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07-29-2016 MinutesMINUTES SPECIAL MEETING July 29, 2016 A Special Meeting was held by the Schertz City Council of the City of Schertz, Texas, on July 29, 2016, at 8:30 a.m., at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 5008 Corridor Loop Road, Schertz, Texas. The following members present to -wit: Mayor Michael Carpenter Councilmember Jim Fowler Councilmember Daryl John Councilmember Robin Thompson Staff Present: Executive Director Brian James City Attorney Dan Santee Assistant to the City Manager Sarah Gonzalez Myles Clauser, IT Director Guests Present: Robert Brockman Tom Turke City Manager John Kessel Executive Director Dudley Wait City Secretary Brenda Dennis Juan Santoya, Finance Director James Walters, Asst. Finance Director Glen Outlaw Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards and Councilmember Azzoz were absent. Welcome /Overview Discussion and direction regarding mid- budget preparation, including but not limited to the Infrastructure, Road Improvement and Facilities Master Plan recommendations, as well as key growth and service provision indicators such as population growth, tax base development, staffing levels and structure, and how to apply the information to assist in appropriate priority based decision making. (J. Kessel) General Comments Mayor Carpenter recognized City Manager John Kessel who outlined the goals for the retreat. Mr. Kessel also reviewed the goals from last year. Mr. Kessel spoke of the City's three circles: Core Services, Economic Engine and Quality of Life. City Manager John Kessel provided information on the following topics: • 20 Mile March, as referenced in Jim Collins book "Great by Choice" Mr. Kessel referenced the above book stating this was a story about Robert Scott and Ronald Amundsen and their race to the South Pole in 1912. Scott's and Amundsen's ships, the Terra Nova and the Fram, met at the South Pole before the expeditions began. Scott trained in Norway and, on the expedition, used mechanical sleds and ponies. The sleds' motors cracked in a few days and the ponies died as their sweat froze and their legs post - holed. Amundsen used techniques he learned from time living with Eskimos, 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page -1- including Eskimo clothing, dog sleds, blubber diet, and management of exertion (energy reserves and perspiration). Remember, the key characteristics of a "Twenty Mile March" are the abilities of a city to: I. both perform well in difficult times and to hold back in good times 2. to achieve long term consistency, 3. to maintain control in uncertain times (self - imposed discipline), 4. and to build ca aci for unexpected events (good or bad). Councilmember Daryl John arrived at 9:28 a.m. Call to Order Mayor Carpenter called the meeting to order at 9:28 a.m. as there was a quorum present. Topics of discussion continued regarding the 20 Mile March and the correlations with what we are doing in the city today. Mr. Kessel reviewed the following correlations as mentioned regarding the 20 Mile March and how it relates to major concepts which we have used since 2012. A 1�4 0 010 Oki 1, .aw� Twenty Mile March to a Balanced City Core Services, Quality of Life, and Economic Engine: we have several key areas that need our major focus that we should keep in mind when considering roadway funding: — roadways (new & existing) — buildings /facilities (new & existing) — park facilities (new & existing) 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 2 - — water and waste water utilities (new & existing) — drainage (floodplain and clean water) — economic development/development process — personnel (staffing levels & competitive salaries) — technology (new & existing) — and many more important areas (these are just a few) ISSUE: We tend to focus on what is most apparent to us and what we know best, and we tend not to focus on things that are less apparent to us and about which we know little. We have to be aware of this and make a conscious effort to identify all of the issues we face, not just the ones we see. POLICY 1: We need to continue to invest in our full range of city services, from roadways to parks to economic development. An over emphasis in one area will inherently be at the expense of another. Pro.jec-t Management Tflang Ile ST ISSUE: The triple constraint of "cost, time, quality: pick two" is true, yet we can't simply forgo any one to achieve the other two because they all matter. This is based on the laws of competing demands (short time = high cost or low quality, low cost = long time or low quality, high quality = high cost or long time). POLICY 2: Agree upon the right balance of cost, time, and quality in order to achieve a thoughtful and appropriate solution. ISSUE: The size and number of our projects limits our abilities to perform in a reasonable period of time while still maintaining day to day operations. POLICY 3: Chip away at a variety of things every year, not just one thing each year: a balanced approach. POLICY 4: Distribution of work to many departments, not just one department: a balanced approach. ISSUE: We learn from the work we do. Rather than committing larger resources (time, money) up front, we are wiser to perform smaller jobs and learn what works best and then commit to larger projects /more aggressive timetables. Calibration allows scaling up what we have learned. 