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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2011-10-01CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Regular Meeting October 26, 2011 Members Present: Alderperson McGonigle, Alderperson Zumoff, Alderperson Mohlenhoff, Alderperson Rooker, Alderperson Clairborne Members Excused: Mayor Peterson Staff Present: Dan Hoffinan (City Attorney), Debra Parsons (City Chamberlain), Julie Holcomb (City Clerk), Steve Thayer (Controller), Scott Andrew (Deputy Controller), Schelley Michell -Nunn (HR Director), Denise Malone (HR Executive Assistant) Others Present: Members of the Public, Members of the Media Chairperson Clairborne called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. 1. Chairperson Greeting & Opening Statement Chairperson Clairborne welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the evacuation procedures. 2. Announcements Community Health Fair: Cayuga Medical Center will sponsor a Community Health Fair on Saturday — October 29, 2011 at GIAC from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Columbia Street Bridge Opening: There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony /opening of the Columbia Street Bridge on Monday — October 31, 2011 at 12:30 p.m. 3. Agenda Review and Amendments Chairperson Clairborne stated that the following item has been added to the agenda: 12.1 — Common Council — Installation of Means Restriction Nets on Three City -Owned Bridges. 4. Approval of Minutes Alderperson Mohlenhoff made a motion to approve the minutes, with corrections, from the September 28, 2011 meeting of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson Rooker. Motion carried 5 -0. 5. Statements from the Public. None. 6. Employee Comments. None. 7. Common Council Response. None. 8. Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee (WDAC) Update City Administration Committee Meeting October 26, 2011 Page 2 HR Director Schelley Michell -Nunn reported that the City Clerk's Office presented its diversity report to the Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee at its last meeting. 9. Safety Committee Update. None. 10. Regular Reports from Departments Reporting to CA — City Chamberlain's Office City Chamberlain Debra Parsons reported on the department's 2011 diversity plan. Ms. Parsons reported on the following: Demographics: The Chamberlain's Office has a total of six employees; all females and one person of color. Attributes: The Chamberlain's Office selected the following attributes: • Attribute 7 - Demonstrated Commitment to Continuous Learning: Education and training programs to build effective working relationships; and • Attribute 11 - Commitment to Community Partnerships: Community outreach and alliance building. Goal: The Chamberlain's Office has a lot of contact with the Ithaca community in its role as revenue collector. The goal of the Chamberlain's Office is to be as welcoming as possible to everyone who comes to the office. To do this, the staff has made contacts with various organizations and community groups that represent or are comprised of diverse members of the community. Diversity Training and Education: The Chamberlain's Office has been involved with diversity training and educating. They have • Invited Community Groups to the Office: The Chamberlain's Office has met with individuals who work with the aged, individuals with disabilities, the Asian community and people who teach English as a second language. They plan to invite to the office representatives of the Latino Civic Association. The staff has learned some history about these organizations, has been given insight about how to improve communication with the department's constituents and has made progress in building connections with the community. • Attended Workshop on White Privilege: Office staff participated in this workshop. This workshop was not as successful; some staff gained valuable insight while others became defensive and lost out on the learning opportunity. • Attended Workshop on Undoing Racism: All the staff attended the Undoing Racism Workshop. A positive and productive discussion followed the workshop in the office. Had staff attended this workshop first, the workshop on white privilege may have been more valuable. • Participated in Diversity Education: City Chamberlain Parsons stepped out of her normal comfort zone by attending the Diversity Roundtable in June 2011 and helping to serve at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Breakfast at GIAC in January 2011. • Customer Feedback Form: The Chamberlain's Office has been working on incorporating diversity and inclusion measures in its customer feedback form. This idea was suggested by the HR Director, who spoke at one of the department's staff meeting. The City Chamberlain will meet with the Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee and ask for feedback on this form. City Administration Committee Meeting October 26, 2011 Page 3 HR Director Schelley Michell -Nunn mentioned that Ms. Parsons was the only person in her office that has attended the Talking Circles. The Committee thanked City Chamberlain Parsons for her diversity report. 11. Mayor's 2012 Budget Updates. None. 12. Common Council Installation of Means Restriction Nets on Three City -Owned Bridges Cornell University Senior Director John Gutenberger and other representatives from Cornell University attended the meeting to give a brief update on a draft proposal between the City of Ithaca and Cornell University for means restriction net systems on three City bridges. 2. Council Emergency Notification City Clerk Julie Holcomb attended the meeting to brainstorm ideas on how best to communicate with the Mayor and Common Council members during emergency situations. 13. Human Resources (HR) Department Anti - Discrimination and Harassment Policy Moved by Alderperson Mohlenhof£ Seconded by Alderperson Rooker. WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca is generally covered as an employer under the City Code Human Rights Protection local law, and WHEREAS, the City Mayor and Common Council are desirous to establish an anti- discrimination and harassment policy that is specific and applicable to all aspects of the day to day operations of the City, and WHEREAS, the City has and continues to adhere to the expectations codified in the Anti - Discrimination and Harassment Policy; now therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby adopts the Anti - Discrimination and Harassment Policy dated November 2, 2011, and be it further RESOLVED, That said policy shall be distributed to all city employees and that the Human Resources department shall maintain a record indicating such receipt of the policy. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. City Administration Committee Meeting October 26, 2011 Page 4 2. Director's Report. HR Director Michell -Nunn reported on the following: Quarterly Recognition Program: There was an employee selected to receive the Quarterly Recognition Award. Flu Shot Clinic: There were over 70 employees who participated in the flu shot clinic. One reason this number is less than the previous years because employees now have access to flu shots from other providers. Comp Study Consultant: A consultant has been hired to conduct the comp study for employees in the Executive Association and managerial employees. 14. Finance /Controller 1. Request to Transfer Funds from Unrestricted Contingency for Financial Software Upgrade Moved by Alderperson Zumof£ Seconded by Alderperson Mohlenhof£ WHEREAS, the City's financial software, MUNIS is now due for an upgrade, and WHEREAS, this upgrade will move our existing server from SQL 2000 to SQL 2005 and upgrade the MUNIS version from 7.2 to 8.3 at a cost of $6,219; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby approves the transfer of an amount not to exceed $6,219 from Account A1990 Unrestricted Contingency to Account A1320 -5210 Information Technologies Contracts for the purpose of upgrading the current MUNIS Financial System. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2. Controller's Report. Controller Thayer reported on the following: Budget 2012): The review of the 2012 budget has been completed. The budget has been moved on to the next Common Council meeting for approval. Controller Thayer thanked everyone for their part in getting through this budget season. 15. Reports Mayor's Report. None. 2. Sub - Committee Updates. None. 3. Council Members' Announcements. None. 4. Next Month's Meeting: November 30, 2011. City Administration Committee Meeting October 26, 2011 Page 5 16. Adjournment With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Mohlenhoff, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.