, many
individuals see them as ineffective and
non-responsive. The reasons for this are
elusive and may vary from community
to community. However, I think there
are at least three major trends occur-
ring in our society that help explain
this sense of growing dysfunction.
The first is reflected in the rising
intolerance for representative govern-
ment. By this I mean we are now less
willing to let elected officials and
appointed representatives make
decisions that we might disagree with.
Rather, citizens increasingly seem to
believe that their opinions should be
persuasive with elected officials no
matter how= complex or multi -faceted
the issue. Several examples illustrate
this observation.
In one instance, a mayor of a city in
southwestern Minnesota, when com-
menting on the upcoming municipal
election, indicated that the C.AX.E.
group was very active and supporting
candidates against him and several
other incumbents. The mayor was quick
to explain that the acronym stood for
Citizens Against Virtuall Everything.
Since that conversation. I have talked
with many other local officials who
immediately recognize this as a very
Al,
E - 3,
E I T
appropriate description for groups in
their community as well.
Perhaps an even more ominous
example of eroding acceptance of
representative government is conveyed
by a conversation with another mayor.
He told me that while he had enjoyed
contributing to the community, he
could no longer afford to do so. When I
asked him what he meant, he said that
his business, by his estimation, had lost
several hundreds of thousands of
dollars over the last few months. He
attributed the loss to his vote on a yen'
controversial decision in that city;
"Citizens increasingly seem
to believe that their opinions
should be persuasive with
elected officials no matter
how complex or multi-
faceted the issue."
apparently many were unable or
unwilling to separate his livelihood
from his public service. Or, consider
that another mayor has received death
threats on several occasions because her
stand on an animal control issue is
unpopular with some in her commu-
nity. The very real personal risk and
price which local elected officials find
they must pay when some disagree with
decisions made on their behalf is
simply becoming too high.
The second factor explaining this
growing dysfunction relates to the
declining level of personal accountabil-
itv in this country. I recently talked to a
prominent :Minnesota public opinion
pollster about this supposition and he
recited some very chilling polling
results as confirmation. He noted that
for some years his firm has sampled
public willingness to become invol ed
in a number of non -threatening
situations, such as responding to a
crying child. For each of the past three
years. respondents in increasing
numbers have said they would not
become personally involved. When
asked the follow-up question of what
they would do in these situations.
respondents said more and more often
that they would call the police or
another government agency. When
personal accountability and responsibil-
ity decline, they transfer to others. In
the case of some of the most difficult to
solve and contentious issues, they
transfer to government. It isnot
surprising, then, that we are seeing a
rising level of demands and expecta-
tions.
The third changing trend relates to
the civility (or, more precisely, the lack
of civility) with which we treat each
other and our governments. The
League of Minnesota Cities recently
conducted focus groups with city
officials to learn what they see as the
most pressing city issues. This was done
as the first part of a more comprehen-
sive survey of city officials to be con-
ducted later this fall which will result in
the League's first State of the Cities
report. Related to the current discus-
sion, participants in these focus groups
consistently noted that the amount of
acrimony and personal attacks beyond
the issue under discussion continue to
escalate. They also commented that the
number of late night telephone calls
they receive is increasing. and that
people are becoming less tolerant at
public hearings. not onl of the
ultimate decisions, but of the process as
well. It is perhaps best summed up in
the statement increasing) recited at
public hearings—"You are not listening
to me." when what is really meant is:
"You are not agreeing with me." [
Jim Miller is executive director of the
League of Minnesota Cities.
WNNESOTA CITIES OCTOBER 1996 .tea
MESSAGE FROM I
TILD THE J
WITH AMO.
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ANDsIO
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*Z_CK BY IBM
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Visionary Leadership
f Rotary is to move bravely forward into the next
century, then Rotarians must be proactive and inno-
vative practitioners of what I call "visionary leader-
ship."
What do I mean when I talk about vision? Let me start
by telling you what vision is not. Vision is not the same
as mission. We might say that Rotary's mission is to pro-
vide service within our communities and promote inter-
national understanding and goodwill. That has been the
purpose of our organization for many years and it will re-
main so forever.
