HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole January 30 20071 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
2 Committee Of The Whole
3
4 January 30, 2007
5
6
7 Council Vice Chair Seth Fleetwood called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. in the
8 Council Committee Room, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
9
10 Present, • Absent:
11 Barbara Brenner L. Ward Nelson
12 Dan McShane
13 Sam Crawford
14 Carl Weimer
15 Laurie Caskey- Schreiber
16
17
18
19 1. DISCUSSION WITH PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION REGARDING A
20 POSSIBLE PROPERTY ACQUISITION (AB2007 -018)
21
22 This item was withdrawn from the agenda.
23
24 2. DISCUSSION AND NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE ON OPEN AND SOON -TO -OPEN
25 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS (AB2007 -018)
26
27 McShane moved to go into executive session to discuss the agenda item for ten
28 minutes.
29
30 Motion carried 4 -0 with Weimer and Caskey - Schreiber out of the room and
31 Nelson absent.
32
33 3. DISCUSSION REGARDING A PERSONNEL MATTER (AB2006 -018)
34
35 McShane stated they are to discuss the County Council Planning and Policy Analyst
36 position. There is a Whatcom County job description and a supplemental job description.
37 The descriptions are draft at this point. How the position should be managed is included in
38 the descriptions.
39
40 Brenner asked what applications the staff person would evaluate and whether the
41 staff person would work under the Clerk of the Council when assisting with management
42 and other staff as directed.
43
44 Dana Brown- Davis, Clerk of the Council, stated the staff person would not work
45 under her. The staff person would work independently under the County Council.
46
47 Brenner asked how the staff person would assist management and other staff.
48 Brown -Davis stated the person would work with County staff.
49
50 Brenner stated the County staff is administrative. Brown -Davis stated it is a general
51 description from the Human Resources Division.
52
Committee of the Whole, 1/30/2007, Page 1
Brenner asked what applications the staff person would evaluate. Brown -Davis
stated it includes applications for Comprehensive Plan amendments.
McShane stated it could also include zoning text amendments.
Caskey- Schreiber stated she really likes the descriptions. Move forward as soon as
possible. Another potential job duty could be to work with the Clerk of the Council in letting
the Council know when things are about to expire, so the Council doesn't have to have
emergency meetings to renew ordinances. Have that person in charge of expiring
ordinances.
Brenner stated Ms. Brown -Davis is in charge of the Council calendar. It may be
weird to pull out that task. Brown -Davis stated it doesn't have to be a task that is written in
the description as an essential duty. They can decide that task later.
Fleetwood stated the first sentence of the summary should express the breadth of
the position's duties. Instead, it is just a list of duties and tasks. Brown -Davis stated the
supplemental description is the general summary.
Fleetwood asked by what means the Council will give direction to the staff person.
McShane stated the person reports to the Council Chair or designee on projects and
work items assigned by a majority of the Council.
Brenner stated that's the way it's always been.
McShane stated the Council Chair could identify another councilmember as his or her
designee for a particular issue. That councilmember designee would coordinate work
direction with the other councilmembers. A councilmember would come up with an issue,
get approval from a majority of the Council for the analyst to work on the issue, and then
hand the issue over to the analyst. This staff person could also be a liaison between the
Council and administration on many issues. The Council is part -time. He has limitations on
tracking certain issues. It would be good to have someone go to citizen meetings. The
staff person can also help the administration understand the Council's position.
Brenner stated the qualification should just require extensive experience in planning,
environmental science, or a related field. There are people who have that experience, but
who haven't got a college degree.
Caskey- Schreiber stated she disagrees. They are going to have a position that pays
$80,000 per year. A Bachelor's degree is minimal.
Fleetwood stated the object is to find an individual who can do the work. They are
making a judgment call that, at a bare minimum necessary, the person should have these
three things listed in the qualifications. He would like to see someone who is really bright,
articulate, and a strong research. The question is how to gather those qualities in a person.
It's not necessary that the person have a degree in planning, environmental science, or a
related field. He asked how these necessary qualifiers were determined.
McShane stated it's standard that a planner should have a degree in one of those
areas. He would not be comfortable deviating from that, which is a typical hiring practice
for a position like this.
Committee of the Whole, 1/30/2007, Page 2
1 Fleetwood stated he wanted to hire a policy analyst. Identifying the person as a
2 planning and policy analyst limits the scope of what the Council can use the person for. He
3 thought the Council simply wanted an assistant to work on any issue, rather than limiting it
4 to a planning issue.
