HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-09-19 City Commission Packet Materials - A4. Commission Role in Strategic Plan Implementation
Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Andrea Surratt, City Manager SUBJECT: Review City Charter Regarding Commission Role in Implementation of the Strategic Plan
MEETING DATE: October 9, 2019
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Action
RECOMMENDATION: To allow a City Commissioner, accompanied by the City Manager,
to participate in the public outreach team meetings and to coordinate with the City Manager for
each of the top priority projects of the Strategic Plan.
BACKGROUND: The City of Bozeman is guided by the Strategic Plan which was approved on
April 16, 2018. The Strategic Plan currently does not have a detailed guide for implementation
strategies or structure to implement its goals. My work pattern is to assemble cross functional
teams and identify key areas of the project and begin working in subgroups or as a whole to
accomplish the task. Some commissioners have expressed a desire to provide input to the
outreach process; and, when given in a constructive way, that input has provided a valuable
perspective for me to consider. The nature of the top Strategic Plan priorities is that these
projects:
• are the most important projects,
• require resources and time from various departments,
• will generate lasting change in the community.
City Commission members will often desire to be a spokesperson out in the community for these
initiatives and therefore have ideas about what types of outreach will be helpful to educate the
public.
This work of the Strategic Plan makes up 20% of the work of the organization to propel
Bozeman forward into its inevitable position of being a metropolitan area defined by the
upcoming 2020 Census. Seventy percent (70%) of the work of the city is day to day operations.
A final ten percent (10%) is capacity that we need to hold open to respond to immediate issues,
customer concerns, staff shortages and new regulatory/process requirements. These are the
ideals, and the directors and city management work hard to keep the most important projects
(Strategic Plan) moving forward in spite of the tremendous growth pressures and staff shortages.
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The Strategic Plan calls for a significantly improved level of citizen engagement and outreach.
Each priority project (The Top 5 as they are referred to in 2019) has an element of outreach and
citizen engagement to it. Specifically, we are planning and implementing, along with the help of
subject matter consultants, the outreach efforts that will ensure that the Bozeman community
understands the issues and has a chance to participate in the development of plans and programs.
The top five projects in 2019 include:
• Affordable Housing;
• Parks and Trails Maintenance District;
• Annexation Study and Analysis;
• Planning and Land Use Initiatives (NCOD, Downtown Plan, and Community Plan); and
• Outreach and Engagement.
Other previously accomplished top priorities that had been on this list in 2018 include the
Bozeman Public Safety Center and Partnerships for Education. These efforts are continuing.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES: The Charter of the City of Bozeman does not speak directly to the
work of the Strategic Plan and the role of the City Commission to participate in that work at the staff level for public outreach program development. The following sections of the Charter apply. Under the powers and duties of the City Manager, the Manager is to coordinate with the Commission on developing policy, developing long terms goals and strategies for implementation and promote partnerships as noted below. Section 2.05 outlines that
Commissioners are deal directly with the City Manager and shall be prohibited from ‘interference with administration except for the purpose of inquiries’… as noted below. Sec. 3.04. - Powers and Duties of the City Manager
(9) Make recommendations to the city commission concerning the affairs of the city and
facilitate the work of the city commission in developing policy;
(11) Assist the commission in developing long term goals for the city and strategies to implement these goals;
(12) Encourage and provide staff support for regional and intergovernmental cooperation;
(13) Promote partnerships among commission, staff, and citizens in developing public policy and
building a sense of community;
Sec. 2.05. – Prohibitions
c. Interference with Administration. Except for the purpose of inquiries, and investigations under §2.09, the commission or its members shall deal with city officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the city manager solely through the city manager, and neither the commission nor its members shall give orders to any such officer or employee, either publicly or privately.
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The main question for this discussion is whether the City Commission agree that its members
can or should participate in one or more daytime work hour’s staff/consultant meetings on outreach for Strategic Plan priority projects? If so, I ask you also consider:
• How is it determined which Commissioner attends?
• What is the role of the Commissioner in those meetings?
• Is there a role for the Mayor in addition to the Commissioner whose topic is being discussed?
• How do Commissioners decide which topics are assigned to whom?
• What happens when a Commissioner’s term expires but the work is still going on?
• Can individual Commissioners direct consultants regarding outreach?
• How is the information shared with other Commissioners by the Commissioner in attendance?
• Can the agreed upon terms be set out in a resolution for the full Commission to adopt at a later date?
ALTERNATIVES: As suggested by the City Commission. FISCAL EFFECTS: The fiscal effects of this discussion are not directly known at this time but
discussions that occur may generate follow up projects or research that have a cost. Attachments: Charter