Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Succession Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Blufftown council seeks succession plan for staff, committees; considers two-day fall workshop
Summary
Councilmembers discussed creating a formal succession plan for elected officials, staff and advisory committees, weighing a consultant option (~$10,000) against an in-house two-day workshop to document duties and manuals for handoff.
Councilmember Lynn DeSosa raised succession planning as a standing risk for the town’s operations and committees, asking whether the council should hire a consultant or complete the work in-house: “there are consultants that do that but probably we're looking at a package of a minimum of $10,000 to have someone come in and do succession planning,” she said.
Erin (town staff) and other councilmembers said staff can lead an in-house process if the council commits concentrated time in the fall; staff suggested two consecutive days of focused workshops (half days acceptable) to document responsibilities, produce manuals and capture institutional knowledge. Participants emphasized the difference between staff and elected officials: while staff roles and committee appointment processes can be documented, elected officials by nature change with elections. The council discussed including planning and zoning and other appointed bodies in the process so appointments dovetail with documented handoffs.
Councilmembers asked staff to coordinate calendars for September–November and to confirm Erin’s availability to lead the exercise. The council tentatively agreed to prioritize the work this fall and to seek a consultant only if the in-house option proves insufficient.
