Minutes: Evansville Finance Committee: January 2006

Finance and Labor Relations Committee
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, January 9, 2006, 5:30 PM
City Hall, 31 S. Madison Street, Evansville, WI

MINUTES

Chairperson Aikman called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM. Present were Chairperson Aikman, Ald. Cothard, and Ald. Roberts. Staff present: Bill Connors, City Administrator, and Jim Beilke, Clerk/Treasurer. Ald. Sornson was present in audience.

Approval of Agenda.
The agenda was approved as printed.

Approval of Minutes.
Motion by Aikman, seconded by Cothard, to waive the reading and approve the minutes for the regular meeting on December 12, 2006. Motion passed.

Citizen appearances other than agenda items listed. None

Water & Light Department Bills.
Motion by Aikman, seconded by Roberts, to approve the Water & Light bills in the amount of $509,900.48 and authorize their payment. Motion passed.

City Bills.
Motion by Aikman, seconded by Roberts, to approve the City bills in the amount of $315,183.18 and authorize their payment. Motion passed.

Unfinished Business.
The committee reviewed the status of insurance/collateral covering city’s deposits at Union Bank & Trust Co., noting the coverage for the city funds was above current deposits. The committee was very pleased with the UB&T coverage.

Mr. Connors reported that he still has had very little time to work on the revised Employee Handbook.

The committee reviewed the new position description for the City Finance Director and updated position descriptions for the City Administrator. Because of the size of these documents (and the position descriptions of the other department heads) and the holiday season, the consensus was to review these documents next month after they have more time to review them.

The committee reviewed the performance evaluation form for the City Administrator. Mr. Connors reported he updated the form by adding and omitting performance categories to match the position’s current responsibilities. The performance categories starting on page one and continuing through the middle of page three in the performance evaluation form were lifted from the current position description and Municipal Code. Performance categories starting at the bottom of pages three and continuing through page five were added from materials alderpersons received at the recent League of Wisconsin Municipalities conference. The committee reviewed the scale (numbered 1 through 5) to rate each performance category, which is listed on the top of page one. Number one is a mark of poor performance, and number five is a mark of outstanding performance. Numbers two through four list the scale for the marks of needs improvement, satisfactory, and good. The committee questioned how to mark a performance category if the evaluator does not know how to mark the category. The consensus was to add an “N/A” option for the above situation.

Motion by Aikman, seconded by Roberts, to approve performance evaluation form for the City Administrator, amending page one, by adding “N/A” or some similar option to the scale to rate each performance category. Motion passed.

New Business.
Motion by Aikman, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Council the acceptance of a $5,000 grant from the Courtier Foundation, Inc. for the new Youth Center at 209 S. First Street. The funds will be used for the capital project of renovating and equipping for the Youth Center. Motion passed.

Motion by Aikman, seconded by Roberts, to convene into closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. Sec. 19.85(1)(c), considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the city has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility, and will not reconvene into open session. The committee will discuss the contents of 2006 employment contracts between the city and its department heads. On a roll call vote, motion passed unanimously at 5:54 PM.

Adjournment.
Motion by Cothard, seconded by Roberts, to adjourn at 6:30 PM. Motion passed.