Vision is how we achieve our mission. The right vision
moves people to action and establishes a standard of ex-
cellence in which everyone can take pride. The right vi-
sion also creates meaning in the lives of everyone
involved in the organization. The right vision offers an
idea so energizing that it, in effect, jump-starts the future
by calling forth the skills, talents, and resources to make
it happen.
There is a story about three cooks during the French
Revolution. When asked to describe their jobs, the first
cook said simply, "I boil potatoes," while the second re-
plied, "I'm feeding the troops," and the third declared, "I
am aiding the Revolution." The third cook had vision. He
could see beyond what he was doing to understand why
he was doing it. What was essentially a mundane task
took on new meaning.
In Rotary, there is much work to be done and some of
it may be tedious. To persevere, we must always remem-
ber why we are doing this work and what it will allow us
to accomplish. That is why we need the right vision that
prevents us from being overwhelmed by immediate
problems. It enables us to distinguish what is truly im-
portant and to pay attention to those things that really
matter.
Jonathan Swift said that "Vision is the art of seeing
things invisible." And that is essentially true. Vision is a
creation based on assumptions we make about the fu-
ture, combined with our own judgments of what is pos-
sible and worthwhile. Vision is utopian and idealistic in
nature, offering a positive and exciting view of the future
that will attract the energy of others.
To have a vision that is shared by others is to have
power to shape the future and to transform the nonexist-
ent into the existent. It also enables you to literally re-
shape reality.
We can look to history for examples of visionary lead-
ers. In India, we saw how Mahatma Gandhi galvanized
the people to follow his vision of an independent nation.
And in the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr., articu-
lated his vision of justice and equality in his legendary
speech, "I Have a Dream." Both of these great men not
only developed the right vision, they lived it every day of
their lives.
As we develop our visionary leadership—for our
clubs, our communities, and the world at large—we
must look within ourselves to that innate sense that our
lives are part of a larger purpose, which is what attracted
so many of us to Rotary in the first place.
Let's work to see Rotary advance into the next century
with a firm sense of vision, action, and cooperative spirit.
The task ahead of us is immense, but it is work that will
have lasting effects on the quality of life for all humanity.
Together, let us implement our visionary leadership and
BUILD THE FUTURE WITH ACTION AND VISION.
ACTION VISION
AVENUESTHE ROTARY t11AGE LEADERSHIP
OF SERVICE FOUNDATION
IDEALS MEMBERS STRUCTURE SERVICE FROG
THE ROTARIAN/MAY 1997 33
City of Eagan
Positioning Analysis
Purpose
The positioning project was undertaken to provide direction and discipline to the
city's communications efforts, enabling all elements to contribute to creating the image
desired for the City of Eagan. This desired image could not be in conflict with the truth,
yet it can encompass hopeful fulfillment of the city's aspirations. The positioning is in
large measure imagery, an emotional and colored description as opposed to a concrete
recitation of statistics. It is evocative, not literal, and should be compatible with Eagan in
the future. The positioning has to fit Eagan today and, we hope, for the next decade, at
least.
With the positioning in hand, we have a tool that can help shape public
perceptions. It can guide communications efforts and give us the common themes to
incorporate as opportunities arise. Consistency develops attitudes and shared knowledge
and understanding, as opposed to varying, ad hoc descriptions that can create confusion
and misunderstanding.
/o
Eagan Positioningipage two
Meet'nes
A dual track process was employed in developing a positioning for the City of
Eagan, with City Council Members and the City Administrator comprising one panel and
City department heads making up the other. Each group met twice, first to explore the
issues and then to finalize a statement that represented its thinking on the topic. A final
joint meeting blended the two draft statements and a final version was approved.
