Document Minden_doc_6da676f7c0

Minden The Minden Town Board meeting was held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, at 1602 Esmeralda Avenue, Minden, Nevada. I. PRELIMINARY MATTERS AND PUBLIC INTEREST COMMENTS 5:30 p.m. Meeting was called to order by Chairman Stephans. 1. Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Condron. 2. Mr. Van Alyne noted the request by tenant for item #7 to be pulled off of the agenda. Thaler/Condron moved for approval of the agenda as published. Motion approved unanimously. 3. Stangle/Bernard moved for the approval of minutes of the February 2, 2011 Board meeting. Motion approved unanimously. 4. Condron/Thaler moved to approve and ratify vouchers and claims. 5. Acknowledgement of gifts: none. 6. Acknowledgement of service awards: none 7. Public comment: Barry Jones representing Carson Valley Lions Club told the Board about his hope of holding a new version of the Lions Club annual garage sale at Minden Park on May 21. It would include selling spaces for a flea market. They are looking for a permanent location, and it would be good for downtown activity. Mr. Jones will work with Roger to put this on next month's agenda. Mr. Jones also expressed a desire to sell food at the park for the summer concerts if possible. Beverly Giannopulos said that she did not support creating the manager position last year. She appreciates his dedication and abilities but is concerned about the budget. Perhaps he could be recognized in a non monetary way. Bill Souligny is hoping to sponsor a Land Rover picnic in Westwood Park and will be working with Mr. Van Alyne on this. Bob Pohlman requested that the Board give input to the County for the Master Plan update this year. Also on the agenda tomorrow there is a traffic planning item they might take notice of Mr. Stephans said that he will be discussing with Mr. Pohlman budget depreciation. Mr. Thaler noted that the County will be asking us for input on the Master Plan. II. STAFF REPORTS Note: Items on the Administrative Agenda will not be discussed during staff reports. 1. Public Works: report of activities by Mr. Hill. a. Report consists of two written reports in the packet. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 2 of 15 b. Mr. Condron questioned the January overtime. Mr. Hill said that the overtime in January was due to holidays. c. Ms. Stangle asked for 24 hours notice on street work that affects business. d. Mr. Thaler asked to have a more detailed report showing a breakdown on employee overtime hours, especially showing snow removal hours. Mr. Hill said that it is a case by case assessment and a lot has to do with the weather forecast and if the snow will melt. Snow policy will tentatively be reviewed in April. 2. Engineering Report: report by Bruce Scott a. Regarding the Buckeye Maintenance facility, FEMA has now re-evaluated the version of the flood modeling computer program the Town had been told to use, and no longer approves this program. Mr. Scott is hoping to go forward with the process and will be submitting to FEMA tomorrow. The grading permit will be allowed by the county within three weeks. b. Mr. Scott is pleased with the costs on the waterline projects. c. Mr. Scott is keeping an eye on legislative items concerning water issues. Mr. Bernard asked if the CLOMR is holding up the process and if the contractor has been given a notice to proceed. Mr. Van Alyne said that we have entered into an agreement with Q&D, but no building permit has been issued because of the FEMA issues. There is no indication that the contractor will not be able to meet his obligation. Mr. Hill said that cold weather protection will not be needed because of the projected start date. 3. Attorney Report: report by George Keele There have been some casualties of the economy within the Town, and Mr. Keele has been working with staff concerning liens. Our ordinance allows the filing of a judgment lien. It is first filed in small claims court, and the judgment in the amount of the arrearage is recorded as a lien that must be paid when the property is sold. Mr. Keele advised that the staff could handle the procedure which involves filing with the clerk of the court, recording a certified copy of the judgment and sending a copy to the owner on title. Normally, this shows as an outstanding debt and the credit rating is not clean; it expires after 6 years and is renewable. Applicable interest rates will follow. Lawsuits would be justified only if the outstanding debt warranted it. In respect to Chapter 7 bankruptcy, when there is notice of dismissal, collection efforts may resume; if there is a notice of discharge it is the end of any obligation. A response has been filed to the Town's motion to dismiss the Tribal lawsuit, and we will update next month on the Tribal lawsuit. Mr. Keele said he is committed to make sure that the Board has proper training. At the Board's convenience there, will be a visit by a member of the State Ethics committee and training on changes in the Open Meeting Law most likely in May. Every two years the Board is to be made fully aware of changes made in this law. 4. Manager's Report: report by Mr. Van Alyne Mr. Van Alyne apologized for not having the manager report in the packets. He touched on certain items in the report including: ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 3 of 15 • Possible alignment