Travis County Commissioners Court
October 11, 2005
Item A1
Let's call up a-1, just that item. And hopefully this will get us to around 10:30 and then we'll be ready for executive session. So if our lawyers are listening, I do think they should be prepared to head this way for executive session at about 10:45 or so. A-1 is to consider and take appropriate action on contract with mtg management consultants llc to assist with various county projects. Commissioner Gomez and I met just the two of us first yesterday for about 30 minutes or so to review a proposal that we had. Then we met with mr. Trumble and expressed various opinions and discussed various issues, and my recommendation is that the court approve the direction that we are headed and take this matter to purchasing and legal to come back next week with a contract for the court to consider and hopefully have that contract by Friday. We looked at what proposed, and basically this would be assistance in three areas. One is the central booking interlocal with the city of Austin. Mr. Trumble worked on this for several months while with Travis County, and I think that he possesses the necessary expertise for us to see this matter to conclusion. As a result of his work and other staff members, we were able to get a-million-dollar increase. There are several key and what I would consider to be significant issues that still need to be ironed out with the city of Austin. He possesses the expertise as well as a good working relationship with the city of Austin representative, mr. Garza on this matter. So I think he will be of invaluable assistance to Travis County. What we talked about was this proposal basically has him starting October 3rd. If we act next week it will be October 18th, so we need new dates in here. One recommendation I had was in most of these contracts there is input from one of the top managers, and in view of mr. Trumble's special relationship with Travis County, I asked him if we could not eliminate or drastically reduce the input time from the top manager, and he said he would work on that, so I think that's one thing that we would ask county staff to try to work on. The other thing would be a clear description of the expenses for which Travis County would be billed. That needs to be covered in the contract. The other thing is that he would basically submit to the county an hourly billing. And we may as well see that new hourly billing form. Our recommendation is that on the central booking interlocal, the Travis County project manager, b. Carroll coburn, who is serving in an acting coordinator role for us. In addition to that, mr. Trumble would also assist with the selection of the criminal justice coordinator. Ms. Coburn would be the project manager on that one too. And he would assist with the short listing of applications for the emergency services coordinator position, preferably down to about five. And the Travis County Commissioners court would interview those five. And if we find one of them suitable, we would make that selection. But at least if (indiscernible) and danny hobby would be the Travis County project managers on that. And basically what we did was sort of go through the proposal almost lineally line and discussed it. And I think pretty much reached agreement, but we would expect legal. And jim, would you be the one working with the purchasing to try to come up with a short but to the point contract between now and Friday? The hourly rate quoted here, we have no way of knowing whether it's reasonable or not, so purchasing would want to give us a hand on that. I did tell mr. Trumble that somebody would want to touch base with them to discuss various parts of the proposal, so we would leave that to purchasing and legal. But in my view, in order for us to achieve maximum benefit from the consultant assistance, we need this back on the court's agd next Tuesday. We hope to interview a short list of applicants. If they work with the deliberate speed and we turn them loose October 18th, my guess is we're looking at at least four to six weeks. So if we plan to fill those positions, two key positions at the county this year, then I think we need to go ahead and give this thing the green light. Questions? We shared that with the court last week and what we did was come to a better understanding of exactly what service he would give us. I think we left our meeting with a clear understanding that the Commissioners court is not necessarily interested in seeing a lot of written reports. These are specific actions that we need to get done basically. Taking 100 applications and reducing those down to the five most qualified for these two credit cell positions so we can interview them. And so the central booking interlocal, he would basically work with staff and the city of Austin and arrive at I would say the final elements that are critical to an interlocal agreement, what he calls recommended resolution of operational issues. And that would take us real close to the interlocal that we need in place? What he gives us I think is the opportunity to go ahead and get the interlocal that we really have worked on for probably eight or nine months already to push that to conclusion. I think we're looking at spending 30 to $40,000.
>> do you think that this firm has the expertise to weigh in on the e.m.s. Part of this? I mean, I think they have the expertise to clearly help with the central booking because mike was doing that, and obviously with the criminal justice coordinator position -- I don't know what we'll get e.m.s. Managerwise or in that arena, but I know that mike had to work kind of cross, but that wasn't -- obviously with I知 much more comfortable with having danny hobby back in the mix, but that's really where I think we need to recognize that that's going to be the biggest advantage we have there. So I just don't -- I don't want to get out there to where we're committing to 30 or $40,000, and we might not be -- we might not need that in that one area of expertise. But I don't know what you and Commissioner Gomez talked about with him.
>> I think that if he works with alish sha perez and danny hobby, then we can determine what his value is on the county. In order of preference, I would say the central booking interlocal is first, criminal justice planning coordinator second, and the emergency services coordinator would be third. Obviously -- I知 thinking that dandy and alish sha would have to spend a lot of time at the medical examiner's office while at the same time trying to short list. I think we've got about 90 or 100 applications for the emergency services coordinator.
>> we have a bunch.
>> I知 not convinced that all of them are top quality applicants, but I think in order to fairly and objectively go through that list, arrive at a good evaluation criteria, I object actively make the short listing decisions, it will be time intensive. And I知 thinking that with three there working we probably will get a better result than if one person were trying to do this and do all of the other duties and responsibilities. The other thing, though, is that we're supposed to see hourly billings, so there ought to be a description of services as well as the time that it takes. And if we reached a conclusion that if we question the value of some of them, then there would be plenty of opportunity to stop. The contract ought to be written like that, jim.
