08-31-04 Personnel & Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

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C.ornmitt,E cRE/2ott of ti2,E/j p Ets.onnif and 9i zane (.;OnZh2GttEE of tI .,and C,.:.Ommon eouna'LL Having the claw-back provisions in the ordinance sends a message that there is an evaluation system in place. Council President White then asked Ms. Kendall to name her top priorities for 2005. Ms. Kendall stated that the first priority is to retain a good staff and pursue salary increases, more training& education, and pursue more monies for conference experiences since turnover is costly. Her second priority is to implement better coordination of community & economic development. This includes being mindful of confidentiality but letting partners know about information once the confidentiality concerns have been addressed. The third priority is the internal project management system which has been developed by Cheryl Phipps. Council Member Pfeifer inquired about the policies addressing consultants. In particular she inquired whether the city was getting a return for their investment; what are the goals expected of consultants and does the city know in advance what they are getting. Ms. Kendall stated that consultants are a "necessary evil", and that they are able to step back and look at a picture. They provide an opportunity to learn about different perspectives and methods. She noted that there may be times where the city does not see the return for years to come. Consultants also provide areas of expertise which the department may not have. She added that the project management report will assist in monitoring. Ms. Kendall stated that she is able to recognize when a consultant attempts to use a cookie cutter approach. Don Inks added that often a clear scope of services are provided by a consultant which may only be needed for a six(6) week period. He stated that consultants are not paid until their department is satisfied. Council Member Pfeifer stated that she likes the emphasis on training and education which is being proposed since she believes this is essential. Ms. Kendall then pointed out the remaining materials in her handout which contained the South Bend Development Area map, the CD Neighborhoods map, and the Urban Enterprise Zone map. A listing of grants, their projects, their current status and date of submittal/approval were also included. Dr. Varner stated that he likes the proposed approach of working more closely with existing business and focusing on their home bases which are in South Bend. There were no questions or formal presentation on Account# 101-1001. Personnel and Finance Committee Meeting of August 31,,2004 Page 3