PLACENTIA CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
March 10, 2022
10:00 a.m. — Springhill Suites Hotel Conference Room
380 South Placentia Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870
SPECIAL PROCEDURES NOTICE
On March 4, 2020, pursuant to California Government Code Section 8625, Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency as a result of the threat of the COVID-19 virus.
On September 17, 2021, Governor Newsom signed AB 361, which went into immediate effect as urgency legislation. AB 361 added subsection (e) to Section 54953 to authorize legislative bodies to conduct remote meetings provided the legislative body makes specified findings. As of September 19, 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 67,612 Californians. Social distancing measures decrease the chance of the spread of COVID-19.
Given the health risks associated with COVID-19, please be advised that while the City Council Chambers are open to the public, some or all of the Placentia City Council Members may attend this meeting via teleconference. Those locations are not listed on the agenda and are not accessible to the public.
How to Observe the Meeting
To maximize public safety while maintaining transparency and public access, in addition to being open to the public, all City Council meetings are available to view live on AT&T U -verse (Channel 99), Spectrum (Channel 3), and online at www.placentia.orq.11)cty .
How to Submit Public Comment
Members of the public may provide public comment in person or comments may be sent for City Council consideration by email to the City Clerk at cityclerk(ftlacentia.org. Please limit submitted comments to 200 words or less. Comments received before or during a Council meeting, until the close of the Oral Communications portion of the agenda, may not be read during the City Council meeting but will be summarized in the public record and are subject to the regular time limitations per speaker. Longer submittals will be included in the public record. If you are unable to provide your comments in writing, please contact the City Clerk's Office for assistance at (714) 993-8231.
Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodation
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk's Office at cit-Y lp[k@pl?!ceotiLa.org or by calling (714) 993-8231. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will generally enable City Staff to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility while maintaining public safety. (28 CFR
35.102.35.104 ADA Title II)
Until further notice the City will implement the guidelines of the California Department of Public Health regarding social distancing.
The City of Placentia thanks you in advance for taking all precautions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Shader called the meeting to order at 10:11 a.m ROLL CALL:
PRESENT: Councilmember Green, Smith, Yamaguchi, Wanke, Shader ABSENT: None
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STAFF PRESENT:
City Attorney/Authority Counsel Christian Bettenhausen; City Administrator Damien Arrula; Deputy City Administrator Rosanna Ramirez; Deputy City Administrator Luis Estevez; Police Chief Brad Butts; Fire Chief Jason Dobine; Interim Director of Finance Stephen Erlandson; Director of Development Services Joe Lambert; Assistant to the City Administrator/Economic Development Manager Jeannette Ortega; City Clerk Robert McKinnell; Deputy City Clerk Karen O'Leary INVOCATION: Charles Frost
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Shader
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS:
Mayor Shader opened Oral Communications. City Clerk McKinnell stated that no members of the public were present to provide comment and the City Clerk's Office had received no electronic communications.
Mayor Shader introduced Consultant Bill Kelly who was hired by the City Council to facilitate the meeting.
Mr. Kelly summarized his background and discussed organizational management. He encouraged City Council to think bigger and without boundaries or constraints, such as budget, to identify opportunities. He discussed the first handout in the agenda packet, "Steps in the Strategic Planning Process." The steps were mission, vision, goals, strategies, actions, and monitor. He explained that this meeting was to gain a global overview of goals and at a subsequent meetings Staff would convert the City Council's goals into objectives that are measurable.
Mr. Kelly conducted two (2) communication exercises to assist the City Council and Staff in understating each other and stressed that without good communication processes break down over time. He noted that to be effective as a team each must understand how the other thinks and what will and will not work for them.
The first exercise carried out was an identification of the participants' birth order and Mr. Kelly read birth order characteristics and provided a handout for reference. There was a discussion regarding the characteristics and how they seemed to apply or not apply to those present.
Mayor Pro Tem Wanke asked if the characteristics applied cross -culturally.
The second exercise was a modified version of the Myers -Briggs Personality Assessment and Mr.