As anticipated, the two panels were not far apart in their judgments as to the
qualities to be incorporated in the positioning statement, although some differences were
noted. In general, the department heads tended to be more literal in describing the city,
while the council members were somewhat more liberal in attaching color words and
attractive characteristics. This difference in specificity is, perhaps, a reflection of the
varying ways in which members of the two groups often interact with the public. A
department head may receive a complaint or inquiry about a specific problem at a certain
location, while a council member may get a generalized statement about the way the city
doesn't perform the way it used to in a general operational area.
Council members also tend to see the City of Eagan as more distinctive from its
neighboring communities than the department heads. While both groups tend to view the
performance of city government as well above the norm, department heads see greater
correlation with cities of similar size. Council members, on the other hand, are more
likely to cite the city's location and other characteristics as giving it a unique position in
the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
�tJ
Eagan PositioningZpage three
Meetings (more)
This is understandable in that department heads frequently interact with
professionals from other municipalities and other levels of government and would tend to
have greater shared terminology.
A phrase commonly associated with the City of Eagan by members of both groups
was "fast growing," a term that naturally comes to mind given the city's rapid expansion.
While certainly accurate, the rate of growth is diminishing and this description would not
provide the long term context desired in a positioning statement. The emphasis is on
characterizations that the city can live with on an ongoing basis.
Both groups focused on the attractive scenic qualities of Eagan, the rolling hills
and wooded areas that tend to set the city apart from many of its neighbors. The
convenience of Eagan as a place to live and do business also was highlighted, with
council members underlining ease of access to Minneapolis, St. Paul and the airport while
the department heads looked upon access to the metropolitan area
The willingness of participants in both groups to take some time to consider
carefully the implications of various color words and phrases contributed greatly to a
successful outcome. Thoughtful comments and receptivity to the suggestions of others
made the process most constructive and fruitful.
/a
Eagan Positionin"age four
Outcome
Some have wondered whether the positioning developed in the meetings is
sufficiently provocative or unique to give Eagan a true identity. An overall identity is the
sum of many parts, including established knowledge, media coverage over time and
conscious efforts to create an identity. The positioning provides the objective for
communications efforts, an idea of where one wishes to come out at the end. The agreed
upon positioning is workable, does not strain credibility in any way, and has elements
that can easily be worked into the city's communications. It cannot., of course, be
reduced to .a simple slogan, such as "City of Lakes." A ,slogan or one liner also may be
useful, focusing on a single aspect of the city, but it must be compatible with the overall
positioning.
Next stens
Ensure that all communications from the city incorporate elements of the
positioning statement as appropriate. It is an agreed upon list of qualities to be associated
with the city. Naturally, if the issue addresses tax rates it is not recommended that the
response include the rolling hills and woods. But, as opportunities arise in media
interaction and, as the city moves ahead with -existing and enhanced communications
efforts, there will be innumerable occasions to present this view of Eagan. Over time, .a
discernible shift in public opinion will be the result of such a deliberate campaign to
shape the image of Eagan.
13
Final Positioning
City of Eagan
March 7, 1996
Overall Positioning
"With its ponds, trees, green space and extensive parks and trails, Eagan is a successful,
progressive community, conveniently located equidistant to Minneapolis and St. Paul and
minutes from the airport, that offers its residents growing employment opportunities, quality
housing and good schools while its major corporations and small businesses benefit from a well
educated work force, vigorous economy, and conservative tax policies"
Business/Community Development- positioning subset
"Equidistant to Minneapolis and St. Paul and enjoying easy access to the international
airport, Eagan is a dynamic, successful community amid rolling hills, lakes and ponds that offers
growing companies an educated work force, conservative fiscal policies, quality housing and an
attractive corporate environment"
Public Sector- posltioning subset
"Eagan is a progressive and innovative suburb, equidistant to Minneapolis and St. Paul,
that has met the challenge and benefited from the opportunity of dramatic growth by providing
the infrastructure needed to serve its residents and numerous corporate citizens in an
environmentally conscious and financially conservative manner"
City of Eagan
Council Members
Proposed Positioning
"With its ponds, trees, green space and extensive parks and trails, Eagan is a
successful, progressive city, strategically located for easy access to Minneapolis, St.