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 3 - POLICY 5: Perform smaller jobs and learn what works best, recognize limitations in skills or resources and then commit to larger projects /more aggressive timetables. ISSUE: Conditions, priorities, and understanding change over time; rather than committing larger resources (time, money) up front, we are wiser to perform the higher priority yet properly scaled jobs first. POLICY 6: Perform phased or scaled jobs that allow success, learning, and agility when possible, while not over - committing resources. This promotes greater calibration and prepares us for addressing unexpected needs. ISSUE: The success of new projects can come at the expense of existing responsibilities. POLICY 7: Recognize and address the resources that are needed to maintain current responsibilities when considering taking on additional responsibilities. Strategic Plan: Key Operational Values Systems management allows us to integrate and consolidate our resources, share best practices, and achieve greater results and efficiencies across the organization rather than settling for the results we get at the individual or departmental level. Being innovative seeks to create new value for our community through meaningful change. Being proactive creates a professional environment that fosters efficiency, offers greater ranges of choice and meets stakeholder expectations. Mr. Kessel broke for an outside demonstration of crack seal repair by the Public Works Department at 10:00 a.m: Members present discussed and provided their comments regarding the value of the demonstration. Public Works Manager Doug Letbetter and Street Supervisor Robert Martinez provided further information regarding the different types of road maintenance they provide to the City. Members present suggested that at a future community forum they discuss these processes. Mr. Kessel stated that this all relates back to our Strategic Plan. He addressed Systems Management, being motivated and being proactive. Mr. Kessel recognized Executive Director Dudley Wait who provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding information on the following: • Road Maintenance Options • Pavement Condition (From PCI Assessment) o Performance Prediction Curves • Road Maintenance Options - Pot Dole Filling - Crack Sealing - Slurry Seals - Chip Seal - Mill and Overlay Roadway Stewardship 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 4 - What is roadway stewardship? Roadway stewardship helps us more effectively spend scarce roadway funds in order to maximize the benefits to our city. Roadway stewardship helps us extend the life of our existing roads by making earlier, smaller investments to gain greater road life. Roadway stewardship attempts to answer the questions which road, which repair, who to do it, and when to do it. The Committee of Committees Advisory Board (CCAB) considered a draft version of the Twenty Mile March philosophies, the Maintenance information, and the Roadway Stewardship information on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. The CCAB supported this direction and approach to addressing roadways. City Staff arrived at 12:53 p.m. The Staff Leadership Team (SLT) reviewed and refined the Twenty Mile March philosophies on July 28, 2016. The SLT supported this direction and approach to addressing roadways. Policy Strategic Tactics Operations -/1 Plan Council Boards SLT Mgmt./Front Line Staff Roadway Stewardship With roadways, we have three primary areas of investment: • new roadway construction • in -house maintenance • outsourced maintenance. Each one needs a separate strategy to be effective. New roadway construction is currently hinging on a leverage strategy, seeking partnerships, grants, and other contributions. We can consider Roadway Impact Fees "partnership" funds as they come from development that typically would not have otherwise contributed towards their fair share of the roadway burden. Focusing on our TXDOT partnership is important, particularly as we work towards funding for phase two of the FM 1518 roadway. In -house maintenance requires the city to have a better understanding and management of what we can do well and what we need to outsource. 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 5 - Our strategy should revolve around knowing the right road, the right repair and the right agency to do the work needed, as well as only taking on the things we can do well enough to make a lasting difference. Outsourced maintenance requires the city understand where we can get the best value for the dollars spent (Return On Investment) and where we lack the ability to perform at minimum levels or where it would prevent us from performing other required maintenance. It doesn't make sense for us to buy the equipment, train our staff, and try to do all things in- house. Our strategy should be to look for areas we can innovate our maintenance practices less expensively or more quickly than we could taking those tasks on in- house, as well as those things that would consume too great a percentage of the street department's time each year. Discussion began with the seven (7) policies discussed earlier; we all agreed to them. We are all in alignment in respect to roadways. We still need to focus on policy & the strategic plan. The PCI should help drive our mechanism for priorities, both which roads to work on first and what type of repairs to do in order to foster the best results for every dollar spent. What is PCI? The following example was provided: 100 a 8a M e r 60 40 0 U 0 E M 0 a- Resurface ($1.75- 32.501s� Y Pavement Age ISSUE: All roads in every area of Schertz should be treated fairly and the best use of our taxpayer dollars for road maintenance should be strived for. How do we best use our PCI data to make wise choices that maximize our roadway maintenance funds (ROI)? POLICY: Our PCI should be the foundation that drives our maintenance priorities, both which roads to work on first and what type of repairs to do in order to foster the best results for every dollar spent. Maintain trust — transparency, planning, and following the strategic plan. Our PCI should be the "foundation" that drives it. Mr. Kessel recognized Assistant to the City Manager Sarah Gonzalez who provided a Power Point presentation regarding some results of the recent Employee Engagement Survey: 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 6 - Strategic Plane • An engaged workforce provides better service to our internal and external customers and is the foundation for continuous growth and progress. Overview: na • 2 Employee Engagement Survey • Administered by the University of Texas at Austin 0 Institute for Organizational Excellence • 84% response rate from