Part 3 -- Admin & Fin Committee continued
* Organization Restructuring Report by Jeff Schoenbauer, a consultant from Brauer and Associates, Ltd., presented on behalf of Interim superintendent Jon Gurban. Schoenbauer has been working on this plan for 4 years. He says they are doing the "heavy lifting" to change the organization. His most key point of his 30 minute presentation is that the "plan had to be organization driven and able to stand on its own." He clearly positions himself to continue in his role, and likewise positions current executive management of the Park Board to stay in place. Much of what he says sounds very good, but much of it is also standard operating procedure for any competent executive, and is well known in the corporate world. His descriptions are very much "buzz word compliant" and full of the emotional strokes that people need to hear to feel good about what they are hearing. He sells the commissioners on the big reorganization plan that has been developed. There is a lot of good and valid information and change contained within it. He outlines what the new management organization chart will look like with cross-discipline teams under 3 district managers, beneath 2 general managers beneath the superintendent, instead of functional "silos" which discourage communication and cooperation between employees in different departments. He talks about how employee morale has increased since Gurban rekindled interest in this reorg plan (remember, he's been working on it 4 years).
A number of Park Board staff members then give their personal testimonials about how excited and positive they feel about the process and proposed changes, including Deb Pilger from operations, Jennifer Ringold from planning, assistant superintendent Mike Schmidt, Mary Lyn Pulscher, assistant superintendent Don Siggelkow, and Eileen Kilpatrick.
Consultant Schoenbauer says it will take 2 to 3 years from adoption to complete the entire reorganization effort. Once it is completely, then work on a Comprehensive Plan can be begun.
* Comr. Olson thanks Schoenbauer and staff, and support the re-org effort.
Comr. Erwin supports the re-org effort but says commissioners need to be involved early on in these kinds of proposed changes. Suggests a staff/commissioner retreat.
Comr. Mason supports the re-org efforts in all ways, and keeping the board in the loop is the one issue she has.
Comr. Kummer applauds their efforts and has a question about the 3 district map.
Comr. Young commends the staff and is also concerned about keeping the commissioners in the loop. Changes must be approved by the board.
Comr. Dziedzic holds up a sign that says "9.7"
Comr. Berry Graves says the plan needs discussion, in particular the 3 district arrangement.
Comr. Young moves acceptance of report and move plan to full board. Comr. Dziedzic seconds.
Motion PASSES with 2 opposed, Berry Graves and 1 other that I did not catch.
** 8:30pm **
[by this time, reporters from the Star Tribune and SW Journal were long gone and missed the following fireworks.]
Admin & Fin Committee adjourns.
Regular meeting is rejoined.
Comr. Olson calls for modifications to agenda.
Comr. Mason has a number of items, including those not addressed at the canceled meeting.
Olson gets into a heated discussion with Mason and Young about which items can be included, and which ones he is going to delay further by pushing them through committees.
Comr. Dziedzic comments "we will be here all night."
Mason points out it would not have been a problem if the last meeting had not been canceled by a virtual boycott by 5 commissioners.
Olson disagrees about what the calendar said about last week's meeting. Not all items get put on tonight's agenda.
Comr. Erwin states that staff should have had the items on the agenda since they were brought up in the last committee before the full board.
Agenda approved.
** 8:40pm **
* Petitions and Communications
Commissioners described letters and petitions they had received, nothing earth shattering here.
* Reports From Officers -- none.
* Consent Business. Fairly perfunctory approval of all items, including re-org plan, change to ordinance to allow liquor license at Calhoun Refectory (Tin Fish), and maximum levy.
* Superintendent Search Update by Mary Page.
1. Public Input at last meeting -- Oldani Group's Andrea Sims took copious notes
2. Recruitment draft materials sent to board for review
3. Contact with commissioners coming Thursday/Friday(?)
4. Time line -- moved back 2 weeks with Nov. 29 suggested final selection date instead of first week of November.
Comr. Mason says all looks ok except the draft ad from the recruitment materials.
Comr. Dziedzic objects to the "turmoil on the board" phrase in the recruitment brochure, but Oldani will tell any serious applicant what the situation is.
Comr. Young says ad is lousy and the "turmoil" phrase needs rewording.
** 9:08pm **
* New Business
* Comr. Berry Graves discusses a letter to the board from People For Parks. There seems to be a staff memo associated with this referring to some problems with release of funds and a disputed problem that goes back 3 and a half years. People For Parks is a non-profit 501(c)3 independent organization which has raised money for specific projects in the parks with approval of the Park Board. The recent letter is asking for specific approval of 3 small projects in Longfellow Gardens for which fund raising has started. But staff wants to resolve the old issue about getting funds released to pay for work the Park Board did in the past and for which People For Parks was presumably going to pay.
Jim Parsons, current president of People For Parks is present and addresses the situation at the request of the commissioners. He describes some of the history of the situation, making it clear that he was not involved with People For Parks, having resigned, during the time the unpaid work was done, and that he only recently came back to the organization and became its president. He appeared at the last meeting of the Park Board requesting action on the approval of the 3 projects in Longfellow Gardens because [apparently] requests to the staff were going no where. And that is what he was prepared to talk about tonight. He had no idea that the issue of the past 3.5 years would be brought up and associated with his request.
[It seems to me that what happened is that staff, probably Mike Schmidt or at his direction, attached a memo to the letter that Parsons wrote when it was distributed to commissioners and the interim superintendent. It appears this memo outlines complaints about not getting paid for the historical work. It's not exactly clear. What is clear is that there has been some sort of impasse between the Park Board and People For Parks for some time.]
Parsons makes a number of points about the actions he has taken. Parsons met with interim super. Jon Gurban and asst. super. Mike Schmidt regarding the 3 projects in Longfellow, and at that time Gurban resurrected the past problems. However, Parsons points out that at no time has the Park Board ever been able to put anything in writing quantifying the amount due and what for, that is, there have never been any invoices or documentation. Further, all of this was during a time when Parsons was not a part of the organization. Parsons wants the current project addressed, not held up while a problem which has not been resolved for 3.5 years continues to not be resolved.
Comr. Olson cuts Parsons off saying the hour is late.
Comr. Erwin proposes two meetings between the two organizations, one to address solely the past problem with release of funds for completed projects, and one to solely address the current proposed projects for Longfellow Gardens.
Asst. super. Mike Schmidt wants an agreement on past before moving forward, and wants details in 3 parts on new project before approving.
Comr. Olson asks if Parsons knows where the money is [money in People For Parks control].
Parsons points out that until February of this year [if I remember correctly], all of the accounting for People For Parks was actually done by the Park Board accounting department, but ultimately yes, he does know.
Comr. Kummer thinks the plans for Longfellow are great but didn't know about the past problems.
Comr. Young states the board needs a working agreement between the two organizations. She suggests that comr. Kummer and asst. super. Schmidt be part of a team to negotiate such an agreement, cognizant of what the Parks Foundation is doing, as well.
Comr. Olson appoints comr. Erwin and comr. Kummer to take on this effort.
** 9:30pm **
==== End of Part 3 of 4 ====
Chris Johnson, Fulton
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