HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Compensation Policy Committee - 07/18/2022 -Compensation Policy Committee
July 18, 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 July 18, 2022, virtually through a
Zoom webinar.
Agenda
•Call Meeting to Order
•Approve Minutes from May 24, 2022
•Discussion Items:
o 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: August 15, 2022
The meeting began at 3:32 p.m.
Councilmember Shirley Peel motioned to approve the May 24, 2022, minutes. Councilmember
Julie Pignataro seconded the motion. Minutes were approved.
Based on the committee dialogue in March 2022, 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.
This dialogue intended to find a way to navigate what needs to remain the same for the employees and
what needs to transform to reflect this Council’s intentions. There was also an agreement to codify the
process in the 2023 Council onboarding guide, just as the last Council committee did for the 2021 guide.
The following topics were discussed.
•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 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 also a suggestion to have an onboarding session focusing on
this topic where guidance is provided ahead of time for what is important to evaluate.
•Questions still to be discussed:
•Market analysis of the employees’ pay ranges and discussion of merit increases—new ways
to do this part of the process?
•How to onboard new Councilmembers in 2023? What else needs to be considered besides
what was mentioned in the July 18 meeting?
•What will happen in the RFP process to select a new consultant?
MINUTES APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE AT THE AUGUST 15, 2023 MEETING.