Employees (up 13.5 1/6) The first survey was conducted in 2014, plan on conducting survey every other year (in the even years) next one will be summer of 2018. The organization who did it last time, they have over 30 years of experience surveying hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of employees. We cannot quite see a trend with this second data point, but after the 2018 survey, we will be able to. 273 employees responded out of 325, which is considered a high response rate. This 84% demonstrates that employees are willing to take the time to complete the survey. The 2016 score is in the healthy range. Overall score increased from 345 to 369 — this represents an increase of 4.8 %. We are moving the needle in the right direction. • Levels of Employee Engagement 18% Highly Engaged 30% Engaged 41% Moderately Engaged 11% Disengaged This measure is new to this survey iteration. These four levels of engagement are modeled to how Gallup measures their levels of employee engagement. Gallup is an organization that is known for their public opinion polls; employee engagement is a specific key practice area they focus on. The 48% of highly engaged/engaged employee's represents a nice balance. While 52% of our workforce is either moderately engaged or disengaged, we are actually above the average for this measure. The average is 2/3 of your workforce falling in the bottom two levels. Survey Results — Interpreting the Data — Presented by Executive Director Kyle Kinateder • Score — averaging all items responses on a 5 point scale. A year over year change of 0.2 is significant and should be looked at closer to either celebrate or focus our attention. The score is also shown by multiplying the average score by 100. • Benchmark — ability to compare previous years and similar organizations. • Standard Deviation — the level of agreement between the responses. Larger deviations indicate grater disagreement. • Lowest 0.71 (Score 4.24) — Question #6: I know how my work impacts others in the organization. • Highest 1.24 (Score 3.26) — Question 434: Health insurance benefits are competitive with similar jobs in the community. 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 7 - • Construct — groups similar items together. Survey Results Highlights: • Consisted of 48 primary questions. • In the specific questions about pay (questions 30 -32), while still low with regard to the agreement percentage, we moved the needle in the right direction. • For those questions that reflected a past score (43 out of 48), we moved the needle to the right in all but one question. Shorter iteration this time; reduced from 71 in 2014. Question 30 (which was "My pay keeps pace with the cost of living" — increased from 1.92 to 2.61. Question 31 (which was "salaries are competitive with similar jobs in the community"— increased from 1.95 to 2.80. Question 32 — (which was "I feel I am paid fairly for the work I do ") increased from 2.17 to 2.89. The one question was regarding health insurance benefits, which many organizations are also similarly facing. Comparison of constructs: Constructs are similar items that are grouped together; the scores are averaged and then multiplied to produce the scores. These constructs capture the concepts most utilized by leadership and drive organizational performance and engagement. Result of that score reflects in the breakdown_ 2014 low scores — Pay — 201, Internal Communication -305, Diversity — 330 2014 high scores — Employee Engagement — 369, Employee Development — 379, strategic — 380 2016 low scores — Pay — 277, Internal Communication — 346, Benefits — 351. 2016 high scores — Employee Engagement 388, Employee Development 389, strategic 402 Don't look at us needing to move everyone all the way to strongly agree. Moving the neutrals to agree; and moving the disagrees to neutrals is a start. Examples of success of this were provided to the group. Going forward our employees have high expectations from this leadership team to act upon the survey results. From the survey 1 in 5 employees believe the information from this survey will go unused. It's more than looking at the Employee Engagement and Construct pages. The survey itself isn't a report card but the foundation for a discussion. Communication: Talk to your employees. Mr. Kessel reviewed the constructs which going forward it's more than looking at the employee engagement survey and construct pages, its individual and organizational satisfaction. He discussed the following major engagement drivers: Level 1: Fundamental Resources & Equipment Level 2: Individual Contributions Level 3: Team Contributions Level 4: Organizational Improvement Mr. Kessel discussed the following major drivers for individuals: Level 1: Since of Purpose Level 2: Mastery of Job 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 8 - Level 3: Workplace Autonomy Mr. Kessel reviewed an "Engaged Workforce" utilizing and from our Strategic Plan — "Healthy 1 Balance ". An engaged workforce provides better service to our internal and external customers and is the foundation for continuous growth and progress. Mr. Kessel mentioned that we will possibly have four (4) new Councilmembers, all members' present discussed items for a new council orientation program and what it should include. Some items of suggestion included: • Meet staff/departments (overview v. detail) • Budget 101 and Municipal Finance briefing • Council Rules, Procedures and Code of Ethics • Strategic Plan overview • Glossary of terms • Boards, commissions, intergovernmental partnerships overview; relationship with Council and staff. • City tour with lots of maps (zoning, ETJ, etc.) • Open meetings training/legal topics review • Media Training • Retreat/personality profiles (DiSC, leadership etc.) • Governance Model • Charter 101 • EDC overview • Comprehensive Development Plan Final comments were provided by Mr. Kessel, Mayor and members of Council that were present. Adjournment Mayor Carpenter adjourned the meeting at 2:51 p.m. 44c Carpenter, Mayor T renda Dennis, City Secretary 07 -29 -2016 Minutes Page - 9 -