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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-04-29 Council Packet - Work Session, ManninenKenai City Council Work Session April 29, 1993 Tom Manninen Interview TON XhNNINEN INTERVIEW 4/29/931 2:00 p.n. Kenai Council Chanbers COUNCIL PRESENT: Bookey, Swarner, Monfor, Measles, Williams, and Smalley (arrived at 3:05 p.m.). COUNCIL ARGENT: McComsey STAFF PRESENT: Howard, Ernst, Freas, Kornelis, Graves, Brown, La Shot, Harvey, DeForest. OTHERS: Dirk Vinlow, Kenai Peninsula Clarion, Tom Manninen, Candidate. Bookey: What are your feelings in regard to employees using city vehicles for personal use? Manninen: Depends on council policy. If there is an agreement that it is okay, he would not have a problem. If it is not all right, it is grievous and needs to be addressed. Williams: Have run into the IRS and how they treat personal use of vehicles? Manninen: Yes, he is in concert with IRS requirements at his position now. He pays taxes on his personal use ... 5,000 miles a year. Value of depreciation is put on his tax form at the end of the year. Swarner: What are your feelings in regard to taking a vacation on conference trips, i.e. if the city is paying for the ticket and the employee wants to stay longer. Manninen: That is very innovative if it can be planned and worked out and benefits the employee to go to the seminar, they should go. Swarner: What is the city's responsibility to the water act and federal act ... do we do go ahead and come into compliance with the law or wait for a letter saying we are not in compliance and then respond? 1 Manninen: Blood borne pathogens have been out for at least one year. They have taken on the tact that it is better to be there first and not wait for the government to say what they are not enforcing. He personally went to the department heads and told them to adhere (all employees that may be exposed to the problem). They arranged for people to get the shots. Even those working on the dock for summer jobs. It is costly, but better to be in compliance than to pay attorneys and litigation costs later because is should have been done and was not. Water act/OSHA is more critical. He doesn't know how the laws relate to water here. As far as the city goes, he doesn't think there is a place for being reactionary. The people running water and sewer should be far ahead of making recommendations before the government says to do something. The Mayor and Council should be getting information from them of what needs to be done. It is a safety problem. He has done this type of thing. It is not popular, but it needed to be done. It is cheap insurance. Better to no create a health problem than be in a reactionary mode. Swarner: What are your views on using city monies to fund programs such as senior citizens? Manninen: He thinks senior citizen program are part of the total responsibility of the city. It depends on what the city's definition is. He personally feels it is a good investment of funds, especially if you can tern one dollar into more. In regard to paying the utilities, he believes we have some very innovative ideas. In one town where he worked 15 years ago, a brewry was torn down and a senior center was built in its place. The center serves meals and has other programs. That area was a dilapidated part of town. We have to plan for our future and those types of services will be a part of the future. An investment of the future. He is surprised there are not more seniors here. Monfor: Tell us about your philosophy of being agressive, bringing new businesses into our area. This council has been very agressive for economic development. Many of our constituents don't like the change. We still want to keep them happy but need a diverse economy. More oil has been found and the salmon prices are going down. We need to keep the uniqueness of Kenai by 2 looking at the potential for growth. Keep Kenai how it is, but make it even better by bringing businesses into the area. Manninen: There are lots of questions there. Philosophy: From driving around town, Kenai has changed from the time of the charter. Congratulations for the progress made. If you don't have progress, Kenai would not be what it is today. Prepare for the area. All the people he talked with today, their answers were impressive which speaks well for the community. He would like to be a part of that future. He has worked with councils, etc. Match what your strengths are, contact cruise lines. This is not entirely out of the question. Why not here? What don't you have here that the others have. The low mill rate 2.7-3.5 is very low. It is 11.09230 in St. Clair. They have a growing tax base. It is has gone up about 25% the last three years. Sales tax vote is coming up. In his budget he is projecting a 3% maximum growth. State and federal revenues problems are declining in Michigan as well as here. You are planning ahead -- diversify the economy. Where he grew up there was mining extraction and now there is tourism. You need to prepare for another kind of economy, maybe tourism. Getting people in and not have to build large infrastructures to support them. It may mean more promotional efforts from the Chamber, i.e. advertisement, promotion, etc. Monfor: Our mill rate went from 2.7 to 3.5 last year. We are struggling to keep the mill rate the same this year. Alaskan's are very used to paying nothing for what they get. We have not had the money in the past few years or now to make the town and the quality of services they like. How would you ease in raising of taxes and having citizens feel it is okay to pay their fair share? Manninen: It's a long term problem. Council has a grasp on the fact that people have paid a relatively low tax rate and amount of taxes in the past and services are costing more. Either cut back on services or raise rates. Those choices have to be made. Good advertisement and sales campaign. Have to make people realize by reacting to the need that is out there or have people come and ask for it. You need to provide the services and they cost money. 