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Minutes 10-10-96 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION MEETING HELD IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH LIBRARY, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1996, AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT Gerald "Jerry" Taylor, Mayor Shirley Jaskiewicz, Vice Mayor Matthew Bradley, Commissioner Henderson Tillman, Commissioner Jamie Titcomb, Commissioner Carrie Parker Hill, City Manager James Cherof, City Attorney Sue Kruse, City Clerk 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Taylor called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 2. CONSIDER FINAL APPROVAL FOR OCEAN AVENUE NOVEMBER 1 BLOCK PARTY At Mayor Taylor's request, Klm Kelly advised that as of the last City Commission meeting, approval to conduct the November 1 Block Party was granted based on the City reviewing a budget, a vendors' list, a sponsorship list, and a more detailed agenda for the party. City Manager Parker Hill advised that the back-up material contained all of the required information. Ms. Kelly Worked with Wilfred Hawkins, and he has provided a recommendation. In response to City Manager Parker Hill's question, Ms. Kelly was in agreement with Mr. Hawkins' October 10 memo. The only change Ms. Kelly discussed related to insurance. She explained that she is in the process of obtaining a $1 million liability special event policy which includes the product through Oyer Insurance. Mr. Qyer explained that he read this October 10, 1996 memorandum today which requires that the insurance form be submitted to the City ten (10) days prior to the event. When the insurance is purchased, it is done so through a wholesaler. They may not have the authority to issue the insurance policy and binder. Mr. Oyer is certain that he will be able to provide a confirmation letter of insurance coverage by early next week, but he is not certain he will be able to provide the signed insurance policy or binder in the amount of time allotted. The wholesaler will FAX Mr. ©yer a quotation. City Manager Parker Hill advised that if Mr. Oyer can assure the City in a letter that insurance coverage is provided, that will be sufficient. Mayor Taylor reminded everyone of his concern about the times associated with closing the road. City Manager Parker Hill advised that Ms. Kelly is requiring a minimum of two hours for set up because there Will be three stages with three bands. If the event is to start at 6:00 p.m., the road would have to be closed at 4:00 p.m. Ms. Kelly explained that she is in possession of a letter from the production company that has the responsibility of setting up the event. In order to set it up, do the sound checks, and have an organized event, a minimum of two hours is required. In addition to setting up the stages, banners will be placed on the store windows, and vendors' booths will be put in place. MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 Ms. Kelly stated that the City and the merchants have worked very hard to promote downtown. Distinctions Home Decor donated $5,000 worth of Palm trees which the City installed. In addition, the City put in new sidewalks and street lights. Cafe Barista and Distinctions Home Decor have redone the fronts of their buildings, and Mr. Oyer is in the process of receiving painting bids for his building. The merchants want to revive the downtown to what it used to be in the 1940s and 1950s, and show potential developers that they can make redevelopment work. The last time this event was held, there was no negative impact. The merchants are taking on a very large budget cost to sponsor this event and they do not have a problem with the City's conditions. There is a great deal of enthusiasm in the downtown, and there are new faces in the area. The merchants are trying to make this a community-oriented event. She supplied a list of business owners on the 500 Block who are willing to close their doors at 3:00 p.m. in order to promote this event. A petition of support for this event is being circulated. In only one day, 700 supporters signed the petition. This event has the support from the Police Department, and needs support from the City. Vice Mayor Jaskiewicz questioned whether there have been any objections from any of the business owners/operators in the area. Ms. Kelly advised that her co-sponsor met with the owner of Scully's market to invite him to participate in the Block Party. As of Monday, Mr. Scully had denied the invitation. Mayor Taylor advised that the City welcomes Ms. Kelly's enthusiasm. However, the timing involved in closing the road is a concern. Mayor Taylor also expressed concern about the fact that Ms. Kelly now advised that there would be three bandstands. He understood that there would be only one bandstand. Ms. Kelly explained that the set up will be exactly the same as it was the last time. During this event, however, there will be more vendors and activities for children. Mayor Taylor told Ms. Kelly that it is very