Just got an email from Assistant City Manager John Fitzpatrick releasing the 2009 Draft Goals for City Manager to the press. They were written by City Manager Rohloff. Here are the draft goals:
1. Complete City-wide Strategic Planning Process with Department Heads and Council
a. Initiate Council involvement in strategic plan process by June 1, 2009
b. Complete strategic plan for Council approval by September 1, 2009
c. Develop annual goals consistent with strategic plan
d. Develop performance measurements that are consistent with strategic plan and goals
2. Reformat budget process to produce a document that is easily understood by Council and the public.
a. Review 2008 financial audit in anticipation of preparing 2010 budget
b. Present budget preparation schedule to Council by July 15, 2009
c. Include performance measurement system in budget document
d. Work with Mayor to evaluate need for budget committee by April 1, 2009
e. Conduct statistically reliable citizen survey to assist Council in setting budget priorities; submit results to Council by June 1, 2009
3. Prepare and submit 2010-2014 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to Council by May 15, 2009
4. Economic Development
a. Work with Bankers Bank to successfully transfer ownership of Park Plaza to new group with long range plan, including plans to coordinate hotel and convention center operations
b. Solicit proposals for hotel development in Marion Road project area
c. Complete conceptual plan for development of Clark Farm in SW Industrial Park
d. Identify potential area(s) for new commercial business park once Universal Business Park is sold out
e. Work with building community to address perception that Oshkosh is not "business friendly"
f. Work with CHAMCO, OAEDC, and other entities to develop programs to educate public about success of TIF districts as a viable economic development tool
g. Cooperate with economic development partners to promote Oshkosh and encourage business expansion with existing businesses and new prospects
h. Complete Economic Development Element to Comprehensive Plan and submit to Council by September 1, 2009
5. Public Works
a. Select I & I Engineer by March 1, 2009; have initial recommendations from I & I plan to Council by September 1, 2009; initiate first phase (likely manhole rehabilitation) by December 1, 2009
b. Submit stormwater management options for Westhaven area to Council by April 1, 2009; work with Council to identify pond location and award contract for design by September 1, 2009
c. By October 1, 2009, present amended snow removal policy that will include new parking regulations to improve ability to remove snow
d. Implement Council decision on recycling collection by March 1, 2009
6. Community Involvement & Outreach
a. Work with community groups (Chamber, OACF, OCVB, United Way, UWO) in developing community visioning plan and branding initiative
b. Complete Leadership Oshkosh Program and encourage program graduates and alumni to more actively participate in the community
c. Continue to make myself available to community groups and media to communicate city initiatives and seek input on community-wide issues
7. Work with E & E Board to develop City-wide Sustainability Plan
a. Conduct greenhouse gas emissions inventory of city facilities
b. Support E & E Board as needed
8. Personnel
a. Initiate negotiating process for collective bargaining based on directions from Council
b. Develop plan to train existing employees to replace "baby boomers" as they begin retiring
9. Parks
a. Evaluate management of Leach Amphitheater by in house staff and make recommendation for 2010 management plan by October 1, 2009
b. Produce report on Sawdust Days 2009 that identifies city costs in supporting event and identifies neighborhood concerns for 2010 event
10. Submit draft Special Events policy to Council by July 1, 2009
11. Submit draft Donations policy to Council by October 1, 2009
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10 comments:
Um...it seems like you posted a link to your own City email inbox. But you forgot to give us the password too, so all we see is a sign-in prompt and then a blank page with "access denied".
So, yeah...we need that password.
As to whatever the cryptic message may yet reveal, all I can say is -
"The observer influences the observed."
Woops--I did it too fast before going to class last night. Will fix in a little while. --TP
The goals are now in the body of the blog post. I though that would allow for easier discussion. --TP
Looks like a good start.
Now make them quantifiable/measurable with performace standards and benchmarks.
Some will have subjective. But the bulk can be made quantifiable with levels of performance rated as excellent, very good, good, poor, unacceptable based upon measurable standards.
Without measurability, they are not goals, but words on a page.
Again, I would suggest that you ask Mr. Rohloff to participate in making them measurable goals.
Well, I'll certainly do what I can but until the council has the cojones (for lack of a better word) to place this "watch what you say or the city will be at risk of a lawsuit" nonsense to rest, it's going to be difficult to do anything meaningful.