3 Monfor: She feels personally that the city manager is the voice of the city of Kenai. How do you feel you portray yourself as the voice of the city? Manninen: He is what he has to be depending on the issue. In regard to employee unions, binding arbitration, etc., he can be seen as mean and ugly, but he is prepared for that. He is fair. If it is part of the game to be mean, he can be that. On other issues, he may have to be soft, nice, pleasant, etc. He likes that cause that's how he likes to be treated. In the public and for public consumption, he tries to give a good portrayal. He will do his job with maturity, good judgement, etc. Measles: Kenai is in a unique position in that we own and operate the airport as we were given FAA lands years ago. When he first came on the council, the city was subsidizing the airport, but it now maintains itself. In his mind, the airport is the biggest asset the city has but thinks it is under used. What kind of approach would you look at to determine the potential for expanded use of the airport and bring in expanded services, remembering that with receiving the FAA lands, there are restrictions? Have you directly dealt with FAA or airports? Manninen: Yes, in two places where he worked, the airports have been expanded. In one job, he worked with the FAA and had to go through condemnation. This was done during his tenure. It was a much smaller airport than here. In another (New Falls) there was an expansion of hangars. They did not have to go through FAA. The airport is an integral part of Kenai's economic development. Expansion would be a natural thing to do. The float plane basin is fantastic and he is impressed. He has seen airport industrial parks being built right along side of airports. You may be able to produce something here that is light industrial, like plastics. He knows the people here have concepts of what can be done. He has heard of something unusual and could be tapped into, especially since you have a revolving fund -type base. Maybe take the interest, see if you can authorize a reduction on the interest and attract people to come in like the FAA building. That kind of concept could attract an industry. Find something that will create jobs. 4 Williams: What has been your political involvement and how involved in politics have you been through your city managers' jobs. Manninen: In Minnesota, they had a Minnesota Out -State Cities organization. They visited the legislature about once a week, depending on the issues. The organization included about 45 or 50 coalition of cities. The size of the cities were from 200 to 40,000. They paid on a per capita basis. They worked well together and increased funding to outstate communities. It helped those communities get their fair share of state funding. In Michigan, he has worked on an annual basis when the legislature is in session. He worked closely, seeing the representatives and senators who will call from the floor if they have questions, etc. He would then discuss the questions with the mayor and council. If it was an issue that they needed to get in touch with the legislature, he would. He doesn't discourage a good fight. If he needs to hold hands, he will, whatever it takes to do the job. He believes accountability should be demanded from the legislators and they have them come to the council meetings at least once or twice a year and ask them what they have done for his community lately. He suggests being consistent and letting them know what the expectations of the constituents are. He/then are continually reminding the legislators what is important for that area. They use a lobbyist, attorney, contract people, and makes presentations if needed and have a very tough time where he is now to get involvement of the people. He suggests either have the council to meet with the legislators or have the legislators come to the council. There were no staff questions. Williams: A team effort is needed, i.e., continuity between the staff and the city manager. How large a staff do you work with in city hall? Manninen: He has 13 non -union administrative employees. He did personnel reviews last week. Employee reactions were from "that's all I got?" to "I'm surprised I'm worth that much to the community," and "happy to be working for the city," etc. It is different for each individual. He also has union people working. Williams: Do you evaluate all staff members yourself or do the department heads do it? Manninen: He has an assistant superintendent who reports to him and his assistant has three people who report to him. They set goals for those positions. He is in charge of the operation of the city. He is in charge of the police chief, his assistant, and the city clerk. His assistant is responsible for payroll and finance. The council appoints the city superintendent and holds him responsible for the performance and operation and all of the non -union and union personnel involved. Williams: You continue to talk about union personnel. Do you have a split shop? How did that come about? Manninen: The staff people are non -union. He inherited the DPS and police union. He is sensitive about the union. Non -union people are treated fairly and very well and no need to unionize. If it happens, they are treated consistently. Monfor: In the initial phone interview, you stated you meet with other civic leaders for coffee. I feel one of the most important things lacking here is good communication (between the Assembly/School Board, etc.). How do you feel about dealing with other entities? One continual story with government is the complaint received from the public stating that when they call city hall, they get a "run-around." Manninen: This is a major problem in any working entity. Communication is one of the worst problems. It is a matter of meeting and consistently giving the right answer and the same answer. Yes, he does meet with the public at coffees about 7:00 a.m., three to five days a week. In one group there is a CPA, a district judge, a contractor, etc. Meeting at for coffee makes him more effective and then the community is more effective. It cuts down the time of council meetings as well. Measles: How do you handle a situation if is going in a direction you feel interest of the city? you feel the council is not in the best Manninen: This is a tough one, but he can be straight forward. An example ... he will tell the truth and his opinion and he is not shy about sharing his views. He has integrity, and he won't back down. But, the council is the boss. Smalley: After speaking with whom you spoke, through visits with department heads, etc., what is Kenai doing wrong? What do you see is needing to be done? Manninen: I don't know if you are doing anything wrong. There is always something to be positive about, but you will not always get a unified vote. Sometimes it is not popular with all directions. Without being here and knowing the history he doesn't know what is being done wrong. Don't know that anything is. If he is here, he could check it out. He is very impressed with the progress and plans for future and possibilities for the future. Swarner: Do you view yourself as a strong manager and if a councilmember or department head is promoting something not good for the city, do you