COUNCIL RETREAT

Members of Council met in a Retreat on January 6, 2004 and January 7, 2004 at 9:00 a.m. at the Public Assembly Room, Dover Police Department, Queen Street, with Council President McGlumphy presiding. Members present were Mr. Ritter, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Truitt (departed at 11:30 a.m. on 1/7/04), Mr. Carey, Mr. Speed (absent 1/6/04, arrived at 11:25 a.m. on 1/7/04), Mr. Salters (arrived at 10:00 a.m. and departed at 11:00 a.m. on 1/7/04), and Mr. Ruane. Mrs. Williams was absent both days. Mayor Hutchison, Mr. DePrima, Mrs. Mitchell (absent 1/7/04), Mr. Cooper, Mr. Galvin, Mrs. Green (absent on 1/7/04), and Mrs. McDowell were also present.

Council President McGlumphy recognized Council candidates John Friedman, Sophia Russell, and Bernhard Greenfield.

AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS

Council President McGlumphy requested the addition of item #7, Bond Bill.

Mr. Salters moved for approval of the agenda, as amended, seconded by Mr. Carey and unanimously carried.

REVIEW OF PENDING COUNCIL COMMITTEE AGENDA ITEMS - CONSIDERATION FOR ELIMINATION

Mrs. Janice Green, City Clerk, provided members with a list of pending Council Committee agenda items. She noted that many items have been pending for a long period of time and suggested that they may have been resolved or could be eliminated from the pending list. It was the consensus of members that each committee chair should meet with Mrs. Green to evaluate their pending items.

SETTING OF COUNCIL’S GOALS

Mr. DePrima reviewed the draft Proposed Departmental Goals and Measurements for Inclusion in FY04/05 Budget (as on file in the Office of the City Clerk). Council President McGlumphy suggested that each goal be prioritized and that cost figures be provided for each goal and objective.

Members were provided the current City Council departmental vision, scope of work, and goals and measurements, as well as suggestions provided by Mr. Ruane, for their review. Mr. DePrima advised members that they should evaluate goals and select those which Council will do as a whole, as opposed to assigning them to other departments.

After a lengthy discussion of city-wide priorities and goals, it was the consensus of members to accept Mr. Ruane’s suggested Scope of Work and Goals for 2004-2005 (Attachment #1), with the following changes:

Finance Director should be referred to as Treasurer/Finance Director and City Planner should be referred to as Director of Planning and Inspections

Revise the first goal for 2004-2005 to read “Review and adopt measurable goals and objectives within the concept of the Strategic Organization Plan developed by the City Manager and Department Heads for each department of city government; and, monitor and evaluate the performance of the City Manager and departments throughout the year to ensure that high standards for performance are maintained.”

Amend the fourth goal to read: “Ensure that citizens have opportunities to be heard and that city policies, procedures, regulations and programs are acceptable to citizens and that citizens are included in the process as the city administration implements the Council's policies and delivers city services.”

Revise the sixth goal to read: “Authorize the actions necessary and provide the resources required to implement the "plans" which the Council endorsed in approving the City's 2003 Comprehensive Plan Update. These include plans for: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection; Historic Preservation; Public Utilities and Infrastructure (includes Parks and Recreation); Transportation; Economic and Community Development; Housing; Land Development; and, Annexation.”

Amend the last goal to read “Develop a consensus of what values Dover’s government should reflect and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current City Charter in meeting these values and propose revisions to the City Charter.”

The last current Goal, Measurement should be revised and maintained as follows: “Improve and maintain performance measurements and recognition programs for employee satisfaction so our work force is proud, safe, and motivated to complete the City Mission.”

Council President McGlumphy requested Mr. Ruane and Mr. Carey to develop language referencing the City’s relationship with Robbins Hose Company No. 1.

Mr. Truitt moved to recess the Council Retreat until January 7, 2004 at 9:00 a.m., seconded by Mr. Ruane and unanimously carried.

Meeting Recessed at 12:00 P.M.

Mr. Carey moved to reconvene, seconded by Mr. Truitt and unanimously carried.

Meeting Reconvened at 9:00 A.M. - January 7, 2004

REVIEW OF COUNCIL’S PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005

In a memo dated November 12, 2004, members of Council were requested to provide line item budget amounts for next year’s budget. The only amendments received were submitted by Council President McGlumphy; therefore, last year’s budget amounts were carried forward, with the exception of recommendations submitted by Council President McGlumphy. It was also noted that, at the direction of the Finance Director, the budget for the Human Relations Commission has been moved from Council’s budget and provided a separate budget.

Mr. Ruane expressed concern with annually budgeting for specific donations, such as the Delaware Ag Museum’s Farmer’s Christmas. He also suggested increasing the amount in “Council Workshop Sessions” from $1,000 to $2,000 in order to set aside funds for training in Charter Revision.

Members also discussed the need for equipment in Council Chambers for PowerPoint and other presentations and hiring an intern to update Dover’s historical sketch. Mr. DePrima, City Manager, advised members that he and Mrs. Green, City Clerk, had been discussing both issues with regard to budgeting.

STAFFING DISCUSSION FOR FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND TAX ASSESSOR’S OFFICE

Assistant Finance Director

The Finance Director, Mrs. Mitchell, has requested the addition of an Assistant Finance Director/Treasurer position in this budget year. Members were provided the position description and a four (4) year financial analysis of the cost to establish the new position. Council President McGlumphy expressed concern that the City did not already have an Assistant Finance Director, noting the length of time it would take to find a replacement for the Finance Director. Mr. DePrima noted that he has had many requests to fill positions and he has been advising Department Heads to manage to their budgets and that any requests for new positions or filling vacancies should be included in the next budget.

After a lengthy discussion regarding staffing, workload, and managing to the budget, it was the consensus of members that the Assistant Finance Director/Treasurer position was critical and that Mrs. Mitchell should be advised to post the position with a starting date of July 1, 2004.

Secretary in Tax Assessor’s Office

Mr. Jerome Cooper, Tax Assessor, advised members that, with the reassessment beginning July 1, 2004, he would like to add a Secretarial position for the Tax Office. He noted that it would be necessary to have someone in the office to answer the phones and assist customers while he and the Assistant Tax Assessor were in the field assessing properties. Mr. Ritter suggested that a secretary from another department with a light workload could be temporarily reassigned to the Tax Office during the reassessment. Members suggested that Mr. Cooper consider including the new position in next year’s budget. Mr. Salters requested Mr. Cooper to provide details on the proposed work assignments for the Assistant and the Secretary. Mr. Ruane felt that the purchase of new computer software would reduce or eliminate the need for an additional person. Mr. Cooper advised members that both software bids were $25,000 higher than budgeted and the Information Technology Director advised him to reject and rebid due to inefficiencies in the software.

HISTORICAL REVIEW OF NAACP CONSENT DECREE

Due to the lack of time, this item was not discussed.

STATUS OF APPROVED RECOMMENDATIONS - PAS STUDY

Due to the lack of time, this item was not discussed.

BOND BILL

Due to the lack of time, this item was not discussed.

Mr. Ruane moved for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Carey and unanimously carried.

Meeting Adjourned at 12:25 P.M.

                                                                                    Respectfully submitted,

                                                                                    William P. McGlumphy

                                                                                    Council President

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