Thank you for joining me for the City Manager Conversation Sessions earlier this summer. I have been hosting these more informal City Manager Conversations about every six months to keep a pulse on what’s happening in the organization.

In nearly every meeting this summer, at least one person expressed appreciation for colleagues in another department. I heard shout outs for mechanics in Fleet, a thank you to the Parks staff, appreciation for the IT team, and many more. Despite providing very different services and job functions, I am impressed by how well our organization works together and I hope we continue to find opportunities to collaborate.

As promised, I’m sharing a recap of important themes I heard from workgroups, as well as a quick status update regarding how the topics are being addressed.

Key Theme	Status
Interest in succession planning and identifying opportunities to mentor and develop staff.	Succession planning is an organizational priority and staff seem excited to take on new responsibilities. A few examples - Finance has been focusing on succession planning, empowering the team to take on new responsibilities. The Innovation and Technology has been leading an in-house soft skills workshop for their team. Additionally, succession planning has been added to performance evaluations, creating a space for employees to discuss both short-term and long-term career goals. Executive Staff will continue encouraging management to find ways to empower staff.
Challenges related to recruiting high-quality candidates to fill positions and concerns with retaining the great people we have.	HR has been working to streamline and remove barriers to the application process. One strategy has been using an ongoing, “open until filled” process. HR is also partnering with sections who are actively recruiting to assist with scheduling interviews, crafting interview questions, and guiding staff through the recruitment and onboarding process. HR is also looking into ways to highlight salary ranges and non-compensation related benefits as part of job postings.
Questions about non-compensation related benefits, including health insurance, paid time off, recognizing new holidays, etc.	The Benefits Committee is reconvening this summer to address non-compensation related issues, including the City’s health insurance plan.
Staff continue to feel stretched thin across the organization.	The City will be engaging a consultant to complete a comprehensive workload analysis during this fiscal year. Watch for more information in early fall.
Concerns with finding good seasonal staff.	A new apprenticeship program launched recently and should help solve some of the challenges with seasonal staff by introducing apprentice positions. Kudos to the Public Works and HR for finding creative staffing solutions.

Please note – if something discussed in your meeting isn’t reported here, it was captured, and has been shared with Executive Staff.

Many of the themes are similar to those heard during previous City Manager Conversations. Continuing to meaningfully address the questions and comments heard is an important priority of mine. As is shown above, some projects have been addressed, some are in progress, while others are on the horizon and are long-term initiatives that will evolve over time.

If you have any questions please reach out or feel free to continue sharing comments or questions anonymously at any time via the feedback form.

Take care,

Jason

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Growing Families

Brian and Jamie Esmon (Police Department)

Clara Rose - 7/19

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

Andrew Weihofen

Water Plant

Andrew joins the City as a Water Plant Operator. Andrew graduated from Grant Community High Scholl in Fox Lake, and has worked as a Spray Dry Operator at Synergy Flavors for the past 3 years. Along with spending time with his family, Andrew enjoys fishing, golf, hockey and motorsports.