Kelly recommended the Myers -Briggs as a tool to be used in the hiring process. Mr. Kelly described the recruitment and training processes of some well-known, highly successful businesses. The exercise was conducted in two (2) parts beginning with a self-assessment, scoring, and charting of results by each participant. Each one identified their dominant characteristics and Mr. Kelly discussed characteristics of each behavioral style in interactions with other people. He gave specific examples of how best to communicate with each interpersonal influence style. Mr. Kelly stated that the best style was the one the organization needed at a particular time and that a blend of styles from each quadrant is needed for an organization to be successful. Mr. Kelly provided a handout for later reference titled Interpersonal Influence Behavioral Styles.
The City Council and Staff were asked to indicate their birth order and interpersonal style on wall charts.
A break was taken at 11:08 a.m.
Mayor Shader called the meeting back to order at 11:21 a.m.
Mr. Kelly introduced the Concord Principles established by the City Council of Concord, California, and he discussed the foundations of effective governance in high performing City Councils. He noted that the Concord Principles are being embraced by many cities in California. He gave the example of Placentia City Council Minutes, March 10, 2022 SPECIAL MEETING - Council Retreat Page 2 of 6
Buena Park who reformatted their mission and core value statements to incorporate many of the Concord Principles.
There was a brief discussion of the meaning of the quote, "We are one City with five districts." Mr. Kelly moved to a discussion of the City's Mission Statement which was approved by City Council in February 2009. He stated that a mission statement must be easily quoted or paraphrased.
Mr. Kelly advised that the Mission Statement should be prominently displayed in City Hall and that all Staff should be aware of it. Mayor Shader spoke in support of the current Mission Statement and there was City Council consensus to retain the Mission Statement as is.
Mr. Kelly moved on to a review of the City's Vision Statement.
Councilmember Yamaguchi said that the current Vision Statement was established in 2009 in response to controversial events affecting the City at that time and that he did not believe it was pertinent in the City's and the City Council's current circumstances.
Mayor Pro Tem Wanke concurred that the current Vison Statement was a snapshot in time.
Mayor Shader remarked that certain concepts in the vision statement were still important including trust and optimizing available resources, but that optimized might be changed. She supported keeping "open, honest, responsive and innovative government." Councilmember Yamaguchi suggested "optimizing available resources" could be changed to watchdogs of your money" or "good stewards of what we have." Mayor Pro Tem Wanke discussed the public's perception of the use of available resources.
City Attorney Bettenhausen suggested "in a manner which benefits the entire community." Councilmember Smith suggested that use of the phrase "fair and equitable" might lead the public to think that the City was not currently operating in a fair and equitable manner. He suggested the being the best stewards of the public's money and expectations." Mr. Kelly suggested returning to the discussion at a later time and perhaps the City Council could be provided samples of the vision statements of other cities for consideration.
Mayor Pro Tem Wanke suggested adding "transparency," "efficiency," "stewardship." Mayor Shader agreed with adding "transparency" and suggested "in a manner best for the entire City" and "being good stewards of available resources." Mr. Kelly moved to a discussion of core values and presented a summation of the City's Policy 352, Code of Core Values and Ethics adopted in 2010. He asked if City Council found these core values and ethical standards by definition and application adequate or if they should be modified. Mr. Kelly stated that the Code of Core Values and Ethics must be signed by every elected official and all Staff Councilmember Yamaguchi stated that the City's current Code of Core Values and Ethics seemed more like professional standards and business objectives.
Mayor Shader asked Mayor Pro Tem Wanke and Councilmember Yamaguchi if they were on the City Council at the time Policy 352 was adopted.
Mayor Pro Tem Wanke stated that he did not remember the City Council discussing the Code of Core Values and Ethics and expressed doubt that it was ever considered by City Council.
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City Administrator Arrula responded that Policy 352 had been approved by City Council resolution by a unanimous vote. He stated that all employees sign the policy as part of the onboarding process.
