Loading...
02/19/85 City Council Minutes►Wa THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE KALISPELL CITY COUNCIL WAS HELD AT 7:30 P.M. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 19, 1985 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL. MAYOR McDOWELL PRESIDED. ALL COUNCILMEN PRESENT. APPROVE MINUTES Councilman Saverud moved to approve the minutes of the February 4, 1985 meeting. Councilman Grainger seconded. Motion carried. CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS Treasurer's Report (January) Police Chief " City Judge " Building Official " Fire Chief " Fire Department Annual Report Councilman Grainger moved to accept the City Official's reports. Councilman Manning seconded. Motion carried. ADDRESSING THE COUNCIL_ Norbert Donahue and Darotne=a Armsticong` wanted to address the council concerning the Parks Superintendent situation. Mayor McDowell told them this would be addressed later in the meeting. COMMITTEE REPORTS STREET & ALLEY -- Councilman Palmer reporting There will be a Committee Meeting Thursday February 21,1985 at 4:00 P.M. Flathead Valley.Community College has requested permission to use Depot Park on March 1, 1985. They also request permission to have the City temporarily close First Street East between Main Street and First Avenue East on that same date and would like to have a load of snow dumped on the street. They have checked with the Fire and Police Departments and the Fire Department requests at least 15 feet of access on one side of the street. Carla'Wright (representing the College) explained the purpose of the events. They would like to have it blocked off from about 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Councilman Palmer moved First Street between Main and First Ave. East be closed from 9:00 to 5:00 and the City provide 'a dump of snow. Councilman Schindler seconded. Motion carried. SAFETY - no report PARKS Councilman Springer introduced Moose Miller -who requested to address the Council later in the meeting. CITY DEVELOPMENT - Councilman Saverud reporting At 4:00 today the committee met jointly with the Parks and Annexation committees to discuss the establishment of a fair market value for Griffin Park. After some discussion it was agreed to table that until next Monday for additional information. The meeting is scheduled for February 25, 1985 at 4:00 P.M. EMPLOYMENT - Councilman Grainger reporting The employee handbook has now been corrected. Councilman Grainger moved it be approved to be in effect April 1, 1985. Councilman Nystul seconded. Motion carried. FINANCE - no report SEWER & WATER - no report ANNEXATION - Councilman Manning 'reporting The City Zoning Commission met February 11 and recommended the half block across from the Triangle Building (Block.228) be rezoned from R-4 Single Family Residential to B-2 Neighborhood Professional. A public hearing has to be set and the Regional Development Office will set the date for that hearing. 283 MISCELLANEOUS Councilman Nystul moved the Clerk be authorized to call for bids for legal advertising. Councilman Schindler seconded. Motion carried. Council Grainger moved the Business License Bonds found in order by the City Attorney be approved. Councilman Schindler seconded. Motion carried. Moose Miller addressed the Council requesting permission to use Lawrence Park as a temporary location for Soccer and Rugby fields until something permanent is done with that ground. Councilman Manning asked them to bring their request to the Parks Advisory Committee meeting, where all the community's park needs will be addressed. The next meeting will be February 25 at 7:30 P.M. The Mayor introduced discussion of the resignation of the Parks Superintendent. He said he had his letter of resignation but before he read it he wanted to get input from everyone here first. The Mayor said he felt Pieter Drent has really done an outstanding job in the Parks Department; in fact for the City of Kalispell in many ways, and he felt he is an asset to the City of Kalspell, and he asked if anyone else had any comments they wanted to make at this time. Councilman Manning stated he would like Pieter to reconsider his resignation; he recognized there were some frustations and philosophical differences and once these differences can be solved, Pieter can be a very good Director of Parks. Councilman Nystul said he had received several calls from the public and the prevailing comment was that Pieter has done an outstanding job with limited resources and we shouldn't let him go. we've received eleven years of good work and we've got the Griffin Field relocation and Swimming Pool reconstruction just getting under way and it's just not in the best interest of the City of Kalispell to accept this resignation. Councilman Schindler said he felt the same way as Councilmen Manning and Nystul. He has observed Pieter working down at the Parks evenings and weekends and feels he is one of the most valuable employees the City has. There are some philosophical differences between him and some of the Council and that will come up with any department head and with any issue. He felt if we work on those differences and keep Pieter it would be far more advantageous to the City and he would be very distressed if Pieter retired; he's too much of an asset. Councilman Palmer attested to what Councilman Schindler said and said