ElkRiverMunicipal Utilities

SPECIAT MEETING NOTICE OF THE

ELK RIVER MUNICIPAL UTILITIES COMMISSION

MEETING BY TELEPHONE OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEANS

Meeting pursuant to Minn. Stat. 5 13D.021

l, John J. Dietz, Chair, hereby request a special meeting of the Elk River Municipal UtilitiesCommission on Tuesday, April 28, 2020,3:30 p.m. at Elk River Municipal Utilities, l-3059 Orono

Parkway, Elk River, MN. The purpose ofthe meeting is to discuss and take action on the General

Manager Resignation and Leadership Transition.

ln accordance with the requirements of Minn. stat. Section 13D.021, Chair John J. Dietz has

determined that an in-person meeting is not practical or prudent because of the COVID-19 healthpandemic declared under Chapter 12 of the Minnesota Statutes.

Because of the COVID-19 health pandemic, it has been determined that attendance at the regularmeeting location by members of the public is not feasible.

Because of the COVID-19 health pandemic, it has been determined that the physical presence at theregular meeting location by at least one member of the body, chief legal counsel or chiefadministrative officer is not feasible.

Therefore, some or allthe Utilities Commission members may be participating by telephone orother electronic means.

Due to the COVID-19 emergency and the closure of utility facilities, public comment will not be taken at

the meeting. However, public comment on agenda items can be made by submitting written comment

to General Manager Troy Adams at tadams@ermumn.com prior to the meeting. lnclude "Public

Comment" ln the subject line, your name and address and the agenda item you are speaking to. Note

zLl LOLOJohn J. Dietz, Chair

I HEREBY CERTIFY, that this notice has been posted and that I have served this notice upon the

members of the Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission by mail at least one day prior to the above-

called Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission meeting. ln accordance with State Statute, thisnotice will be posted at least three days prior to the meeting date.

that all odblic comrFent is-considered Public Data

YT,frK .{ \ \

.\ \ zq \ zozoTroy Adams, General Manager Date

Members of the public may monitor the meeting by visiting our website at

https://erm umn.com/pages/stream.

Date

'vl1

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE UTILITIES COMMISSION

April 28, 2020, 3:30 P.M. Meeting by Telephone or Other Electronic Means

______________________________________________________________________________

Page 1 of 1

AGENDA

1.0 GOVERNANCE 1.1 Call Meeting to Order 1.2 Roll Call

▪ Commissioner Bell▪ Commissioner Nadeau▪ Commissioner Stewart▪ Commissioner Westgaard▪ Chair Dietz

1.3 Consider the Agenda

2.0 BUSINESS ACTION 2.1 General Manager Resignation 2.2 Leadership Transition

3.0 ADJOURN SPECIAL MEETING

2

______________________________________________________________________________

Page 1 of 1

UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING

TO: ERMU Commission

FROM: Troy Adams, P.E – General Manager

MEETING DATE: April 28, 2020

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: 2.1

SUBJECT: General Manager Resignation

ACTION REQUESTED: Receive and File General Manager Resignation Notice

DISCUSSION: Please receive and file the formal notice of resignation from General Manager Troy Adams.

ATTACHMENTS:

• Troy Adams General Manager Resignation Notice April 20, 2020

3

4

______________________________________________________________________________

Page 1 of 2

UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING

TO: ERMU Commission

FROM: Troy Adams, P.E – General Manager

MEETING DATE: April 28, 2020

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: 2.2

SUBJECT: Leadership Transition

ACTION REQUESTED: Approve or consider the following:

• Hiring of search consultant

• Create search committee

• Determine candidate pool

• Establish search and selection process schedule

• Appoint interim general manager

• Establish terms for extended contract services from outgoing general manager

DISCUSSION: With the resignation from the General Manager, there are several leadership transition action items for consideration by the commission.

Consultant – It is recommended that the commission consider hiring a consultant to help coordinate the general manager search and placement process. The consultant would help to discuss, vet, and establish selection criteria to help the commission select the candidate which best fits their needs. The consultant would also help generate a list of typical GM/CEO type questions which the commission could select from to ensure that questions used are legal.

The leadership team has been using a consultant, Debra Englund – CEO HRExpertiseBP, for team development for the past six years. Ms. Englund would be in a unique position to evaluate fit and skill sets needed to compliment the organization’s culture. She could also help with current leadership team assessments, gap analysis, and strengths/weaknesses analysis. It would be my recommendation that the commission hire HRExpertiseBP to assist with the process. Ms. Englund will be attending the meeting to answer questions.

Committee - The commission should consider creating a search committee that is authorized to work with the consultant to make certain candidate screening decisions and to prepare a refined list of candidates for the board. Ideally, this committee would have only two commissioners. The committee could solicit input from the leadership team and employees on skills, leadership style, and selection considerations. However, it would not be typical for employees to participate on the committee itself.

