2009-04-01 Special CC MinutesMINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
WEDNESDAY- -APRIL 1, 2009- -7:01 P.M.
Mayor Johnson convened the Special Meeting at 9:17 p.m.
Roll Call - Present: Councilmembers deHaan, Gilmore,
Matarrese, Tam and Mayor Johnson - 5.
Absent: None.
(09 -125) Recommendation to approve Agreement appointing Ann Marie
Gallant as Interim City Manager.
The Human Resources Director gave a brief presentation.
Councilmember Matarrese inquired whether there is no overlap
between the proposed Contract and the existing Interim Finance
Director Contract.
The Human Resources Director responded in the affirmative; stated
the Interim Finance Director Contract ends the day the proposed
Contract is accepted.
The Assistant City Attorney stated the Contract includes language
about "consolidating departments as deemed necessary and
appropriate;" suggested Council add the phrase "consistent with the
City Charter and Alameda Municipal Code" following said language;
stated the Charter has a provision that departments shall be
established by ordinance, which puts authority under the Council;
the City has such an ordinance; the ordinance would have to be
revised if the number of departments were reduced or if departments
were combined.
The Human Resources Director stated the Contract could be changed.
Vice Mayor deHaan moved approval of the Contract, including the
proposed language.
Vice Mayor deHaan stated it was a delight to see such supportive
references regarding Ms. Gallant's leadership capabilities; that he
has not seen that many positive references before; that he looks
forward to working with Ms. Gallant.
Councilmember Matarrese seconded the motion.
Under discussion, Councilmember Gilmore stated that she has found
the Interim Finance Director direct, capable and competent; Ms.
Gallant has done a phenomenal job and has made great strides at
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making the budget more transparent; however, she will not support
the motion; the decision is not fiscally responsible; the City has
not done salary comparisons; the previous City Manager's Contract,
which was done almost four years ago, was used; in a time of
increasing budget crisis, the budget allocation for the City
Manager position would be increased by over $75,000 in the current
fiscal year and $90,000 in the next fiscal year; other departments
will be asked to tighten their belts and might face layoffs; a
selection process was not followed; the Contract is for a minimum
of two years and allows for automatic renewal; there are no clear
expectations for performance and no objectives or goals without a
selection process; the last City Manager resigned over a difference
in direction; the City might be on the road to repeating past
mistakes; when offering a job, the Council should put a person in a
position to succeed, not fail; the League of California Cities has
people available to serve as interims; the Council has not done its
due diligence and looked at what is in the market place; Ms.
Gallant has done such a good job in putting the City on the right
track to being fiscally responsible and her focus should not be
diverted; in addition, the City would be looking for a new Finance
Director a month or so before the budget is due.
Councilmember Tam stated that she would not support the motion;
that she concurs with a lot of Councilmember Gilmore's points; that
she has done reference checks; references find Ms. Gallant capable
and competent in the area of finance; that she agrees Ms. Gallant
should be considered for the interim position, however, the ends do
not justify the means; Ms. Gallant informed the subcommittee of her
goals for consolidating departments, including layoffs, and looking
at different aspects of fiscal sustainability; that she is not sure
said goals would sustain City service levels in the long -term; a
competent Finance Director is needed given the City's size and
complexity; the City Manager should not serve in the role of the
Finance Director; clear performance objectives have not been
articulated.
On the call for the question, the motion carried by the following
voice vote: Ayes: Councilmembers deHaan, Matarrese and Mayor
Johnson - 3. Noes: Councilmembers Gilmore and Tam - 2.
Vice Mayor deHaan stated that he would put in the record
information on total compensation from the Public CEO Newsletter,
which indicates the salary amount is well within the range for
cities of similar size.
Mayor Johnson stated the cost of the Interim City Manager position
would not increase and would actually be going down slightly.
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The Human Resources Director stated the amount would go down around
$6,400.
Councilmember Gilmore stated the entire amount budgeted for the
position would be increased because it would stem across two
people; the spending for the position would increase; some funding
would be coming from another General Fund account, which she would
like to discuss when the Council addresses the budget.
Mayor Johnson stated that she did not want the public to think the
Interim City Manager would be paid more than the previous City
Manager; the City is paying a severance package pursuant to the
prior City Manager's Contract; invited Ms. Gallant to comment.
Ms. Gallant commended Councilmembers for taking the vote that they
felt was important to them; stated working with Councilmembers on
the budget and improving transparency has been wonderful and will
continue; that she would speak with each Councilmember about
expectations during the interim period; Councilmembers will have an
opportunity to address what they would like to see accomplished;
that she appreciates the support and work that has been
accomplished during the last eight months.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Mayor Johnson adjourned the
Special Meeting at 9:34 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lara Weisiger
City Clerk
The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Brown
Act.
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