Mr. Kelly stated that the document does exist legally and is a standing legal documents that everyone is supposed to sign and follow. He said that the City is bound by the policy unless the City Council changes the policy by a formal process.
Mayor Shader asked if other cities put their Ethics and Core Values into the form of a policy with detailed definitions.
Mr. Kelly responded that the City's policy was a little more detailed that most cities, but because Policy 352 legally exists, it is the law of the City.
Mayor Pro Tem Wanke stated that he found the some of the wording in Policy 352 ridiculous and that the City can not compel employees to care about something. He said that he found some of the wording wishy-washy and that it would not be possible to hold the employees accountable regarding some of the statements. He suggested that the policy be reworded to have deliverable and realistic expectations of Staff placed in situations dealing with all members of the public. He stated that he refused to sign a copy of Policy 352 and it was not presented to him for signature when he was elected. He said that he did not find it to be a viable document being too long and difficult to remember and too wishy-washy.
Councilmember Yamaguchi questioned whether the City had an ethics policy in addition to the Code of Core Values and Ethics.
City Administrator Arrula mentioned that he believed Policy 352 was the only document Councilmember Yamaguchi suggested bifurcating the core values and ethics and establishing a separate policy for each.
Mr. Kelly stated that the City Council must first define the City Council's core values, rework Policy 352, and readopt it. He added that if you have something on the books and do not apply it, then do not have it because you are in violation of your own rules.
Mayor Shader asked Deputy City Administrator Ramirez how the document was used with staff and if it was ever used in disciplinary actions.
Deputy City Administrator Ramirez stated that it is provided in the new employee onboarding packet, but she had no knowledge of it being used in a disciplinary action.
City Administrator Arrula stated that other documents are referenced for disciplinary actions. He said the City was lacking a complete governance manual and he was not aware that Policy 352 had been adopted by the City Council in 2010. He found it to contain a lot of good, helpful information and wanted to present it to City Council for reference and confirm that everyone had a copy in their personnel file.
Mr. Kelly suggested that the City Council should consider the core value statements of all City Departments, refine the City Council's core values, establish clear definitions of the core values, and provide detailed documents with specifics of the core values.
Mayor Pro Tem Wanke discussed difficult and illegal situations with Staff and finances in the past which helped to shape the current statements, policies, and documents under review.
Mr. Kelly summarized that the ultimate goal should be to reflect the City's current situation and to project forward and that the review of the core values was being referred back to staff through City Administrator Arrula. He suggested that Staff research the Core Values and Ethics of Buena Park and other cities.
City Administrator Arrula sought clear direction on the City Council's wishes regarding the separation of core values and ethics.
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Mayor Pro Tem Wanke added that Staff should survey what other cities do There was City Council consensus to separate core values and ethics and to create something that maintains a lot of the important content in the existing document while creating an additional, more relatable document that would be easier for people to comprehend and remember. City Council directed that the policy be more concise.
There was a brief discussion of the requirements of Assembly Bill (AB) 1234.
City Attorney Bettenhausen commented on the differences between core values and ethics.
City Administrator Arrula stated that it was time to reevaluate Policy 352 and come up with something more reflective of the current City Council.
Mr. Kelly suggested that City Council and Staff evaluate progress towards the established goals periodically, and train and retrain employees.
A break for lunch was taken at 12:01 p.m.
Mayor Shader called the meeting back to order at 12:49 p.m.
Mr. Kelly began a review of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) compiled from discussions with the City Council and members of Staff.
He referred to charts displayed on the walls which reflected the identified strengths: good relationships between Council Members with a desire to do what's best for the community; community -friendly Police Department; general community support for the Police Department; low crime rate; City staff willing to work to be essential, energetic, and tech savvy; focused on moving at the speed of business, not government; a task/project-oriented City Manager; political will to make the right changes; comfortable with and accepting of "outside the box thinking;" recognize the strengths, experience, and expertise of City staff; successful and see it when other seek us out as to how we do it (EIFD and homelessness); transparent and work hard to communicate with the community; lead and take an inclusive position with others both within and outside the organization; incredibly knowledgeable staff; fiscally stable and sustainable; good reserve policy; ability to vision on projects and priorities; very effective with limited resources (think like a big city, but operate efficiently as a small city); and the Ad -Hoc committee process.
