03 - Organizational Structure Study - Gary Weiers - David Drown Associates

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Pequ t Lakes— Summary of Council Member Comments March 12& 13,2015 Gary Weiers conducted brief telephone conversations with the Mayor and Council Members to lay the foundation for the analysis that will assist the Council in determining a course of action after Sandy Peine retires later this year. For purposes of this document, any reference to the Council is inclusive of the City Council and Mayor. Council Members expressed significant satisfaction with the current staff and structure and they feel satisfied with the services being delivered by staff. Additionally,there was consistent recognition of the difficulty in replacing Ms. Peine because of the fine work she has done. Members expressed support for examining the options in hopes of making the best decision for the City of Pequot Lakes. A representation of Council Member comments is listed below: • Economics are very important. Whatever course of action is taken, it must be cost effective and have a benefit that justifies the cost. It is important for the City to continue its track record of being efficient. • The impact of any change on existing staff is important to pay attention to throughout the planning process. • The Council Liaison system is working well, but can also be burdensome requiring a significant amount of time from Council Members. This system is helpful in that it keeps Council members"in the loop" but it involves policy makers in day to day operations in a way that is not always best. Sometimes the liaison process can be problematic because each Council Member advocates for"their" areas. • When employee performance issues emerge,the system for handling them involves the liaison in a way that is difficult but it has worked well for the most part. • The City Council works very well together and therefore meetings and other interactions tend to go quite smoothly. • The organization is running very well right now and it is very important that any changes not have an adverse impact on operations. • It is important for the Council to determine the right time for making changes because there is presently a lot going on and it will be important to determine if this is the best time to make an organizational change. • The Clerk's position has evolved into an Administrator position and therefore replacing Ms. Peine with an Administrator may be needed. • It would be good if the Council was less involved in day to day operations and could spend more time on the big picture.