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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-01-04 - AGENDAS - SPECIAL MTG (2)CITY OF SANTA CLARITA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING 5:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M. MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1999 CENTURY ROOM CITY BALL 23920 VALENCIA BLVD, 1sT FLOOR SANTA CLARITA CA CITY COUNCIL/DEPARTMENT HEAD TEAM BUILDING SESSION PROFESSIONALLY FACILITATED CALL TO ORDER TEAM BUILDING SESSION ADJOURN l.dW.9W.4.ep NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF SANTA CLARITA A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA WILL BE HELD ON THE 4th DAY OF January, 1999, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. IN THE CENTURY ROOM, 18T FLOOR, CITY HALL, 23920 VALENCIA BLVD., SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, FOR THE PURPOSE OF HOLDING A PROFESSIONALLY FACILITATED CITY COUNCIL/DEPARTMENT HEAD TEAM BUILDING SESSION. )4 jo Anng Darcy, Mayor STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )ss. CITY OF SANTA CLARITA) I, Sharon L. Dawson, City Clerk, do hereby certify that a copy of the Notice of Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita, Ca., to be held on the 4th day of January. 1999, at the hour of 5:30 p.m. was delivered and/or notice accepted by telephone not less than twenty four hours before the hour of 5:30 p.m. on the 31st day of December, 1998 to: City Council City Manager City Attorney News Media Sh�L. Dawson, CMC City Clerk Dated: December 30, 1998 The University of Kansas Edwin O. Stene Graduate Program in Public Administration Department of Public Administration College of Liberal Arts and Sciences December 1, 1998 George Caravalho City Manager 23920 Valencia Boulevard Santa Clarita, CA 91355 Dear George, Thank you for your recent e-mail message. January 4 is a good date forme to work with your governing body and senior staff. The afternoon time is perfect. As we discussed, my fee is $2500 plus expenses. Expenses should be minimal since I am already in California at that time and will not require airfare, lodging, or meals. I probably will need to rent a car. Please sign and return a copy of this letter. I will call Jan and the new mayor as the time approaches. Let me know how many people will attend, so I can make enough copies of the handouts. The room should be arranged in a U -shape if possible. If not, round tables would work. I have enclosed several items that will help participants anticipate the workshop. Use as you see fit. • A short biographical sketch • A description of the workshop prepared by Lynchburg, Virginia • A summary of the workshop prepared by the Maryland Municipal League • Two unsolicited letters from Lynchburg following the workshop there I look forward to working with the governing body and your staff. Sincerely, ohnNalbandian Professor and City Council 318 Blake Hall • Lawrence, KS RECELVED DEC - 7 1998 CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA 5208 - padept@ukans.edu John Nalbandian John Nalbandian teaches in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Kansas. He came to Kansas in 1976 from Los Angeles, where he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. The public administration department at KU specializes in training students for careers in local government. In 1998, US News and World Report rated it as the number one local government academic program in the country. Professor Nalbandian served as department chair from 1983-1988. In addition to his faculty position, he has served on the city council in Lawrence since 1991. The council elected him mayor in 1993-1994 and again in 1995-1996 The fourth edition of Professor Nalbandian's co-authored text, Public Personnel Management Context and Strategy, has just become available. In addition to numerous articles on city management, in 1991 he wrote Professionalism in Local Government: Values Roles and Responsibilities of City Managers. Currently, he is helping the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia and the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City develop training institutes for local elected officials. In the last few years, he has spoken extensively to elected officials, professional staff, and academic audiences about "Values, Politics, and Professionalism" in local government. He has conducted workshops and training sessions in California, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Florida, Delaware, Arkansas, and Ohio. Professor Nalbandian has been honored on two occasions by the International City Management Association—as an honorary member and as recipient of the Stephen B. Sweeney award for local government education. The Kansas Association of Parks and Recreation recognized him in 1996 as its elected official of the year. In 1997 Professor Nalbandian was elected as a Fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration and was honored with a teaching excellence award by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. Web Site: http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/–nalband/John.htmi ■ O� O F�� llrm� Now low= r. Relationship Between Values, Politics & Professionalism SY JAMES P. PECK