he had many times seen Pieter working at 6:30 and 7:00 Sunday morning; he has a personal interest in what he has helped develop and he felt it was much more a part of Pieter than Pieter realizes and would request we not accept his resignation. Councilman Saverud remarked, since he has been on the council and reviewed budgets he felt Pieter is, among other things, a fiscal wizard, making do with hand-me-down equipment and having his crews being borrowed by other departments and gets the work done with a great deal of care and gives over 100%. It's premature for him to consider retirement and he would encourage Pieter to reconsider his resignation; the residents of the City need his energy and expertise on the projects that are coming up; projects that he has diligently worked on and are now coming together. Former City Attorney Norbert Donahue said he had worked closely with Pieter for years and he is not always easy to get along with but he is reasonable. If there was any disagreement it was of the head and not the heart because Pieter's heart was with the City and the City Parks. There are hundreds of people in the County happy with the baseball program and Woodland Park is known statewide. He has gotten more out of his staff and budget than any other City Department, When it was budget time he always got the hand me downs and made them work and got the job done. He didn't know the reason for the letter but if it's a question of personalities it should be worked out.and keep this valuable employee. He spoke as a friend of Pieter's, as a former city employee, and as a resident. 284 Former Councilman Forrest Daley said he was on the Council when Pieter was hired and since that time he'has become recognized as an expert in Parks and Recreation. He has worked very closely with Pieter and recognizes his faults and good points; his good points outweigh his faults. Pieter feels he has not received the consideration he should have, and going over some of the things with him, Mr. Daley agreed he has not received the support of the Whole Council. You will still have problems until you clear up.the conflict on -the Committee. Dr. David Downey spoke on Pieter's behalf, stating most of what needed to be said has already been said but he added anytime you have a turnover in staff it costs an awful lot of money to bring someone up to that level of productivity and so it just makes dollars and cents to keep Pieter. Mrs. Dorothea Armstrong said she agreed with everything that had been said on his behalf. She said one of the Council members said that the Council may be able to find a solution and whatever that action would be, she urged it be taken. Councilman Ruiz stated, first of all, he got the feeling from the people here that we are firing Pieter, and he resented that. Pieter volunteered his resignation, and he personally would like him not to resign. At the same time, as a policy making body, we are elected by the citizens to make decisions and if they are not along the same lines as the philosophy of our department heads then, really, the department head either has to change or maybe take the choice Pieter has done and resign. Councilman Ruiz said he didn't know what the problem is. He was surprised Pieter was unhappy to the point of resigning, but if he can't work out his problems with the Council then that's his decision, he would like to see Pieter stay, but the Council must stay in charge. Councilman Grainger also said he didn't feel we were terminating Pieter and had not seen the letter, but Pieter hadn't discussed anything with the Employment Committee concerning any conflict. Mr. Donahue responded the message they were trying to give to the Council was that Pieter was a valuable employee and the resignation should not be accepted without an in-house investigation of the basis of his resignation and see if you can't resolve that problem. It's up to the Council to take whatever action is necessary. Councilman Springer said he didn't know what Pieter's problem is but he was not going to be a scapegoat for something he didn't know anything about. If Norbert was talking about an investigation to place blame at someone's foot, he objected because it isn't fair to the City, Pieter or himself. Things haven't always happened the way Pieter wanted and they haven't always happened the way he wanted. Mr. Donahue said he didn't intend to make accusations but if no one knows what the problem is, there should be an investigation. Dr. E. B. Higgins suggested a group of councilmen act as a mediation committee and resolve the problem, whatever it is. Mayor McDowell addressed Pieter Drent and said he had a lot of support and there was going to be a lot of things happening with the Parks Department and he would like 'Pieter to be a part of it and asked Pieter to withdraw his resignation. Pieter responded that he was very frustrated and he might as well say what he had to say. His first frustration was over Lawrence Park. About a year ago he worked up a proposal for ball fields for Lawrence Park and went to the Parks Committee and they told him to go ahead and propose it and he thought the Parks. Committee was behind him. There was a scheduled public hearing and after the hearing he said "Councilman Springer told me this is the first round of a fight. And I figured good lord, am I fighting with the council about