EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:
UNDERSTANDING & MANAGING
EXPECTATIONS
Special City Council Meeting
April 23, 2024
Facilitator: Henry Gardner
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AGENDA
1. Organizational Chart
2. Working Relationship between City Council and Staff
3. Discussion
4. Public Comment
5. Next Steps
6. Adjournment
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What Do Councilmembers need from the
Mayor?
Generally not
available to meet;
difficult to arrange
Lack of substantive
information from
Mayor’s Office
More inclusivity in
communications
Other than
litigation, who
decides what goes
to closed session?
Can CMs initiate?
Great if Mayor gave
status report and
kept Council
informed
More
responsiveness and
courtesy of
responses
More effective
communication
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What Does the Mayor Need from the
Councilmembers?
Needs Council to see
he tries to be fair in
recognizing order of
speakers and adhering
to time rules
Understand when
pulling/putting items
on the agenda
attempts to balance
timeliness of issues
Sometimes difficult to
get it right in terms of
who raised hand first
Good rapport with the
Council
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What Does the Management Leadership Team
Need from the City Council? (1 of 5)
Treated with courtesy,
dignity, and respect
Consistent message
(of needs and
expectations)
Support,
acknowledgement,
and clarity
Further prioritization
of goals and to NOT
add additional goals
Fewer meetings so
staff can focus on
implementation of
the goals and
objectives
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What Does the Management Leadership Team
Need from the City Council? (2 of 5)
Agreement on
priorities and need
space to focus on
priorities (commit to
priorities)
Outline their role as a
liaison
Understand that we
are a TEAM; Work
together towards
goals
TRUST Be objective
7 DRAFT
What Does the Management Leadership Team
Need from the City Council? (3 of 5)
Contacts with
consultants is
counter-productive
Eliminate “we” “they”
dichotomy
Respect the City
Manager privately and
in public
Update council rules
to have July and
August off
Limit presentations to
1-2 per meeting
Adding items to
agenda unless it
relates to the goals
(unless mayor + 2 CM
agree)
8 DRAFT
What Does the Management Leadership Team
Need from the City Council? (4 of 5)
Clarification/agreement
on council requests
Clear communication
process
Open to various
perspectives
No “gotcha” moments
Staff answers council
questions prior to council
meetings, however, those
questions are reiterated a
at the meeting
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What Does the Management Leadership Team
Need from the City Council? (5 of 5)
Assume staff is doing
their best
Review of what is a
conflict of interest and
ethics
More understanding and
think about how their
items will affect staff
and community
Same schedule as staff
for council items
Make sure agenda items
are in line with goals
Better understanding of
what a policy,
resolution, and law are
and why implementation
is so important
10 DRAFT
What Does the City Council Need from the
Management Leadership Team? (1 of 4)
Doing a good job but
not as open to
suggestions as could
be
Need to return to full-
time City Attorney
Need to know ongoing
challenges staff is
facing
Need frank and candid
discussion around
homelessness;
metrics, measures of
success
Have more clarity
about what is needed
Report status of major
issues or emails for
quick updates
11 What Does the City Council Need from the
Management Leadership Team? (2 of 4)
Keep informed and
set realistic timelines
Establish regular
communications
recognizing that staff
is stressed
Actively engage with
constituents who have
several issues and
concerns and expect a
response
No response is not
helpful
Provide a better sense
of what staff must get
on the agenda
12 DRAFT
What Does the City Council Need from the
Management Leadership Team? (3 of 4)
Would like more
communication with
staff
City Manager tries to
bridge gap between
Council and staff
Want to know what is
going to be on the
agenda before it is
published
Items should not be
on the agenda unless
they align with goals
Would like more data,
more information
regarding costs, and
timelines
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What Does the City Council Need from the
Management Leadership Team? (4 of 4)
Budget report
was great
Appreciate
timely
communications
Losing
accountability
Need
community trust
Need
community trust
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DISCUSSION
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PUBLIC COMMENT
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NEXT STEPS
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ADJOURNMENT
Thank You!
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