Three months on as a City Councilor:

It has been a very interesting three months! There are big challenges, but I am enjoying it all.

If you attended the May 7^th City Council meeting or read the Herald news report after that, you will know that on April 17^th, in my position as a new City Councilor, I asked for information concerning the three positions that City Council manages. Those positions are: City Manager, City Attorney and the Municipal Judge.

The information I asked for was:

• Employment Contracts
• Job descriptions
•  Goals & Objectives
•  3 years of job evaluations

Contracts were forthcoming. However, job descriptions, goals & objectives and evaluations were not. What ensued was a somewhat fraught process to get to the consensus that City Council should create for its three employees an evaluation process that includes goals & objectives that are by definition SMART:

• Simple
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Timely

I am happy to report that this week (July 17 & 18) City Council will be working with a facilitator to create that process!!!!!

Another forward step that City Council has agreed to take on is the formation of a Committee that will provide strategic, expert, thoughtful and insightful long-term management information and initiatives to the Councilors. In the past the City has had a Finance Committee that reviewed the coming year’s budget and made suggestions, did some analysis and asked questions. This new Committee is envisioned to be tackling long-term impactful questions around such topics as:

• How do we address the structural financial imbalance in the General Fund?
• How do we measure City progress on essential issues such as:
  • Housing availability & affordability
  • Economic Development

What are prudent operating and capital reserves for a City whose revenue is primarily created through sales tax?

using tools such as:

• KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
• Benchmarking to peer cities
• Best practices of high-performing Cities

I am very excited to be one of the City Councilors on the working committee to propose the outline, the purpose, and how this Committee is structured (including its title!) for consideration of the entire Council.

And finally, I am searching for an “assistant” to help me with research, setting up neighborhood meetings, broadening my communications platform (social media, etc). If you are interested or know of anyone who might be interested please contact me.

If you have questions or thoughts & ideas for me, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kim Baxter

kim@kimforcouncil.org       970/799-5799