Paul and the airport, that offers its well educated residents growing employment
opportunities, quality housing and good schools, while its many corporate and
industrial businesses benefit from a vigorous economy and conservative tax
policies"
/S
Subsets
Business audiences/community development
"Equidistant to Minneapolis and St. Paul and enjoying easy access to the
international airport, Eagan is a dynamic, successful community that offers
growing companies an educated work force,.conservative fiscal policies, quality
housing and an attractive corporate environment"
Public Sector/government
"Eagan is a progressive and innovative suburb, equidistant to Minneapolis
and St. Paul, that has met the challenge and opportunity of dramatic growth by
providing the infrastructure needed to serve its educated population and numerous
corporate citizens in an environmentally conscious and financially conservative
manner"
/6
City of Eagan
Department Heads
Proposed Positioning
"Located amid rolling hills, woods and lakes, Eagan is a successful, dynamic,
and youthful community with easy access to the entire metropolitan area,
offering residents, families, major corporations and
small businesses a high quality economic and social environment"
"Located amid roiling hills, woods and lakes, with easy access to the
international airport and the entire metropolitan area, Eagan is a successful,
dynamic, and youthful community offering residents, families, major
corporations and small businesses a high quality economic and social
environment"
Subsets
Business audiences/community development
"Equally convenient to Minneapolis and St. Paul and the international
airport, Eagan is a dynamic community that offers growing companies an educated
work force, low tax rates, and amid roiling hills, lakes and ponds presents high
quality office and industrial parks and a full range of housing types"
Public Sector/government
"The City of Eagan is an innovative suburb, convenient to Minneapolis and
St. Paul, that has guided dramatic growth by providing the Infrastructure and
services to benefit the residents, businesses and the many corporations based in its
beautiful community"
IE�
city of eagan
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES
DATE: MAY 21,1997
MEMO
SUBJECT: APRIL 22 CITY COUNCIL RETREAT/FACILITATOR CARL NEU
The City Council workshop/retreat that was held at the Holiday Inn Select on April 22 was
facilitated by Carl Neu. The handout Carl used as a syllabus for the meeting included the
ten habits of highly effective councils. He also included ten factors that determine the
effectiveness of your City's Council (governing body).
I. The following are notes that were recorded during Carl's presentation regarding the
ten habits of highly effective councils:
1) Think and Act Strategically
• A strategic leader always comes at you from the future (a visionary)
• Responsibility 4 where Eagan should be twenty years from now
• The Council is elected to lead; outsourcing to a virtual organization
• Discuss the Burnsville committee alliance model
• Council feedback
--Council Direction to City Administrator/need to provide timetables and
priorities:
--Need to vote on direction
2) Understand and Demonstrate the Elements of Teams and Teamwork
• Councils by law exist and have authority only when their members convene as
a "body" to do business
3) Mastery of Small Group Decision Making
■ The team is a product of how each member interacts with each other
4) Clearly Define Roles and Relationships
• Each team member's contribution to and relationship with the team must .be
defined in terms of roles to be assumed and how that role is to be carried out
through one's behavior.
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City Council Retreat
May 21, 1997
Page 2
• The difference between mediocrity and greatness is the feeling the players
have for each other (relationships).
5) Establishing and Abiding by a Counci!/Staff Partnership
• Policy making — implementation is a continuum of thought and relations that
transform ideas and visions into defined ends or outcomes such as buildings,
streets, etc.
• Council and staff share this continuum as partners ensuring each other's
success.
6) Systematic Evaluation of Policy Implementation
• Councils need periodic feedback on policy results
7) Allocating Council Time/Energy Appropriately
• Councils need to focus on goal setting, study sessions, legislation and
interaction in the community.
• City Council considered use of the fifth Tuesday of each month as a Council
study/work session (the first one is scheduled for May 27).
8) Having Clear Rules and Procedures for Council Meetings
• Need literature on how to conduct effective/productive meetings and adhere to
the rules and procedures. It was noted that the Eagan City Council has such a
document that is adopted and distributed each January.