have any problems telling that individual no, loud and clear? Manninen: No. No problems to say no to an employee or council member if that is what the situation needs. He is a strong manager. Bookey: How would you feel if the council likes a project and you are not in favor? Manninen: He would give the council the information that he is responsible to give them. He would tell them and maybe give documentation showing the reasons why he feels that way. This gives the council and mayor a choice to do what they want. Williams: Do you use a personal computer? Do you need a personal computer networked into the rest of the city operations? Or would you rely directly on the department heads to forward the information as needed? Manninen: If it is technical information, he would use those technical people to advise him. He feels comfortable working through the department heads. He doesn't have a personal computer now and feels comfortable with that. He has a computer at home, but not in his office. He feels he would spend too much time working at the computer and not get his work done. He would place confidence with his people. Manninen questions to council? 7 Manninen: He is aware Bill Brighton worked for the city for twelve years. What do you feel are the best things that were accomplished in the twelve years he was here and what do you want the next city manager to do and what directions need to be changed, if any? Williams: His perspective is that Brighton had a unique capability of keeping things under control. If there was a difference of opinion with staff or council, he had a unique way of keeping things under control. He was always able to seek the middle ground. Brighton is the primary reason the city has kept on track. One of the things the city manager will have to do? Accept council ideas, etc., like how they interrelate to the council and for the good of the city. They are strong-minded people and hard working on staff and council. This is the basis from which this operation should continue. Measles: This was one of the bases for his question earlier as to how he would respond to council if he thought they were going on the wrong track. He was on the council that hired Brighton. One of Brighton's strong points was that he would never hesitate to inform the council of his opinion if he thought they were doing something wrong and he would not hesitate to chastise them if it was needed. May be it should not happen, but sometimes it does happen that council will head in the wrong direction. In that respect, Brighton was a stabilizing factor for the council. That definitely was one of Brighton's strong points. He had communication ability with citizens, council, agency representatives, legislators, etc. He was a good communicator. Monfor: In all the time she was on the council, Bill was a very strong proponent of economic growth. When she first came on council, they had a long talk about the overall look at the city -- the city is not one department, it's everything and we are a first-class everything city. When there were critical letters to the editor, phone calls, etc., she could always talk to Bill and he would tell her not to do anything, it would pass by and that was true. She thinks communication is very important. Swarner: Always heard from department heads that Brighton was fair with them at budget times. That if he was going to cut things, he would not pick one department over the others. The mill rate went down after he arrived. The area didn't overbuild or what it did build, it paid for itself ... this all added to economic growth. 8 Vinlow: The Alaska Legislature is currently making changes to the open meetings act. There are several different versions to the bill. It is not an issue with this council, the Borough or Soldotna. Aside from labor negotiations and evaluations of employees, what issues are fair game for executive sessions or closed meetings? Manninen: In Michigan, evaluations, if the person requests it. The purchase of property. He will adjust to what is needed. Vinlow: Executive Sessions are not regularly called? Manninen: They are put on the agenda and called for a specific reason. The council votes to go into executive session. Minutes of the executive session are kept by the clerk for either one year or two and then destroyed. Michigan allows minutes taken in executive sessions, however they are protected and not public information. Swarner: Have you ever been arrested or done anything that would embarrass the City of Kenai? Manninen: Not to his knowledge. Williams: He intrigued him with one of his answers. We have a diverse area of economic enterprises. You said it may be possible to discuss with people the needs of the area in which they work and create a new economic development to cause a supplier to relocate to the area. Have you been involved with something like that? Manninen: Yes, the industrial park has been successful getting to get people to come in. Suppliers to the auto industry. Swarner: Do they lease the land or sell the land in the industrial park? Manninen: It is sold. Swarner: Do you sell or lease land in St. Clair? Manninen: No, they are in the process of buying property to develop a new industrial park. Williams: Have you sought out grants for historical purposes? Manninen: He has been involved with the historic Carnegie Library restoration project; CEBG funds; kept it in its historical perspective. Tried to get a Main Street 9 Project for downtown area in Pipe also. Didn't get the money but did the facades, etc. of the old buildings and redid the main street project with CEBG funds available in 1970's. St. Clair has a beautiful view of all the old buildings. Monfor: Tell us about your "hot line." Manninen: It is a private line at his desk. If there's a problem or a citizen has a gripe, they can call him. He answers the phone and takes the call. The call doesn't go through a secretary or department head. The caller doesn't get the "runaround" feeling. The citizen gets to talk with him. It promotes a lot more communication within the organization. Bookey: How many calls do you receive a week? Manninen: He started with getting calls and the caller would hang up as soon as he answered. Then he started going to coffee in the morning. He has taken care of some perceived problems. With the phone accessibility and the coffee meetings, he has the perception of accessibility. Manninen: He has no direct questions that have not been answered during the touring. He anticipates learning more about the community. He is impressed and happy with having the opportunity to come to Kenai. He looks forward to what comes of this. Interview ended at 3:55 p.m. 10