City Manager Retention ResolutionCity of Dubuque
ITEM TITLE:
SUMMARY:
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Staff Memo
Resolution
Copyrighted
May 4, 2020
Action Items # 1.
City Manager Retention Resolution
City Attorney submitting a Retention Resolution for the City
Manager at the request of the City Council.
RETENTION RESOLUTION
Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Adopt
Resolution(s)
Type
Staff Memo
Resolutions
THE CITY OF
Dui
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
CRENNA M. BRUMWELL, ES
CITY ATTORNEY
To: MAYOR ROY D. BUOL AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: APRIL 30, 2020
RE: CITY MANAGER RETENTION RESOLUTION
Dubuque
WIWI
All -America City
11111.1
2007.2012.2013
2017*2019
The City Council initiated the City Manager's 2020 written evaluation process during a
closed session in February 2020. The process was more involved than in prior years due
to the recent addition of three (3) newer council members.
The evaluation process beginning in February included three (3) separate closed
sessions where the following was reviewed and discussed:
1) A history of the City Manager's performance reviews during his tenure as city
manager;
2) 360 -degree evaluation results;
3) Review of evaluation results compiled; and
4) Feedback and direction going forward
The 360 -degree review process involved gathering anonymous feedback from a sampling
of the City Manager's direct reports, other city employees who routinely interact with the
City Manager, and his peers in the community. The 360 -degree evaluation process was
conducted by and the information was collected and analyzed by an independent
company.
The Mayor and City Council also conducted a written evaluation process of the City
Manager's performance. The Council tasked me with preparing a retention resolution for
the City Manager to be submitted as part of the May 4, 2020 City Council agenda for
consideration. The information contained in the retention resolution is separated into
multiple categories. The categories include:
1) Background, Personal, Memberships;
2) Jobs/Employment;
3) Infrastructure;
4) Livability Awards;
OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY DUBUQUE, IOWA
SUITE 330, HARBOR VIEW PLACE, 300 MAIN STREET DUBUQUE, IA 52001-6944
TELEPHONE (563) 589-4381 / FAx (563) 583-1040 / EMAIL cbrumwel@cityofdubuque.org
5) Sustainability Recognition;
6) Equity Recognition; and
7) Continuity of Leadership
The attached resolution is provided per your direction and for your consideration. Thank
you.
Attachment
cc: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
F:\Users\tsteckle\Brumwell\Memos\MayorCouncil_CityManagerRetentionResolution_043020.docx
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Prepared by Crenna M. Brumwell 300 Main Street Suite 330 Dubuque IA 52001 563 589-4381
RESOLUTION NO. 144-20
BACKGROUND, PERSONAL, MEMBERSHIPS
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen came to Dubuque in 1993 as a highly
skilled and talented local government administrator, having worked in Skokie, Illinois for
nine years and prior to that as a police officer in Carbondale, Illinois for seven years;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen completed his Master's Degree in
Public Affairs, Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science Management, Bachelor's Degree in
Administration of Justice and Associate's Degree in Law Enforcement before coming to
Dubuque. He has since continued to improve his skills and abilities by completing the
Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State
and Local Government Program, the Northwestern University Kellogg School of
Management Kellogg Management Institute and the U.S. Army War College National
Security Seminar;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has become an International
City/County Management Association Credentialed Manager, which recognizes
professional local government managers and their commitment to lifelong learning with a
minimum of 40 hours of continuing education every year to maintain the credentialed
status;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen and his family have been foster
parents, hosted foreign exchange students and guests from foreign countries, exhibits
the kind of character that contributes to community success beyond the job;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen was a founding Board Member of the
Crescent Community Health Center;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen was Chairperson of the United Way
of Dubuque Area Tri-States Board of Directors, Chairperson of the United Way annual
community campaign, Co -Chairperson of the Dubuque Area Labor -Management Council
Board of Directors, has served on numerous committees and ad hoc task forces for not -
