Each year I present my proposed performance goals for the upcoming year to the City Council. I want the Council to know what I see as important and I want to get their unofficial blessing of that vision. I think that’s important because my performance goals tend to trickle down through the organization. At least they’re supposed to. The Council took a look at the following set of goals during my annual performance review earlier this month:
- Eden Prairie Promise – We developed the Eden Prairie Promise performance measures system in 2006-2007. I want to fully implement it in 2007-2008, including a new website for the system which allows residents to observe our performance and results online.
- ALS Initiative - We sometimes refer to this as the “ambulance initiative”. The City has been researching and pursuing the acquisition of the Primary Service Area (PSA) authority for the past three years. We have slowed our pursuit in order to negotiate in good faith with Hennepin County. I want to follow through with our original plan this year to present a formal request to the state regulatory board to grant the City its own PSA and control over who provides ALS services to our residents.
- Budget Advisory Commission - The Budget Advisory Commission, if implemented and managed properly, will add a great deal of value to not only our budget process, but quite possibly to our overall operations as well. My goal for 2007-2008 is to work closely with the BAC to ensure that their work makes a meaningful and positive difference to the budget preparation process. I want the addition of the BAC to our budget making process to be successful.
- Work Plan Reviews – Staff has been conducting formal group reviews of departmental work plans twice each year for the past four years. My goal for 2007-2008 is to figure out a way to be more open about communicating the results of these work plan reviews with department employees and City Council Members.
- Technology Task Force - We held the kick-off event for the new Technology Task Force this week. My goal is to have this group complete its assignment by late October and produce a deliverable which will be used by the City to launch a new community-wide upgrade in the quality, dependability, affordability and speed of Eden Prairie’s telecom infrastructure.
- Mission, Vision, Key Objectives - My goal is to have Council reaffirm the current City mission, vision and key objectives; or , to have a revised mission, vision and key objectives endorsed by the Council as part of the approval process for the 2008-2009 budget process.
- Joint Staff Meetings with Neighboring Cities - It’s important on many fronts for our City staff to have good diplomatic relations with City staffs in neighboring cities. During the upcoming year, it will be my goal to organize the implement joint City staff meeting with the cities of Chanhassen, Minnetonka, Edina and Bloomington.
It’s going to be a busy year. I’m looking forward to it.
