City of Minneapolis, MN 2014 Minneapolis City Council and Committee meetings, 18 Jun 2014

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From YouTube: June 18, 2014 Executive Committee Meeting

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Minneapolis Executive Committee Meeting

A

Good morning and welcome to the regularly scheduled meeting of the executive committee for June, eighteenth 2014 I am mayor. Betsy Hodges, chair of the committee joined this morning by councilmember cam, Gordon council, president Barbara Johnson and council member Kevin Reich. We are a quorum of the committee. I know that councilmember glidden is away today on City business, so we have two items on our agenda today. The first is a discussion item and the second will be a session regarding labor negotiations.

A

But the first item is regarding the Civil Rights Department, a status update on councilmember Gordon's March, twenty eight staff directive for the fouling consult with ask me representative to consider reinstatement or creation of a new labor-management committee in the Civil Rights Department, and be work with the mayor's office and civil rights director and, if deemed appropriate, hire outside management, consulting services for the purpose of evaluating and improving management practices in the Civil Rights Department related to employee satisfaction and maintenance of a healthy workplace environment, and to give that update this morning we have the interim city coordinator, Jay, stroll along good morning morning.

B

America morning, members of the committee, my name, is Jay strobel I'm, the interim city coordinator in response to the staff directions want to give a quick update. This morning the city has retained a management consultant Barbara Bruns le Bruns L consulting to evaluate the culture of civil rights department. This work is currently underway and report with findings and recommendations is expected back from Miss Bruns L by the end of the month.

B

After reviewing miss Bruns l's report and the results from the recently completed, my Minneapolis employee engagement survey for civil rights, I plan on holding a conversation with mr. Corbell patients, Ferguson our HR director and mirror Hodges to discuss next steps related to the portion of the staff direction.

B

Calling for a consultation with apps me Paul us in my predecessor and I, have both had conversations with Sarah Maxwell president of apps me, and she is comfortable with waiting until further information is known, guarding the workplace culture of civil rights department to determine if the creation of a labor-management committee is needed. So in summary, work is underway. Regarding these, two staff directions and more information will be known in a few weeks. Great.

A

Questions for mr. Stroh Council, President Johnson mr.

C

Stroh well, thank you in marriages, Thank You, mr. struggles asked me is not the only union in civil rights. Is that correct.

B

C

B

Council President, Johnson I, don't know the answer that question. My guess would be that's correct. The paps me would not be the only okay I'm.

C

Just thinking, if we're gonna, you know one of the things we should think about long term with Miss Maxwell is a labor-management committee. Shouldn't just include one bargaining in it. If there's more than more than that, so excuse me, I've got a cold, and so you think the consultant will finish this work by the end of june. That's very so when is she coming on board.

B

Mere Hodges council president johnson mine are saying is that the work started earlier this month and that we expect that work. To conclude, and hopefully we will have that report by the end of the month. Ok,.

C

That will that work include interviews with employees.

B

Mere Hodges comes President Johnson. That is correct. There's the intention is, the hope is to have interviews with all the employees. All those interviews are optional. Sure.

C

All right, I'm in my questions, counselor Gordon.

D

Thank you very much and I appreciate getting the update and we're moving forward on these. I hope the labor management advisory team gets up and running in his robust and it seems like it would be good if it was ongoing. So that's just to my personal wish, even if it's deemed unnecessary by everybody else, I think I'll still think that might be a good idea and I'd recommend it to them.

D

uh I was also curious, if there'll be any interviews with previous employer from the department, not sure if that makes sense, but I think that might give some perspective of where we've come. What was going on because a lot of what we heard about was past things and maybe we'll then can clearly know it's some significant improvements or or not.

D

So that's an idea to maybe to bring back to the consultant I'm to see if there's be any potential interest in that and then maybe my bigger question and my challenge is to figure out what role the executive committee should play in this I understand. You said there'll be a meeting with the mayor, the consultant in you, but is there a time when the executive committee will get this information? Is this the appropriate body?

D

I know that we um have worked in the past and developing the 360 review process this was years ago, but to do a better job as a committee of helping to evaluate department, heads and I think if we have any issues with department heads at all, it's partly our responsibility and- and we should be helping and fulfilling that role as an executive committee, so I'm trying to figure out how we might do that, and it is, would there be a way that we could tie in some kind of a formal performance review with all of this process?

D

I do know that there is the 360 reviews to get done every couple of years, but I don't believe the executive committee necessarily reviews or discusses those together as a group or has under the previous mayor for the last eight years. I know we instituted the process, but I keep feeling like. We missed a piece because we don't actually have discussions with the department heads as a committee and maybe we shouldn't I, don't know, but um I appreciate thoughts from.

A

My colleagues I think those are questions best asked of our city attorney. Ms Siegel and I heard a couple of questions in there. Ms ms Siegel one is with every legal issues about having conversations with former employees or sort of procedural issues on that, then the performance review question I know that we have a unique structure in the city of Minneapolis, in terms of reporting, etc, etc, and particularly with the civil rights director and the charter relationship between the mayor and the civil rights director. What role would the executive committee play.

E

Madam chair, first with respect to the question of interviewing previous employees, it seemed to be a bit beyond the staff direction because that was really focused on present things in the department and in working on assessing the environment currently in the department.

E

Although I assume that information could be provided to the consultant, you know about some past issues and I. Think I see a couple of reporters here: they've a false up just reading some articles, there's there's information available in the public, but but I suppose it that you know their discussion about that. With respect to the second question, it is a little more complicated because the Civil Rights Ordinance specifically provides that the direction and responsibility for the department is under the direction of the mayor.

E

However, the executive committee does have the authority under the Charter to a point and remove a charter department heads as well as individuals like the civil rights department director, because the civil rights director is appointed by the mayor pursuant to ordinance. So I think that there is a role for the executive committee in terms of assessing performance within their their charter of being able to appoint and remove department heads, including the civil rights director.

A

Council president johnson, thank.

C

You, madam chair I, have to follow up on that mystical. What about discipline? Is there a process for that.

E

Madam chair in Council President Johnson. Yes, there is a specifically in the Charter authority to suspend aid department head subject to the executive committee's authority, so that is in the Charter, and then the executive committee has rules as well that relate to those you know that provides a process and procedure for discipline. Thank you. Mm-Hmm.

A

Further questions for mr. strobel I don't see any. Thank you very much for the update. I don't think we need to take action on this item since it's an update council president johnson, I.

C

Think miss and mr. struggle- I did this enough for you. I just I just want to say that I am appreciative that the consultant that we have on board, I think, will give us additional information.

C

We received additional, very clear information since the appointment process and I am very disappointed at some of the statements that were made the to our employees and I apologize on behalf of the city to our employees, who felt that their careers were threatened, that they're both within the city and in the general they left the city.

C

So I hope that our employees feel free and did feel free during the employee survey survey to express themselves directly and I hope that they will participate with the consultant in a very full way so that we can move on and and I just I really want to say. I'm I will wait for the consultant's report, but I am extremely disappointed in what I have heard and read and I'm not closing any doors today. So. Thank you very much. Thank you.

A

So we will then move on to item number two: the human resources department, labor negotiations. We have a tentative agreement with the Minneapolis Foreman's association since that it has the potential to be a closed session for the purposes of discussing labor negotiations. We will adjourn to room 315.

A