difficult for the Commission to make a decision when they are presented with information that they have not been able to review in advance of making a decision. He suggested that she plan in advance in the future, in response to Commissioner Titcomb's question, City Manager Parker Hill advised that the western barrier will be located before 4th Street so that 4th Street will remain open. With regard to the vendors' booths, Ms. Kelly explained that each vendor will be given a 1 O' x 1 O' space on the street. City Manager Parker Hill reminded the Commissioners that Ms. Kelly is requesting that the street be closed at 4:00 p.m. Mr. Scully will not be participating in this event, and is not happy about it. Therefore, it would not make any difference whether the street is closed at 4:00 p.m, 4:30 p.m., or 5:00 p.m. Mayor Taylor confirmed that he spoke with Mr. Scully, and it is obvious that Mr. Scully would not be happy regardless of the time the street is closed. Commissioner Bradley pointed out that Mr. Scully will probably benefit from the turn-around traffic and from the people who park along the road. Commissioner Bradley does not feel this event will hurt Mr. Scully's business. Vice Mayor Jaskiewicz reminded the Commissioners that Mr. Scully remarked that his business was booming during the last event; however, he did not have enough staff on duty because he was not aware MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 candidates. Following the review of each of the candidates, Mr. Donaldson offered to share his recommendations with the Commission. 1. Jeff Brouqhton Mr. Broughton is one of the two candidates who were not interviewed face-to-face. He is the only candidate of the ten who is not currently employed. Mr. Broughton was the City Manager of Oak Ridge, Tennessee from 1986 to October of 1995. This is one of the three communities in the country where the economy is based solely on the nuclear industry. Oak Ridge is a community of 27,000 with an 11% minority (African-American) population. The City was incorporated in 1959. Many engineers and scientists live in this town. During his interview with Mr. Broughton, Mr. Donaldson learned that in June of 1995, four out of the seven council members changed during a very volatile election where all of the incumbents lost. The central issue dealt with a golf course that the council was pushing as a public/private partnership. A segment of the community did not believe government should be involved in this issue. Members of that group became council members. When he left that position, Mr. Broughton was employed with PAl Corporation, which is a local engineering company. He became Assistant Vice President of Finance & Administration. However, after approximately six months, he realized this position was not right for him, and he left. In addition, Mr. Broughton realized that after going into the private sector that his interests lie in the public sector. Mr. Donaldson advised that a lot of questions arise when an applicant is not currently employed. However, Mr. Broughton's background was relatively stable in the past. He is also a finalist for the Greenacres job, and is being interviewed for that job this weekend. Mr. Denaldson feels that if the council members were contacted at this point for references, four of them would not be very positive about him. Mr. Donaldson corrected the "Recommended Finalists" list with regard to Mr. Broughton to read that he was employed as Assistant Vice President, Finance & Administration, PAl Corporation, Oak Ridge, TN, from 1995-1996. 2. Dennis Kelley Mr. Kelley is from Palm Beach County. Mr. Donaldson spent 21/2 hours with him in North Palm Beach. North Palm Beach is a city of approximately 13,000 people. During peak season, the population increases to approximately 18,000. During the discussions, one of the things Mr. Kelley focussed on was a mall which :has been abandoned for approximately nine years. At this time, it appears that a decision has been made to level the mall and build a shopping center complex. This is a community of approximately 23% senior citizens, and 2% minorities. There are approximately 150 employees and there are two unions. North Palm Beach is a full-service city. Mr. Kelley has been in this position for seven years. He is currently a candidate for Lake Worth. Mr. Kelley had experience in Deland where the minority population is approximately 20%. Mr. Kelley has an advantage of knowing Palm Beach County and he would like to remain in this area. 4 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 3. Scott Randall Mr. Randall is the Village Manager in Streamwood, Illinois. Streamwood is a middle-class community with a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses. The city has approximately 174 full-time employees and 234 part-time employees. The budget is approximately $26 million. Mr. Randall is active in instituting community policing in that city. Streamwood has been able to do a graat deal with approximately $5 million in capital improvements without issuing debt. They have kept their property tax level for the last four years. Streamwood has five bargaining units. In Mr. Donaldson's opinion, Mr. Randall saw Streamwood as a stepping stone. When hired, he told the city council that he planned to move on after four to five years. Mr. Donaldson spoke with the Mayor of Streamwood who is doing the job on a full-time basis. She was very positive on Mr. Randall and said he is a self-starter, a quick learner, and very good with finance. Mr. Donaldson sensed that there might have been a control issue because the mayor is quite aggressive. Mr. Donaldson sensed that Mr. Randall was a very outgoing, straight-forward, confident manager. His current salary is $88,000. He is interested in this position. On the down side, Mr. Randall does not have his Master's Degree, nor does he have any Florida experience. Mr. Randall was a recent finalist for Decatur; however, they decided to hire their Police Chief (Mr. Williams) as City Manager. Mr. Williams was a finalist for the Boynton Beach Police Chief position. 4. Hector Rivera Mr. Rivera is one of three minority candidates. He is the County Manager of Guilford, North Carolina. This is a county of 350,000 people. Mr. Donaldson said he had a lot of questions about this application because it did not make sense to him. When he realized the size of the organization Mr. Rivera was involved with, the job he currently holds, and his current salary ($113,000), he questioned why Mr. Rivera was applying for the job. Even after speaking with Mr. Rivera, he still has some questions. Mr. Rivera has a good background and good experience. He mentioned to Mr. Donaldson that his elderly father lives in Cooper City, and his wife's family lives in Orlando/Tampa. In addition, he wants to go back to a Council/Manager form of government as opposed to a County Administrator. He was the fifth manager in five years when he took over his current job. Mr. Donaldson sensed that perhaps things are not politically good for him at the present time. Mr. Rivera has applied for the CAO's job for Los Angeles County. This is a county of 5 million people. With regard to the salary, Mr. Rivera advised that his children are out of college now and he has less need for income. A salary in the $93,000 to $95,000 range would be acceptable. Mr. Rivera was a finalist for the manager's job in Miami Beach. Mr. Donaldson interviewed Mr. Rivera over the telephone. It was somewhat difficult to understand him since he spoke very quickly. However, he seemed to be outgoing and extroverted. Mr. Donaldson has some concerns about what Mr. Rivera's motivations are and whether or not he would be happy in this job. Mr. Rivera had a relatively short tenure as the CAO of the City of Yonkers, New York. Prior to that, he had a successful seven-year tenure as the City Manager of Virginia Beach. 5 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 5. Bobby "Tony" Smith Mr, Smith began a new job in August of 1996 as the Executive Director of Polk County Opportunity Council. This Council has 75 employees with a $7 million budget. The focus of this organization is to eliminate poverty and mainstream poor, disadvantaged people. Mr. Donaldson visited Mr. Smith in his office, This is a financially-troubled organization, and Mr. Smith is working to change that, Mr. Smith has mots in this area. He is originally from Delray Beach and was a manager in Riviera Beach. In addition, he worked for the County. He has good educational credentials. He possesses a B.S. in Political Science, and an M.S. in Public Administration. He is currently working on his Ph.D. His dissertation has to do with organizational commitment of employees in public management. Mr. Donaldson expressed some concerns to Mr. Smith because he applied for this job after having a job for only two months. Mr. Donaldson questioned the ethics of that move because he does not believe it is a good idea to commit to an organization, and then leave within a few months. It appeared to Mr. Donaldson that Mr. Smith's motivation is that he is interested in this area because of his connections to the area. Mr. Smith managed Riviera Beach for 2Y~ years, and when he left, it was on a split vote of 3-2. There is a lot Of community support for Mr. Smith in Riviera Beach. 6. John Stunson Mr. Stunson is the manager for the City of North Lauderdale. This is a community of approximately 27,000 people. The City has 183 employees and a budget of $16.7 million. Mr. Donaldson found Mr. Stunson to be a seasoned, veteran manager. He was the manager at Oakland Park for ten years, and the Assistant City Manager in Fort Lauderdale for six years. He did a great deal of work on economic development and redevelopment. The demographics of his current position are very similar to those of Boynton Beach. When he took on the job in North Lauderdale, the city was in very bad financial shape. He had to lay off employees immediately. The City now has a 10% reserve. With regard to his management style, Mr. Donaldson feels Mr. Stunson probably was more authoritative in the past, but has mellowed, and been able to adapt to the times. He feels he has done all that he can in North Lauderdale and would like to stay in this area. He has been in the same house in Oakland Park for 27 years, but is willing to move to Boynton Beach. 7. Isaac Turner Mr. Turner is from Longview, Texas. He is a graduate of the M.P.A. Program at the University of Kansas. He worked in Fort Worth and Dallas. He was promoted steadily and has been an Assistant City Manager in Longview since 1991. Longview is a city of 74,000 with a budget of $65 million. Seven hundred forty people are employed by the City. The community is 20% African-American and approximately three to four percent Hispanic. Mr. Turner has responsibility for managing approximately 80% of the city at this time. The City of Longview has focussed a great deal of attention on neighborhood revitalization and developed 6 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 an organizational neighborhood partnership. They had mamhes even before the Wrice marches became popular. The have a program known as, "Operation Clean Sweep". Mr. Turner spoke a great deal about developing a partnership with the entire community, not only the minority community. The City of Longview was also very active in economic development and has upgraded its bond rating. Mr. Donaldson questioned why Mr. Turner was not appointed as manager in 1994 rather than being appointed as Interim City Manager. Mr. Turner explained that he was selected as one of the five finalists, but the final choice was the former Director of the Texas League of Cities and the manager of three cities in Texas. This gentleman was very experienced and it was felt that he did not have the experience necessary at that point. In speaking with a few of the council members, they were very supportive of Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner was the third and final minority candidate. He is very career minded. Upon meeting him in Washington, he initially came across as very quiet. However, as the interview proceeded, Mr. Donaldson was very impressed with his communication skills and thoughtfulness. He appears to be a very solid individual. He has a very progressive management style. One weakness involves the fact that Mr. Turner has not dealt with unions since Texas is a right-to-work state which does not allow collective bargaining. Mr. Turner has worked with civil service. 8. Warren Waqner Mr. Wagner is an Assistant County Administrator in Orange County in Orlando. The organizational structure of the County involves two Deputy County Administrators and two Assistant County Administrators. The Deputy position is the higher rank of the two jobs. Mr. Wagner is now serving as an Acting Deputy since the Deputy is working on a large court project. There are 6,000 employees and a budget of over $1.5 billion. Mr. Wagner served as Acting Fire Chief for several months in 1995, and had a difficult time when the Board of County Commissioners decided not to continue a levy which meant that the Fire Department had to cutS9 million immediately. Mr. Wagner was able to get the department through that time. He is very energetic and outgoing, and is looking forward to his first manager's job. Mr. Wagner began his career in utilities and then was put in charge of the Utilities Department. In the late 1980s, he went back to school to earn his M.B.A. He also holds an M.P.A. Mr. Wagner is now managing approximately 978 employees. On the down side, Mr. Wagner has not worked directly for the council. Most of his experience is at the county level. He is very enthusiastic and seems like a solid candidate. Mr. Donaldson is of the opinion that the Fire Department would not provide good references because of the lay-off situation. When the lay offs were made, the last hired was the first fired. He followed the union contract in this regard. 9. Richard White Mr. White is the manager in Lexington, Massachusetts. All of Mr. White's career has been spent in the Boston area. Mr. Donaldson felt Mr. White had done more homework about this job than any other candidate. MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 Mr. White's brother is an attorney with a firm in West Palm Beach; therefore, he knows the area. He has a great deal of experience in many of the areas this Commission cited. He has been very stable in his career, and is now looking for a new challenge. His current salary is $94,830. Salary is not an issue with him because the average price of a home in Lexington is $380,000. Mr. White's home is on the market for $415,000. A reduction in salary would not be a problem for him. Mr. White is very thoughtful, mature and a good manager. He has a lot of union and labor relations experience. There are five unions in Lexington. He has been the negotiator for those unions. Mr. White is in a good light with his council. Knowing the former Assistant in Lexington, Mr. Donaldson contacted her for a reference check. She spoke very highly of Mr. White. Mr. White submitted a very detailed visioning plan which shows a real progressiveness in wanting to do new things. Lexington has done a lot with community policing. Mr. Donaldson did not sense that it would be a difficult adjustment for Mr. White to come to Boynton Beach. 