>> at the end of the day, judge, the time line to have all positions filled is about -- what are we looking at -- what time frame?
>> I think late November or before December 15th.
>> okay. Getting real close to the christmas holiday season worries me. A lot of people taking time off. And I wouldn't say that we slowed down to a grinding halt, but we operate more slowly around the christmas holiday, new year's holiday season.
>> I just want to get a feel for where we need to be at a certain time.
>> the other thing we chatted about was the chief operating officer. And it seems to me that if we go through these and get them done and we need any help on that short listing, then we would get his help on that too. But we would be able to look at exactly how he's able to help -- how he's able to work with staff, what time is taken. So that would be my number four, but a lot depends on how much of the work we're able to get done without him. Certainly the central booking interlocal we need him, and there's no doubt in my mind that he would be of immense value to us. The criminal justice planning coordinator position, I think he would just be invaluable. Like you, though, acknowledge emergency services coordinator, it's third on the list because I think we can get it done without it. If we're prioritizing it, I think it will free them up to help out here, but to focus more of their attention on the medical examiner's office. Which I知 told still needs a little focus, right?
>> let me tell you, the only reason that I have reservation about entering into something right now, Commissioner Sonleitner and I have sat down with joe lazard, and joe is going to bring us something next Monday with regards to what he would see bringing to the table, I mean, if the county were interested in that. And I know that alicia has worked with mr. Lazard, and he has a lot of experience in probably all of these things we're talking about because he probably was over a number of those -- I think probably all of them with the city of Austin. So I壇 like to see what joe is going to bring. I don't want to get so far out there on this thing that we go, okay, we've signed a 30 or 40,000-dollar contract, and something else has come to us that's sort of interesting as well.
>> so joe would work on the emergency services?
>> well, he is capable of probably doing everything from central booking to the criminal justice coordinator and e.m.s. I mean, he's probably got a certain amount of expertise in each of those. But until he looks he supposedly has talked -- will have talked to a number of folks, he's going to bring something to us that we ought to at least take a look at. I mean, that's a week. A week from yesterday. And I can call him and make sure that he is going to bring something to us so that we can take a look at it, but I do think that we ought to -- before we pull the trigger on this, we ought to see. Maybe there is some coordination with lazard and with mike, and especially the folks that we've got at the table right now, but I知 a little hesitant about going forward with signing an agreement. Maybe that's not what you're talking about, judge.
>> that's what I知 talking about for next week, though. That's my recommendation for next week. Yes, sir?
>> john hilly and I were discussing that late yesterday when we saw this backup come in. And it's our preliminary assessment that we may have to follow the procedures for waiving the ethics policy because mike is a key contracting person and he's employed by mtg. And I believe under our ethics policy that the court would have to waive its -- the ethics requirements in order to contract with mtg. So that would require us putting it on one week to disclose it, which would be next week, and then contracting the following week.
>> that's fine with me.
>> that gives you enough time to do it --
>> if joe is coming in. Now, I have a hard time thinking that joe would be able to help us conclude work on the central booking interlocal and the criminal justice planning coordinator. My guess is what he is probably as able as mike on the other one, but on those two that's pretty much all mike has done for the last couple of years.
>> and we'll know from lazard next Monday, given that we've got to go through the process, the procedural process that jim is telling us, then it's a moot point. We'll have that information.
>> can we do this work in such a way that if we want to pull out any part of those three we can do it? The proposal basically is sort of divided into actually two, the central booking interlocal and the short listing of applications for the two coordinator positions, but there's no reason we can't separate two coordinator patchy fogs into like two separate proposals.
>> but whatever we need to legally let's do. And if after y'all chat with him there are other serious issues, then let's do them. In my view mike's chief value is that he has been there and has worked on both of these from the criminal justice, intook interlocal perspective, spent months working on it. If we can't expedite it, we might as well issue an r.f.p. And see what's available. So the expertise and the ability to expedite --
>> [inaudible - no mic].
>> I can give you my marked up part plus insight into what we chatted about yesterday. What we did last week in executive session was to discuss -- when we talked about a variety of personnel relates and the proposal we've gotten, this was last Tuesday, then Margaret and I met with mr. Trumble yesterday. Why don't we do this then, why don't we approve sending this proposal to purchasing and legal along with the comments that Margaret and I made yesterday with a request for legal to follow whatever the legal requirements are, do all we can to end up with a proposal for the court to consider, may be considered next week with an eye towards acting on the 25th. Then if we can get from joe lazard his proposal next Tuesday, we can do that.
>> second.
>> and if we decide this into parts, we can approve all of them or pull out different parts. I think that will put us in a good position.
>> I知 not trying to rush anything, but I want to make sure that we own up to -- and deer to our -- dear to our heart as far as having these positions. Because you're correct in saying things slow down in the holiday season. I don't want to be in that kind of disposition at the time of the year and we're still looking at these critical positions that need to be filled.
>> what we're about to decide is asking purchasing and legal to get with mike trumble to get with joe lazard and try to get whatever proposal he can by next Tuesday. And it looks like we might have to apply the ethics policy to mr. Trumble, in which case we should give notice one week and take action one week later, which will be the 25th, if it looks like that's the case, then the dates that are in the draft proposal here should reflect that. Right now they show October 3rd. It looks like it may be October 25th if we need to take that week of notice. Is that okay? What I値l do is I値l trying to make my notes here and have an understanding and give you a copy of these. That was my motion. Commissioner Davis seconds. Discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Thank y'all. I値l be sure to get it to you.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, October 11, 2005 4:42 PM