change in the Martin Slough. • NV Energy is working with the Town on underground power and decorative lighting on HWY 395. We are in good shape on this; Mr. Hill will be taking the lead. • There has been great interest in Cruise Nights, and they will probably be on May's agenda. • Mr. Van Alyne made some interesting contacts at the legislature night. • Frontier Communications is considering making Minden a Wi-Fi hot spot like Elko. • Staff is trained in the report production of New World Systems but the processing of claims through this system is on hold indefinitely. As we get closer to being on line with this element we will present information to the Board. • We are looking for ideas to promote Minden. Mr. Van Alyne asked for input on describing Minden in seven words or less, one of which must be the word 'Minden.' Mr. Thaler said that he was at NV Energy meeting and noted that because of changes in pumping procedure, even though we have used more energy, we have saved money. Mr. Stephans encouraged getting thoughts and focus on ideas for revitalizing Minden. Mr. Souligny will bring his Welcome Home t-shirt to the Town office to display. 5. Board member reports: a. Chairman's report All is well and good; we are working on some new ideas. b. Board member comments Ms. Stangle asked for feedback on the brochure to educate the public about the Wetlands. III. ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA: 1. Presentation by Douglas County Engine Company Dave Sheets, as well as Doug Sonneman and Henry Dreyer of the Engine Company gave the background and update on Lots 5&6 at Engine Company # 1. Dave Sheets had pursued the history and facts about the lots and building while he was a member of the Town Board. This action tonight is wrapping up his query. The Town owned the lots and the Engine Company built the two story structure on those lots in 1978, not realizing that the Town owned the lots, but that was never a problem. The building has 3 large bays downstairs housing fire equipment as well as the County exercise room. Upstairs is a large room that has many items appropriate for a museum. The Engine Company provided fire service for the town and county, but in recent years they ran out of volunteers. In 2006, the East Fork Fire District took over the operation of the station. It has been an interesting process trying to get this squared; the title research shows the Town is the clear owner of the lots and the Engine Company wants to formally present the Town with the building. Mr. Sonnemann and Mr. Dreyer, representing the Engine Company, remarked how much they appreciate the working relationship the Town had with the Engine Company. Henry Dreyer presented the Town of Minden with the title to the 1966 Suburban Panel truck, the keys to the building and a check for $5,000. The money is meant for the restoration of the suburban, the La France ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 4 of 15 fire truck, or for doing something with the upstairs in the firehouse. Each Town Board member thanked the volunteers for all the hard work in the past and for giving back to the town; the volunteers were a huge part of Minden history. Public comment: Bev Giannopulos said that she greatly appreciated knowing that when the siren sounded at the off hours, the volunteers were out protecting us. She misses the fire hose contests. Pictures were taken and Mr. Dreyer wrapped it up by noting that the bell at the station was donated by Danny Hellwinkel to the Engine Company and is now the Town property. 2. Presentation by Capital Classic Productions, event promoter for the Main Street Event Car Show, August 19-21, 2011. Brian McGill has had much more time to plan this year's show; it will be a three day event with lots of fun things happening. Friday night there will be vendors in the park, dinner in the hall and Route 66 will play on the street. On Saturday there will be a poker run, music in the park, and a sock hop in the Hall at night. Sunday will conclude the show. Ms. Stangle welcomed them back; Mr. Thaler verified that this event immediately follows Hot August Nights. Mr. McGill expects lots of people attending that will be at Tahoe; the limit on the cars is 220. They learned a lot last year and will do much better this year. The Town will award a trophy again to the most deserving vehicle. No Public comment. 3. Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request from the Carson Valley Reforestation Group for a grant for additional trees and maintenance of trees along Highway 395 between Minden Junction (intersection with State Route 88) and Carson City. Appearance by Nick Koropchak. Mr. Koropchak gave a brief history of the Carson Valley Reforestation project. The project starts just south of Stephanie Lane. He told the Board that an anonymous person is committed to donating $4,000 if the Town of Minden pledges $2,000. He said that the group has had no support from Douglas County, Gardnerville, or Genoa. Mr. Scott reminded the Board that this began with Marsha Tomerlin's effort to beautify the entrance after the highway was widened, and Minden backed her efforts of replacing and caring for the new trees. Mr. Thaler was assured by the manager that the budget had funding for this contribution. No public comment. Stangle/Condron moved to approve the request from the Carson Valley Reforestation Group for a grant for additional trees and maintenance of trees along Highway 395 between Minden Junction (intersection with State Route 88) and Carson City in the amount of $1,000. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Keele and Mr. Scott committed to splitting the remaining $1,000 to bring the contribution to $2000 from the Town. 4. Discussion and possible action to recommend approval, approval with conditions, continuance, or denial of Development Application (DA) 11-002 (Abandonment/Dedication): for Mike Pegram, G PEG II, LLC, Carson Valley Inn; Portion of 8th Street, between 1625 and1627 Hwy 395 N, Minden, NV, APNs 1320-29-401-005, -011, and -012. Appearance by Manhard Consulting. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 5 of 15 Mr. Keele retracted a disclosure last month concerning the Seeman trust, saying that this particular project has nothing to do with the trust and asked that the minutes be corrected to reflect this. Mark Rotter representing Manhard addressed this item. CVI owner Mike Pegram and General Manager Steve Chappell were also present. Mr. Rotter reviewed the project and how it came to be a street abandonment. In the design process for the parking lot at the Itildo parcel, the pedestrian access did not work well; they then moved into the concept of eliminating 8th Street access north of Highway 395, with the main access on the east side of Itildo site, and a drop-off on the east side of the casino. The issues that were brought up last month have been addressed with CVI, Town Staff, and NDOT. This included a turnaround just past the jail, the entrance access issue at Saletti's, and working with NDOT for the engineering issues with accomplishing this. Mr. Rotter said they were asking for the Town's approval, noting that the abandonment would be heard by the County Commission the next day. Mr. Van Alyne noted that there would be on-site signage to help direct traffic to the correct exit. Mr. Thaler said they appeared to have accomplished all that the Board asked and thanked Mr. Pegram for all he has done to make things look nice. Mr. Rotter said he is working with Mr. Scott and Mr. Hill to clean up easements for utilities, and that all costs for construction or moving of utilities will be borne by CVI. Ms. Stangle questioned if there was a traffic study; there was a traffic analysis as required by NDOT that showed minor left hand movement for 8th Street at peak time, with most movement onto the highway already occurring at 6th Street. The new parking lot would not be used for special events, as the north side parking lot by the marquee sign is more suitable. Mr. Condron said that it was hard to see an aesthetically nice building removed. He was told that landscaping trees would be set back from the highway, showcasing the view of the building. Mr. Stephans noted that trees could cause site distance problems. Mr. Bernard commented that it is not a perfect plan but it is a good plan. Public: Bev Giannopulos asked questions to make sure that she understood the concept since she was not at last month's board meeting. Mr. Rotter verified that this was an abandonment of a portion of 8th and that there was enough room for two way traffic entering and exiting the parking lot. The net amount of parking is 28 spaces after losing some spots on 8th Street. The exit will change at Saletti's. Mr. Van Alyne noted the amount of the abandonment will be 19,793 square feet, and 1,132 sq feet will be dedicated to the public right of way. Robert McMillan said that the Board needed to consider the tax consequences of this request. We would be giving up 19,000+ square feet and a paved street without them paying a penny, plus they would be taking a property off of the tax roles. We also need to have them commit to building the turnaround at a definite time. He felt that they are using taxpayers' money to accomplish an objective for private enterprise. When abandoned, the CVI and all future owners will have that land for eternity unless purchased back. Please beware of what is happening today and what it will cost tomorrow. Mr. Rotter said that the turnaround will be constructed with the parking lot. With respect to the right of way, the abandonment occurs per NRS but the tradeoff is that we have accomplished a better safer plan than the prior plan. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 6 of 15 Bob Pohlman said he is mystified because the County said there was no traffic study, that it would be too expensive. He also questioned signage off site and on the highway. He hopes the Board knows that there is a plan to make Buckeye a four lane road to Heybourne, and turning left to Buckeye at Water Street may be even more difficult. Mr. Rotter said that NDOT asked for a traffic study. Signage is a combination of all entities, and they will be reviewed with the next step. 9th Street and 7th Street movements do not change, only 8th Street. A porte-cochere is a modification to the front of the current building that will come out to the turn out area; this can only happen with the 8th Street abandonment. Sandy Deyo expressed concerns about the traffic flow with people coming off of Buckeye and believes the turnaround area will be very congested. Bill Souligny sees this as a very positive change. He wondered if there is any consideration long term for the traffic wanting to turn left on Buckeye. Mr. Rotter said that they have not looked at this but would work with the Sheriff if needed. Bev Giannopulos does not want to see a functioning street turn into a dead end. Thaler/Bernard moved to approve the Development Application (DA) 11-002 (Abandonment/Dedication): for Mike Pegram, G PEG II, LLC, Carson Valley Inn; Portion of 8th Street, between 1625 and1627 Hwy 395 N, Minden, NV, APNs 1320-29-401-005, -011, and -012 Motion carried unanimously. 5. Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request to refund all or a portion of the down payment for a water rights purchase by Mrs. Joanne Kynett for a proposed parcel map in the Johnson Lane area. If approved, the amount of refund will be established by the Town Board. Appearance by Town Engineer. Mr. Bernard disclosed that he worked for the Kynetts in 2006, but intends to participate and will vote on this item. Mr. Scott said that Mrs. Kynett had made application for water rights, and gave the Town the $15,000 down payment. Her application got caught in the Pyramid Tribe protest, the project subsequently died and Douglas County withdrew the application. She has requested a refund in the amount that the Town did not use to prepare and file the application, which is the balance of $13,033.69. Mrs. Kynett gave the facts and said that she is here to answer any questions but it is fairly cut and dry. Mr. Scott said that the complete costs of the Town have been taken out of the $15,000, and there have been other applicants that have had refunds of their deposits. No public comment. Condron/Thaler moved to approve the request to refund a portion of the down payment for a water rights purchase by Mrs. Joanne Kynett for a proposed parcel map in the Johnson Lane area in the amount of $13,033.69. Motion carried unanimously. 6. Discussion and possible action to: 1) examine, award, continue, or reject Bid for the Transmission Main Materials for the Buckeye Road (Virginia Ditch to Orchard Road) Water Line Project to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Staff recommends award of the contract to Western Nevada Supply in the amount of $267,536.40. 2) If bid is awarded, authorize Chairman to execute Agreement for same. Appearance by Town Engineer. Mr. Scott noted that this is the material bid for the pipeline from the Booster pump to where we started the first waterline project on Orchard. The bid got prices on ductile iron as well as PVC. This particular ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 7 of 15 stretch of pipe is the highest pressure in the entire system, ductile iron is a bit more expensive but we are recommending that it is an excellent value for the town for this kind of money. Western Nevada Supply has been awarded the last two bids, and their cost for the preferred alternative is the cheapest; also, they are local and we get a 2% discount if paid Last month we did a change order bid, and that material would have been on this bid. Mr. Van Alyne noted that we are bound by the bid document and we have to award at the bid amount, which does not reflect the 2% savings. Mr. Thaler gave kudos to the bids being under the engineer estimates; he questioned why every bid was under the engineer estimate, especially as we try to make up what we are short. Mr. Scott said we try to reflect previous bids, and do not want to be the high bidder. It helps to keep bids as clean as possible. If material is cheaper and installation is higher there is no savings. We were a bit delayed this month in getting the summaries together and reflecting the most current information, we will try to get that in more No public comment. Bernard/Condron moved to award Bid for the Transmission Main Materials for the Buckeye Road (Virginia Ditch to Orchard Road) Water Line Project to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, Western Nevada Supply, in the amount of $267,536.40 and to authorize Chairman to execute Agreement for same. Motion carried unanimously. 7. Discussion and possible action to: 1) approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a one year Lease Extension for Debra White-Orr, dba 5th Street Salon, in the CVIC Hall Annex, 1604 Esmeralda Avenue, Suite 202; or, 2) direct staff to negotiate a new lease with Debra White-Orr, dba 5th Street Salon, in the CVIC Hall Annex, 1604 Esmeralda Avenue, Suite 202. Appearance by Town Manager. Mr. Van Alyne noted that Ms. Orr is not available tonight; as indicated in the approval of the agenda, she had requested that this item not be heard tonight. After the cover memo was published, she indicated that she would like to negotiate a new lease with staff. Mr. Thaler said he has major concerns with contemplating a new lease agreement when we have outstanding balances owed to us. It appears that the CVIC Hall being in the red is due to the current tenant not being up to date in her payments to the Town. This is not fair to the taxpayers when people are using the office space and not paying. He had several questions that he would have directed to Ms. On. Does she sublease, and if so, are the sub-leasers current on their rent to her, thereby she is choosing not to pay us? What would she do if her subleasers were not paying her? Mr. Van Alyne said that she does have sub leasers but does not know the arrangement. Mr. Condron questioned how much further in the hole we go; he shares Mr. Thaler's concerns. Ms. Stangle would like to see the Town Manager meet with lessee; since we have taken this long, we should try to recover the money per an agreement. She is in no way defending the situation but thought that negotiating was more apt to create a better opportunity to recover funds. Mr. Stephans does not want the Town to set a precedent of becoming the bank for a commercial venture. From a legal standpoint, are we opening up a new area and putting the Town in a bad spot; we need to be consistent. For the record, we have practices in place now that will assure that this type of problem is addressed sooner. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 8 of 15 Mr. Thaler appreciates what Ms. Stangle said but in a lease agreement it addresses what to do when there is a default. We have an avenue in small claims court. Mr. Keele said he takes responsibility for the error on the face of the lease because there is some ambiguity concerning 60 and 90 days negotiation. The rent for the new term needs to be negotiated at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the lease per Ms. Orr's lease. She probably has until April 1 of this year but it must be at a regular board meeting, which is after April 1. The bottom line is that because of this ambiguity you can probably authorize someone to negotiate and, provided that you voted in favor of it, she would have no later than April 1 to meet the conditions established today. By not appearing at today's meeting it could be interpreted that she has forfeited her right to negotiate, as there are no more regular meetings prior to April 6. The other way is simply to declare that we are not going to renew the lease but we would give her the opportunity to enter into a brand new lease subject to the terms of the board. Current lease would remain in effect until May 31. Public comment Bill Souligny said that he appreciates the diligence and hard work involved with this issue and he agrees with Mr. Thaler that we need to resolve this. Bev Giannopulos questioned why this went on so long and what is really going on here? The tenant is not here tonight and if we decide to work with her in the future, it should be a month to month to prove her credibility. Condron/Thaler move to deny the one year Lease Extension for Debra White-Orr, dba 5th Street Salon, in the CVIC Hall Annex, 1604 Esmeralda Avenue, Suite 202; motion carried unanimously. 8. Discussion and possible action to approve, approve with conditions, continue, or deny a request for the Town of Minden to sponsor the Esmeralda Avenue Farmer's Markets on multiple dates in 2011. Appearance by Town Manager. Ms. Stangle excused herself from voting as she is involved with this project. Mr. Van Alyne said that the Farmers Market started in 2007. This needs to be acted on by the Board to make sure these items stay current. This brings a lot of people to Minden with minimal cost and support by the Town. He added that one of the downtown merchants would like to condition approval on ensuring that the driveways are open. Public comment: Bill Souligny said that the concept is great but it is too small of a focus, it benefits too few, and does not give much revenue to the Town. Perhaps we could try in an area such as Ironwood Center to benefit other businesses besides just the downtown. Howard Herz said that he is involved in putting on the market, and the primary vision is that it benefits the downtown area. He noted that they are very careful not to block the entrance to the CVIC Hall parking lot, and they are diligent about fire lanes. Thaler/Condron moved to approve the request for the Town of Minden to sponsor the Esmeralda Avenue Farmer's Markets on multiple dates in 2011. Motion carried unanimously. 9. Discussion and possible action on: 1) the annual performance evaluation of Minden Town Manager Roger Van Alyne, for the evaluation period March 2010 to February 2011; and, 2) at the discretion of the Minden Town Board, Mr. Van Alyne may receive a merit increase of 0-6 percent ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 9 of 15 and/or a bonus of up to three percent and/or 1-3 days paid administrative leave. No public comment will be taken at this time, so anyone wishing to comment should do so during the public comment section at the beginning of the meeting. Mr. Stephans said we would be addressing Mr. Van Alyne's strong points, room for improvement and goals that are measurable. Each Board member has a responsibility to give the specific goals they have in mind for him and if he has difficulties with these he needs to get back to the Board later. Mr. Van Alyne has been presented with a written evaluation and he has given them input on what he has accomplished. Three Board members have had limited time on the Board, and are too new to rate him in some areas, but each Board member will give verbal input tonight. Mr. Van Alyne said that he requested an open meeting for this evaluation; the open meeting law requires that any official who serves at the will of an elected board must have the evaluation done in a public meeting if done by the entire body and he prefers to hear from the entire Board about his performance. MR. THALER'S EVALUATION COMMENTS: Evaluations are about perceptions. This is not meant to be all positive, but to give him the Board's perception of him during the last year, and how