HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Study Session 2011-04-26
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, April 26, 2011.
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the TOWN BOARD STUDY SESSION
of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at
Town Hall in Rooms 201/202/203 in said Town of Estes Park on the
26th day of April, 2011.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Levine, Trustees
Blackhurst, Elrod, Ericson, Koenig, and Miller
Attending: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Levine, Trustees
Blackhurst, Elrod, Ericson, Koenig, and Miller
Also Attending: Town Administrator Halburnt, Deputy Town Administrator
Richardson, Town Attorney White, and Deputy Town Clerk
Deats
Absent: None
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
EVALUATION TRAINING.
Tami Tanoue, CIRSA legal counsel, provided training for the Board related to evaluating
individuals holding town administrator/city manager positions. She said an evaluation
provides direction on goals and priorities, feedback on what is being done well and
where improvement is needed, establishes a basis to measure compensation, and
provides an opportunity for two-way communication between the employee and the
evaluator. She said the governing body has the responsibility of establishing the results
the employee is expected to achieve and articulating the boundaries beyond which the
employee must not go in achieving these results. The boundaries may include ethical,
fiscal and prudent limitations, and operating within established policies. Ms. Tanoue
suggested having a process and schedule for regular evaluations, and noted that a form
addressing key points and important issues should be utilized. She said by focusing on
results as key evaluation points, details of personal characteristics such as work habits
and personality become secondary to the achievements and accomplishments realized.
She noted that job descriptions are pertinent in task-oriented positions, but in
managerial positions most expectations and desired results are unstated in the job
description. She said the evaluation must not be conducted on individual agendas, but
rather on the collective vision of the Board, and said it is not necessary for all evaluators
to reach a consensus on a rating or ranking. She encouraged continued work on the
evaluation form being drafted by Trustee Blackhurst to develop a consistent model with
timeframes and defined numerical evaluation methods which create less subjective
results.
The Trustees discussed a committee evaluation approach as opposed to an evaluation
by the full-board; conducting periodic evaluation training to ensure new Board members
receive necessary information; town administrator job description is more useful as
hiring tool rather than as evaluation component; one-year vs. three-year contract length;
three-year contract works well with the Town’s election cycle; consider assigning
weights to aspects of evaluation; and collapse goals and objectives into four to six major
areas of importance.
Trustee Blackhurst and Mayor Pinkham will continue working on an evaluation form,
with input from the Trustees, to bring back to the Board in May.
The meeting was recessed for dinner at 5:10 p.m. and resumed at 5:32 p.m.
Town Board Study Session – April 26, 2011 – Page 2
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR JOB DESCRIPTION.
The Trustees reviewed the existing job description for the Town Administrator position.
Atty. White said the document contains minimum qualifications based on the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, provided to determine whether an individual with
a recognized disability could fulfill the job requirements, or with reasonable
accommodations, perform the job. In regard to the job description as a tool utilized
during the hiring process, the Trustees discussed adding a preference for a master’s
degree in public administration, and increasing the experience requirement. They
discussed the importance of the requirements not being too rigid to keep the pool of
candidates larger. They noted that background checks for this position would be
conducted as part of the Human Resources department’s routine application process.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS.
Topics for upcoming study sessions were discussed and included:
• Economic Development – Mayor Pinkham and Town Administrator Halburnt will
communicate with Kathay Rennels to schedule a time for her to meet with the
Board.
• Town Administrator Contract – First Town Board meeting of May.
• Greenplay – The Trustees requested this be scheduled soon for discussion
about the proforma produced by Greenplay for the Multi-Purpose Event Center
(MPEC).
• RTA requests of the Town – The Trustees expressed concern about demands on
the Town made in connection with the proposed Elkhorn Development.
• Utilities / Streets / General Maintenance – Plans are being developed and will be
presented for ranking by the Board in June.
• Communication Policy – Questions were raised regarding how responses to
communications directed to the Board are handled, and whether communication
concerns can be addressed individually or whether a communication policy is
needed. Trustees Miller and Koenig have been working together on this topic.
Trustee Koenig reported that she is having difficulty identifying the issues, and
Trustee Elrod agreed to replace her.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:35 p.m.
Cynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk