WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=UJl3pc1kIig

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: UJl3pc1kIig):
- 00:15:10: Meeting Call to Order, Invocation and Pledge
- 00:16:55: Commissioner Campbell Advocates for Interim's Consideration
- 00:25:50: Legal and Ethical Concerns Regarding Changing Applicant Pool
- 00:33:46: Motion to Reconsider Fails, Interviews Will Proceed
- 00:34:48: Candidate Cynthia Curry's Interview Begins; Establishing Trust
- 00:37:33: Curry Discusses Finance Priorities and Prioritizing Projects
- 00:41:35: Curry Details Focus During First 30 Days; Stabilizing City
- 00:44:01: Curry on Maintaining Professionalism; Extensive Public Service
- 00:48:57: Curry: Evaluating Morale and Organizational Culture Quickly
- 00:53:55: Curry Reflects on Palatka's Challenges and Opportunities
- 00:56:42: Curry Walks Through Approach to Active Budget Cycle
- 01:01:52: Curry Handles Elected Officials Directing Staff; Charter Focus
- 01:05:13: Curry Defines Interim City Manager Success; Stabilization
- 01:07:04: Curry on Rebuilding Trust and Controversial Terminations
- 01:13:19: Curry Discusses Downsizing Departments; Gives Gainesville Example
- 01:17:08: Curry Questions AFER Status, Grant Funds and Transition
- 01:17:56: Finance Director Pierre Answers AFER and Grant Questions
- 01:25:32: Candidate Curry's Interview Ends; Next Candidate Preparation
- 01:26:05: Start of Candidate Hyatt's Interview; Establishing Trust
- 02:01:56: Commissioner on balancing limited funds and priorities
- 02:02:10: Mr. Hyatt: Evaluating morale and organizational culture
- 02:05:28: Mr. Hyatt: Municipal challenges and maximizing existing dollars
- 02:06:19: Mr. Hyatt: Taking over during an active budget cycle
- 02:10:51: Mr. Hyatt: Elected officials attempting to direct staff
- 02:17:53: Mr. Hyatt: Rebuilding trust after controversial termination
- 03:13:12: Welcome Mr. Gleason: Establishing trust and addressing morale
- 03:14:49: Mr. Gleason: Prioritizing projects and city operations
- 03:16:07: Mr. Gleason: First thirty days focused on goals
- 03:18:10: Mr. Gleason: Maintaining professionalism with elected commission
- 03:23:12: Mr. Gleason: Municipal challenges and healing
- 03:26:09: Mr. Gleason: Approach to active budget cycle takeover
- 03:27:46: Mr. Gleason: Handling elected officials directing staff
- 03:31:24: Mr. Gleason: Defining success in an interim transition
- 03:32:31: Mr. Gleason: Rebuilding trust, importance of communication
- 03:34:15: Mr. Gleason: Strong assessments such as downsizing
- 03:40:08: Commissioner vote and review discussion agenda
- 03:41:58: Everybody's first choice appears to be Ms. Curry
- 03:44:00: City Manager's salary negotiation and acceptance
- 03:48:14: Employee interim role, a 1099 employee status
- 03:52:06: Moving to offer Cynthia Curry the position
- 03:52:59: Additional expenses for financial audit approval


Part: 1

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Everybody, welcome to the city commissioner city commission meeting. It's May Okay, thank you. Um, welcome everybody. Welcome to our city commission meeting. It's May 21st, 2026 at 9:30 p.m. I'm going to call this meeting to order. Um the we'll begin

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with invocation led by Pastor Malbury and the pledge of allegiance led by Commissioner Campbell. Please stand if you're able. >> Morning everyone. Father again we say thank you for waking us up allowing us to see this day. We thank you dear God

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for all of your many blessings and benefits that you alone have bestowed upon us. We pray God that you will bless this meeting as they were coming together uh for the interviewing of our leadership. We pray God your hand will

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be upon these whom you've selected for such a time as this God to give guidance and wisdom in all that we do. We pray that your will be done in Jesus name. Amen. >> Amen. >> Please join me in saluting our nation's

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flag. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Roll call, please.

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>> Commissioner Gorum. >> Commissioner Davis, >> present. >> Commissioner or Jones, >> present. Commissioner Cable >> present. >> Mayor Carrera >> present. We have a full quorum. Um I'm

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going to open the floor for public comments. Is there anybody for public here for public comments for items not specified on the agenda? Seeing none, we'll close public comment. We're going to go on to regular business. Commissioner Campbell now. Did you want to >> Yes. I do have a statement prior to um

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the start of this interview process and I want to respectfully ask the commission uh to reconsider the previous motion that would prevent the interimm city manager being considered for the permanent position. And my reason is um

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I do believe that we have qualified candidates who have uh submitted their application and we are interviewing on today. However, uh given the state of where we are, um we have gone through quite a few transitions when it comes through when it comes with regards to uh

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city staff. However, say for instance, we have a qualified candidate that comes in write the ship and take this uh commission's consideration and bring the morale and camaraderie of our employees, build relationships within our city and things of that nature. and they are no

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longer considered to move this city forward with the commission, whoever it may be at that time. I believe that that doesn't injustice to our staff. It doesn't injustice to this commission. It doesn't injustice to this committee um this community. Um being that we may

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have someone that would be willing to continue um should that opportunity be presented. Uh I just want us to reconsider. I love the fact that we did limit um the applicants to Florida base

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which gives us a head start um with regards to being familiar with Florida and things of that nature. But I just respect respectfully ask that we reconsider the part of the motion where the interm does not have the ability to serve or step up in the official

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capacity of city manager. Commissioner Jones, do you have any thoughts? I concur with uh Commissioner Campbell on that as uh looking at the applicant pool. Looking at applicant pool, we did bring in some strong candidates and if

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that person that we select in this go round seems to be the person that uh can do the job efficiently and effectively uh I don't see any reason why we should exclude them from being uh considered as a permanent

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city manager. I'm sorry, Commissioner Davis. >> Um, I can see both sides of it. However, my concern is we're still we still need to conduct a search for a permanent city manager during this process. And I want to make

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sure we all do agree on that if that is indeed the case because we could get an interim city manager who does not want to be the permanent city manager. My concern is if we if that is the case and the person selected does not want to

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be the interim or I should say the opposite does want to be the interim is interested in it that our process could appear tainted during you know I remember um when I first came and and we would have to make

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sure that safeguards are in place to prevent any unfair advantage age. Um, and what I'm referring to is when we had an interim and the commission was looking to select a permanent and I know there was some confusion about the um

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involvement of the interim city manager in the process and that's my concern. Um, I do I do recognize that if we did take that restriction off, nothing would prevent us from going down

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the path with the restriction, I suppose. >> Right. And I'm not >> So, no, I understand. I just my my cons that's my that's my major concern that, you know, we could have some conflict. Um, that's it.

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>> And my my secondary concern is that we did advertise this position as interim city manager with the inability to apply for the permanent position. Um, which kinds of excluded some people from the onset who may have wanted to be the permanent city manager or semi-permanent

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um, but didn't apply because it specifically said that you couldn't if you applied for the interim. And so I don't know if that's a fair a fair approach um for this position. That's my concern.

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>> Well, could we reserve the right to make that decision due to the fact that we are making a decision as hiring managers? This is our hire. So we could reserve the right to consider this person uh that we choose

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for the in uh I just think that it's good that we have the conversation beforehand. So we haven't interviewed anyone but as you got an opportunity to think up leading up to this hour saying hey listen what if this happens so we

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can address it now and I think this is a responsible thing to do is address it at this at this juncture and uh reserve the right to make that decision if at the end of the the period um and and and

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that's like I mean a test driving a you know, uh, the person come in and do a a good job and is a great fit, why would you why would you eliminate them from the process if they wanted it, as you said, Commissioner Davis, if they wanted it and if if they're going to be

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available, they may not even be available. They the people who applied may just want to do it for inter interim. And so, but with all things considered, I don't think we should pigeon hole oursel into making uh that's that was a a decision saying that

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listen, whoever we select, they're going to be here for 60, 90, 120 days, whatever it's going to be. Um I just think that's that's restriction. It's too restrictive. >> Yeah, that's it. In addition to the statement that has made that I made earlier, I just feel that the city of

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Palaca is in a very uh >> the position that we're in right now. We have a lot of things on the table. Um we have projects, we have uh things that may come through the pipeline with audits and things of that nature. So I

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want to make sure that we have someone again interm can be as long as we want it to. But if those individuals whoever we the individual that we choose comes in and write the ship again just having the option and I know we advertise

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things and we've done it prior um with other positions but I just don't want us as Commissioner Jones stated to put ourselves in a position where we have to do yet another transition and a transition is not necessary because the

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morale that we have been looking for is finally here and to put that um to compromise that if that is or should be the case, I think that does nothing for the morale of our employees um and this

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city because again if that person within the time frame gets out build the morale of our employees, the commission, the community, business owners, why not take that in consideration? And so the question that I pose if we are uh if we

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consider it is just to add an additional question to uh the questions that we have today that says if the position becomes permanent would you consider staying with the city of Palaca? If so, how long would you see yourself serving the city? And that can kind of help us

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gauge if that is something that we would like to move forward with. Um, I'm open to that again as long as um, as Commissioner Davis mentioned that we do open up at that time to other

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candidates as well that we don't just automatically put that person in a position, but I think it's something to discuss as we move along and certainly adding that question is fair. With that said, are we ready to move forward um in interviewing the

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candidates? >> I don't do we need to make an official motion of any sorts to because it's really reconsidering a motion that has been >> made previously. So, this would require additional action.

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>> So, from a procedural standpoint, a motion for reconsideration can only be made by someone who voted in favor of the last motion. I believe that was unanimous, but there are potential legal and procedural and potentially ethical risk regarding um changing the applicant

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pool. Now, in terms of, you know, basically constituting a a bait and switch without opening it up to the entire applicant pool, this was very specifically advertised um as an interimm role without a date specified. So, I should clarify that

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that interimm time period could be >> a significant time period, right? But it it by all means does change the nature of your applicant pool. >> And so to be um completely transparent with the applicants for this position,

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it it would be in the city's best interest procedurally to open that applicant pool back up. Um but again that interimm role can last for a significant amount of time. >> Thank you. That's what I agree. So >> can I make

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>> Yes, please. >> And understanding and appreciating that that opinion even you say it could you know moral or ethical issues.

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Again, if you're going back to hiring, sometimes hirings can be subjective and I think in this case it's not it may be singling some maybe deterred some people from from applying.

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However, we have both pools. We have a city manager job posting out there and I thought we received all of the applicants. Wait, Mr. Jones, >> I do not believe I will defer please come up.

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>> Yes, the city manager job description was the post for an interim city manager as well. The same language that was given to the league on the applications we received that they were not eligible was also noted on the posting um on our website. >> That's my concern.

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>> Okay. But so there's not a date certain in the length of time that the interim could serve. Okay. So >> So at this point, we're going to leave things as they are and we'll move forward and see. >> I think it still could be to a vote. We

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just vote and uh >> if it's a no, it's a no >> bas based on the rationale. um one the um I want to say the advice and I'm going to say the right word from our city

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attorney and the potential ramifications and to all of the points being made here. I think we need to consider the safest and most effective route to getting an interim city manager without the without introducing risk to this

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process. The other side of the coin is although applicants might have been deterred from applying because it was not a permanent position, that does not preclude them for applying for the permanent position. So I think the risk is far less if we move forward according

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to the decision we've already made and still have it open to those applicants at that time. So I I don't I think again we just need to move forward with this process and not alter it as Commissioner Davis said and as Attorney West advised us there

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are legal, ethical and other ramifications for changing tracks right now. So I think we just need to stay on track and do >> I just like the record to reflect that I totally disagree. I do believe that we as commissioners and that being our

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hireer have the ability to if not reconsider make a new motion that would change. I don't think I think doing it prior to uh the interview process only gives us the opportunity that if that person is fit for the job

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to be able to apply. We didn't say that we would automatically um allow them to assume the position, but it does give that opportunity for that person should they be the fit that we have um so long looked for in the

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interim position that they have the ability to do so. And I don't think there's any legal ramifications uh surrounded because ultimately in previous uh years we have had the ability as commissioners to bring an additional person in to interview. So, I

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don't see it anything being different from that. But if that's something that we do not desire to do at the time of this interview process, it allows us to again have a strong candidate, um I don't see how that limits anyone else from being able to apply for the

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permanent position. We just know that the person that sits in this position, and we don't know, um if they would be willing to do so, but it gives us the opportunity um to have that option there. But I'm willing to move forth at the

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will of the commission. But I do want the record to reflect that I disagree that we as commissioners don't have the ability to change a vote that has already been made. There has been times for reconsideration on all different levels regarding all different things.

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And it's no different than something going to a board and it's bouncing back to us and we bounce it back to them for the opportunity uh for their uh additional consideration. So again, we can move forward. we don't have to extend the dialogue. I just want the record to reflect that I have sat and I

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have talked to individuals within this community um as well as done my research. I would not have brought this to the commission should I have thought that this would have brought us under any type of scrutiny or legal uh potential legal uh

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legal >> issues >> issues. Go ahead, Commissioner Davis. I want to also make sure before we move forward that we're all on have the same understanding. I did not hear that we don't have a right to change. I heard

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that it may not be in the best interest to change. And I also believe that as any commissioner sitting here, as long as you voted in the affirmative for the previous motion, that you have a right to make a motion. Am I misunderstanding? Correct. So that's what I heard. No,

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that's and that's what I I was asking for reconsideration of portion, which means if it comes in the form of me having to make a motion, but I wanted to have this conversation to see where the rest of the commission lies. I don't want to make a motion and the motion dies when we could have had this

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conversation and come up with an applicable way of moving forward. Okay. So, if we have determined that we want to move forward as pres as presented, that's fine. But I just did not want to not have this conversation after I have spoken to individuals in this community.

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>> I appreciate it. So, it sounds like we're on the same page >> to this position. >> Um, with all of that said, would you like to make a motion then, Commissioner Cameron, >> if that's the will of the commission?

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I would make a motion um to allow the interimm city manager uh whomever is elected to have the opportunity to apply for the permanent position of city manager should we get whenever we get to that point.

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>> Do we have a second >> discussion? I'll second that motion. >> Any further discussion? >> All in favor? We got >> roll call, please. >> Commissioner Davis, >> no.

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>> Mayor Carrera, >> nay. >> Commissioner Jones, >> yay. >> Commissioner Campbell, >> yay. >> Um, ties. So, the motion dies. Thank you. Um, and now we can move on with the process.

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Are we going to bring Miss Curry in? She going to sit there. Stand up for >> what? She going to stand. She going to stand. >> Stay. Where is she going to go? >> Is she going to sit or stand? >> Yeah. >> Stand at the podium.

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>> That's fine. >> Yes, please. Okay. I was going to say make sure the microphone is on. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. Welcome to Palaca, but you know Palaca better than some of us. So, welcome. Um, we're going to ask you a series of questions. Uh it's going to be the same

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questions we ask each candidate and we are each going to take a turn at that. Um we'll begin with Commissioner Davis. The first question. >> Good morning, Miss Curry. And again, thank you for being here. Um my question is, how do you establish trust quickly

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with staff, elected officials, and the community in an interim role? And additionally, how would you address employee morale during a leadership transition? Thank you and good morning again to everybody uh here today on the

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DSN staff. Um interim is a title. It's it's it's a it's a scenario because it is not permanent. But for any person in a leadership position coming into a city

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interim really doesn't play a role. You have to walk in and own it immediately. And so for me um the way that I would approach that is to be transparent about who I am and what my leadership style is. Communicate that very clearly

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to staff. Make sure that I am meeting with all of my senior leadership staff to understand what their challenges are, what the opportunities are. And of course with the community understanding who the major players are. And when I say major, not necessarily big or small,

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but who the players are, who the partners are, who we need to collaborate with, be it with the college, be it with the workforce organization, be it with the chamber, be it with uh private sector players who obviously play a role in the growth of the city of Palaca. So

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I would definitely interface with them immediately but first and foremost with my staff but first with the commission uh because I do not know the commissioners and I would need to understand what your vision what your um uh opportunity what the opportunities

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are that you see for the city the challenges that need to be overcome and so that really would be the first thing that I would need to do to make sure that my leadership style is able to execute those policy policies, programs, initiatives that you all have set

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forward uh based on the priorities that you have set as a commission. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Jones. >> Curry, good morning.

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>> How how would you prioritize ongoing projects and day-to-day uh city operations during your service? Well, just based on my experience, and it's been a lot. It's been a long road. So, I would say first and foremost, um,

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like I said, meeting with the commissioners and making sure that I understand what your priorities are and making sure that I'm aligned with that, but understanding that finance is the underpinning of the success of most things, right? And so I would really need to make sure that um taking a look

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at your um annual comprehensive financial report your aer um which gives me some feel for whether there are any material weaknesses in your finances um but also making sure that I am in line with your finance department uh with

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anything that doesn't necessarily show up in the acter because the acter is really not the only indicator of your financial position >> and also meeting with the um city attorney to make sure that there no legal issues that are out there, meeting with your HR director to make sure that there are no issues that are out there

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relative to any personnel issues that need to be addressed immediately. Um, but saying all of that, coming into the city of Palaca, I would first want to know where your 25 ACTER is in terms of the development of that

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because by the end of June, um, time would have expired for that to be presented to the commission. If not, obviously it gets reported to the finance department on the state level and depending on where they want to put it, whether it's with the uh auditor general, um

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I want to make sure that's in order. And um I'd also want to take a look at your grants because they have a clock a clock on them and we need to make sure that your ARPA funds uh have been reported accurately uh and that you are aware of the status of those projects

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that are funded by ARPA because of December end of December 2026. OPA funds must be fully expended and programs must be laid out. And so I want to make sure that those funds don't get swept at the end of the year. And if you have any other grant funds that are out there

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that need to be um reviewed from a timeline point of view and from a performance point of view, I want to make sure those things are are lined up so that you're not caught by surprise as a commission. I know in many cases FEMA is an issue with some cities. Um and we have to make sure that you know we're

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lined up with not only FEMA but ARPA and any other grant funds. I know you have quite a few infrastructure funds and funds that come in from maybe the state or federal government that support those programs. And so because they are very important to the city of Palaca, particularly on the infrastructure side relative to water um and your

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environment, want to make sure those funds are in good shape. Uh programmatically as it relates to downtown revitalization, as it relates to your CRA, as it relates to your enterprise funds, I want to make sure that those are lined up, the funds are

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lined up. Um you are aware of any concerns that may be around those funds. Um, you're also in the middle of a budget cycle. Budget is really my thing. >> And so I would want to make sure that the budget process is on track. Um,

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you've got a couple of budget hearings that need to come up in September. You've got um millage rates that need to be set. You have public hearings that need to be held. Um, and all of that needs to be lined up. And the summer months are those months where that needs to roll out so that you're ready for your public hearings in um early fall.

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Uh and relative to community development, of course, uh making sure that the community is engaged where they intersect with your programs and projects, making sure that they understand that the city of PAC is on the move, that you're stabilizing,

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uh and that you want tomorrow to be a success story. >> Great. >> Thank you, >> Commissioner Campbell. >> Good morning. >> Good morning, sir. When entering a city experiencing leadership disruption, what are your first 30 days focused on?

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>> My first 30 days are focused quite frankly immediately with the commission. Um I'm I would be appointed if you select me, I would be an appointed person by this commission, but the public looks to this commission for the leadership and for the voice, if you

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will. As a city manager, um I execute on a day-to-day basis. I work with my leadership and that is where I would need to focus my attention for the first 30 days and like I said to make sure that things are stabilized and we don't get on the radar of the um state auditor general. I want to make sure that the

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finances are in order that your budget process is laid out. But I want to be able to talk to my people. I want to be able to communicate with them and make sure that they understand that my my goal first and foremost is whatever is in the best interest of the city of Palaca and making sure that they have

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what they need to successfully uh do their jobs. And if they don't have it, I would be approaching the commission if it requires budgetary adjustments. Um, but aside from that, I want to be able to connect with my people, and I mean

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the staff. I'm a little country so I like to say my people but I would like to communicate with my staff to make sure that they are aligned. Um when you have a cultural leadership

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gap um or when it is a drift as it is here, >> it is important for staff to connect with that leader uh and make sure that we're on because because silos

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will occur in a gap. And so um when those silos occur and the manager and the commission don't know what's really happening in the bowels of the organization, it leads to embarrassment. And so first

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and foremost, I would want to make sure that this commission is not embarrassed and that if there are things on the radar that may not present themselves, you know, to the press in a positive position, to the public in a public position, I want to try at all times to

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be in front of that. So, it takes kind of a 247 um, you know, wraparound to kind of make sure everything's on course. And hopefully that answers your question. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. >> Nice to meet you. Um, how do you

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maintain professionalism and neutrality while serving under an elected commission? >> My neutrality. >> How do you maintain professionalism and neutrality while serving under an elected commission? >> Well, professionalism.

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I was born in a professional family. Uh, and so it comes with what I know. It comes with what I have been able to learn on my journey. And so it's what I live. It's what I do. And so the professionalism side of it is something

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that I step into with all confidence. Um as it relates to transition and working with the commission. Again, I've been doing this now close to 40 years. Um, I started out as a management intern with Miami Dade County and from there I went

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to a junior budget uh analyst to a senior budget analyst to budget coordinator to assistant director for the office of management and budget. Thank you, sir. I'm hoping that was for me. And from there, I went to work in the county manager's office um as an

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assistant to the deputy county manager. And from there, um, I became a troubleshooter because somebody noticed that I didn't really have a whole lot of fear other than the fear of God. Excuse me. And so I I was a troubleshooter for

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most of my professional career, probably for all of it. Um, I helped the county out of a a serious situation when they had a consent decree from FA HUD with their housing. Um, I was the lead person working with Buddy McCay and um, Henry

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Cisneros from Federal HUD when Hurricane Andrew came through Miami. I was the lead recovery administrator for Miami Day County. I have helped the Orlando Housing Authority through many of their issues. Um, I was at Florida International

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University as a senior vice president. I was at Florida Memorial as an executive vice president. And when I went into those situations with Florida International University, they had operational and campus infrastructure issues. When I left, their accreditation

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report was glowing in those areas. At Florida Memorial, when I went into Florida Memorial, they have they had financial issues. They still do. Um, but they are managed much better. And it is not because of me solely. It is because of the staff that I built around me.

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When I went to the city of Gainesville, I went to Gainesville to semi-retire. Found myself still in love with public administration and management. I happened to have known the manager there, Lee Felman, Fort Lauderdale. He was

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he retired or resigned. I was hired as interim manager. I had no intention of being the permanent manager. But again when I took the interim role understanding the challenges before me um and I'm speaking in a professional mode to answer the

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question that you have seen um I stepped into that role as interim and took it on as city manager and during that period of time uh we worked through the joint legislative audit committee state of Florida because the city of Gainesville

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was under a state audit review from the state auditor general. They had nine findings. Many of them were financial. Some of them were operational in nature. Again, I had to make significant personnel changes in order to get through that. But those changes were made.

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The finances are in good shape. They have had clean audits now for the last three years. The operations are uh in order. They have great staff. Their capital projects are on track. And um the employee morale

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I would say in my opinion was at an all-time high when I left. Uh I believe that it is still on track with their interim manager. Um as I said when I went to Gainesville I went semi-retired. I was looking for consultancy kind of

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energy and again um because I do love the work of um public administration. Um I served as two as a two-year um two-term president for the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. Um and so um I have connected not only

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through the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, again boasting professionalism. Um I have worked with the International City Management Association. I've worked with the American Society for Public Administrators. Uh and so professionalism is a wraparound for me.

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I never step out of that mode while I'm at work. Uh, and generally don't when I'm not at work because I always feel like I'm being watched by somebody and I know he's watching me. So, so I'm always trying to do the right thing. There's no perfection in this body, but I'm always

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attempting to do the right thing and to communicate above all. >> Thank you, Commissioner Davis. How do you evaluate morale and organizational culture quickly? >> Well,

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I will just speak on what have happened at Gainesville. So, there was an internal audit, not a state audit, but there was an internal audit that basically brought to the commission commission's attention that there were issues internally

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um with staff. Thank you for popping that for me. And um give me a sec. The internal audit pointed up a couple of things and I thought it was interesting that the internal auditor

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actually was asked to address morale issues inside. Normally an internal audit department doesn't do that. um but they did and there was no outside agency hired to

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come in and interview people. So when I came in as manager I kind I broke the walls down and I have an open office. Uh, and I felt like I needed to do that because if I was going to gain the

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support of my people, that I needed to be transparent and I needed to be able to hear them. Um, and that was really the only way that I was going to break through that. So, it took quite a bit of time for me to be able to open up and

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hear. Um, a lot of it was just the ability for those who came and met with me and my office organized the meetings. I generally met somewhere where nobody would assume that I was there and the folk could come in or the individuals could come in without feeling as if they were being watched as well. Um, but I

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did that. I had a regular schedule of doing that. I also created a committee um that I chaired until I left um where I had a representative from each department on that committee and we met probably once a month when we started

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out. We met more than once a month just for them to represent the concerns that came up through their department that would be brought to me that we would discuss as a group and then we prioritize the things that we thought that we could address um not only if they needed to come to the commission but if I needed to pull my directors

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together and say hey these are themes that I'm hearing um we need to get on top of this um and that is how I dealt with that. Um, it is costly and I will say that to pull a firm in and have them do those kinds

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of interviews. Um, when I went into the city of Gainesville, the police department was a bit in turmoil. The leadership was there, but the rank and file were not happy even with the leadership as strong as I

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thought the leadership was. And I really needed to deal with that. And so what I ended up having to do was the same thing, but I did have to pull in a firm and that firm did have to set up a process where they were able to flush

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through issues in the police department, provide a formal report. Um and uh from that formal report, there were se several recommendations of course that came through. Um I recruited for a new police chief. Unfortunately, the police

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chief that was there ended up resigning. I ended up hiring a new police chief. He came in right on the uh cusp of that report being formulated and finalized and then he started to implement. Um,

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but it takes both approaches sometimes to really get at what is happening in your agency when you know front on that you have morale issues uh and trust issues and issues of accountability. Um,

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but leadership and guidance from the executive manager, interim city manager, city manager, whatever you want to call that person, um, is critical. And so my role over the years has been to lead and to guide and to listen um and then make

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decisions. >> Thank you >> Commissioner James. >> You want to take a break and get a drink? >> I'd love another drink. Okay, please do that in a minute. >> Thank y'all. I um I boast Palaca because my mom and

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dad moved here in the late 40s. They lived at 71 17 Madison Street and they moved to East Palaca on a dirt road and then they moved off the dirt road house and all moved a whole house uh over to East River Road which is where

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we still own our property. So I have a lot of u affinity for East Palaca if I might say unincorporated area. We still have our property over there and I'm here probably once a week. Um just sitting on the river.

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>> Scary. >> Yes sir. >> So what do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities currently facing municipalities like Pala? What do you currently see as far as trends and challenges?

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>> Well, it's leadership in terms of being able to and it's not just about the commission. It is also about the ability to execute and it is about the ability to take

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advantage of those things that you have. We have a beautiful river, St. John's River sitting right in the middle of our city. Many cities don't have that small city, they don't have that asset. Um, and as

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we look to tomorrow, we have to figure out how to take advantage of that asset. Um, financially, many small cities are in trouble. I mean, as I take a look at a glance from your acter, um, the city financially is in decent

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shape. I I say that tongue and cheek because working in finance for so long, you can't just look at the actor. You really got to peel it back. So, I'm just saying >> it looks as if the finances are in okay

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shape. >> Um, and that's a good thing. I mean, as I look at the AFER, it shows that you have a net positive position in most of your funds, except for your enterprise funds, um, airport and the, um, the airport and the golf course. Um but um

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most small cities struggle with leadership. They struggle with finances, which is not necessarily the case here. Um and they struggle with the ability to kick off

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and sp kick off projects, keep them on track, and spend the money. Um and spend the money if they have it. >> All right. Okay, >> Commissioner Candle. >> Thank you, Mayor.

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Miss Curry, you >> Thank you, Mayor. Miss Curry, walk us through your approach to take over doing an active budget cycle. >> My approach to an active budget cycle is to basically start at the minute that the budget has been approved. Well,

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first of all, you need a five-year plan. You need a plan. Um, >> let me clarify the question. >> Okay. walk us through your approach to take over during an active >> an active budget cycle. >> Okay. So um just reading a little bit I

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think you've had some budget meetings some workshops um and so I in those meetings I would have approached it where I would have approached it and I will approach it now while I where where I am

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meeting with each department director and the budget finance office to understand what is happening with the budget what is happening with the goals and objectives that have been set out and approved by the commission and so I would be putting myself in touch with

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all of that firsthand. Um, and because we are now approaching June, the um, property appraiser should pretty much be ready to release the new role numbers. And so I've noticed where

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your role is actually grown. um you you're growing and in terms you're growing in population, you're growing with your role as well and understanding what that means and where you want to be in terms of whether you want to stay at roll back or whether you want to go further back or whether you want an increase. Um I'd be meeting with each of

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you to kind of understand where you are within that space. Uh, and then I would be tweaking the budget or numbers that maybe have already been pulled together to make sure that I am aligned with what I am sensing you all want individually

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because unless you're here talking to me in the sunshine. I don't know that. So, I'm going to have to definitely be talking to each person as I'm moving through this process, you ask that question, it should be I and you. Um, and so I I would

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and so I would be making sure that I'm lined up with where we're headed financially. Um, probably have a couple of more workshops. Um, take some stuff to the people, meaning the public to make sure they're understanding the budget process and the programs and

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projects and initiatives that's laid out in there in terms of goals and objectives. Um, and I would be actually kind of communicating, not kind of communicating with the county to kind of understand where they're going in their process because, you know, we do need to

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be aligned. Um, and so, uh, if there's any conversation to have with the school board, um, I'd be having that conversation with them, too. I don't know how much overlap that is, but we are one community. And so those elected bodies, those administrators anyway, um

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I would be talking to them and then I would come back to you all and I would present something um that is aligned with at least the tenative role numbers that I've gotten, you know, from the property appraiser. And then as those numbers are finalized more and more in July, I tweak the numbers again and come

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back and make presentation uh and hopefully be lined up for our public meetings coming up in September. Um but a budget process is very important. Um and the way you communicate that process

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not only to you all as elected officials but to the people whose services are at stake based on that budget. Um they want to know they want to understand exactly what is happening and the roll out of that process. And so communication again

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is very very important. Um, I was because I I came from a budget background. I saw a budget book. Um, I don't know that they're consistent in terms of the production of budget books, but a budget book is very important. It's a it's it's like an encyclopedia.

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It has a lot of information in it about the city, about its finances, about the trends of finances, about programs that are either moving forward progressively or not. Uh, and so I I've built budget books and so budget

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books are important to me, not because it's our book, but because it has a lot of information that you as elected officials can constantly refer to um as it relates to the latest information. And not only that, um it's

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not necessarily a a part of the budget process as we move along from this point forward, but the comprehensive development plan, just kind of making sure that that document is on track and moving forward and if it needs to be approved or reviewed or taken to the

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public that that is also happening because that is a very important policy document as well in terms of how we move along. programmatically and how we plan. And so hopefully that answers the question. >> Thank you.

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>> How do you handle individual elected officials attempting to direct staff? >> Well, I don't try to handle them. I simply refer them to the charter. Um I've been challenged that way before. Um because I come to you with 40 years

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of experience, not only working with elected officials, but working with staff. I am a person who I take my job seriously. Um, and if hired, if asked to serve in this

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interimm role, you'll get 200%. Um, and where I need to communicate with commissioners about operational issues, I will do that cleanly, clearly, transparently.

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But it is important for a commission to understand that and in this case the charter sets that responsibility to deal with staff. That is the manager's purview. That is the manager's space, if you will. I know it's not going to work

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perfectly. I'm certain there going to be folk calling new commissioners and communicating and talking and whatever. There's nothing that I can do about that. Um, if a commissioner chooses to communicate with me something that they have been told that is of concern that I

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as manager can go back and address, then I'm going to do that because in the end it is what is in the best interest of the city. Uh, and so that is where I always want to leave it. But I also want to communicate clearly that um when

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elected officials get into the space of the manager and start to directly communicate with staff and direct staff, there's always going to be a problem. And that also leads to the um leadership

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a drift, the leadership culture a drift. I have read of course that you know probably in the last four or five years there have been quite a few managerial changes that does not

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send a good message to the employees who work for you because they figure hey I'm here and he or she'll be gone in a couple of years or whatever it is. That's not a good feeling when you're trying to build a sense of trust and

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some continuity around things that don't happen in a year or two or three. It takes time and it takes stability to make those things happen. Uh and when you allow that to happen, you allow the

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people of this community to gain trust in you. And so to answer your question directly, mayor, um I respect freedom of speech. Uh and I respect that everybody is not going to be they're not going to

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act out the same. Uh and if a commissioner receives information from an employee that you believe um needs to be communicated to me, then do that and then allow me to do my job. >> Thank you,

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Commissioner Davis. Since you are not seeking the permanent role, how do you define success as interim city manager? Well, depends on how long the interim is.

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And if I am interim for three months, just talking to your employees and getting your budget cycle lined up and giving you good information on where you stand financially um and programmatically is success for me. Um I

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am going to assume that you want to proceed with the hiring of a permanent manager. Um, I would say as interim that an interim at least needs the opportunity to get in, evaluate and communicate with each of you what is

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going on um, and allow you to determine what you believe makes sense in terms of trying to move through some of those immediate challenges. And so it could be a month, two, three months, end of the calendar year. Um, but an interim needs

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to at least be allowed the opportunity to stabilize and set you in a position where when you're permanent person comes in, not that they're not going to be faced with challenges, but um they see stabilization occurring. And I say that

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that seeing it occur is important because if you want good candidates, they don't want to feel as if they're walking into a landmine. Thank you, >> Commissioner Jones. >> Miss Curry.

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>> Yes, sir. >> How do you rebuild trust after a controversial termination or leadership disruption? How would you rebuild the trust of your staff?

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Well, >> I didn't write these questions either, just to let you know because I wouldn't ask that. >> She Yeah, some of these have already >> It's okay. It's okay. >> Redundant. >> I did, but it's okay because it needs to be reinforced because

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I don't do this job alone. I may come in with a reputation of, you know, wrangling things. Um, you know, I I I like The Swamp People as one of my favorite TV shows. I'm being very honest. And so I I I've

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been I I like to uh to wrangle things. I do. I like to do that. >> Um, but I also am very sensitive to people and their feelings and their emotions, >> right? >> I am a direct person too now. I mean, >> like that like that.

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>> I am a direct person. But I also know that when I step out of my door in the mornings or whatever it is I'm going to do watching swamp people, there's still things going on in the back of my mind. Um, and when folk come to work, there's still things going on in the back of their minds that are not workrelated,

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right? And so I need to, as I am meeting with folk, as I said I would do, I need to kind of understand where my leadership team is and where their heads are. um so that I know if I have some gaps um that I can help fill that I can kind

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of help move in that space and help them to get where they need to go. Um I'm not trying to build a career. I've built my career. Um, I am simply trying to help in this

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instance the city of Palka get on its feet and show its its wealth to the community and to the world, to the state of Florida. You all have a lot to be proud of. This is a growing city. It is

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probably at or exceeding 11,000. Um, your your role is growing. Your tax value is growing. Um, you know, your stones throw away from St. Augustine, Daytona, Jacksonville. Uh, people have to ride through here, you know, to get

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to the beach in some instances. And I mean, there's just a lot to be proud of in Palka. And, um, I think if our employees were proud of what they do here in Palka

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um, that we would immediately rise tomorrow. And so like I said, I am not a perfect person. Um, but I am a person of faith and I don't have a problem in saying that in this government space.

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I am a person of faith. Um, I don't shrink lightly. My family was one of the inaugural families that integrated public school in 1965 here in Putnham County under the superintendency of William

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Bill Thomas. Yes, I remember >> I went through a lot. Um, those days built me. I was a shrinking introverted girl

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and I grew into an alligator hunter. Uh, and so, um, I want people to see me as who I am, and I want to be able to use that to help not only the employees of this city, but to help you as the

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elected leaders of this city um, to put this city back in shape. This, this city deserves to be um, in good shape. There are business owners out there depending on this city. There is a college out there. There are schools there. their

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folk depending on this city to stabilize and rise and allow whatever contribution they have to the economic growth of this city to be utilized in a way that your CRA and your downtown and whatever else

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it is here that moves and grooves this city to another level that it can happen. That is my hope. Um, I am 70 years old and I am proud of it. I don't have to

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hide my age. My mind is still good. My legs still work and I am able to do what I need to do in whatever capacity that I am called. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be standing here. And so, um,

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you know, it is your decision. Um, however you cut it, I am proud to be back in the city of Pala before the city commission. I've never appeared before the city commission. I've been approached in the past about Palatka in a professional realm, but I was running.

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I was running my family. I was running my finances and just running in order to be able to build my career and get my family educated and get them stabilized. I am retired as I left the city of Gainesville. Um, I am a

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bit bored. I haven't truly figured out retirement. And um, and so I am willing to give of my skill set, my expertise, my experience to assist you if you see fit in this

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interim role. >> Thank you, Commissioner Candle. I feel like this question. >> Yes. >> Yeah. I mean I if you feel like it's redundant I you know but we would have to skip it for everybody. >> Um

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what difficult decision should an intern manager make immediately versus lead to a permanent manager? >> Oh no no no that's the question. Redash that. I didn't >> right. You're confusing us. Good good thinking. That's okay. Go on to the next

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one. >> As interimm city manager, if you had to come in and make a strong assessment such as downsizing department, how would you accomplish this task? Give an

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example of an experience. >> Wow. Okay. Okay. >> City of Gainesville. I went into a situation where there were financial issues, operational issues, morale issues, leadership transition

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issues. Again, just being authentically Cynthia, I go in and I assess um because I'm human and a bit emotional. I will admit I may feel really bad about some decisions that I

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have to make, but I will make them if they are in the best interest of the city of Palaka moving forward in a positive way. And so I will evaluate as interim, as I said, interim is just a title, but the role, the job still has

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to be done. And so if there is a need coming in to make some adjustments, those adjustments will be made. not lightly, but the adjustments will be made as we move through the budget because we are in a budget cycle.

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>> That is really the time for any additional decisions that need to be made to be worked through. I don't know where the city is right now in terms of where you will end up with a millage rate to generate the revenue in your general fund.

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um you went to roll back after maybe I don't know 2017 2018 at a flat millage of 6.4 you went to a roll back of 6.2 I don't know whe it was 397 but some numbers come after the 6.2 too.

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So you add a roll back which only generates the same amount of revenue that you had prior year. You're not really taking advantage of the growth on the role. And so that was a conscious decision of a commission right to roll back. I don't know in that instance if you needed to reduce staff. I don't

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know. Um but based on the numbers if it requires a reduction in force then it requires a reduction in force. Uh, and so we will cross that bridge when we get there. If I'm in the position, we'll cross that bridge when

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we get there. You never take the reduction of force lightly. Never ever. It is someone's livelihood. Um, and whatever can be done based on I call it a pipeline committee looking at other vacancies throughout the city. If there are vacancies where folk whose positions

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may be affected, those individuals if they have a skill set that can fit that they fit into those positions and the pipeline is utilized in a positive way to keep them in the mix. But again, um based on proper fit.

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>> Thank you. Does she have any questions for us? >> No. Do you have any questions for us? >> I have a list, but I think we should do that. >> I don't know that it is really necessary um for me to question the commission. um

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that comes with one-on-one um and it uh will come with uh if I happen to be the choice for interim it comes with presentation to all of you because just one doesn't make the

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decision I know that um and so there are a lot of questions quite frankly um to be asked but I think though one for now is where is the city with the development and finalization of the ACT for the annual comprehensive financial

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report that's due at the end of June. I really would I'd like to to know the answer to that because that tells me if if I am chosen it tells me how quickly things need to happen. >> Um our consulting firm JB Pro worked on

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the comp plan and the update of the comp plan and it was submitted. Is this correct question? You're looking at me like I have bon >> not the comp plan. >> Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't hear it. It was my hearing. Go ahead. >> I I I would have to ask the finance

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director. >> Yeah, the finance director is not here. >> Okay. >> We need to >> Yes, please. Thank you. I'm sorry. I heard comprehensive plan >> annual financial.

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>> Yeah. and and if if if I might >> um the commission's take on the transition um of managers say over the last three

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or four years um and the concentration on qualified candidates because that is key to the city's ability to move forward and they've just been so many changes,

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right, that um I just wanted to raise that. I'm sure I'm not raising it to your attention because I'm certain that it is already on >> your radar, but that's critical. >> But right now, so that we don't get on the radar of the um state auditor

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general, we need to make sure that the acter is on its way or some heavy lifting has to be done. Miss Peter is on our way downstairs. >> Okay. She our finance director will be here shortly. >> Okay. Um and are you as commissioners,

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if I might ask, aware of any grant funds that are also on the cusp of expiring that we need to fast forward and review so that we don't have those funds swept by either the state or federal government? >> Yes.

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>> Yes. Yes. Um we have several um grant funds or grants that we have been awarded. Some of them expire at the end of the year December 2026. So that's an area of concern. That's where the majority will expire if we don't do what

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we need to do and use those funds appropriately and and send in our reports as required. >> Okay. So I would need to someone would need to get a hold of that fast. And we have a grants administrator and a grants accountant. So those we do have a team

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that works on those issues. Go ahead, Miss Pierre. Ask Miss Pierre the question director. This is Chantel Pierre, our finance director. Cynthia Curry. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. I had asked the question about the status of the ACTER.

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>> Okay. Um, with regards to the status of the ACTER, the ACTER is prepared by our auditor and we're currently in the auditing process at this time. We're at the tail end of it. Um, and that is the current status at the moment.

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>> Okay. So, I did notice when I was online looking >> because I have not reached into anybody. I don't So, I want to make that clear. So, the date on the last acter was June 26, which was right at the end of June. And so in your opinion, do we think we

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will meet the deadline to present the ACTER to the audit committee and or the full commission before the end of June? >> That's a great question. Uh because as you know the audit process is a a joint

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effort between the city and the auditor and at the moment we are under audit. As I said before, we are more than halfway through the audit at this time. We're going through the single audit portion

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of the audit and without I would hate to make that make a determination as to when we could make um provide a deadline without speaking with the auditor because I believe that's a joint effort on both parties. At this time, we're

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actively responding to all of their requests. We're working with them closely to to ensure that we meet the deadline. And did you start the when did you start the audit process? When did you start?

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>> When did the the audit process started? The end of March. Towards the end of March. >> March 2026. >> Yes. Mhm. >> Does that answer your question or >> It does. It does answer my question.

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relative to grants. Um, what grant programs do you have that are expiring um, the end of the year? I'll just put it end of the year. I know ARPA does because we've been very involved with ARPA in the city of Gainesville. And I know December 31, 2026, those funds have to be fully expended. So, I was

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wondering if in fact your ARPA funds are in shape to be fully utilized or do you have some concern with that or any other grant funds that may be nearing expiration? We do have a a comprehensive list of

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grants that are nearing exper expiration, but we do have a grants team that is working diligently to ensure that we expend the funds before the deadline. With regards to the ARPA funds, we would we have been had we've

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had meetings about how to expend the funds. Um and we would need a little we would need to work in line with the leadership to direct the funds. The last discussion we had was regarding using the funds for homeless the homelessness initiative.

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The funds are budgeted. There are budgeted line items. However, as far as expending, we would it would be a joint effort where we would ensure that we can meet the deadline. the meetings have been held um and it's just a matter

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of following up to determine the direction of how the funds will be expended. There's a a little over a million dollars in the in ARPA funds. >> Well, your total ARPA allocation was a little over 5 million and you still have

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five about a million that's unexpended. Is that what I'm hearing? >> That's what I recall. Yes. >> Is the commission aware of this? because I don't want to be the person asking the questions. >> There were there were meetings about the ARPA funds. Um

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I don't remember what month, but I know we were we had held meetings. We had discussions about repurposing the funds, some of the funds for homelessness. I don't know if you you all recall that meeting um and that didn't get passed. So, we have to

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revisit in terms of repurposing um some of the funds. a subject for another day. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity. >> Thank you so much for your time.

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Appreciate you, >> Commissioner Campbell. >> I'm Commission. >> Good. I think >> Thank you. >> Thank you again, Mayor. >> Appreciate it. >> Thank you very Thank you very much. What time is the next interview? 11. >> Yes, sir. The next interview is

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scheduled for 11:00. Uh we can uh meet with uh Mr. White as well as Miss Jones to uh see if you need anything prior to the applicant, bring the applicant forward and see if the applicant is already present. Okay. Okay.

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>> Uh would it be good to keep Miss uh here in >> I think so. Just in case. >> Yeah, I think so. I agree. >> Very >> I agree.

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>> Absolutely. Wait a minute. This is Yeah. Good morning, Mr. Hyatt. Welcome to Palatka. >> Thank you. I've been here before. Been here several times. Sorry. Traveling through. I know somebody will tell me to speak here. I've interviewed here before. Didn't get the job in

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2015 or somewhere around that. >> Oh, sorry. Thank you. There was a green one, not a blue one. >> We're going to um each take a turn asking you a series of questions. We're asking all the interview candidates the same questions.

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Um, and so we will begin and we will begin with Commissioner Campbell. >> Good morning. Good morning. Um, how do you establish trust quickly with staff, elected

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officials, and the community in an interim role? Additionally, how would you address employee morale during a leadership transition? >> Well, interesting enough, in my career,

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um the last two jobs were about, you know, two years with a little break in between. Uh you go into a new environment and and go into a new environment, first of all, we're where in the town of Surfside where the towns the commission's a little fragmented. Um they're kind of at each other.

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Everybody's on video. um and staff is at town hall. Um they're all afraid of losing their jobs. So the one thing that that that I felt like that was incumbent upon me coming in was to settle the dust. Come in. Let's let's get everybody working together. So I had to had to

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establish trust and a level of of uh appreciation between the council and the staff. It was a new council that just had come in in November of 2020 and I came in um right after that. Uh sorry, they came in in March. I came in in November. Let me get my date straight.

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And we I I met with my staff. I met with them and I I not just the first level, the directors, but I went a little further and brought in the supervisory level. And then we also after we had that initial meeting and started building that that interpersonal relationship

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that that is so important with the with with staff. We started working with the council. We started involving elected um I'm sorry directors I'm in trouble directors with the um meetings that I

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had and they were zoom so they were they were involved with in in the meetings with elected officials we met with elected officials the communication process is so important one-on-one I mean obviously we can't meet together and discuss things but one-on-one and

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making sure I share the same information with with all the elected officials I think that is what is so important to make sure that that there are no uh well that's the first time I'm hearing that in a public meeting. We want to make sure that that you're equipped and that that you're empowered with the

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information that we give you to be able to make a decision uh with that information. You're going to have your own information. You'll gather your own information. Obviously, you're you're elected official and you all will will do that and probably do that. Uh but but as much information as staff can give

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you. Um, also I worked with staff in in Fort Myers Beach when I was there. Um, we had people who were not in the right locations. You know, their strengths were not where their job responsibilities were. And I had to identify that and it they knew it. They

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kind of understood. I don't know why they're asking me to do this. One of the first things I did when I got to to to Surfside and Fort Myers Beach is the first time I'd done this. Um, I asked the staff to sit, the directors specifically to tell me what in writing

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what they do. Just keep up with it. What do you do? No, don't give me your job description. HR was here. Don't just give me that. That's a great thing, but now what are you doing? Small towns, we ask you to do a lot. We ask staff to do a lot. We we should ask the city manager

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to do a lot, but what are you doing? And and then we we kind of backed into it. So, we developed we broke down barriers. Okay, here's my job description. This is what I do. This this this is me. It wasn't half of what was on there was not it. All other related duties, I get that. But that that's kind of a

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different category that we should never really put our hang our hats on. You lose a level of trust. The other thing with Fort Myers uh Surfside, sorry. Um we had a a union negotiation coming up. I got really involved with that. It was also with the FOP and with the ask me

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and I got very involved with that with with just communicating um you know as much discussions as the attorney would allow me to have with staff but I was seeing everything that they were doing. I've been asked the question before what are you going to do the first 100 days?

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We can do the first day. You know the first the 100 days that doesn't matter. You can you could wait till the hundth day or the 99th day. Okay, now we're going to start doing everything. If you're if you're a professional city manager and you're coming into any situation, whether it's interim, full-time, anything, advisory, consulting, you need

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to know your job. You need to know what you're doing. I've been I have committed my life to public service since I'm age 40. And I always wanted to get into public service. I just kind of took a the the the long route. U but I feel like that that's just something different than when you come in the

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first day, you've got to immediately work. I don't have I don't wear a watch. I don't really try to keep I don't like the phone. I I try to to do things in in front of people. I I try to take the level down and say, "Let's talk to each other. Let's not send emails because so

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many things can be misinterpreted in an email." I think that sometimes is how those walls start getting built. What did he mean by that? What did she mean by that? And and the answer might not be. And then you got this string of emails and then you get public records request and then you know and it's he's on who's on first, who's on second. But

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again, just take things to the lowest common denominator and that's where we get face to face and talk to each other and just have everybody in the room, even with the the the citizens, you know, I've got an open door policy. I'm a different kind of manager. I get out where the staff is working. I go see what they're doing. I I observe and pay

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attention. Uh the the directors and I work very closely with that to make sure that we are are continually improving our staff because we're only as strong as as the weakest link. And we all know that. uh police chief knows that as good as anybody. But

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you have to make that important. Everybody's important. Everybody makes the the whole uh organization move forward. >> Good morning, Mr. Hyatt. >> How would you prioritize ongoing projects and day-to-day city operations

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during your interim service? Well, obviously, I'd look at a history of of where we are, how we got here. Talk to the the the pertinent players that have been involved. Um, what might be important to one elected official might not be as important to another. And I'm not sure y'all individual districts or

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you just at large. Okay. So, you're the town at large, the mayor elected at large. I should know that, but okay. So, so, so the same thing. Um, trying to understand what is of the utmost important. A couple things you have to look at. Okay. Are there any grants involved? Are there timets? Is

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there reporting involved? You know, what's what's at the federal level, the state level? Make sure you communicate with those partners. Uh we were we were unfortunate um in Port Myers Beach with uh a devastating hurricane that damaged a 100% of the structures on the island.

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Uh 7 mile long island uh population of about 5,000 and the police chief will probably appreciate this. 5,000 offseason during the season chief is about 50,000. So we had a two-lane road at going through the town. So, we had to prior again, we had to prioritize our um

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um um projects to make sure that we put the right things first. You know, sometimes we we look at a road getting paved and then we come back later and we go back and replace a water line. Wait a minute. We knew we were going to replace that water line because it just didn't unless it broke and we understand those things

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do break. But, but you have to prioritize and put things in order that way. What What's going on? Obviously, we have a drought. You know, you have a lead problem. Um we have concern there uh almost statewide in Florida those those type of things but we have to you know sometimes you have to drop one

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priority and and move them around. It's kind of like with capital improvement projects and a strategic plan. You know I I I believe really strongly in a strategic plan. We just they're just finishing up in Fort Myers Beach. We started that before I left uh last uh last year or the year before in 2024.

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and and we just I just think it's it's a great way to get the public's input on the direction we're going to go and what they feel like needs to be what the council feels like needs to be. you you have you know someone comes in to speak and and lead that and you you have a facilitator that does that but we have

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to make sure again I'll go back to the the projects you know what kind of money's involved you know is is is there a a timetable on the money is do you have to go and ask forgiveness again I was going to talk a little bit about the Fort Myers Beach situation we had $2 million that was a matching uh project

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that you know we we still had the the the money from the the the federal government from from COVID and we were working to get this project started, but due to the fact that we had that hurricane and so many other things had to happen and we had trailers on the park and we kept going back for

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extensions and extensions. So, just that continual communication at all levels of the government. I mean, the each department, you know, every year the police department has has, you know, JAG grants and things like that they've got to come up with and you got to make sure you have something to plug into those. I I'm a firm believer in bringing in the

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funds because they're going to give them to somebody. they just will give them to the town that we're in, the city we're in to make sure that we're able to do that. >> Good morning, Mr. Morning. >> When you when you enter city experiencing leadership disruption,

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what are your first 30 days focused on? the first morning, if you will, um that that I'm here, um should you choose to ch bring me in, I I'll sit with staff, I'll sit with the department heads. I mean, that'll be the first thing that that we do. Obviously, they'll be I'll

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have each one of you filtered in hopefully that day as well. Uh but I think sitting with staff, understanding what the what what their feelings are. Um, I always believe this. There's two three sides to every story, right?

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There's my side, your side, and somewhere in the middle sometimes is is either the the correct place or where we need to get to. Um, I I think there's always a resolution to an issue. Um, I believe in transparency. I think that we have to communicate

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overcommunicate. Again, I believe in the face-to-face communication. Uh I think that is just so uh something that's just lost um in in our technological world these days. We all quick to text and quick to to send emails and think that there's nothing wrong with that. And there's certain times you need to

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memorialize things in emails so everybody understands now for our discussion. this is what we did. And that's kind of how I I I I work that. But also just getting people involved, understanding um not necessarily uh uh go in there, you know, guns blazing and

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say, "Okay, well, you're out. You're out." I I I was asked to come back to Surfside, but one of the things the elected officials had asked me to do was, "Well, this person needs to go. This person needs to go." And I would kept telling them, "Look, guys, we we really I believe you come in and you you

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understand why you feel that way. Not necessarily you, but that that body, why they felt that way, why the staff was doing what they were doing. Remember, they they changed the city manager, too. So, the city manager's given direction. Council comes in, they think it should go another

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direction. They get rid of the city manager, bring in a new city manager. You should do this. We should all work together to for the for the the good of the organization and and to to make this the best place that can you live, work, and play. You hear that everywhere you go, every town. We're going to be the best city that we

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can can be. We're going to be the best city in Florida to live, work, and play. And we all believe that. And we all want that to happen. But the the work word is really important. You know, the the live and play is is is what comes as a a byproduct of the working. And just

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getting the staff to buy in to what we want to do and everybody going in the same direction. Um I'll I'll be uh uh transparent on this. Uh I have replaced people before. I I have, you know, after we've I've reviewed what we've got. I've

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moved people. I did that. I had a young man who was extremely bright and he was hired as an administrative assistant. And all this was going on in Fort Myers Beach and they had, you know, for instance, we were doing on a normal month, they would probably do anywhere from from 100 to 150 permits. We were

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doing 2,000 a week building permits and and things of that nature. So, you could imagine the nightmare. And so they were just plugging people in everywhere and they're like, "We need a public works director." And they put him in that. And he had no experience in his and his his abilities weren't confrontational. And sometimes you have to be a little

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confrontational in a positive way. Um, and I was recognizing that and I left him in charge. Um, I have had to go out of the country. Um, and that was pre-arranged with the council before I got there. But but while I was gone, people were like, you know, he he was

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nowhere. I found out that that wasn't his strong suit. So I eventually moved him into a position of his leg legislative role working with the state, the federal government and the local and county governments and it fit him to a tea. But you have to be able to identify that in those 30 days. You have you know

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this this is a you know there's not a one-sizefits-all. If it was that easy then you know you can just put anybody up here and and and and it would just it would just work itself out. But I think you've got to really identify what the issues are. you know, the who, what,

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where, when, and how and and go in there and and align everybody where they should be. And and it's not just a a an overnight thing. I think results will be seen over the long period, but I think there's some some fixes, quick fixes, if you will, that could be done uh in a

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30-day period, but you've really got to you got to do a lot of talking. You got to do a lot of listening as well. Probably more listening. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Mr. Hyde. How do you maintain professionalism and neutrality while

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serving under an elected commission? >> Well, I'm a um International City Manager Association credentialed city manager. Um and a part of that is is is a lot of um um work that we do ethics-wise training, uh other continual

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training. Um we are our professional public servants. I do see um and it's it's one thing that I I notice. I'm I'm going to the Florida City County Manager Association meeting next month. I mean, next week, excuse me. I noticed I don't want anybody to take this wrong.

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A lot of city managers in in in this profession are me me guys. You know, how how much more money can you give me? How big a raise can you give me? Um I'm not that guy. I really am not that guy. Obviously, we have to make a living. I I get that. We all do. But I think, you know, being the lone ranger, um you you

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just kind of set yourself apart. you set the example or you'll be the example. Um, and again, I can't speak enough about the teamwork and the involvement of everyone. Not everyone's going to agree um with maybe a comment. Um,

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again, I try to listen a lot more than I speak. Uh, we were talking gentleman um grew up in Chattanooga, the community services director and I'm grew up in Cleveland, Tennessee. So, we're about 20 miles apart and and all of us probably heard you got two ears and one mouth. you should listen twice

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as much as you speak. I know he's probably heard that being, you know, from that region of the country, but I I think we we just need again listen um set myself above um controversy, insert myself when it's needed. Um be a

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mediator. A lot of times, you know, the term wearing a lot of hats is is is overused a lot. Uh, you know, I was talking to the HR director and we were talking about, you know, how important I feel like HR is because that is such a a lost art in small government sometimes.

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Sometimes the city manager's got to wear that hat, too. And I think a lot of things fall between the cracks and okay, you know, you do this here. Can you help a little bit with HR? Can you do this calls and stuff? I think there's everybody has to be as professional and the city manager has got to be above

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every everything. I mean, you just I'm committed to the position. I've always it's it's amazing. Every time I've gone in like, you know, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able There was two positions I took and I'm like, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do this. When I went to Fort Myers Beach, I'm like, ah, this is a lot of heavy li. I mean, it was a

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war zone. It was it was terrible. You know, it's a lot like when the building collapsed, you look at that building, you're like, how are we going to do this? How are we going to bring this building down when we have limited funds? But I think you just one minute at a time sometimes, one hour at a time, and you just you just all right, let's

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get to the next thing. Let's get to the next thing. It just never ends. But again, prioritizing, keeping yourself above reproach, keeping yourself above like on the outside looking in, but sometimes you got to be inside looking out. Uh both places at sometimes.

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>> Thank you, Commissioner Campbell. >> Thank you, Mayor. Mr. Hayyatt, how do you evaluate morale and organizational culture quickly? >> Well, I talked to um the elected officials first. I think

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that's very important because I think you you sit in a position that you you you kind of have been on the outside looking in in the past. You've been elected, you you're you're now on the inside looking out and you kind of see both things. Sometimes employees, you know, they're just looking at from their

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perspective. It's work. I got, you know, I got to keep this job. I got to do this. Um, again, we I I work with the staff. I can't over emphasize that. I go where the staff goes. I'm not out there working. Don't

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get me wrong. I'm not, you know, driving the sanitation truck. I'm not, you know, driving the tractors. But I go to to to support them, to show them, you know, that that I'm here for them, that we're here for them, that we want the best for our community, and that they need to be

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part of that. It's incumbent upon them to do the the best, the most efficient, effective job we can do. And I think that kind of helps lead us to that by just pulling people closer, making us, you know, the term family. Yeah, that that can be used. Um,

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but but you kind of got to change the culture a little bit. You got to change how people look at what they're doing. What you know, nothing lasts forever. Nothing lasts forever. And things are never as bad as they seem or never as good as they seem. So if if I can just kind of get the

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mentality that, okay, h I don't like doing this, but maybe this is the next step. Maybe I let me just do my part and now we're here. And it's putting the right people together on the job. you know, maybe that this group doesn't work good together. I'm not saying you just take somebody and just Okay. Well, you're you're always a troublemaker, so

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we're going to put you over here all the time doing this. No, you just find where they they they will fit with somebody who's going to be a mentor to them. Maybe maybe somebody who's going to help u you know, encourage them to be a a team player. Again, uh evaluations are a big tool and then human resources will

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tell you that. Uh I I've instituted u you know, annual evaluations. Everybody talks about it, but we really put some some uh um muscle to it with uh performance reviews. We set goals. We did things and say, "Okay, you need to achieve these goals." We don't make

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them, you know, unachievable. They're very achievable. You know, it depends on what your position is. We we we we catered to that. Uh you know, it'd be great to say, "All right, chief, we need you to reduce crime." Okay, that's great. But what are the tools to reduce crime? You know, if if there was a a

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magic potion for that, all the police departments would have that and, you know, we'd have zero crime. But we speeders, how do you reduce speeders? A lot of elected officials do that. But but we just kind of, you know, set um the tone early with that mentality and I

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think that that kind of l leads to positive improvement. >> Commissioner Davis, >> Mr. Hyatt, what do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities currently facing municipalities like

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Palka? A lot of times you you know you can sit there and say money you know I think if you budget properly um that that's key you know you just the answer is not always that you know we just raise military we'll raise this tax we do but what are we doing to be the most

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efficient that we can be how are we using those dollars how are we how are we multiplying the dollars that that we have into more dollars um I think you know that's that's one uh key element to

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um prioritizing issues and attacking those one at a time, but I think, you know, we kind of need to focus in in that area a little bit. >> Sorry. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Go ahead. That's it. >> Thank you. >> Sorry.

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>> Commissioner Jones, >> Mr. All right. Walk us through your approach to taking over doing an active budget cycle like we're in right now. >> And I just wrote the word budget. I just wrote the word budget. It really >> You just said it, too. >> I just said it. Yeah.

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>> Um I I think you know it's a it's a it's a hurry catchup and I actually I'm an actual firm believer and I'm sure the finance director's in here somewhere. Um or maybe not. Um, but obviously meeting with that person, that's a key figure in

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in all of this. I really uh rely on their uh subject matter expertise. I'm not a police officer, but we have people in place that will that do that. I'm not a finance director either. Haven't been one, but I I've worked with budgets and prioritized and we've we've sat down. We

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But again, that goal setting um you know, look at what we have in place now. Look at past budgets. you obviously look at the historical documents and see where you've come from to try to look into the future, those capital improvement programs. Um, if you have a CIP in place, that that's a big deal.

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That's a big deal with the strategic plan and with the the planning and the budgeting and and everything that goes forward. But I again, you have to sit down, you have to look at at where we are um in a fiveyear cycle. Go back a couple years, go forward two or three

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years, see where we we are, where we are projecting to be again. Sit down with all the staff. You know, is this important? Is this not important? You know, sometimes, you know, you don't need to buy the new vehicles this year. You need Okay, let's let's wait a year. Let's look and see what we do. How do how do we do that? We don't need to to

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to to add employees this year. Let's wait. I've always kind of waited to hire employees halfway through the year. That way you don't have to to budget for them for the that first year. It just kind of makes a little different dynamic with with with going forward. And then h then as people approach retirement, as people

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approach they leave or decide to change jobs, take take a look at that job. I mean, obviously there's certain jobs are just in it's so important to the to the organization that that you need to fill those, but do we do we need can can we combine? I actually uh Fort Myers Beach,

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bless his heart, he's really doing good. He was he came in as as the manager of of parks and recreation when I got there and as we were going through the budget cycle, we're looking well, we we don't have a director. That guy moved out of public works and I'm like, well, no, we did we didn't have a director of recreation. So, I moved him up a parks

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and recreation director. And then I made that other move. And so by to make him also give him the public works responsibility because we our park and our public our swimming pool was still devastated and we weren't having a lot of recreation. Uh we were still putting

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the beach back. So we weren't having a lot of reinourishment project on the beach. Weren't having a lot of activity that way. So that was kind of a little less. So instead of keeping him and hiring a public works director, I just combined the effort and he's he's still that position now as far as I know. At

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least he was yesterday. Um, so you I think it's important to look at that and say, well, you know, not necessarily do we need to eliminate somebody, but if we have the opportunity to combine something through somebody uh retiring or or or leaving the town for whatever re the city for whatever reason, you

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know, can we do that to help reduce? But again, staying plugged in with the finance director, staying plugged in with the council, their vision, what what um what you think is important. I think that and again, listen to the public. Obviously, when we have public hearings, that's so important to listen

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to the public. Sometimes they come in, a lot of times it's about a certain project on their street or it's about the the military, you know, don't don't raise our taxes. And of course, the way the the the political environment is in Florida now, you're not sure what's going to happen with that. So now, what are we going to do? Kind of stepping

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outside the question, what are we going to do now about future budgets if we have to lower the millage or do something or how are we going to make up that uh shortfall? So just so many things to look at, but again getting the vital players involved in the finance department and the elected officials and

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and even the directors and just kind of understand what their needs are, what their wants and you know budgets can change from the first reading to the second reading and they often do. Uh that's not a problem that happens. They get better, they get not as good. Um but but that that's there's some time

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obviously to to take a look at that. It's uh uh still not, you know, uh budget hearing time, but it's getting close. >> Thank you. >> I think you do have one tonight or tomorrow night, right? >> Tomorrow. >> Tomorrow night. Yes. >> Thank you.

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>> We had it last night. >> Oh, yeah. I I've seen there was one >> Mr. Hyatt, how do you handle individual elected officials attempting to direct staff? That's always that's always been something that I've um been asked

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everywhere I go. You know, how do how do we do this? We've got we've got this we've got this issue. We've got, you know, sta staff member code, this issue, this issue. Um I've always felt like it was important to the success of the organization for employees to be able

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especially directors. um um live in a small community. You interact. You've seen each other. You probably knew each other some before you got to be an elected official. I'm not going to expect stop talking to you can't you can't you really shouldn't it should be in the charter. I haven't read this

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charter that that you can't direct staff. That's what you hire this person for. Um but you can have input you know as as far as what things need to be done in the town. But the the operational part um you know and I think just making it clear with the elected officials that

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look you know let's let's discuss it. Let's you know use me because you know I could I could be the scapegoat. That's what I'm hired for. I'm the professional city manager and you're not necessarily going to be looked at positively if it you know everybody say well he or she

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not necessarily you but in past selected uh bodies you know they've directed staff. Not I've not been in a situation in a few years where a council member has directed staff to do

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this. They've talked to him about projects. They've talked to him about certain things. I think the the the toughest job I had was a mayor wanting to the police want to stand out with the police chief or the police officers on um um A1A in coming out of M Miami Beach

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and help stop the traffic, you know, help stop speeders. That's, you know, that's that's a nightmare for this gentleman right here. That that you know that first of all, you're not qualified. You're you're standing in the way and there could be something else happen. It's like going out to a a DUI checkpoint and having people sit there.

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I mean, people pull up there. They're going to pull guns out of cars. There's going to be all kinds of situations. We need to protect ourselves in particular situations. But again, that's what you hire the manager for is to to to take the heat to take that off of you. And it's always a good thing, you know, and

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and we'll communicate about that. It'll be an individual thing. You know, there's that's one thing about it. Me, and you can go back, Google, you can do anything. I I won't publicly embarrass you. I just ask the same thing that we that if we communicate, we just we just will do that. We we will look

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like we are just one hand and and with an extra thumb and we will just, you know, work together to make um the town is the best it can be. And I think the there's really some good days ahead for Palata. I really do. I mean, there's so much to I mean, not a lot of towns have a river. You you know that. Um and they

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would like to have that. My preference is the river over the ocean and I've had I've been a beach communities the last three communities. So, uh it's it's it's a little breath of fresh air to me. I think the progress you can make in a short term is important because because

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I think what you'll what you ask about the 30 days some ask about the 100 days. That's kind of what you've got here. You know, you've kind of got a you I think it was up to six months. Let's say it's 90 days. Let's say we get we find the gym and you you you bring that person in and they're just the person everybody

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just Yeah, that's the person we want to hire. we go through that process and we're at a good place. Um, you know, you want to look back and and say, "Okay, did are we any further down the road than we were right this minute when I'm standing here talking to you?" And that would be my job to make sure we are. Um,

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I spoke a little bit a few minutes ago about going into a town, especially Fort Myers Beach, and I was looking I I just don't think I can do this. when you're looking at rubble as tall as this building where they've just tore a hotel down or or whatever the case may be and you're think I just don't know that I can do I don't have staff in place. I

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don't have but I just had patience. I just I just you know took a step back and say I I can't let them down and I can't let staff I'm not sure how many staff are in here but I can't let the staff down. Um, everybody, you know, I'm I'm the conduit between all the things,

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the employees, the the public and the elected officials, the state and the federal government and state emergency management and and I'm and your your your your state- elected officials who are so important and and the federal elected officials. I think you you have

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to move forward. you have to go and make progress because I don't I think the worst thing that can be is that we end up five months from now and I'm sitting here or even 30 days from now and you're like we haven't done anything. We're just all we're just sitting in in the office and under the fan trying to stay cool. No, we we we need to see some

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progress. Need to you know if there's a project out there I got to Fort Myers Beach and people were like, "Oh, it's coming." Um I got there in May and we were having an event on the one-year um remembrance of the hurricane in September and we had a park that had was

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right on the on the back bay and it needed to be done and we just everybody's like you know somebody asked me in a public meeting when can you have it done and this was like June. I said we'll have it done by September 1st. Um,

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it was a pretty tall order. U, but we had to get new awnings. We had to put new carpet down. There was just, you know, electrical and lights and all kinds of things. But we had it done and we had that event. We we set our minds to it. Um, that's the good thing about being under the emergency order. There

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there's some things you can do and then come and get per, you know, get get elected officials to uh approve it. But also, I I do talk to each one of you about projects and things like that. But I think that's the thing. It's the team. One person cannot do everything. I'll just tell you now, I can't do it all.

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There's no way. It takes HR, it takes police, it takes, you know, the clerk. It takes the council, uh, and even volunteers. We can't do it without our our our town volunteers. There's a lot of things that come to work. But it's it's it's going to be in one thing for me to make sure we do is bring those

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people together to make sure we move along as quickly and that you don't really miss anything that there's not gaps. Gaps cost money and gaps lose money and gaps are not making a lot of people happy. So I think we need to make sure we close the gap. We we we get

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things accomplished as quickly as we can. uh depending on the project whether you know obviously we can't make it rain but whatever whatever we can have control over we will we will we will do as quickly as we can as long as it's budgeted um if we have to amend a budget we have to ask you know for for money to be moved somewhere to get something

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accomplished to get it approved we'll do the right things there >> commissioner Davis >> how do you rebuild trust after a controversial termination or leadership disruption That's hard because um emotions uh

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personalities um um you know that that's all that's that's always a tough one because sometimes you you have to separate from somebody who's um who's liked you know um what is it what is it I'd rather you rather be

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respected or or or loved um you know respect in an organization is is important and sometimes you have to make tough decisions. You know, I'll say tough love. Um, you know, even in a household raising, you know, two boys and a girl, there's decisions we had to

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make that weren't always popular amongst the troops. Um, and there'll be decisions um that we all will make in a local government that don't please everybody. Um, that that would be great if we could, but that's that still that that doesn't exist. Um, one thing, uh,

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I'm proud of that when I decided not to renew my contract, um, in January of 25 in Fort Myers Beach, um, the council was surprised and they all asked me to stay and extend and can, you know, how long, you know, what can we do? Um, you know,

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that that made me feel good that they appreciated how far we had come and what we were doing and and all the steps we were taking. Um, and they were people we had to dismiss and and the attorney will will will um understand this. There there's people that are going to you

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what two two kind of s cities cities have been sued and cities are going to be sued and employees will do that sometimes and you just have to make if you just make all the right decisions and do the right things and we don't have to explain it publicly. If it's a personnel decision, we can we can talk

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individually. Um, and sometimes depending on the position, we have conversations. You know, this is going to happen. That has I've done that before. You know, somebody's, you know, I I um dismissed an employee that that um she had um I'm I'm going to say I'm

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just it was the police chief in a small town that I was in. Um and she would put a police officer one day would be we call them the investigator. A small town 2500. You know, these two three days you're the investigator. And then they come in, she changed the schedule, now you're back on nights, you know, on

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patrol and stuff like there just was no organization, no structure. And it's like this was the only person that the uniform fit in a small town. So that's that's kind of how that that came. So I let all the officials know this was going to happen. Um she was kind of popular with part of the police

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department, but you know, we we looked long and hard before I did before I did that in my decision. um and found the right person that when you put them in that place, everybody gravitated to. So the replacement in a situation like that

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is more important potentially than than the departure. Uh because now you're looking forward and looking to make progress and and go to a different level. Um that that is just something that I think we continually improve and try to again I talked about plugging people in the right places. Um,

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sometimes those are popular, sometimes they're not popular, and it depends on the situation. >> Commissioner Jones We we did that um in um Fort Myers Beach after I got there. We had a lot of people that we had brought in, excuse me, that were helping with the

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permitting because it was just a nightmare and it was a disaster. Um, and and one thing we did was obviously look at at who's making the biggest contribution. Uh, who's doing who gets it. You know, you have I have to rely on their supervisors and their directors in

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these situations. Um, we found we we actually found people who were who we had contracted with that were doing a lot better job than some of the people that we actually had on our staff. So, we had to take that into consideration. You know, what what what

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do we do? do we contract this out now or do we bring it, you know, or do we continue with these individuals? So, so I made the decision um and talked to the elected officials and looked at the looked at the finances and looked at how it was going to affect us long term and

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we made the I made the decision to contract out the the permitting process in our our town. um it was not seen as a positive with some of the people that we were we were were laying off, but you put them in layoff status

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for up to uh I believe we did it for up to to six months that if we ever if we had a call we had a had had the list we didn't have a union in uh Fort Myers Beach, so we had we we prioritized that. Um we did end up calling one back. Um

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but we felt like bringing in and having the building official and having the the uh um the permitting techs is what we called them in that position uh that that was the better uh mousetrap for us and as far as I know they're still there

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and it's been over two years and it saved money. Can >> I can I ask you a question? >> Yes. What you mean better mousetrap? >> What do you mean by better mousetrap? >> Well, years ago, you know, the old traditional mousetrap they had

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>> that that we have now. Well, they tried to they tried to improve that in the 60s and 70s and have all kinds of contraptions and stuff, but they found out there was no better mousetrap. The phrase that I was used to was they were looking to to get a better mousetrap so

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they could catch mice quicker and faster, but they found out really the old way was the best way. So looking at how we could get a better mousetrap was sometimes it it's uh uh not always successful, but to just uh >> I I'm sorry. I thought it was an

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unfamiliar term. I just Okay. Yeah. So I want to make sure. Okay. I'm sorry. >> Like a trade secret. I >> Sorry about the thing. No, >> you're fine. Thank you. That's all our questions. Do you have any questions of us? >> Um, not really actually. Um, you know,

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this this is a tough job. You guys got a tough job. I I I kid you not. I've I've dealt with probably u you work for and with, you know, probably 30 plus 40 plus uh elected officials. And you know, uh, Palata's, you know, kind of I noticed

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the term gym out there and it, you know, we had a a community where we had a theater and we called it the gym theater and you know, it just it was just everybody's pride and joy. I know you guys take a lot of pride in what you're doing and this is this I applaud you for this because sometimes as well as as the

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chief's doing and congratulations. It's tough. I know it's not easy. I I know it's not easy and you got you're wearing a couple of hats. I'm doing a couple of things and I I know you know he has decided not to continue in this so that's why we're sitting here

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but but I hope you know he's going to stay here because that's a resource right. Um, I think that that is something um I don't I no know um you know the other um candidates um I'm a little different. Um I'm not a typical

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uh city manager. Um I roll my sleeves up. I get involved everywhere except there or the fire department there. Um you know I do support them tremendously and whatever you know they need to talk to me about. I'm always all ears. Open

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door. Um, you know, I remember, um, if you, if I may, I I don't know what your time. >> You're fine. You're fine. Go ahead. Good. Um, I, uh, I got to Surf Side during CO, right? Um, and we had, uh,

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elected officials were, you know, get saluting people and and, you know, language was flying on on, you know, each other and they it was just it was a challenge to say the least. And that's one thing as you come in as a manager, you look, okay, I got to deal with the the public, the staff and things of that

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nature and and and the public's issues and then I also had to deal with that. So that was that was added. Um not that that's this way. I I don't see anything like that here. Please let me qualify that. Um but then you know that was I came in November and then in June I got

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a phone call you know 1:20 in the morning that a building had collapsed in our town. um you know and and that is different that not nothing we do nothing I looked at this completely different

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you know we didn't know how many bodies were in that building you know I I've I've seen and been through things I understand a little bit if you've served the military and a little bit about destruction and death but but that night when we got there the

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police chief and I my favorite pictures. The two, not this police chief, but at the time we're standing in the street in front of the collabs and on body cam. They they somebody took a, you know, had a picture and they took it and they gave it to me later. But I remember that

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moment we were discussing the next steps, you know, Miami Day County Fire Department, uh, uh, Miami date county police department, all of, you know, the mutual aid, everything was there. nothing but blue lights and red lights and, you know, alarms and things

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going off, but you just kind of centered and focused on what you were trained to do. I'm the only city manager in the state of probably in the country that has dealt with a a non-natural disaster that resulted in in the death

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of 98 people and a devastating hurricane to rebuild the hurricane. That's two things that I dare say that any candidate has ever done. I've seen and experienced and walked through things that no other manager's ever walked through. I'm not the best city manager. Never will be. No way I can be. There's

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a lot of people a lot smarter than me. I don't have a PhD. I just am a hard worker. I'm just a guy that focuses that, you know, that that grew up in Appalachia and that, you know, has a work ethic that that is just something that that I think is important that that

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we pull things together. And um this is a great opportunity. It's, you know, I'm I'm not looking for long term. I I retired. I'm a junct instructor at the University of North Florida teaching government classes. Um, I like that. But that's, you know, it's online and it

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it's not all every semester. So, I I enjoy that thoroughly as well. But, you know, uh, Palatka again. I interviewed before and didn't get the job. Um, and I'm back again. So, I mean, that should speak volumes hopefully about what I see in Palata and I drive around and look at

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things and see things a little different than maybe when you're on the inside looking out versus the outside looking in. Um, but some of my experiences are are second to none. I mean they are not uh you don't want people to have these kind of experiences and it's not so much what you do with emergency preparedness

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as much as in your emergency reaction. We can write a book I we can look at our you know e consolidate emergency management plan all day long and the fire department trains the police department trains and until you're right there at the moment nobody knows how you

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react. Um didn't never anticipated that building never. Um, so kind of changes you, makes you who you are, makes you understand the relationships and when you're standing out there with the mayor at, you know, 3:00 in the morning and the count, you're calling the council members and waking them up and, you

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know, that's that's a that's a that's something that always sticks with you. It's always interesting, but it really brought the team together. We had a and I was amazed at how the team reacted because we had prepared. We were just about two days later going to have a

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tabletop exercise for a hurricane and this happened. So that went by the wayside. We had a real activity that we had to address. Uh don't wish that on anybody. That's it. Talk too much. I apologize for that. Thank you very much.

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Welcome Mr. Gleason and thank you for your interest in this position. We are going to ask you series of questions um as we've asked the same questions of every candidate and we will start with Commissioner Jones. >> Good afternoon Mr. Gleason.

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>> Afternoon sir. >> Mr. Please, how do you establish trust quickly? >> How do you establish trust quickly with staff, elected officials in the community in an interim role?

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One is through open and honest communication. And you do that right away. And you don't change who you are. You don't change how you communicate. And let people know who you are. And you value and respect them and the role that they do. And hopefully they'll do the

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same with you. Additionally, how would you address employee morale during the leadership transition? >> Um, I understand that's a challenge for you all. Well, like I said, don't pick size in there, but I know that you've gone through your your issues. And so, I think probably that's one of the most critical things that needs to happen.

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You're in the midst of budget time or at least that cycle gearing up and you need folks focused on their jobs, focused on goals and objectives. And the best way to do that is for them to have someone around them that respects and understands what they do, >> encourages, gets out of the way and lets

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them do their job and you're there to assist and help guide. And if there's a roadblock somewhere, that's your job to move that. But it's to make sure that all the tools are there for them to do their job as efficiently and proactive as possible. >> Okay. Thank you,

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>> Commissioner Campbell. >> Good afternoon. >> Afternoon. >> How would you priorit prioritize ongoing projects and day-to-day city operations during your interim service? Well, well, usually you word interim, but you still

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have a business that runs seven days a week, 24 hours a day, counting public safety and what have you. So um you come in it may be an interim position but you still focus on the fact that what's the long term and the long term is is knowing what those goals and objectives

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are and that things are still happening because what can happen sometimes during transition interim is things sit things pause and people kind of maybe sometimes take a little break and so it's to ensure that doesn't happen. So you still look at it and treat it as if those are

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your long-term objectives and and and goals, but being an outsider coming in, what you do is you learn immediately from the people, the commission and mayor and the staff in the sense of what do they understand them to be and to make sure that staff and commission are on the same page in the terms of what is

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being done and then what you expect for deliverables and accountability. Uh again I understand you know that you're going through a transition and the the key thing there is just to create as much stability and comfort in the organization that you can have um while

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you go through that process. >> Good afternoon Mr. Galisonon. When you enter a city experiencing leadership disruption, what are your first 30 days focused on? >> We'll go back to the the very opening. It's it's immediately meeting with

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staff, you know, directors, but then also employees because everybody is is staff in terms of their and then it's the mayor and the commission, you know, to make sure that you fully understand what are the goals, the objectives and and the direction. Um, you know, the dayto-day um you all hopefully don't

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have to worry about that. That's the, you know, you were about the policy side and you allow on the the interim or the manager and staff to take care of the the day-to-day, but uh that to me is the most critical. Um most the places I've come into have been organizational

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changes. Um and I will just say that may be the luck of my draw for the 25 years of of my career. I somehow have gotten uh situations where you came into a challenging environment. Um, but I would like to say that uh, you know, I retired recently from Lake Helen and prior to

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that um, I did three years up in New Hampshire somewhere I'd never been before in my life and uh, took something outside of my comfort level and um, I can tell you that the employees in in in New Hampshire, the employees in Lake Helen was one of the first things that was done is that created that level of

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calm, that stability that allowed them to kind of relax for the first time in a while, take a breath, cleanse is what's going on and let's just refocus and repurpose on what we need to do. That to me is the most critical thing because the dayto-day is going to take care of

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itself. You know, you've got your fire chief and your police chief and the directors. They know what they're supposed to do. Um what the job of the manager is is just to try to keep the noise down as much as possible. >> Mr. Gleon, how do you maintain professionalism and neutrality while

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serving under an elected commission? >> Well, that's the whole challenge of a manager commission form of government. Uh you don't take sides, you know, you don't play politics. Um I've been fortunate other than when I uh worked and lived in the city of Okoey, I've

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usually lived uh or lived not in the city I manage. So, it was a little bit easier that you didn't got caught up in the the politics and in and in the day-to-day. Now, there are good and bad about where you live and you don't live, but I think the key thing there is is just maintaining what we're supposed to

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in this is that you keep, you know, your politics out of it. You know, yes, as individuals, you develop relationships differently with different people and you may have, you know, a friendly relationship with some than others, but you don't let that interfere. Um, I've always said to employees and any

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commission when I've come in is that uh I communicate equally and fairly and um sometimes to a detriment in the sense that if a question gets asked by a commissioner many times I answer that with the five because my view is is that

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you may have gotten that question out on the street but it's very possible that someone else has got that too. And so many of times, now I understand the sunshine law, so we're careful in not violating that. But in providing information, the easiest thing for us to do is to make sure you have it all and

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let you decide what email you don't want. You know, which one you want to delete, you know, under records in terms of that. Um, but I've never in 25 years wanted to be the city manager sitting in a room and have a council member turn the head over and say, "How come I didn't know that?" Because the key thing

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is is communication, open and honest. There's no agenda. You know, the agenda is is to do the best job you can under the circumstances in that environment and don't let anything else get in the way of that. >> Thank you,

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>> Commissioner Jones. >> How do you maintain professionalism and neutrality while serving under an >> Oh, I'm sorry. What's the next one? >> I thought he just said come right back to us. >> How do you evaluate morale

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and organizational culture? Quickly, >> well, there's the regular communication and there's the unofficial communication, which is we'll call the the water cooler or what have you. I mean, I know that's a an old term that dates um somebody like me with gray

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hair. Um, but it is getting plugged in quickly and and it's listening to to everybody and you know and I will tell an employee that I'll hold up a blank piece of paper and say this is what you are to me and I don't mean that in a

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negative meaning I don't come in with any bias. I don't come in with any preconceived I don't have any attitude or opinion that somebody is right or wrong or what circumstances took place. So, it's an opportunity to start out fresh and clear and and straight from

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from that day. Um, I will tell people the person I am on the 30th day or the 60th day or the 90th day of the job is the person I was on the first day. And I think that's what sometimes people look back and they count on that because, you know, we all know we've gotten into relationships and

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then people want to change us or or or we change and and a lot of times, well, that's not the guy we interviewed. that's not the guy we hired. That's not who you told us you were. And so the key is, I think, is trying to be yourself, be legitimate, but it's respect. You

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know, what they say. Now, respecting and communicating doesn't mean that you necessarily agree. You know, you also have to tell somebody, okay, I've heard you out. I understand what your opinion was and and and what led to that, but this is why we're going to go this direction or this is in terms of there. And I think as long as that's done, you know, very professionally and

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communicative wise, you know, most people want to do the right thing. They want to do a job. You know, they're spending 40 plus hours in this community and, you know, this is probably the second most important thing to their families. And so, why not create an environment that at least makes them feel welcome and comfortable and enjoy

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where they're at. We all have challenges in work. You know, we're all going to run up to things to where certain days we say, you know, hell, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm frustrated in terms of that. That's life and we get that. But, you know, if you're going to be here 40 plus hours a week, you know, try

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to make it as enjoyable as possible. I have a pretty bad or funny sense of humor. So, I'm I'm I'm a humorous person and I I like to for people to laugh. I like for the commission to laugh. There times even in a meeting in the tent of something, something will come in their

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head and I'll just pop it out and it just sometimes will break the tension in a room and create a little bit of a laugh and a chuckle. And to me, that's very valuable in the sense of letting people know that you can also laugh at yourself and at your own mistakes because none of us are perfect.

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>> Thank you, >> Commissioner Campbell. >> What What do you see as the biggest challenge and opportunities currently facing municipalities like Palico? Well, the biggest challenge you've got

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is is to is is to heal from what you've just gone through. Okay, that I think is is the critical thing um in terms of both the commission and the employees. And then the second step of that is to make sure that people are focused on what they're supposed to be doing, their goals and objectives. And I said

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earlier, you know, um if they haven't been, they need to be in budget process now. I mean, you're going to be sending a tenative military, you know, not too long. long. I know the preliminaries come out um um next month in terms of valuations, but you don't wait for that. I mean, you still do that. Budgeting is

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a 365 day year process. So, I mean, we have this window, but I just know that the timelines are coming up when you need to set certain dates, your tenative millage late and then, you know, you're uh preparing for your public sessions and that's probably one of the most critical. I did look on your online and

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and saw, you know, in terms of the the general budget and the overall budget and I was kind of impressed. I mean, that's a lot of money for the city of 101,000 in terms of there. When you look at some others compared on that, the budgets aren't quite that large. Now,

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you're full service. I get that. Police and fire and and the full utilities, but you also have the >> um airport um Yes. And so, yeah. So, you've got a few little things on there that are are unique to that. Um, but going back to your question, what's the biggest challenge? Tallahassee.

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No other way to put it. You know, uh, they complain when Washington tells them what to do, but they darn sure don't have a problem when they want to tell us at the city level what we need to do. And not only they want to tell us what to do it, but they want to take your tax away from it and still tell you you have to do the job. >> So, that may be the biggest challenge

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short and long term. all of us as Flidians need to look at in the sense of of how is this going to play out whether it's this year or next year you know with the talk in reference to the tax structure because you know while we can say we have no income tax and and u and low sales tax you know our governments

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are very much dependent on property taxes and so if we're exempting you know and listen I'm homesteaded and I own my home and I'd love to be able to say I'm not going to pay any taxes anymore but I also know that somebody's got to pay somewhere And so I I think that's

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probably one of the biggest challenges. Um I don't know how the city's, you know, is with its relationship with its state officials and in terms of their but um it'd be key the fact that at least be plugged in in a sense so at least they're listening to you the best

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that we can get them to listen to us. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> Commissioner Davis, >> Mr. Gleon, walk us through your approach to taking over during an active budget cycle. >> Um,

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I've had that happen uh before. So, you know, what you do is you rely a lot on the folks that are there. I mean, there's no other way. I mean, I've got my budget philosophy and you know, and anybody standing here at this podium is gonna has done budgets. I mean, meaning who's a city manager in terms of that process. So it's not so much the

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technicality but it's then learning very quickly from your department directors you know um how has it been done what's successful you know what are the priorities um and there's always a lot more wants than there are uh money to go for so it's it's you know working with

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the department directors and and narrowing those down and then what they believe are worth fighting for in terms of there is then what we present you know with you all during the um the the the July workshops and whatever and when we're going to be working on the tenant. Now, we all know that the budget doesn't

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get approved until September, but um you know, I've been fairly successful in the past of of come July and August, we pretty much were done. Now, I'm not saying you don't get to a public session and something comes up in the room or something changes, but uh been fortunate

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enough that I haven't come in to where all of a sudden at the last hearing at the last hour, somebody makes a motion to cut the millage another50 or something in terms of that basis. And I think a lot of that has to do with good trans and communication and

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transparency. Um there's nothing to hide here. Okay? I don't have an agenda. It's not Jim's agenda. It's your agenda. It's what you want for your city and for the citizens of Palacta. >> Okay.

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>> Mr. Gleason, how do you handle individual elected officials attempting to direct staff? >> I will go back to say in the beginning is is your role is to set policy.

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It's the city manager's job to direct staff how they implement that policy. There's a a fine line there. And I get, you know, um when you're elected, I've been an elected official many years ago. Um I'm recovered,

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but I was a a city official before I ever got into the city management position. And um so I understand there are needs, you know, from the public and sometimes there's pressure on you. Somebody wants something done and they don't understand the policies and the rules and regulations that are there. Um

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but I think with good communication and honest communication and honest meaning the answer they get today is the same answer they're going to get tomorrow and the same answer your peers going to get. meaning, you know, I'm not going to give you one answer and then somebody else at the other end of the commission a different answer just based on what I

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think they want to hear. And you just have to hope that the person who was elected then is is willing to understand that they can't solve everything. And I know I'll be honest, that's the biggest frustration I think in 25 years of of me being in in city management and even my years of elected officials is those few

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cases when you couldn't solve something. And I think there are times that you have to step back and recognize that that some things just can't be fixed, you know, in reference to one-on-one or the individual. I don't want to say can't be fixed, but that there's not an immediate, you know, solution or an answer. Um, if there is repeated

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patterns of interference, then I believe that that has to come back to the commission and the commission has to address that because you also have a responsibility uh with your peers of working together. Um because if one does it then a second will do it. And that's why I go back to the point when I said

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you do how I communicate you know um out of five on a board I may hear from one 10 times a day and another commissioner may only hear from them at meeting time. I mean, it's just different styles of what's there. But that one who only talks to me at the commission meeting

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still gets the same emails that are going out to everybody else because, you know, I want them to be in a position to where if they do want to pick up the phone and say, "Hey, I saw this email. I just wanted to get a little more information on that." Um, so again, goes to that point where I said I don't want

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to be in a meeting where one of your heads pops down and says, "I didn't know." uh because you will know and and if there's a problem in micromanaging or interfering with the employees, I tell the employees, you listen to commissioners, you answer the questions.

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I mean, that's what we're we're there for. It's it's a transparency in terms of that. But, you know, we can talk about to where if it goes beyond asking for information and well, I need you to do no then you direct that back to me. I will get hold of the commissioner and let them know that what is it you need

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it done. Okay. this is how it will be done. This is how it will work. And it may still be the end result, but it's just not being directed by them. >> Commissioner Jones. Yeah. So James, excuse me, Mr. Gleason, since

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you're not seeking a permanent role, how do you define success as an interest transition that you're going through now would be over. So the person that you hire permanently isn't facing with those immediate problems. There's always going to be challenges that are coming in, but

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hopefully what you've done is you've smoothed the road out. you've cleaned the debris and you've made it for a much easier and a much smoother transition for that individual. And for me personally, just knowing how I I've been and and how I value my relationship with

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employees and whatever, it'd be knowing that in whether it was 30, 60, 90, 120 days, however long it took you to get where you're at, is that your employees were in a much better spot, the day I hopefully the day I came in,

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but also the day I left than they were. And I would consider that to be a success. >> All right. Thank you, >> Commissioner Jones. >> Commissioner Jones, Commissioner Campbell, sorry.