something. That's where my problems started, right there." : His second frustration was the Tree Ordinance. He said he started on the tree ordinance about a year ago. He prepared all the information he could find and made some sketches and gave them to the Parks Committee. At a committee meeting about it Councilman Springer said he liked the Helena Tree Ordinance so Pieter made one like the Helena Ordinance. At 285 another Committee meeting it was voted he was to be in charge of the Trees and Ken Hammer was to prepare another tree ordinance. He didn't have the time so Pieter prepared another tree ordinance. It was shortly discussed and no one responded when Councilman Springer asked for comments. At the next committee meeting Councilman Springer said if no one has any comments lets give it to the City Attorney. Then we had the Council meeting when Councilman Springer said the ordinance was no good. Pieter asked "how can I operate if Councilman Springer, even after his own Committee wants to do things, is not interested." Pieter said everybody had voted for an advisory board and there have been three meetings and the Chairman was not there. Another thing that was really bothering Pieter was the former Mayor had given him his own independent department and he felt that was a compliment. In the last two or three months he had repeatedly heard he was to be put under the Director of Public Works and he feels that is a demotion. In the meantime we are losing ballfields and need to find replacements and all that is talked about is a tree ordinance and the Golf Course. Pieter said that at the last council meeting, "I sat here next to the Director of Public Works and I heard these remarks that Councilman Springer made, usually in a way that hurts people's feelings, but he don't seem to pay any attention to that, I looked at him" (Mr. Hammer) "and said I'm quitting, I don't need this. I've worked too hard and too long to sit here and take that kind of abuse. So I went home. I called the Mayor that evening and said I'm done. I'm quitting, I'll come back and clean up and that's it. Two days later the Mayor and a couple of City Councilmen came and asked me to come back, with the promise that something would be done. Under that assumption, that something would be changed, I came back. What happened from there on, I don't know. There is no change being made.... Maybe we can work together, but things have got to be done different. I know my position as an employee of the city. I know that if the Parks Board of the City Council makes a decision I am to carry it out, whether I like it or not. All the councilmen can show you that I have always faithfully done that. But if the decision is made at the council and it stops there it is no good. I can't operate. I've got a lot of work to do and I came to the conclusion that under the current set up, the way it is now, there is a definite personality clash between Councilman Springer and me, it would be in the best interest of the City if I go. That's what I feel." The Mayor thanked Pieter and asked if he wanted the Mayor to read the letter or withdraw it. Pieter said he was not withdrawing it. The Mayor then read the letter: "Dear Mayor, events of the last few months and the remarks made at the last Council Meeting by both Councilman Springer and Coucilman Ruiz have led me to the conclusion that I can no longer be effective as Director of Parks & Recreation with Councilman Springer as Chairman of the Parks Committee. It is, therefore, with regret that, after 11 years of service to the City of Kalispell, I will be retiring effective March 1, 1985. Respectfully, Pieter M. Drent." Councilman Palmer moved that action on the Resignation Letter be tabled until a Committee of the Whole Council meeting can be held on February 21, 1985 at 5:00 P.M. Councilman Nystul seconded. Councilman Palmer stated he had called Pieter at home and told him he should do whatever would give him peace of mind, but he would like to try to resolve this in a businesslike manner without emotions. There is a communications problem and there is probably something that Pieter could have done sooner. Councilman Palmer said he would like to take those steps now and then if Pieter still wishes to quit, he wishes him the best. Councilman Ruiz said he would rather just refuse the resignation; tabling would mean we were going to look into whether we are going to accept his resignation and he wanted to go on record that we refuse his letter of resignation. That would give us an opportunity to find out what the problems are and recommend a solution. Councilman Palmer said he wanted the meeting for Pieter's benefit and would not withdraw his motion. Coucilman Grainger asked where the philosophy came from that employees work for the committees, and he discussed with Pieter the fact that committees can't direct employees. Councilman Springer stated he didn't want Pieter's friends here tonight to leave believing nothing had been accomplished in the last year, and stated "If there is a problem with this Council on the part of the Parks Director it's the Parks Director and not the Chairman of the Parks Committee." Councilman Ruiz voted no, Councilman Springer abstained. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:28 P.M. Approved as corrected March 18, 1985 i `0'- ATTEST: Marjori Giermann, Clerk/Treasurer 11