El Paso Herald-Post El Paso News & Opinion
After a lengthy meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Oscar Leeser, City Manager Tommy Gonzalez and the entire City Council took the first step in moving forward after months of consternation.
The City Team went into Executive Session for almost 5 hours and the outcome was a “Statement of Goals and Expectations.”
Mayor Leeser had very positive comments to share about the discussion. “Our City Team is working hard to get past the last few months and get back on track and focus on the areas that help our great city prosper like economic development, public safety, quality of life and our financial stability.”
The City Council expressed their appreciation for the work completed and the results achieved together. This meeting was more about collaboration and ensuring Council feedback was integrated into next year’s work efforts.
City Manager, Tommy Gonzalez said, “I have a deep sense of pride in our staff and what we along with Council have been able to achieve. I know there is much more to do but despite the distractions we have continued to persevere and achieve Council objectives.” City Manager shared a three page report listing the “Council’s Accomplishments and Focus Areas.”
The Mayor stressed the importance of Mayor, Council and City Manager all working together and said the “Statement of Goals and Expectations” will help that process.
The areas included in the personnel document are the following:
- Relationship with Council that included items on continuing to update council on special projects and ensuring that staff follows through on issues and maintains mutual respect throughout the organization.
- Organizational Management area focused on restructuring, succession planning, and organizational needs.
- Communications and Relations looked at the communications needs of council and allocating necessary resources for specific areas.
- Align Staff Reporting with Council Goals – this included implementing capital project tracking software and financial information.
- Ethics Ordinance focused on demonstrating accountability and ensuring ethical and honest behavior among the organization.
- Human Resources looked at developing a compensation Plan and re-implementing performance reviews for employees at all levels of the organization.
- Public Relations and Media focused on maintaining a positive relationship with the community and re-emphasized the importance media in assisting with public awareness on City issues.
- External Relations included the importance of representing the City at all levels and maintaining a good working relationship with local regional, state and federal agencies.
- Financial Management stressed the need to expedite the reconciliation of financial accounts and developing a multi-year planning system. Council recognized this has been a long standing matter but wants to make it a priority in the coming year.
- Personal Attributes looked at initiating creative solutions to issues, listening to ideas and continuing to build employee morale.
