07-14-2020 ERMU MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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4.2 Annual Strategic Plan Review Ms. Slominski shared the purpose of the Strategic Plan and provided some background on the process the leadership team goes through to determine organizational goals and initiatives. Presented for review were highlights from the 2020 initiatives, and newly identified go/no-go initiatives for 2021. Ms. Slominski explained that staff is looking for discussion on the high-level strategic themes and initiatives that have been identified, and to reach consensus on the themes leading into the budgeting process. Ms. Slominski presented the strategic plan as outlined in her memo. Commissioner Westgaard had a question on Theme 2: Personnel and Governance, wondering if the strategic plan should include a proactive approach to employee retention in conjunction with the more reactive approach of succession planning. Commissioner Stewart noted that those items are directly related to the planned hiring of a human resources staff member who can conduct exit interviews to gather ideas and see if there is a consistent reason for employee departures. Ms. Slominski inquired if the Commission was asking for employee retention to be added as its own initiative or added to an existing one. Commissioner Bell suggested that it be added to the succession planning initiative. For Theme: 4 Technology, Chair Dietz asked how many other municipal utilities have Advanced Metering Infrastructure. Mr. Fuchs estimated that many utilities have the system and agreed it would cost a couple million dollars for ERMU to obtain it. Ms. Slominski noted the system offers great benefits. For Theme 5: Growth, Chair Dietz asked if staff knew the cost to ERMU for the Highway 169 Redefine project. Ms. Slominski commented that the plans are preliminary. Mr. Fuchs agreed and suggested the plans would be better defined this fall. Chair Dietz asked Mr. Fuchs for clarification on the work that is taking place on Highway 10. Mr. Fuchs responded. Chair Dietz also asked for clarification on the proposed evaluation of the water model. There was discussion on the progress of the field services building expansion project. Commissioner Stewart recommended a new format for the monthly financials balance sheet which would be similar in presentation to Minnesota Municipal Power Agency's. Ms. Karpinski stated that she would work with NISC to develop a custom statement to accommodate this request. Commissioner Bell noted that IT staff is going to be very busy as a recurring element within many of the themes is IT related. The Commission had consensus to support the high-level strategic themes that were presented. Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Meeting Minutes July 14, 2020 Page 4