ASS IAT DIRECTORA2ESEARCX AND INF MAT N SERVICES urrent Mayor of Lawrence, Kansas and Uni- versity of Kansas Professor of Public Ad- ministration John Nalbandian addressed over 400 attendees at MML's 1996 conven- tion in Ocean City. His topics included the inter- relationship of political values in problem solving, the role of the local elected governing body, and the differing attitudes and perceptions of elected officials and their professional staff. Dr. Nalbandian presented a series of scenarios to illustrate the complex nature of decision making for local elected officials. While there may be an issue facing municipal officials for which there is a simple answer —a veritable two plus two equals four in Nalbandian's par- lance — the various facts, opinions, perceptions, alterna- tives and competing interests associated with most problems before municipal governing bodies make de- cision making difficult. "There are," stressed Dr. Nalbandian, "problems for which there are no right answers. If you don't believe that, you're going to have a real hard time as an elected official," he warned. And it is those types of problems and only those types of problems that should even come before a local elected body — where issues don't require personal expertise to address them. 8 SEPTEMBER 1996 Political values influence the public policy develop- ment of elected bodies. And the primary political value of our culture is responsiveness of government officials to public wants and needs. The value of responsiveness in turn is reflected in demands for: Representation. This is the belief that government answers to the will of the people through elected representatives. If a public policy is going to have an impact on a group of citizens, that group should have the opportunity to be heard. Efficiency. Citizens expect government to be run prudently. This is achieved through cost-consciousness; through rational, analytical decision making; and through an emphasis on expertise, professionalism, planning and merit. Individual Rights. Citizens have been granted legal rights that protect them from arbitrary decisions by government. Social Equity. The members of various classes of citizens — be they minorities, female, senior citizens or the disabled — expect treatment equal to the members of other groups of people. These deep-seated values and expectations—the very basis for democracy in America — may frequently be incompatible, making issues before local governing bod- ies difficult to resolve. Local elected officials must then Municipal Maryland l thepubiwanonjor6'aboutMar*ndreitia&tw T_LARYLAND i-�' MCIPAl Political values influence the public policy develop- ment of elected bodies. And the primary political value of our culture is responsiveness of government officials to public wants and needs. The value of responsiveness in turn is reflected in demands for: Representation. This is the belief that government answers to the will of the people through elected representatives. If a public policy is going to have an impact on a group of citizens, that group should have the opportunity to be heard. Efficiency. Citizens expect government to be run prudently. This is achieved through cost-consciousness; through rational, analytical decision making; and through an emphasis on expertise, professionalism, planning and merit. Individual Rights. Citizens have been granted legal rights that protect them from arbitrary decisions by government. Social Equity. The members of various classes of citizens — be they minorities, female, senior citizens or the disabled — expect treatment equal to the members of other groups of people. These deep-seated values and expectations—the very basis for democracy in America — may frequently be incompatible, making issues before local governing bod- ies difficult to resolve. Local elected officials must then Municipal Maryland l thepubiwanonjor6'aboutMar*ndreitia&tw John Nalbandian The currency of politics is power, the currency of administration is knowledge. Politicians ask, "What do you hear?" Staff members ask, "What do you know?" then find tradeoffs and compromises through negotia- tions in order to resolve issues before them. These are the primary tools of legislative bodies that must use them to balance competing community interests. Community building is a primary role of a governing body. Community building balances values in a way that promotes inclusiveness of the various interests while still getting things done. To accomplish this, elected officials must keep in mind that (1) no set of values is best, (2) one cannot ignore any single value, (3) value conflicts require compromise and negotiation, and (4) the demo- cratic process is messy. After a brief intermission, Dr. Nalbandian returned to discuss the characteristics of and interrelationships be- tween politics and administration. Where the business of politics can rightly be called a game, the primary activity involved in administration is one of problem solving. Political players act as represen- tatives of their constituents, while administrative staff act as experts in their professional fields. Politicians focus on interests and symbols, while staff members focus on information, funding, personnel