9) Getting a Valid Assessment of the Public's Concerns and Evaluation of Council's
Performance
• Carl indicated elections or contests among individuals vying to become a
member of the Council. Elections are not a valid objective assessment of the
public's feeling about the quality of our Council's performance as a governing
body and whether or not it's addressing issues effectively.
• Highly effective councils seek feedback through "market research" tools such
as focus groups, surveys and questionnaires.
10) Continuous Personal Learning and Development as a Leader
• Take advantage of the myriad of opportunities to learn and perfect skills by
reading, going to Municipal League and National League of Cities workshops
so that the Councilmembers can expand skills to lead and govern well.
Il. The facilitator asked each participant to write down two or three examples of how
the City Council is supporting the team and also to write examples of how
Councilmembers are getting in the way of an effective team. The following is a
City Council Retreat
May 21, 1997
Page 3
recap of the list that was provided by the City Council and City Administrator at the
retreat:
SUPPORTING
• Council respect for public
• Consistency with overall vision
• Support of City Administrator and key staff
• Good working relationship with staff
• Good with advisory commissions
• Council supports community
• Council has a good working relationship with business community
* Council is good at planning
• Complimentary of other Councilmembers on issues
• Build up incomplete concepts
• Encourage other Councilmembers on tough issues
• Professional staff
+ Nice people
• Councilmembers can express opinions and ask questions of each other
• Independence of Councilmembers
• City Administrator understands the issues of the City Council
WHAT'S GETTING IN THE WAY
+ Lack of definitive closure on topics discussed at special and regular City
Council meetings
• Personal agendas and interests
• Need to respect Council as a group
• Need to respect each City Councilmember as part of the group
• Show too strong a support for each other
• Turning backs to each other during meetings
• Non-verbal negative facial gestures
• Lack of formal meeting tactics
• God like attitudes
• Self-centered attitudes
• Nit picking
• Dwelling on irrelevant matters
• Being argumentative
• Unexpected surprises at meetings
• Not allow others the floor
• Exaggerated differences
• Letting people talk too long
• Council should ask the Mayor when to speak
• Politics is often the motivating factor for decisions
• Going off in different directions
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City Council Retreat
May 21, 1997
Page 4
+ No City Councilmember should commit the entire City Council to an action
+ Don't speak loud enough
• We did not do this before (a killer phrase)
• Not giving clear direction to staff
+ Disrespectful/unprofessional behavior at times
• Two people talking while someone else has the floor
+ Time wasters/reviewing bills
Irrelevant information requests
+ No discussion/vision
• Schedule/no time on agendas to bring up items
Too often dwelling on the present, not enough discussion about the future
Don't criticize staff
Unscheduled issues
• Presenters are too long winded/however this is getting better, especially by
staff
• Public bickering
• Must learn to live with minority decisions
III. There were several general outcomes and comments shared by the facilitator
and City Council following the Supporting/What's Getting in the Way exercise.
The following are notes the City Administrator recorded:
• Praise publicly and criticize privately
• Consider work sessions periodically either those months with the fifth
Tuesday or as an alternative, a Saturday morning. These meetings would
provide an open agenda for Council discussion.
• Hold debriefings with Jim Sheldon after lawsuits. Also, the City Attorney
should provide choices, not "whatever you want" as direction to the City
Council.
• Use focus groups for community visioning and policy planning
• City Council as conductor of the community wide orchestra (vision). In order
to reach a management action plan the Council, through it's own
deliberations or with focus groups needs to develop an operating philosophy,
key strategic issues, goals and strategies and establish their
revenue/resource policies.
• The facilitator stressed the need to be open as a Council team.
• The Council and management group as a team will rise higher than any
individual.
• At the conclusion of the retreat there was a discussion regarding the history
of the Bieter litigation. The Pulte Development Company is proposing a
housing development for the same property and there is interest in knowing
some of the history regarding that property.
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City Council
May 21, 199
Page 5
These are not official minutes but a general representation of discussion points that
were made or recorded on flip charts at the retreat.
City Administrator
TLH/jeh
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