5
6 Crawford asked if the Human Resources Division gave any indication about the
7 position being a senior planner position. He asked the available market for a senior
8 planner. Brown -Davis stated she didn't know the market. This could be a senior planner
9 position. It will make a difference in the descriptions.
10
11 Crawford stated most of the planners in Whatcom County are coming straight out of
12 school in a junior planner position, and working their way up. If this were the Planning
13 Department hiring a planner, they wouldn't expect a lot out of the person the first years.
14 That person is there to grasp the enormity of the County's regulatory environment. It takes
15 a long time for folks to get up to speed. This person will be very different, and will have to
16 spend a lot of time at the Planning Department. He would be surprised if this person could
17 complete a comprehensive project within the first six months.
18
19 Caskey- Schreiber stated the salary is competitive enough that they will draw top
20 applicants. She's comfortable with the position focusing on planning issues. That is from
21 where the most cumbersome legal challenges result. If they can avoid one of those legal
22 challenges, the salary is paid for that year. It would be great to have this person look over
23 recommended changes and provide a report. It's another set of eyes that isn't politically
24 influenced from the administration. Now, she's asking for information from people who
25 aren't at liberty to give her an answer, because they are worried about appeasing the
26 Executive.
27
28 Fleetwood stated that's what motivated this issue.
29
30 McShane stated this position will attract good people. They may attract someone
31 home grown. There will be an application process. The Council is having to make
32 significant planning decisions. He's learned a lot in this job. There are a lot of action items
33 in the Comprehensive Plan that aren't acted upon because staff is overloaded. The Council
34 may set different priorities. Filling out State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) checklists is
35 one task for this person. They want a high quality person because this person has to deal
36 with the Council. That takes a remarkable skill set.
37
38 Weimer stated the descriptions are comprehensive. Anything the Council may want
39 is included. The descriptions provide plenty of flexibility. For this job to be real successful,
40 the Council will have to have a discussion with the administration. It will be very valuable
41 for this staff person to sit in on administrative staff meetings.
42
43 Brenner stated the administration won't allow that to happen.
44
45 Crawford stated he is fine with the descriptions. He asked about the hiring process.
46 He asked if the Council is clear enough about its requirements for the Human Resources
47 Division to determine which applicants are qualified. Brown -Davis stated the Council Office
48 will get all the applications. There is a checklist to go through. Usually, they weed out
49 about half of the applications, which don't meet qualifications. In the interview process, all
50 applicants are asked the same question by the same person.
51
52 Crawford stated the Council can have an interviewer, such as Ms. Brown - Davis, and
53 the councilmembers can observe.
Committee of the Whole, 1/30/2007, Page 3
1
2 Fleetwood asked where the person will be housed. Brown -Davis stated the office for
3 the staff person will be in the Council conference room. The committee room will have to
4 also serve as a conference room.
5
6 Fleetwood asked if a policy analyst would be able to analyze Hearing Examiner
7 appeals.
8
9 Caskey- Schreiber stated that's the Council's responsibility.
10
11 Crawford asked why councilmembers can't be at Hearing Examiner hearings. He was
12 told it is because an appeal may go to the Council. However, everything that goes on
13 during a hearing is on the record that the Council would consider. It would be interesting to
14 have this person attend some of the Hearing Examiner hearings and be cognizant of this
15 stuff.
16
17 Brenner suggested a language change to the qualifications, "Requires a Baeheler-'s
18 degree in planning, environmental science, law, or related field."
19
20 Weimer stated law would be a related field.
21
22 Crawford moved to approve the language in the descriptions, as presented.
23
24 Motion carried 5 -0 with Caskey- Schreiber out of the room and Nelson
25 absent.
26
27 4. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE NATIONAL POLLUTION DISCHARGED
28 ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PHASE II PERMIT ISSUED BY THE
29 DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY ON JANUARY 17, 2007 (AB2007 -018)
30
31 This item was withdrawn from the agenda.
32
33 OTHER BUSINESS
34
35 ADJOURN
36
37 The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:53 p.m.
38
3
40
41 Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
42 ,; N»1ui1rr
43 r
�l��pved these minutes on February 27 , 2007.
44 45 ATT IZ .•;N"AlrC •�� ��� WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
46 Z Q • fC D '.i WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
47 �r1:C.'�•_r�
48
49
50
51
Carl Weimer, Council Chair
Committee of the Whole, 1/30/2007, Page 4