for -profits;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has been selected by his peers for
leadership roles as Midwest Vice -President of the International City/County Management
Association, President of the Iowa City/County Management Association and President
of the Illinois Association of Municipal Management Assistants;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has received international, national
and state-wide recognition for his role in Dubuque's achievements and his skills and
abilities, being named City Manager of the Year by the International City/County
042820cmb
Management Association, City Manager of the Year by the Iowa City/County
Management Association, Public Executive of the Year by the Novogradac Community
Development Foundation, the Dwight Ink Award from Iowa State University Masters in
Public Administration Program; Member of the Southern Illinois University Pi Alpha Alpha
National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration, featured in the Harvard
University John F. Kennedy School of Government Innovators in Public Services Series,
featured in the book, "Growing Jobs: Transforming the Way We Approach Economic
Development" and selected a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow, a
congressionally chartered non -partisan, non-profit academy with less than 1,000
members, nominated and selected by existing Fellows of the Academy;
WHEREAS, in 2019 City Manager Mike Van Milligen was appointed by Governor
Kim Reynolds and confirmed by the Iowa Senate as a member of the Iowa Finance
Authority (IFA) Board of Directors. IFA has 85 employees and provides billions of dollars
in loans, tax credits, property title guarantees and grants to enhance the quality of life for
Iowans by making affordable financing available for home and community. IFA helps
thousands of Iowa families each year by helping them become homeowners, get back on
their feet during times of need or move into an affordable rental home that they can call
their own. IFA also helps new farmers begin their farming operations, communities
affordably upgrade their water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and
homeowners have title protection. Iowa Finance Authority and Iowa Economic
Development Authority Executive Director Debi Durham advised, "I selected you to serve
on the IFA Board because of what I saw happening in Dubuque. I admire your boldness,
vision, creativity and compassion";
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen is routinely recruited to leave
Dubuque for leadership roles in other communities;
JOBS/EMPLOYMENT
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen operates a very lean organization as
compared to the employee counts of the other ten cities in Iowa with a population greater
than 50,000;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen operates a very efficient organization
with diversified revenue streams, allowing Dubuque to have the lowest property tax per
capita and the lowest property tax rate when compared to the other ten cities in Iowa with
a population over 50,000;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has the ability to hire, promote and
support talented individuals;
WHEREAS, numerous city employees hired and/or promoted by City Manager
Mike Van Milligen have received individual and project -related national recognition for
their contributions;
WHEREAS, the City of Dubuque Leadership Team, consisting of almost 100
members, has gone from 27 female members in 2011 to 42 in 2020, a 56% increase;
WHEREAS, 60% of the City of Dubuque Department Managers are women and
minorities;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen is part of a winning team of elected
leaders, city employees and community partners that has created a community
atmosphere and attitude that reversed the population declines of the past and is now one
of the few areas of the State of Iowa that is showing population growth, where the median
household income is increasing faster than the national rate and housing values are
increasing;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen was part of a team that helped bring
the community out of the major economic downturn of the 1980's and early 1990's where
the city experienced over 23% unemployment and lost 9% of the population; and the
Great Recession of 2009 to get Dubuque to one of the lowest -unemployment rates in the
country, the community needs his participation in the recovery from the 2020 economic
downturn;
WHEREAS, Dubuque was one of less than ten metropolitan areas to experience
an unemployment rate under 2% in 2019;
INFRASTRUCTURE
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen successfully partners with federal,
state and other local government agencies, not -for -profits, organizations, businesses,
