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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 Personnel and Finance ��0 4s01 ;1.4-.", kSo\ KN' iW, PEAC; ii, Gry • /865 - ` '",2,=_•....--,'' OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK KAREEMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK PERSONNEL & FINANCE FEBRUARY 11, 2019 3:37 P.M. (ORGANIZATIONAL) Committee Members Present: Karen White, Jo M. Broden, John Voorde Committee Members Absent: Regina Williams-Preston Other Council Present: Jake Teshka, Tim Scott, Sharon L. McBride Other Council Absent: Oliver Davis, Gavin Ferlic Others Present: Kareemah Fowler, Graham Sparks, Bob Palmer Agenda: Organizational Meeting Committee Chair Karen White called to order the Organizational Meeting of the Personnel and Finance Committee at 3:37 p.m. She introduced members of the Committee and proceeded with the meeting. Organizational Meeting Committee Chair White handed out copies of the Personnel and Finance Committee 2018 Annual Report. She proceeded to overview this document with Committee and Council Members present. She stated, This report is available online and I encourage you to look through the report. This is just a brief summary of the work we did last year. It speaks to the duties and the members but also if you continue to read through it, it talks about the Committee meetings. The Personnel and Finance Committee held twenty-two (22) meetings in 2018. Eleven (11) of the twenty-two (22) meetings were devoted to the 2019 City Budget. We began to seek input from the various departments, Council Members as well as the community. Some of the agenda items discussed during the meetings, you can see that on page two (2) of the Report. She continued, This year, I would like to begin the budget process, as usual, asking for input from the Council Members regarding your priorities as well as those areas you would like to adjust and modify looking forward to the 2020 budget hearings. You will find a summary of the 2019 Budget Hearings on page two (2) as well as on page three(3). Some of the questions that were posed were asking for Council Members giving overall impressions of the hearing process,how do we receive information in a timely fashion, what were the gaps as they related to the information requested and received, how can we improve the process, were there too many hearings or not enough, and how can we improve citizen participation? This year, we started with what was really a recommendation from the public hearing processes and it was indicated we needed to start discussions earlier,not in terms of budget hearing discussions,but discussions regarding key areas INTEGRITY' SERVICE'ACCESSIBILITY JENNIFER M.COFFMAr BIAncA L.TIR..wO - JOSEPH R.MOLNAR CIIIEF DEPUTY/DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS DEPUTS`/DIRECTOR OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Blvd.I South Bend,Indiana 46601 I p 574.235.9221 I f 574.235.9173 I www.southbendin.gov ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK of our City's budget. For example, in December 2018,we had a meeting on TIF. March 4th, 2019, we will have a meeting regarding the City's preparation in regard to the fiscal curb coming in 2020. That will be on what we have done, what level of preparation there has been and what the impact will be regarding lost revenues as we prepare for 2020. We will be extending an invitation to the County as well as the School Board Members and their fiscal officers to come and be part of the conversation and to see how we can best work collaboratively together. She went on, So,that is the information regarding the Personnel and Finance Committee. We have received two (2) citizen member applications. I will share those applications with Committee Members so that you have had an opportunity to look at those applications as well. Again, there are some key things we need to have in place. I've met with our City Controller three (3) times and he is right on target. We have had good conversations and he is more than willing to work with not only the Committee but each and every Council Member. So, I encourage you to reach out to him if you ever have any questions. After the meeting we will have on the fiscal curb, the third(3T1)meeting will be on debt. That came out of the budget hearings. We found that we really need to talk about what our true debt is before we start talking about the budget process. Tonight, we will hear from the Mayor,which is mandated by State Code, and he will give a financial update in terms of where we are at and preparing for the future. Committee Chair White then opened the floor to comment from Committee and Council Members. Committeemember John Voorde stated, I was happy to be able to go to the first (1St) leadership meeting with the Mayor earlier this afternoon and he referenced Mr. Parker getting his feet solidly on the ground and putting his own stamp on the budget process. That is something we need to be aware of. He didn't really elaborate but you say you've met with him. • Committee Chair White replied, Actually, he was just introduced at one(1) of our meetings but I think that is something that we would want to do as a Committee to really have the opportunity for all the Council Members to meet him and have a conversation as we begin to learn more about him and how he processes information. I think that would be good. I don't want to have so many meetings, but I think these meetings are critical because we don't want to be a position where we have surprises. We have not talked about the fiscal cliff, there is the level of preparation but also the impact. Our last meeting, we had, the Board of Finance, we talked a little bit about it. City Clerk Kareemah Fowler clarified, Councilmember Voorde, when you say you attended the leadership meeting, is that the meeting you got appointed to? Council President Tim Scott replied, No, it was the Council Officers. Councilmembers Voorde, White and myself. We met with the Mayor. Committee Chair White stated,And that is something we will continue to do. It is something we've done in the past. We'll be meeting with the Mayor. That is not to make decisions on behalf of the Council but to have open communication. Each Council Member will be asked, if you have any concerns or questions to please share those with us, but it is not to lessen our encouragement of Council Members to reach out to not only the Mayor but any department heads as well. That is a way to facilitate a more collaborative engagement. Committeemember Jo M. Broden asked, Are those standing dates? EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 f 574.235.9173 TTD574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov 2 CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Committee Chair White replied, No,today