and elements needed to accomplish a task. The currency of politics is power; the currency of administration is knowledge. Politicians ask, "What do you hear?" Staff members ask, "What do you know?" The dynamics of politics involve conflict, com- promise and change. The dynamics of administration involve harmony, cooperation and continuity. Staff wants the city or town council to act like an administrative committee in addressing issues. Con- versely, the elected council wants staff to be as flexible and considerate and responsive as the council. What is therefore needed is someone to translate the logic of one group to that of the other. That person may be the city or town manager, the administrator or the mayor. But it is critical that some individual play that role. He or she must translate the value questions of the council into problems to be solved by staff and must translate staff alternatives into value questions to be acted on by the elected council. This is crucial because staff's most useful contribution to the governing body will come in ways that the governing body values. And that can come only if staff understands how the govern- ing body thinks. Dr. Nalbandian closed his presentation by offering a pledge that those in the political field may wish to em- brace. "I pledge," he stated, "to say what needs to be heard, to act in ways that need to be seen, and to seek the virtue that needs to be sought." ■ Municipal Maryland / the publicatronfo &about Maryland's atia(Atomru SEPTEMBER 19% 9 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR The City of L Dr. John Nalbandian 2006 Riviera Court Lawrence, KS 66047 Dear John, CITY HALL, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 24505 • (804) 847-1659 August 14, 1997 We would like to thank you for the excellent presentation on values in public policy that you provided for the City of Lynchburg on August 1, 1997. The insights that you provided to all of us in considering the values that drive our individual and collective actions will affect our relationships and decision-making for a long time. It was an enjoyable experience for City Council Members, School Board Members, and the members of the City Staff to have the opportunity to participate together and develop a common framework for considering values. As you mentioned, the problems. that we are facing here in Lynchburg are similar to those faced by many communities in the country. Thus, your examples touched us closely and allowed us to focus on concerns that are real to us. You demonstrated a tremendous ability to stimulate thinking and to consider the origin of personal positions we may take on issues directly confronting Lynchburg. We appreciated also your skill in drawing out reactions and in making the vaned members of the group comfortable during their learning experience. Thank you also for the opportunities that some members of the group had to further discuss these concepts with you at lunch on Friday. We appreciate the contribution you have made to public service in helping elected officials and city administrators better understand political values and approaches to decision-making. If we use insights that we gained from your presentation, Lynchburg will be better equipped to achieve its vision through improved decision-making and enhanced relationships among elected officials and professional staff. Charles F. Church City Manager ■ � The City of Lynchburg, Virginia MAIN STREET GALLERIA, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 24505 • (804) 847-1341 FAX • (804) 847-1524 CENTER FOR LEARNING & INNOVATION August 11, 1997 Dr. John Nalbandian 2006 Riviera Court Lawrence, KS 66047 Dear John, Your presentation to the Lynchburg City Council, School Board, and various administrators has had major impact already! This week, I have had several meetings where people used the values constructs as they talked about various projects in the City that require the internal support of our employees. I believe that the thoughts that you shared with the group will be useful not only to the City Council and City Administration, but in other internal change projects. We plan to adapt a model to use in the business support systems project that I mentioned to you. John, I think that the work that you have done on political values can be a major contribution to government's attempt to reinvent itself. Most impressive to me was the way that your presentation spoke to everyone in the room. I liked your presentation style and thought that the examples were excellent. Thank you also for the time that you spent talking with Curtis and me about the change process in Lynchburg. It is always useful to have an objective reaction to our internal efforts to change the organization. I understand that the luncheon participants really enjoyed their opportunity to further discuss reactions to the information you presented. I received your articles today and look forward to reading them. I appreciate the extra effort that you took to send them. I will route the bill that you sent to our finance department for payment and trust that they will attend to your reimbursement soon. Thank you. Sincerely, a96,L) A. Tyler St. Clair Organization Development Specialist