HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Legislative Review Committee - 08/15/2022 -Compensation Policy Committee
August 15, 2022, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Meeting Minutes
Members in attendance: Councilmember Susan Gutowsky; Councilmember Shirley Peel; Councilmember
Julie Pignataro
Staff in attendance: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager; Teresa Roche, Human Resources Executive; Carrie
Daggett, City Attorney; Kelley Vodden, Director of Compensation, Benefits and Wellness; Rupa
Venkatesh, Assistant City Manager; Melanie Clark, Executive Administrative Assistant
The Compensation Policy Committee (Committee) meeting was held on August 15, 2022, virtually
through a Zoom webinar.
Agenda
• Call Meeting to Order
• Approve Minutes from July 18, 2022
• Discussion Items:
o Continuation of Performance Management Process for Council Appointed
Employees
o Annual Evaluations on 11/22/22
o Schedule of Future Topics and Timing of Meetings
• Adjournment
Next Meeting: October 17, 2022
The meeting began at 3:33 p.m.
Councilmember Susan Gutowsky motioned to approve the July 18, 2022, minutes. Councilmember Julie
Pignataro seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.
Based on the committee dialogue on July 18, the committee agreed to return to the topic related to the
performance management process of their three Council-appointed employees. The annual evaluations
are scheduled for November 22, 2022, and decisions about the process need to be made by mid-
September to ensure all unfolds well.
The following reflects the interactive dialogue facilitated by Teresa Roche.
• Frequency and timeline of performance discussions in 2023.
• There was an agreement to schedule a performance dialogue two times a year.
• The biggest concern is when a new Council comes on board during an election
year; it is challenging to do an evaluation mid-year. This concern may be moot if
the timing of the election changes to November. If not, more must be done in
onboarding to prepare new Councilmembers.
• There is not an expressed need to act on the earlier thought about quarterly
check-ins as Councilmembers meet at least monthly with the City Manager and
City Attorney. The reports from the Chief Judge provide relevant information to
the Council.
• Use a facilitator to interview the Council and write the annual performance summaries for two or
all three employees.
• There was an agreement to work with a facilitator, and the following ideas were shared:
• Councilmember Peel suggested we begin with a few open-ended questions before
the specific questions are asked, such as: what is your feedback in general, and
what concerns might you have? She also questioned the possibility of a survey
with ratings so the Council could see emerging trends—a best of both worlds of
dialogue and a survey to get a fuller view that their employees could also
complete.
• Councilmember Pignataro and Gutowsky suggested we consider a different
facilitator.
• Councilmember Pignataro wondered about the possibility of the ratings being
done by each Councilmember yet not shared.
• There was an agreement to ask the chosen facilitator to offer ideas, including a
dialogue on which questions to ask for the evaluation.
• There was a discussion about the pros and cons of finding a local facilitator.
• There was support for having a facilitator for the annual evaluation dialogue
session.
• Discussion on what materials their employees should prepare for the mid-year and annual
evaluations.
• Councilmember Gutowsky stated that what is happening now is great.
• Councilmember Pignataro agreed and said, “less is more.”
• Councilmember Peel said a self-rated survey would be helpful in addition to the summary
and suggested limiting the evaluation questions to five.
• What else do Councilmembers need to evaluate the performance of your employees and coach
and develop them?
• There was an agreement to schedule a development session on how to give feedback and
coach others before November, making it optional to attend.
• There was a strong sentiment expressed to build more into the onboarding process for
Councilmembers, such as providing a position description and other information from the
three employees. There was a suggestion to have an onboarding session focusing on
evaluation methods for Councilmembers.
• What should we consider in the RFP?
• Professionalism—writes well with no grammar or spelling errors
• Fair
• Municipal experience a plus
• Confidentiality
• Consultant has the capacity to do the work well and not be rushed.
• An area of expertise; has done this before.
• 360 reviews as a consideration—would provide a more balanced perspective and give great
insight. PFA and PRPA do this. Start with direct reports first, with possible expansion with
community partners in the future. Consider the number asked to ensure you have a broad
pool. Use an online tool and include open-ended questions.
• Are there other ways to evaluate the Judge in other municipalities?
•Other Discussion Items:
•Market analysis of the employees’ pay ranges and discussion of merit increases—new ways
to do this part of the process? Bring the 2019 resolution on the performance management
and compensation process for Council-appointed employees to the October Council
Compensation meeting.
•How to onboard new Councilmembers in 2023? What else needs to be considered besides
what was mentioned in the July 18 meeting? Rupa is working on this; she is the lead, and a
list of topics and approaches are already in motion--want to be sure to include the
Municipal Court and the Chief Judge.
•Need to figure out a way to get more insight into the court. Consideration of scheduled
reports?
MINUTES APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE AT THE OCTOBER 17, 2022 MEETING.