Substantive Discussion Needs to Be on Agenda
It also seems unwise that the topic of re-staffing was not listed on the agenda for last night’s meeting. The good news is that Jon Popp and Chris Benda of the finance committee said they had met and done some homework. There was no indication whether Mayor Bob Jaquis, as an ex-officio member of all council committees, was at that specific meeting or what his role was in the review and research process. At the council meeting, Jon and Chris gave a report and got some feedback. Council member Craig Allen also reported on research the council had asked him to do on the topic of obtaining managerial help.

The not-so-good news is that these matters were substantively discussed at the meeting. Doing so, when they were not listed on the agenda, comes extremely close to breaching Iowa’s open meeting laws even though no policy was set. The mayor allowed the discussion to proceed for a while but finally, and wisely, ended the conversation, noting that the agenda listed only a report and not a full-blown discussion.

Contracting Work to Off-premise Professionals
There was an alarming tone in the discussions about re-staffing. The council seems headed toward automating and contracting out much of the work that Gilbert clerks have done in the past. A step toward automating mundane tasks may be a good step. Farming out too much professional work is worrisome.

Council members made comments to the effect that Gilbert is small and doesn’t need a full-fledged staff on the premises of city hall. However, we are aware of towns smaller than Gilbert that have both a clerk and an administrator. Gilbert is also one of the fastest growing towns in Iowa.

The growth factor alone should prompt the council to have a full-service, on-site staff that dedicates its work solely to the well-being of Gilbert. That means taking care of everyday business as well as working with residents to define a vision for Gilbert, obtaining grant funds, encouraging citizen involvement, communicating intentionally and fully with the public, building a strong sense of trust in our local government, and promoting a healthy community spirit.

Some council members claimed that farming out the work would save money both in terms of salaries and overhead (we assume they meant office costs).

Risking the Loss of a True Center of Government
The council members mentioned how the people who contract to provide services could work from their own offices and not have to come to Gilbert. Such a strategy seems a step toward the town losing any sense of having a true center of government.

The council members did envision hiring a person to be at city hall on a part-time basis, but they suggested that this person would be at city hall to answer the phone. Such remarks underestimate the significant role of the clerks such as Barb Bettis and Dianna Schmidt that the city has had in the past. It is important that the person who answers the city hall phone be trained and knowledgeable. It is also important that the person have the authority to act on a request rather than be a mere message taker and dispatcher. Otherwise, an answering service or machine could just as easily do the job.