Also identified were weaknesses: low morale issues, revolving door with Staff; not following the Charter; lack of up-to-date policies; City Council and Staff not having healthy dialogue, especially in disagreements (lack of civility and respect); trying to do too much at once; not having respect for the ideas of everyone; hiding problems/mistakes rather than admitting and addressing properly and timely; while doing better, need to mentor and develop Staff; figure out a means to recruit and retain top notch personnel; we are a government business, don't make things personal; balance workloads and expectations . .. keep it realistic and delegate; lack of backing on projects such as infrastructure (roads, streets, sidewalks); parks and improvements; City Council gets stuck on one thing and can't move on; not enough staff resources to do everything; lack of prioritized City Council goals, therefore missing focus; lack of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) (revenue and destination options); Ad -Hoc committee process; and adding too many projects at City Council meetings without priorities being reviewed.
Identified opportunities included: attracting business in TOD District; EIFD and Opportunity Zone; improving relationships with surrounding agencies and cities; continued Infrastructure improvements; more creative public engagement; more mixed-use development; variety of housing affordable and middle income); more multi -mobile transportation options; capitalizing on technology that allows for greater efficiency; increase reserves to 50% of General Fund operating; chase more grant money; bolster ranks of police, fire and employees; enhance training and development opportunities for Staff; consider sharing of services to other cities (Police and fire); Metrolink Station; improve Council/City Administrator relationships; City Attorney coordination and evaluation; update personnel rules and procedures; City Council/Districts Governance Manual/Code Placentia City Council Minutes, March 10, 2022 SPECIAL MEETING - Council Retreat Page 5 of 6
of Conduct/Norms; bring Fire Department up to minimum staffing needs; need updated Administrative Policy manual and Ad -Hoc Policy and Procedures; construction of Public Safety Facility; Senior Center/Community Center opportunity at Tri -City Park; City Center Improvement Project (HVAC, roof, etc.); attracting more hotels to capitalize on nearby attractions (Cal State Fullerton, Disneyland, ocV!be, etc.); and the Ad -Hoc Committee Process, Mr. Kelly continued with identified threats: failure to realize lost savings on Fire Department; lack of trust in leadership (Council and City Manager); trying to do too much internally and not using consultants; need to be a team when we allow personal, not professional attitudes to override true focus; focus on the big picture, not the weeds, not getting a Metrolink Station/Parking Structure; priorities not consistent with community desires; legislation, unfunded mandates and ballot measures from Sacrament, D.C.; lack of funding to address homelessness; lack of funding for affordable housing; and City Council contacts with Staff without notifying the City Administrator lack of a policy).
Mr. Kelly gave each Council Member 10 red stickers and instructed them to place one sticker on each item on the opportunities and weaknesses charts where they believe the item should be worked on as a goal.
After the Council Members had finished placing their red stickers, Mr. Kelly gave them each five (5) green stickers to indicate their secondary selections of goals.
Mr. Kelly described the process the Staff and City Council will employ to identify objectives and set and track goals. He stated that he will work with the City Administrator and Staff to develop definitive and measurable short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Staff will return to City Council for a Study Session to finalize goals and objectives. He recommended that goals be posted in the City Council Chambers and that every staff report have a section for planned goals and objectives and how the item furthers the City Council's goals. The goals should be formally adopted at a public meeting and regularly publicly updated.
He recommended that City Council and Staff determine the birth order and behavioral style of all employees and refer to the handouts to determine how best to communicate with all team members.
ADJOURNMENT:
The City Council adjourned at 1:40 p.m. to its Regular Meeting on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 5:30 p.m.
Rhonda Shader, Mayor
ATTEST:
Alft4llwl
Robert S. McKinnell, City Clerk
No
0 DEC X04
1926
VA
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