10. Peter Witschen Mr. Donaldson was very impressed with Mr. Witschen's style. He is Iow key. At the present time, he is earning $106,000 and his fringe benefit package is $7,500 in deferred compensation and a car allowance. There is no other retirement. Mr. Witschen is willing to take a reduction in salary to between $90,000 and $93,000. He wants to be a manager and he wants to stay in the South Florida area. He is familiar with this area and has rental property in Delray. He is currently the Assistant City Manager of the City of Fort Lauderdale. The City of Fort Lauderdale has gone through the same visioning process that the City of Boynton Beach has just completed. They have implemented a lot of what came out of that process. He has extensive experience in labor relations. The City of Fort Lauderdale has gone through a major bond issue and they have a $30 million bond issue on the ballot this year. Mr. Witschen currently manages 700-800 employees. Early in his career, Mr. Witschen was a manager in Cape Canaveral. He was not fired from that position. He was approached by the City of Melbourne in 1981, and accepted the position in that city. He also had a fairly short tenure as a manager in Providence, Rhode Island where there is a council/manager form of government which is very political He left that position because it was not a good job. He has been with the City of Fort Lauderdale for the last ten years. Mr. Donaldson wondered whether Mr. Witschen might be a better assistant than a manager. However, after meeting with him, he is confident that Mr. Witschen is a good, solid candidate who knows the area and issues, and has dealt with a lot of the problems that face the City of Boynton Beach. In summary, Mr. Donaldson explained that after reviewing the applications, he found that there are some very good candidates and he feels very positive about them. His top five choices include: John Stunson, Isaac Turner, Warren Wagner, Richard White, and Pete Witschen. Although Tony Smith has a good background, he is concerned about the ethics of changing jobs so quickly. Mr. Donaldson would add Scott Randall for consideration. While Dennis Kelley is a good manager, the community he manages is much smaller and not as diverse as Boynton Beach. MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 Vice Mayor Jaskiewicz asked about Kerry Willis, a female applicant. Mr. Donaldson explained that she has been an attorney for most of her career. Mr. Donaldson expressed some concern that very few candidates were female. Commissioner Titcomb asked Mr. Donaldson if the situation with Mr. Smith (accepting a position and then leaving that position quickly) is an unusual situation. Mr. Donaldson said he has seen this happen in the past, and it is a problem when it is a pattern. Mr. Smith has been stable in his career. He did not sense that there is a problem with his current position and that he is running away from it. It appeared that the organization needed his skills. Mr. Donaldson questions why he is not committing to them. Commissioner Tillman thought that perhaps Mr. Smith considered this as a temporary type position. Mr. Donaldson thought that might be the case, but wonders why he didn't stay with Polk County until he found another job. Mr. Donaldson senses that Mr. Smith would rather be in this part of the State. He doesn't blame Mr. Smith for leaving Polk County because it has been a very volatile environment. However, he thinks he should have committed himself to finding another job rather than accepting the present position. Mr. Donaldson announced that ail ten candidates will receive a telephone call from him this evening to advise them of their standing. They have all indicated that they can be here next week for interviews if they are selected. Mr. Donaldson recommends that the Commission select at least five candidates. The Commissioners briefly reviewed the resumes and voted as follows: John Stunson Richard White Isaac Turner Peter Witschen Tony Smith Warren Wagner 5 votes 5 votes 4 votes 4 votes 4 votes 2 votes The top five candidates will be interviewed, and Mr. Wagner will be considered as an alternate in the event one candidate drops out. 3. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Taylor announced that there will be a Firefighter Memorial Service at 8:00 a.m., on Sunday, October 13, 1996, at Fire Station #3. There being no further business to come before the City Commission, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:45 p.m. MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 10, 1996 ATTEST: City~:;lerk ~oco~din~ Socrotar¥ (¥wo Tapes) CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH.~ C~mi'nissioner E::}'~ A ,j: (~b- .-,,,. Com'mis~ioner ?/9~missionors l0