to improve as a town manager. There are no areas unsuccessful, but many need improvements. At the end, his overall rating is that he meets expectations. RATINGS 1. Staff development (Needs Improvement) He would like to see Mr. Van Alyne meet with all the town employees individually over the next couple of months. Through these meetings determine the issues raised on the part of the employees and put a plan of action together to correct these issues. He would like to have a written action plan for staff to follow if the Manager is gone; insuring that if he is gone, Trish can do his job. 2. Leadership internal (Needs improvement) He would like to see Mr. Van Alyne work closer with the office staff. Concerns have been raised that Mr. Van Alyne is not approachable or is quick to blame when projects are not completed on time. 3. Supervision (Needs improvement) Mr. Van Alyne appears to delegate a large majority of his work, and needs more work product. 4. Job Organization (Needs improvement) Mr. Van Alyne should spend more time in the office rather than going to meetings all week long. He has had an open door but he needs to get things done. He should prioritize his week with activities which he and the Board have identified as important to the Town. Examples of this would be the Budget, Accounts Payables, Contracts, and any projects given to him by any Board member. 5. Execution of Policy (Meets expectations) He has done very well in setting up agendas, guidelines and feedback. 6. Strategic Planning (Needs Improvement) I don't believe that Mr. Van Alyne has clear goals or objectives identified. This may be in part due to a transitional Board. Regardless, Mr. Van Alyne should be identifying goals for himself and for the Town and make them available to the Town Board. 7. Budget (Needs Improvement) This should be Mr. Van Alyne's first priority; this year we are three months behind the curve. More attention needs to be spent on the Budget Performance and the development of the yearly budget. Recommendations should be made to the Board in the beginning of the year in regards to areas of concern such as revenue projections, overspending, and plans for the ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 10 of 15 upcoming year. 8. Communication (Meets Expectations) 9. Reporting (Meets Expectations) 10. Board Communications ( Meets expectations) 11. Response to Board (Needs Improvement) Mr. Van Alyne needs to be more positive in response to the Board members' suggestions for improvements. He appears from time to time to be condescending to Board members and often interrupts them as they speak. He should not make a habit of trying to point out what questions Board members might want to ask in the Board meetings. He would like to see the lighter side of Roger more often. 12. Written Communication (Meets Expectations) 13. Productivity (Needs Improvement) Mr. Van Alyne should prioritize his weeks and what he wants to get accomplished during that time frame. Often times the majority of his week is spent attending meetings rather that attending to the Town business such as Accounts Receivables, Budget, etc. 14. Stress Management (Needs Improvement) Mr. Van Alyne should work on his ability to resolve problems with greater tact. He wears his emotions on his sleeve which can be counterproductive. It has been evident in meetings with Mr. Van Alyne that he shows his emotions way too often, sometimes giving the appearance of disrespect toward individual Town members. 15. Community Relation (Meets Expectations) 16. Community Reputation (Meets Expectations) You have done a great job getting out there and being known. 17. Professional Reputation (Meets Expectations). 18. Intergovernmental Relations (Meets Expectations). 19. Imagination (Needs improvement) Mr. Van Alyne should set his goals for the Town, coming up with ideas to the Board on how to improve the Town. He should present ideas to the future. 20. Objectivity (Meets Expectations) 21. Drive (Meets Expectations) 22. Judgment and Decisiveness (Meets Expectations) 23. Attitude (Needs improvement) Mr. Van Alyne should work on his relationships with staff; they need to respect him not because he demands it but because he has earned it. These relationships should be improved on over the next year. 24. Initiative (Needs improvement) Mr. Van Alyne needs to take the initiative with his employees. He should be proactive with them and, as stated before, meet with them individually to determine what issues may be at hand. 25. Integrity (Meets Expectations) Never questioned this. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 11 of 15 26. Self Assurance (Needs improvement) Mr. Van Alyne needs to work on his ability to take constructive criticism from Board members. He at time appears to talk down to them or is demeaning in what he says. He should take responsibility for his or his subordinate's mistakes. Often times he has been seen placing blame on someone else for what should have been seen as his mistake. BOARD MEMBERS' TOP PRIORITIES 1. Budget: This is the number one priority, presenting it to the board with projections and shortfalls. 2. Personnel: Meet with Town personnel individually. Make sure all evaluations are up to date and on time for all personnel. 3. Economic vitality: Provide continuing ideas to the Board. 4. Town Improvement ideas. 5. Improve relationships with key colleagues. 