5

______________________________________________________________________________

Page 2 of 2

Candidate pool – The commission should decide whether to search internally only verses conducting an internal/external search. The commission should discuss pros and cons related to this decision including impact to workplace culture stability, search costs, and schedule.

Schedule – Once the commission has discussed the above action items, it would be appropriate to establish a timetable for the process, even if things need to be revised later. This is important for all existing employees to know because there will be anxiety with the unknown. Knowing a timeline will help them through the transition.

Interim – The commission should also appoint an interim general manager.

Temporary contract services for transition – The commission should discuss having the outgoing general manager on retainer for a month or possibly two as a contract employee to provide transition support. This more typical for retirements but is not uncommon for transition where a general manager is leaving on good terms.

6

Milestone Sub-Date Description Resources Status

Month Day Organizational Effectiveness Survey Debra CEO

✓Completed

Month Day

Strategic Initiatives Defined Role Definition Candidate Qualifications Defined Performance Measurement Defined

Debra Commission

✓

✓

Open ✓

Month Day Post the position with deadline Resumes directly to HRExpertiseBP

Debra

Month Day Resume reviews Debra Selection Committee

Month Day Phone Screens begin Debra

Month Day Interview Training Selection of Candidates to interview

Debra Selection Committee

Month Day Full Commission interview of final candidate Selection of final Candidate Initial Offer crafted

Commission Debra

Month Day Approval of the offer from the Commission Selection Committee Debra

Month Day Offer negotiated Offer Acceptance received

Commission Debra

Month Day Background Check

TBD/Debra

Month Day Last date to announce Press Releases

Debra TBD

Month Day Onboarding Debra Commission Chair

Month Day Employment Begins Support from outgoing CEO

Commission Chair Outgoing CEO

Month Day New CEO working on strategic initiatives CEO Leadership Team

CEO Selection Process ERMU

HRExpertiseBP

HANDOUT AT MEETING PROVIDED BY DEBRA ENGLUND

Qualities in the New CEO: from the Elk River Commission

• CEO that drives forward the organization and the Commission

• Strategic change agent with the ability to create and lead change

• Ability to develop leaders

• Ability to effectively implement strategic change

• Demonstrated Ethics/Integrity/Honesty

• Dynamic and innovative

• Ability to articulate concepts well (exceptional communication skills)

• Strong ability to influence and persuade

• Exceptional negotiation skills

• Politically astute

• Ability to understand the technical and business elements of leading an electric and

water utility.

• Ability to problem solve: identify and find strategic alternatives with the ability to motivate

the organization to act upon alternative solutions that fall outside of the status quo.

• Exceptional business acumen: Results oriented with a strategic focus

• Ability to be the voice of Utility and to effectively engage the community, customers and

employees

• Ability to provide vision as Utility enters into a new era of growth and change

HRExpertiseBP

HANDOUT AT MEETING PROVIDED BY DEBRA ENGLUND

HRExpertiseBP Successful Execution….On Demand

HR and Process expertise….successful execution….without big fees.

In 1999, after more than ten years in corporate leadership roles, Debra founded HRExpertiseBP, a

highly respected consulting firm specializing in Organizational Effectiveness, Human Resources and

Business Process Improvement. “In today's economy, expertise is no longer enough. We focus on

successful execution and serve clients throughout North America”. Debra believes that HR and

business process expertise should be integrated to help our client’s lead effective and profitable

organizations. “We identify and focus on areas needing improvement that provide the most significant

impact. We provide expertise, processes and HR tools to support those improvements...including

leadership development, strategic planning, succession planning, scaling of organizations, executive

and Board performance measurement, and Total Rewards.” www.hrexpertisebp.com

Debra has a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations and Industrial Organizational Psychology from the

University of Minnesota. She has over 35 years of experience in the field of Organizational

Effectiveness and Human Resources. Prior to opening her own company, Debra held positions ranging

from Management within a 4-Billion-dollar global company to VP/COO of a national firm located in St.

Paul.

Debra works extensively with executive teams and Boards of Directors. She is often engaged to work

with executives to scale their companies and resolve issues amongst members of the leadership team.

Her strength is in organizational design and effectiveness as well as leadership team development.

“Our desire is to bring together the strategic and technical expertise, with a successful consultative style, to add significant value for any organization. At HRExpertiseBP we look forward to learning about your organization and working together to achieve your strategic goals and meet your operational objectives.”

- HRExpertiseBP Team

Debra Englund, MAIR/CCP

Debra@HRExpertiseBP.com

612.414.6833

HANDOUT AT MEETING PROVIDED BY DEBRA ENGLUND