was the first(1St) one(1). Committeemember Broden followed up, That might be helpful so that we can coordinate. Council President Scott announced, We'll send out an email at least a week ahead of time. Committeemember Broden stated, I would just say your 2019 Budget Hearing recommendations, I think are on point. I think you did an outstanding job shepparding that through. I do think there are some recommendations in terms of Council participation throughout the process in terms of actual attendance at meetings. I mean, there should be ways to work around that. I don't want to, I mean, in terms of Committee forums, I think those are important to have and I'm not going to make an assumption that just because somebody is not sitting at that hearing that they're not up to date and not engaged. I think that is an important point especially given the resources we are provided,generally after the meeting,and then any opportunity to view visuals or to hear the audio. So, I think as long as those continue,that is good. I do like the specific educational things that you have plugged in already in 2018 and then going forward into 2019. The specific education topics, I think that's great. I would like to make sure that we get the timing and maybe look at something more first(1St) quarter, I think going all the way to June 2019 is kind of a measure and an update, you know, from a departmental level, that might be a little too late. I guess I'm looking more for a quarterly formalized update. And that concern is really driven out of the sort of really huge catch- me-up that was done the last quarter of 2018 by the Administration. I think those were significant changes and the dialogue was really good. I felt comfortable in voting for those changes, but I don't see why that couldn't be done on a quarterly basis with that level of discussion. She went on, And then I do think, kind of my last point, if Council had, and we had discussed in the process and believe we also funded it, but we funded a position for professional services relative to the budget and I do want to emphasize, at least from my standpoint, that would be a smart expenditure on our part. Because that does give us some independence from the Administration and another set of eyes, especially as we look toward 2020. There are debt questions but then also the 2020 fiscal cliff stuff, I do think that level of independence would be good. I do know that other cities are engaging professionals to work with their Common Councils for that same purpose. Council President Scott replied, I will work with Committee Chair White and we'll draft the question to the Council as to what they want to see on that because I believe this Council needs to develop that scope and not me, personally. We will do that soon like in the next couple of weeks because if we want to get that going, we have to define that person and go from there. Committeemember Broden continued, And then my last point is about overall clarity in terms of what can be presented and when by the Administration as a full package to the Council. I think while there has been information given out, you know, per department, I would agree with Councilmember Teshka's input about overall context for the full budget. I think that really matters. So, you know, it gets to be kind of late in terms of switching things around and sort of that last window of opportunity where we could look at some changes I think. What you've built into here a two (2)week look back or cushion. I think those types of things would be helpful. EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227 W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 1574.235.91.73 TTD 574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov 3 •CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Committeemember Voorde stated, First (1St) of all, in terms of keeping up with what different committees are doing, including Personnel and Finance, I would like to compliment the City Clerk's Office for the complete and detailed minutes they provide. The last Administration wasn't nearly as good at it, in terms of content and timeliness. So, thank you Kareemah and thank you Graham. It helps a lot. Committee Chair White stated,There were a lot of questions about a lot of information. It's online and I encourage each and every one (1) of us, as well as the public, to go back and look at those questions and look at what the results were. I think I've heard we don't listen to the public, but if you go back and look at some of the things we are doing now, it actually came out of the public's suggestions. We are listening and responding as best as we possibly can. She continued,As we get closer to that March 4th meeting, you will get more information and some additional handouts. Committeemember Voorde stated,We should learn some things tonight from the Mayor,but I like what you're doing trying to find out what our potential revenues are and what our debt is, so we can be less reactive and more engaged in conversation. Committeemember Broden stated, Organizational, I think a couple things, too, is maybe look at building some areas of accountability and review relative to the budgets that come under a given Committee. If there is a way to build a level of expertise that is peer to peer so anything that comes under, say, Health and Public Safety, is there a way to look at the budget? I'll just use my Committee charge as a Chair, but maybe at the Chair and Vice-Chair level, building that level of expertise and review of the budget? Then, having that structure there but then also there is a responsibility for the Administration to report out in that kind of combined manner. I do think some of this is almost unwieldy. If there is a way to in the budget presentations and how they are paced to look at them kind of in line with sort of a Committee-level of authority, that would be nice. That is what comes to mind for me but maybe somebody else has some different ideas. Committee Chair White replied, I see what you're getting at and I think that goes back to having time to meet Mr. Parker. I think that would be very beneficial and we can talk about how to do that. Committeemember Voorde stated, Some of that has happened randomly just based on personal interest but,in my case, Public Works, I should know how much those department heads in Traffic and Lighting or Sewers and things like that, yeah, I see what you're saying. It would be good to formalize that somewhat. With no further discussion, Committee Chair White adjourned the Organizational Meeting of the Personnel and Finance Committee at 3:56 p.m. Respectfully Submitted`64:- Karen White, Committee Chair EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 f 574.235.9173 TTDS74.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov 4