Some of the more interesting items on the Oct. 4 South Lake Tahoe City Council agenda are either on the consent agenda or closed session.

Analysis

The consent agenda is usually for slam-dunk items that require no discussion. However, that has not been the case with these five. They seem to pull about half the items each meeting – signaling either a disconnect between staff and council to what is important, or how well versed the council is on the item.

Next week’s red flag consent agenda is the resolution approving salaries and benefits of non-represented management and non-represented confidential employees.

While there is nothing alarming in the staff report, in these contentious budget times that necessitated an interim budget be passed before the complete 2011-12 budget is voted on later this month, this shows a lack of transparency on the city’s part by putting it on the consent agenda.

On the closed session agenda is the city manager’s annual performance review. While this is the usual place for such a review, it does come later than normal. Usually is at the one-year mark, which would have been August. However, previous councils have moved that date around. Lake Tahoe News has been told the format of the review has been changed, which caused some of the delay. No longer is it council members writing down what they like or don’t like about the person. Some structure and professionalism has reportedly been introduced to the process.

What the council exactly thinks about City Manager Tony O’Rourke will not be public information. This is the same for any employee. However, a raise, additional perks or extension of his three-year contract would be public information.

In the past, city managers who want to continue on and who the council wants to stay put have been offered an additional year to their contract. That will be the item to look for and the reasons behind the decision (if anyone will talk) if that additional year is not forthcoming.

Tuesday’s meeting starts at 9am at Lake Tahoe Airport. Here is the City Council agenda.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report