neighborhoods and individuals;
WHEREAS, during the tenure of City Manager Mike Van Milligen, the City of
Dubuque went from no 4-lane connections to the outside world, to four 4-lane
connections, now being connected by 4-lanes to Mexico, Canada, New York, California,
Minneapolis -St. Paul, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee;
WHEREAS, during the tenure of City Manager Mike Van Milligen, the city has seen
well over one billion dollars in public and private investment in places like Dubuque
Industrial Center West, Dubuque Technology Park, Downtown Dubuque, the
neighborhoods of Dubuque, the Port of Dubuque, Dubuque Regional Airport, Asbury
Plaza, the Historic Millwork District, the Central Avenue Corridor, Schmitt Island, the
Southwest Arterial and the Bee Branch Creek Watershed;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen participated, along with the City
Attorney's Office and Engineering Department, in leveraging the true economic value of
the industrial riverfront, increasing annual lease revenues from $30,000 a year to $2.75
million in Fiscal Year 2020, while eliminating the expenses the city previously incurred for
dredging and tax payments;
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WHEREAS, Dubuque has been pursuing expanded broadband services and fiber
to every home and business and Dubuque has gone from two broadband providers to ten
broadband providers, with three of those working to provide fiber optic to every home and
business in Dubuque, with completion over the next several years;
WHEREAS, Dubuque has pursued construction of the Southwest Arterial since
the 1960's and the $130 million project will be completed in 2020;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has supported public safety efforts
and championed a traffic and security system that has led to Dubuque being one of the
safest large cities in the State of Iowa, one of the safest states in the country, with
Dubuque having a crime clearance rate of 92% compared to the national average of 46%;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has supported public safety efforts
that have led to the City of Dubuque being an Insurance Services Organization Class II
Fire Department, putting Dubuque in the top 1 % of Iowa and the top 5% of the 39,850
U.S. fire departments evaluated;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has previously successfully led the
city operations through seven presidential disaster declarations and now, when his steady
hand is needed, is doing the same through this COVID-19 pandemic;
LIVABILITY AWARDS
WHEREAS, during City Manager Mike Van Milligen's tenure, the efforts of the
Dubuque Community related to engagement, equity and inclusion have been recognized
by the National Civic League in 2007, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019 with the All -America
City designation, an unprecedented accomplishment in the 70-year history of this award
by the National Civic League;
WHEREAS, in the Harvard University and University of California Berkley Equality
of Opportunity Project, Dubuque was in the top 8% of the nation's metropolitan areas for
upward mobility;
WHEREAS, Smartasset.com named Dubuque one of the 10 Best American Cities
to Work in Technology;
WHEREAS, Alot Travel ranked Dubuque #12 on its list of the "30 Best Small Cities
in the United States";
WHEREAS, Movoto ranked Dubuque 12th out of 50 Most Exciting Small Cities in
America, #14 on America's Best Small Cities to Move to, and 2nd Most Relaxed Small
City in America;
WHEREAS, Kiplinger designated Dubuque one of the 10 Great Places to Live;
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WHEREAS, Area Development Magazine named Dubuque 21st as one of the "Top
100 Leading Locations" and #7 among the "Top 30 Small Cities";
WHEREAS, Fast Company Magazine rated Dubuque one of the 10 Smartest
Cities on the Planet (the only city in the United States on the list);
WHEREAS, Forbes designated Dubuque as the Best Small City to Raise a Family,
14th in the nation for Best Small Places for Business and Careers, 50th for small cities for
Cost of Doing Business, and 7th in the nation for Best Small Places;
WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors Most Livable Small City in the United
States Awards Program awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award to the Bee Branch
Watershed Flood Mitigation Project and the First Place Award to the America's River
Project;
WHEREAS, the American's Promise Alliance selected Dubuque as 100 Best
Communities for Young People five times;
WHEREAS, U.S. World & News Report stated, "...has managed a striking two -
decade turnaround...Along the way, Dubuque has set the pace for job growth in Iowa and
rediscovered a long -ignored asset: the river, which runs wide and beautiful here."
WHEREAS, the Des Moines Register took an editorial position that "Few Iowa
cities were hit harder in the 80s, few have a better outlook now...The Dubuque story might
offer lessons for every Iowa city";
WHEREAS, in 2019, Dubuque was featured in the National Trust for Historic
Preservation Magazine, including appearing on the cover of their prestigious national
publication with the title "Finding Dubuque: An Iowa city rediscovers it sense of place";
WHEREAS, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs designated Dubuque's
Driftless North End as an Iowa Great Place;
SUSTAINABILITY RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, the Intelligent Community Forum designated Dubuque one of the
Smart 21 Communities;
WHEREAS, the President Obama White House named Dubuque one of 16
Climate Action Champions;
WHEREAS, the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Program designated Dubuque one of 75 LEED-Certified
Cities;
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WHEREAS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named Dubuque a
recipient of the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement for revitalization efforts in
the Historic Millwork District and the Washington Neighborhood;
WHEREAS, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Bee
Branch Creek Restoration Project for excellence and innovation in clean water
infrastructure through the Performance and Innovation in SRF Creating Environmental
Success (PISCES) program;
WHEREAS, the U.S. Environmental protection Agency Region 7 awarded the City
of Dubuque the Leading Environmentalism and Forwarding Sustainability (LEAFS)
Award;
WHEREAS, the STAR Community Rating awarded Dubuque a 4-STAR
Community Rating for national sustainability excellence. Dubuque was just the third Iowa
community and the 25th in the national to achieve certification on this 5-STAR scale;
WHEREAS, Dubuque was ranked #5 for Resiliency out of 361 communities
nationwide;
EQUITY RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, during the tenure of City Manager Mike Van Milligen, the City of
Dubuque has achieved international recognition for efforts to become a viable, livable and
equitable community;
WHEREAS, the City of Dubuque is a national model for work to create an Equitable
Community of Choice;
WHEREAS, the Human Rights Campaign, in partnership with the Equality
Federation Institute, gave Dubuque a score of 100 on the Municipal Equality Index;
WHEREAS, the National League of Cities selected Dubuque for its first -place
award for the City Cultural Diversity Awards;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen is invited for national speaking
engagements related to the City of Dubuque's implementation of Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion;
WHEREAS, the City of Dubuque routinely has other cities from across the world
visiting Dubuque or sending representatives to spend time in Dubuque because of the
desire to learn how Dubuque's success can be replicated in their community;
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CONTINUITY OF LEADERSHIP
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen successfully accomplishes the Mayor
and City Council Goals and Priorities through Planning, Partnerships and People;
WHEREAS, the City of Dubuque continues to become a more data -driven
organization with engaged citizens and employees;
WHEREAS, City Manager Mike Van Milligen has worked for 23 different City
Council Members and 3 different Mayors in his 27-year tenure with the City of Dubuque
and has consistently received outstanding evaluations with an average composite score
of evaluations from 1993-2020 of 91 %;
WHEREAS, the City of Dubuque has many more important goals and priorities to
achieve and we believe that these achievements will come sooner, be more sustainable
and with greater impact with City Manager Mike Van Milligen as part of the team of elected
officials, city staff, and community partners, and we believe that because it has proven to
be true in the past as City Manager Mike Van Milligen has played a role in much of
Dubuque's success;
WHEREAS, the seasoned and highly competent leadership of City Manager Mike
Van Milligen, the people in place within the city organization and the existence of the
partnerships that have been nurtured over the years is key to the community's ability to
operate efficiently and effectively on a routine basis and during times of extreme stress
as occurs during disasters, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a perfect example;
WHEREAS, we believe it is in the best interest of the City of Dubuque that City
Manager Mike Van Milligen knows that we want him to stay as the City Manager of
Dubuque and support him in his leadership of the organization for the ongoing benefit of
the City of Dubuque and its citizenry; and
WHEREAS, we want City Manager Mike Van Milligen as a part of our team now
and into the future.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF DUBUQUE,
IOWA AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council believes it is in the best interest of the City of
Dubuque that City Manager Mike Van Milligen continue as the City Manager of Dubuque.
Section 2. The City Council supports Mike Van Milligen in his leadership of the
city organization for the ongoing benefit of the City of Dubuque and its citizenry.
Passed, approved and adopted this 4th day of May 2020.
Roy D. BLOI, Mayor
Attest:
Kevin S. Firnstahl, Citylerk
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