6. Improve self delivery. STRONG POINTS 1. Provides weekly updates to Board members. 2. Provides comprehensive Board meeting agenda. 3. Meets with general public. 4. Flexible in meeting with Board members. 5. Represents himself professionally. WEAK POINTS 1. Town of Minden budget and bookkeeping process. 2. Relationship with other key county officials. 3. Needs to take ownership of the day to day operations of the Town such as Accounts Receivables and Payables. 4. Needs to improve interpersonal skills with staff and board members. Suggestions and specific direction: • Provide Board members with meeting material earlier than 5 days before the meeting. • Needs to set Manager priorities for the year and present at the first meeting in January. • Needs to develop a plan for employee training. • Needs to work on becoming a better listener. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 12 of 15 GENERAL COMMENTS/DIRECTION FOR IMPROVEMENT • Set your priorities for the year. • Meet with each Board member and come up with a comprehensive list of Board priorities and present to the Board at a future meeting. • Review Meeting agendas for accuracy. • Meet with all the employees individually in the next 30-60 days. • Work to develop a draft economic plan for the Town of Minden. MR. STEPHANS EVALUATION COMMENTS: STRONG POINTS: • Appreciates the weekly updates that he provides to the current board. • Very professional; represent the Town nicely. Good job as ambassador. • High standards of integrity beyond reproach. • Very flexible, although this can take way from job responsibilities. He appreciates his responsiveness to the Board. IMPROVEMENTS • Budget process: would like to see Roger take the imitative in the budget process and keep the board involved in it. • Economic development: Ironwood, Minden Village, Gateway, and Downtown: We always need to look and see what we can do. • Staff development: In his working life, Mr. Stephans hired smarter people than himself; they can make you look good. We need to do to be ready when our current staff retires or is gone. In the budget process, we need to address staff development. • Daily fiduciary responsibilities: We are now having AR and AP meetings which Mr. Stephans would like to back away from and leave to staff, with limited hands-on involvement from the Board. GOALS Budget, staff development, ongoing economic development, and development of Mr. Van Alyne as the goodwill ambassador for the Town as the Town manager are the top goals. Overall, Mr. Van Alyne meets expectations. It has been an up and down year, with a real learning curve for the old and new Board as well as Mr. Van Alyne. He believes that we can at times agree to disagree but remain in a good working relationship to be effective and work towards what is good for the Town of Minden. He appreciates Roger's candor, professionalism and integrity. He encouraged not only closer work with the staff but also with Mr. Scott and Mr. Keele, who have a priceless knowledge base, history and insight. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 13 of 15 MR. CONDRON'S EVALUATION COMMENTS: He stated that he would have a succinct approach, based on his limited experience. His comments would be in addition to what has already been said. Strong points: • Demonstrates exceptional ability to communicate with him as a new Board member. Specifically, he provides the Board with a weekly update of his activities and meetings. He has provided a schedule of upcoming events with as much lead time as possible for planning and scheduling. He has made himself available for face to face meetings whenever requested and always in a timely format. His efforts to provide detailed information regarding meeting agenda items to promote the decision making process is much appreciated. • He has proven himself very effective at planning and presenting workshop opportunities for the new Board members. This effort has helped diminish the steep learning curve that faces all newly elected officials. He has also made available many opportunities to learn about the many facets of the Town of Minden operations. His efforts have enhanced the transition into the new Board member's roles and responsibilities. Weak points: • Mr. Van Alyne has a large volume of written information he needs to compile for Board Meetings, workshops, planning sessions and town communications. At times this information has been inaccurate, out of sequence, or hard to follow. It is suggested that Roger spends time reviewing this written material and have it proofread and reviewed by a third party. This effort will improve the effectiveness and accuracy of the written public information. Suggestions: With Mr. Van Alyne and the majority of the Board being new to the positions it is important that both parties work hard at establishing roles in managing the Town of Minden's needs. It is suggested that Roger pursue more detailed clarification of his role when making decisions or taking actions on policies or directions as established by the Board. This is not a clear cut area of decision making, requiring a diligent effort on both parties to clarify intentions and directions. Specific goals: • In developing the budget, it would be helpful to give a three to four year report with percentage changes as well as other budget comments. • Report on Minden businesses