City of Columbia, Missouri

Meeting Minutes - Final

City Council

Old Kinderhook Hotel

678 Old Kinderhook Dr.

Camdenton, MO. 65020

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

7:30 AM

Retreat - Day 2 of 2

I. BREAKFAST AND NETWORKING (7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.)

II. CALL TO ORDER (8:30 a.m.)

The meeting was called to order at approximately 8:30 a.m.

5 - Buffaloe, Foster, Waterman, Meyer, and Peters

1 - Lovelady

Present:

Absent:

III. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

None.

IV. DAY 1 TENTATIVE TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

Setting the Stage

Agenda Review

Norms and Expectations for the Retreat

Council Roles

Your One Thing and Council Hot Topics

Speed Dating with Department Directors

Closing - Six Word Slam - Again

V. DAY 2 TENTATIVE TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

Setting the Stage

The second day of the retreat began with participants sharing five words to describe

themselves at their best. Participants were asked to reflect on the previous day’s

experience and share what they thought went well, and what they’d like to see differently

today. Participants discussed how they enjoyed the speed dating exercise and how

helpful it was for Council to hear what all the departments are working on. There was a

good sense of camaraderie and openness among participants, which helps gain a sense

of how far they’ve

come and reflects the good working relationship and level of trust between Council and

staff.

The Strategic Plan - What Gets Measured Gets Done

Staff have been working to update performance measures linked to the City’s Strategic

Plan. Carol and Stacey W. presented an overview of the development of the plan,

changes that have been made, and what is planned to move forward. They reviewed the

dashboard of performance metrics available on the City’s website to track progress on the

strategic plan and how those metrics will be updated in the future.

Council was happy to see progress with the measures and how they’re tied to the City’s

budget, and they look forward to having this type of data available when budget decisions

are being made. While there was excitement expressed about the public-facing

dashboard, there are concerns about the cumbersome nature of updating it.

The Strategic Plan - New Decision Items (NDI)

The facilitator led participants in a discussion about connecting Council’s “One Thing” to

what’s happening in the City’s strategic plan, highlighting that all of them are cared for

and currently align with the plan’s five priority areas. Staff provided an update about the

things they’re currently making progress on and how these actions align with and support

the “One Thing” for Council members.

The Strategic Plan - Council and Staff Support

Staff supports the Council by focusing on the priorities established in the strategic plan

and the partnership between Council and Staff is key to serving the community. The

facilitator led participants in a conversation about what each group needs from the other

and how they can all support the organization as it works to achieve the outcomes

identified in the City’s strategic plan.

When asked what they need from the staff in terms of understanding and navigating

what’s happening within the organization, Council members discussed receiving

additional background information during Council orientation, and how helpful it is for staff

to be proactive in anticipating questions that might be asked so that Council members

can be prepared with the appropriate information to answer those questions. The group

also discussed the shared responsibility of Council and staff to be proactive in asking

questions in order to gather more information.

Staff were asked if there’s more that they need from Council in order for this partnership

to be effective. Staff expressed a desire to have more conversations about where the City

is going and how to get there together. It takes time to build momentum, and it’s

important to not only know where they are headed, but to be sure they’re still walking in

the same direction together as a team. Staff appreciate the creation of a safe space in

which they can be honest and have conversations about why things don’t always stay on

track.

Next Steps

The City Manager outlined next steps, including new updates that will come during the

budget process, integrating NDIs into accountability measures for the strategic plan, and

communicating progress on Council members’ “One Thing.” Participants also discussed

the future of the City and proactive measures the departments will need to take to prepare

for and manage growth, including infrastructure, utilities, and public safety.

Closing Remarks

As the retreat came to a close, participants were asked to share their parting thoughts.

Many discussed the

progress that has been made in the last two years and the growth they’ve seen in their

ability to work

together and collaborate with one another to achieve goals and enact meaningful change.

Multiple

participants expressed gratitude for one another and participating in this process. Full

thoughts from the

group are captured below.

• We need to institutionalize these important aspects of trusting relationships

• We’ve done a lot of repair work in the last few years and are thankful to staff, especially

the steady guidance from De’Carlon to keep moving forward

• It feels like we’re more cohesive as a group

• We’ve come a long way in building relationships and working together

• Council is appreciative of the work staff continues to do

• We’ve moved from a reactive approach to a proactive path

• We’re more fully staffed and have the resources we need

• Everyone leaned into this process, which is appreciated

• We’re continuing to build and coming together in a trusting environment and are grateful

to see progress made

• It’s nice to have space to innovate and try things and feel supported in trying to move

the needle; hearing the struggles of others helps relate and makes it feel that we’re in this

together

• It’s great to recognize the things we’ve accomplished and hear about our collaborative

efforts in these conversations

• There’s appreciation for Council’s efforts to learn, educate, and communicate

• Grateful for having created better infrastructure for this type of communication and

collaboration

• People’s willingness to share and be forthcoming is impressive

• We have the opportunity to learn from each other and make positive changes

• Grateful for the opportunity to be part of this great organization; we’ve come a long way

in relationship building and our accomplishments and are looking forward to continuing

that

• Watching the growth and having the opportunity to learn more about one another during

these retreats builds our bonds

• This is a good reminder of our accomplishments and generates excitement about where

we’re going

• Grateful for this process

• Understanding we’re on a journey together and if we’re going to succeed it’s because

we’re walking together hand in hand to move forward

• Appreciate our time together and ability to learn more about the organization

• Impressed by the passion and grateful to be part of the team to push the City forward;

appreciative of the engagement during the retreat

• Impressed by the synergy within the group

• Grateful for these conversations that have motivated us to keep moving and remain

encouraged for the future

• Encouraged and inspired by the conversations and interactions and the sense of the

collaboration between staff and Council

• Appreciative and encouraged by the transformational changes that have taken place and

the support of Council

• We’ve moved to talking about strategies to achieve goals as opposed to talking about

problems and how to solve them

• Learned a lot during this time

• We can do a lot together if staff is to use Council and communicate what they need

from them; we are on this journey together and we need to be collaborative to get to