What do you think of this goal on the list: "Work with Mayor to evaluate need for budget committee by April 1, 2009."
Is there anyone who can sincerely and with a straight face say that my amendment to the budget asking for the creation of a budget committee was in reality asking Mark and Frank to "evaluate the need" for one? I think it's precisely because of this kind of thing that goal-setting in an open session is critical.
Yes I read the whole thing. There seems to be mostly talk about more peripheral suburban development and not much about downtown/city center except for the Leach and what kind of draw it will be.
If I was a resident of Oshkosh and had a city manager who came from a place with no recognizable downtown at all, I would be howling at the moon.
;-)
LOL, you've got some real knee-slappers in there -
"Reformat budget process to produce a document that is easily understood by Council and the public."
That's probably the best one.
"Conduct statistically reliable citizen survey to assist Council in setting budget priorities"
Also nice.
"Work with building community to address perception that Oshkosh is not 'business friendly'. "
Wa haha haaaa
but seriously folks-
"Develop plan to train existing employees to replace 'baby boomers' as they begin retiring"
Does that one conflict with requirements to properly notice job vacancies and make applications open to the public when the vacancies do occur? I know that within city departments you can often have a "presumptive heir" or two, but does this goal formalize that situation? Is grooming these people in this manner good/legal?
And I wonder if there's some procedural recourse since you amended the budget and then that morphed to 2 other guys "evaluating" your amendment. Like, who can alter or nullify one councilperson's amendment? That can't be a unique situation and there must be existing rules for that...or hmmm, even if you had stayed in this session you could have said "hey guys wait a gosh darn minute here". But in any case let me leave with a question re: you guys leaving the closed session (yeah I'm serious)
--> If it is determined by a majority vote of the council, (even if some feel that decision is based on outlandish belief systems, bad motives and poor legal advice) to hold a closed session - do those who dissent have a responsibility based on democratic principles to accept that vote and stay and participate albeit as a minority faction?
(and if you plan to toss out any variations on the theme of Civil Disobedience then you may as well fast-forward to the parts that justfy broad applications thereof and who decides how/when/if to apply said Disobedience...and if you're so inclined, then doesn't the Disobedience itself become the issue, effectively supplanting the original issue? wow. THEN where are we? O hapless Democracy....)
Councilor Palmeri:
Please do what you can to revise City Manager goal # 7.a, "Conduct greenhouse gas emissions inventory of city facilities," so that the City Manager's GHG inventory goal is not limited to the City's own facilities, but includes sources of GHG emissions from the whole community within the City's jurisdiction. (2 student interns began to work on the City's GHG inventory this month, if I understood Jon Urben, Director of General Services.) As you can see here [http://www.icleiusa.org/action-center/tools/cacp-software], the ICLEI software that the City is using for its GHG inventory can include GHG emissions from community sources, as well as municipal sources.
It is disappointing that, even though the sustainability plan is supposed to be "city-wide", the City Manager's GHG inventory goal is limited to "city facilities", which means that it does not include community sources of GHG emissions, such as privately owned vehicles and residential and commercial buildings. That goal ignores the recommendations of the Community Education and Outreach Subcommittee of the Energy and Environment Advisory Board, of which I am a member. Perhaps the City Manager meant that his immediate goal, or first priority, is to complete a GHG inventory of the city facilities, but his overall goal should include the inventory of GHG emissions from the community at-large, as well as those from the city facilities.
According to former EE Board staff member Don La Fontaine, ICLEI says that about 95% of a City's GHG emissions are likely to come from sources outside the municipality's own operations.
Jody,
I believe that our city codes do allow councilors to compel absent members to attend a meeting, though I am not sure what the penalty for not attending would be. The Council can also expel members for "neglect of duty." Compelling attendance--or expulsion of members--in the name of discussing future goals of a city manager in closed session would appear to be extreme, but I do think it probably can be done.
My view is that matters like this are properly resolved at the ballot box. The 7 members of the Council have now made it crystal clear what is their position on the open meetings law vis a vis evaluating the performance of the manager and setting his goals.
Thanks Steve. Your note and others that I am receiving demonstrate why it is vital that the discussion of future goals allow for maximum public input.
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