and how we can support existing and promote new businesses. • Cross training staff on all levels is critical. Most critical and top priority is that you cannot function without a really good vision. The Board should establish a list of measurable goals for the Town Manager to accomplish during the upcoming year. This will assist in the evaluation of Mr. Van Alyne's performance as well as move the Town and Board toward a vision for Minden's future. Priorities should be set around the vision. The goals for Mr. Van Alyne should be determined by the goals for the Town. In doing the update of the Plan for Prosperity, we should define a mission and vision for the future, from which can come very specific action plans and time frames. Defming this vision is the number one critical component, and should include public input. ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 14 of 15 Mr. Condron's mark for Mr. Van Alyne would probably be "exceeds expectation" because he does not even know what the expectations are yet in his short time on the board. MS. STANGLE'S EVALUATION COMMENTS Ms. Stangle said that she is still trying to figure out her role. She has respect for Mr. Van Alyne in that they have agreed to disagree at times. She hopes the communication is improving but sees this as the area needing the most improvement for the Board, the staff and Mr. Van Alyne. It will take time and energy for all, especially since there was never a manager before, and the operation was much looser in the past in respect to formal ways of getting things done. The biggest challenge is establishing a better relationship and communication between Roger and staff as a whole. She has felt at times that she works for him as opposed to him working for the Board; it should be about everyone working together for the good of the community. She appreciates him directly talking to her about any issue. As far as goals, she does not disagree with anything that has been said by the Board so far, and a year from now she will have much more to say. MATT BERNARD'S EVALUATION COMMENTS: He believes it is his responsibility to participate even though he has had very little time on the Board. He feels that Mr. Van Alyne was put into a very difficult position when he was hired, and it seems it was not too clear what the Board's intentions were for him. Roger has a strong personality, and at times that can prove to be detrimental. As an advocate for Minden, Roger needs to be a better team builder and not come on so strong. His role is be a liaison with the staff and Douglas County, and he needs to take the lead to better the relationship with Douglas County. There is no question about Mr. Van Alyne's integrity, and Mr. Bernard, in his quest for as much information as possible, appreciates being able to walk into his office and always be given time. He echoed the comments of Mr. Stephans concerning the value and expertise of Mr. Scott and Mr. Keele. He does not remember a time when an item such as CVI tonight did not have a formal correspondence from the Town Engineer concerning conditions, etc. He encouraged using Mr. Scott at the same level as the former Board did because he values all the input he can get. All in all he meets expectations. The manager job had a difficult beginning; they are still figuring out their roles and his role, and he hopes to develop a sense of teamwork as they learn these roles. # 9 Agenda item Part 2: At the discretion of the Minden Town Board, Mr. Van Alyne may receive a merit increase of 0-6 percent and/or a bonus of up to three percent and/or 1-3 days paid administrative leave. Mr. Thaler said that is important to recognize that Douglas County is going through huge financial problems; our revenue projections do not look good and we probably have not hit rock bottom yet. Now is not the time to pass out bonuses and merit increases. We have a lot of money to make up, and knowing the private sector is getting woken up by huge expenses of the public sector, it would be a bad message to send. Mr. Condron agreed with Mr. Thaler, it is just not the time; he cannot support spending more money. Please note that this is not a no-confidence vote. Ms. Stangle agreed that a raise would not be fiscally responsible at this point. Mr. Thaler said that we as a Board can determine that if an employee is working above and beyond, and that employee can be recommended for a bonus. Mr. Stephans said that he tends to agree with the Board. We need to look at this with open eyes, and this applies not only to this process but the rest of the staff. Part 1: Thaler/Stangle motioned that the evaluation that Roger Van Alyne has been provided along with ---PAGE BREAK--- Minden Town Board Agenda March 2, 2011 Page 15 of 15 comments added for the last section of the evaluation from this meeting, as proofed by the chairman, be forwarded on to Human Resources as soon as possible. Motion carried unanimously. Part 2: Thaler/Condron motioned that due to the economic time and uncertainties over budget that Roger Van Alyne not receive a merit increase at this time. Now is not the time to be giving raises, but stressed that it has nothing to do with Roger's evaluation. Motion carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT Thaler/Condron moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:18 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.