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>> How do you rebuild trust after a controversial termination or leadership disruption? >> Communication. It I say that and I know it's an easy catch, but I mean, you know, in our personal life and what have you, it all

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comes down to communication. when communication stops or bottlenecks, that's when problems come up. That's when people start assuming or or thinking or trying to to read into. And I think that, you know, because we deal with the public and we're in a very

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volatile time, you know, politics is always volatile, but it just seems that we're more divided than than I recall in my time growing up here in Florida in terms of there. And so, um, it's critical, I think, to to to be open and honest and communicate and again to

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stress that, um, you know, I know some people get frustrated in this form of government. They'll think that, oh, well, the manager has their agenda and they have what they want to get done and and that is the disaster and that's setting yourself up for failure because

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you you weren't elected. Okay? you're appointed. Even if it's the permanent job, you're appointed and you work for this this board and you work for the people of of Palatka. And so, as long as you know that and you know what you're there for,

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there's going to be challenges, but it's not that difficult. And again, it's communicate. And it's the same level of communication from day one as you get it day five, you get day day day 30. Commissioner Davis, >> as interim city manager, if you had to

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come in and make strong assessments such as downsizing a department, how would you accomplish this task and give us an example of any experience? >> Um, actually ran into that uh when I went to uh to to

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Littleton. Um um it was a little bit of an economic um downturn in terms of that time and um we had to uh downsize in the public works um

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department. Very difficult. I mean any job is actually you know downsizing you could say across the board but that's where the the the bulk of the the fleet was. And so, um, you did it with, um, communicating not only with the the director and the supervisor, you know,

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but you tried to come up with a a a process in reference to whether it be, you know, longevities, but also performances and stuff because you can't just say someone should be able to have a job just because they've been there. They're not doing the job. That's not fair, you know, for someone else on terms of that. So you so you have to go

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through the differential challenge of kind of setting up what's that priority on how you determine who may have to be cut or or to to to let go. And there's no good answer. There's no easy answer. I mean at the end of the day, you're affecting somebody's life. You're affecting their

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family. And I mean and and I don't think anybody ever gets over that. But at the same time, you have to still do what's right for the organization. you have to do what's right, you know, for the commission and and for the goals, you know, the community and if there's financial issues and and you know, and I

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can just say without uh, you know, getting into it, but you know, um, you know, with with public safety, that's the one area they're saying in the state that you can't cut if they take away the sales tax in terms of there. and you know and love my first responders and police chiefs and fire chiefs and what

502
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have you, but they're going to be at your ear every day that they need more, you know, either equipment or their their folks are underpaid, especially when you start comparing them to maybe bigger communities or counties and surrounding areas where we're at. So, it's a constant, you know, pressure that

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you've got there. And so what you've got to do is try to make sure that you don't squeeze the goose too much because you can try to please everybody and at the end of the day citizens can't afford the price tag of what's there. And so downsizing is never easy and that's probably one of the most difficult you

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know part that's in there. uh I wouldn't come in with a preconceived notion that that's what needs to be done because whatever you want in that short period of time I say short period you know however the interim would be it still has to be at the direction of what this commission needs to happen now if you're

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looking for some transparency and communication back that maybe you haven't had and so therefore you didn't feel you're getting the right information well then that's the burden on the interim person to get up to date and speed in reference to the directors and find out you know what communication, what information was not

506
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getting out or what information was being retained or shaded in some way to to try to get a different result, you know, from the commission than just laying the facts out and then giving a professional opinion. Hey, here's my opinion. We can do it this way and

507
03:37:29.520 --> 03:37:46.640
here's the good and here's the bad and things aren't happening. Yes, there are other ways to do that, but this may be why I'm recommending it. But at the end of the day, long as you're not asking me to do something illegal or unethical, it's your decision that we have to carry out. That concludes the questions. Do you

508
03:37:46.640 --> 03:38:02.800
have any questions of us? >> Well, yes. I mean, uh I know you this is all kind of sudden. Um actually, I I got the uh an email from my former deputy clerk at at Lake Helen sent this to me and in terms of there and and my wife said,

509
03:38:02.800 --> 03:38:18.399
"Well, you just retired." I said, "Yeah, I'm still feeling it out." Okay. Um, so if you're on an interim basis, what's your what your what's your time frame? I mean, because I know you have to make a decision on whether you hire a consultant or whether you do it in-house

510
03:38:18.399 --> 03:38:34.239
in reference to the city manager. There's different ways, you know, that's been done. And so, it's a question of what's your time frame. >> Um, honestly, we haven't really discussed a time frame to this point. I think it we are looking obviously and I'm speaking for me in my opinion. We're

511
03:38:34.239 --> 03:38:48.880
looking again for somebody to come in and to stabilize the situation. Um and that may not be done quickly um based on everything that's going on and also that we're in the middle of budget season. Um I think we just want again a stable

512
03:38:48.880 --> 03:39:05.040
situation where our employees, our city, our community are feeling things are moving along in a a smoother and more appropriate fashion than they have been. So we have not seen a time frame. We also wanted a police chief to go back to being just the police chief and he

513
03:39:05.040 --> 03:39:21.760
really wants that too. So we again we have no time frame. We want it to be done right. I think in summary >> chief right I think one of your employees just got hired in Lake Helen. >> Yes the police chief. >> Yes that is correct. >> Yeah. right of my my retirement and

514
03:39:21.760 --> 03:39:37.600
overlap but I think it was a week or week after in terms of that I was at the retirement party for the >> chief a week or so ago and so I met the the gentleman so >> yes >> that's a good thing I mean in the sense of when you see people grow in terms of there so uh I have to say that I commend you in the sense of preparing somebody

515
03:39:37.600 --> 03:40:08.960
for that next outfit that stop okay >> thank you anybody else have anything >> thank you so much >> okay >> thank you Mr. I was going to wait for Mr. White to come back. From the HR perspective, do

516
03:40:08.960 --> 03:40:26.080
um we have to decide do we want to stay here and calculate? Do we want to turn this in later today? Let's take let's take care of it today. I think I will vote. That would be my voice. >> It it is agenda for discussion.

517
03:40:26.080 --> 03:40:52.160
>> Yes, I know there's another I wanted to ask for an agenda item for discussion for this going through this process. >> Okay. discussion. >> Do you want to go one by one? >> One by one or do we want to just have a

518
03:40:52.160 --> 03:41:10.160
general conversation? >> You start it, ma'am. Madame Mayor, >> I'm not I'm not opposed to starting the conversation. >> If I turn your mic on and get closer. >> It's on. I'm not opposed to uh starting

519
03:41:10.160 --> 03:41:26.880
the conversation and if I had to rank them um based on what we've seen today, I would rank them in the way that they came in as far as my number one, two, and three based on

520
03:41:26.880 --> 03:41:58.080
Commissioner Jones. Uh my rankings are 9:30 is my number one candidate. 12:30 is my number two candidate and the 11:00 was my number three candidate.

521
03:41:58.080 --> 03:42:17.600
>> Commissioner Davis, um I ranked also um Miss Curry is my number one, Mr. Mr. Gleason is my number two and Mr. Hyatt is my number three. My ranking was the same although Mr. Gleason had kind of crept up almost to

522
03:42:17.600 --> 03:42:37.680
Miss Curry but it's the same ranking. U Miss Curry, Miss Mr. Gleason and then Mr. Hyatt. So from that conversation, we gather that everybody's um first choice as far as candidates go

523
03:42:37.680 --> 03:42:57.120
um was is appears to be miscarried. >> So So with that being said, um what do you go as far as um the offer? How would that look? That's something that haven't been discussed with HR and uh or

524
03:42:57.120 --> 03:43:13.279
us as far as going forward. And I know that you'll kind of go in and make it, but um what are we expecting to pay someone in that interim position? Madame Mayor, Commission, >> um HR, I'm looking actually to HR for

525
03:43:13.279 --> 03:43:28.960
some insight as to what we intend to pay somebody. Um what did we have a scale? May I ask to I want to be clear at who we are directing the question because I don't want to put Mr. White into a position. >> Okay. Miss Jones, could you please come

526
03:43:28.960 --> 03:43:45.199
up? Let's leave it at that. >> And no disrespect to Mr. White. I just >> He's on his second day or whatever. Third day. >> And if it's something that you guys have to go and calculate, Absolutely. >> I'd rather for you not to say it and and

527
03:43:45.199 --> 03:44:00.160
come back with something that Exactly. So don't let's not guess anything and don't put nothing in here that's not correct. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> Is that is that where you are? >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Sure. >> So what I do know is obviously our

528
03:44:00.160 --> 03:44:16.960
candidates have done their homework and they and the salary for our um city manager is published. >> Yes. >> So I would expect that to be >> the same >> similar. Yes. And so

529
03:44:16.960 --> 03:44:36.000
I'd like to consider um that we allow when an offer is made that or discuss I want to discuss this. I want I don't want to suggest I want to discuss the option of having the

530
03:44:36.000 --> 03:44:53.600
um HR of having HR to negotiate with the um offer up to a maximum of what our current city manager paid. Is that >> um that seems reasonable. Again, they I

531
03:44:53.600 --> 03:45:09.680
think each candidate knows what that amount is and knows what their value is. So, I'm open to that possibility of negotiation, but my guess is that they're going to expect to receive what the city managers receive, but I think it's worth negotiating. Yes.

532
03:45:09.680 --> 03:45:25.840
>> So, so are you done? >> Go ahead, Commissioner. another another um factor that we need to have a discussion prior to it happening. What if

533
03:45:25.840 --> 03:45:43.840
the offer is not um accepted or good enough? Do we one go with option two or do we even though they're ranked even though they are ranked

534
03:45:43.840 --> 03:45:59.040
I don't know if we are we saying if option number one declines or say there's just not enough compensation or um rethink the situation. Do we go to number two

535
03:45:59.040 --> 03:46:19.439
automatically or what? >> Yeah. I mean, >> honest I'm gonna say this. >> Did you have my on your >> It's on. >> I'm going to say this based on the conversations the interview that I've heard today. I don't think that anyone would who is offered the position would

536
03:46:19.439 --> 03:46:36.000
not be willing and this is my personal again personal uh want anything over what our current city manager is making. So there is an opportunity uh for them

537
03:46:36.000 --> 03:46:52.479
to make up and up up to what they're making. So I don't think no one would come in with the expectation of making more in an interim position. >> It's a hypothetical question. Let's just say change of thought they don't want to do

538
03:46:52.479 --> 03:47:08.160
it after careful consideration. I'm just thinking ahead. What we're thinking if we came to that next step versus uh we we're caught with no plan. >> No, I get it. But your question was more so reference to the

539
03:47:08.160 --> 03:47:26.000
>> not the so let me go back and leave the equation of the money out >> change your mind you know I thought about it but I don't think paka is where I want to be an intern >> what would be the next would we go to number two or would we redo this I'm

540
03:47:26.000 --> 03:47:41.920
just >> in my opinion we would just automatically go to number two instead of we're not going to redo the whole process at least that's what I would think if for some reason the person decides palaka is not for them. I think we just go to the second candidate. The the majority of us chose the sec same

541
03:47:41.920 --> 03:47:57.680
person as the second candidate. So I feel confident that we should be able to do that. Anybody else have any thoughts? Okay. I also would assume that if somebody applied unless something comes up personally that they unexpected, I would think they would take the job. But

542
03:47:57.680 --> 03:48:14.319
again, we'll see. But yes. And so in the meantime also, Miss West is going to draft a contract for uh everybody to review prior to the candidate signing it. >> I have a a few questions. >> Sure.

543
03:48:14.319 --> 03:48:31.359
>> Um and I'll I'll defer to HR on this, but u it is my assumption that um given that this is a interim role that this will be a 1099 employee, not fully loaded employee of the city. Mr. White, >> that would be my guess.

544
03:48:31.359 --> 03:48:46.399
>> Yes, >> that was a conversation we had and I will agree with that that it should be a 1099 roll. >> Okay. >> Uh will offer be pending background investigation? Will we do a background investigation?

545
03:48:46.399 --> 03:49:02.880
>> Yes, we always investigation standard based on our process. >> Yes. Anybody else have any other questions that they want to bring up about the process? >> They have the hiring process. >> This didn't come up during uh the

546
03:49:02.880 --> 03:49:18.960
interview process, but um the your anticipated start date. I I guess that would come up during your negotiations, but >> I'm assuming right I'm assuming this is as soon as possible. >> Yes. Yes.

547
03:49:18.960 --> 03:49:34.880
>> Rebecca Favre. Although I know Chief Shaw wants to continue to have such fun, I think it's as soon as possible. >> Is that >> Yes. >> Is that uh >> I think with some of the >> I don't want to push it off. I think

548
03:49:34.880 --> 03:49:51.760
with some of the things that came up as a result of >> that interview. >> We need to be tomorrow. >> Yes, >> that's why I said ASAP. So as soon as So as soon as Ms. Jones can talk to the

549
03:49:51.760 --> 03:50:06.800
individual, see make sure they want the position and we can get the contract drafted and get it to us and I'd like to see them start next week. I mean, honestly, I'd like to see them start next week, but I don't know if that's feasible or not, >> but as soon as possible.

550
03:50:06.800 --> 03:50:23.279
>> Um, they both also I mean, she indicated she was retired, so we're ready to go. >> And she may still be around, so we may still be able to get this thing done today. >> Working on it. Sorry. Um, in terms of your residency requirement, I'm assuming, uh, because it's interm,

551
03:50:23.279 --> 03:50:38.880
you're going to wave that residency requirement. >> Yes. >> See, Amber has a question. Mr. >> We wanted to emphasize based on the clearance of the background. >> Of course, of course. Of course. Yes. I

552
03:50:38.880 --> 03:50:54.960
think that based on the fact that this person's interim and a contract employee, the residency piece is not applicable. I number one actually say she live she got a house in East Paka anyway so >> well yeah but I don't I don't know that's I don't think she lives there I

553
03:50:54.960 --> 03:51:09.040
think she >> but even when we had or given the city manager we gave them a trans time so I don't think immediately would be suitable >> that's correct >> um in terms of because it's a 1099 they

554
03:51:09.040 --> 03:51:34.000
would not be entitled to severance I'm just confirming >> yes correct Yes, >> those are the only questions that that I had for the draft contract that is almost done. >> Is there anything else that we need to

555
03:51:34.000 --> 03:51:50.800
decide? There may be additional questions that come up as I I uh put the final details on the uh proposed contract, but those were the the top ones that I was working. >> Okay. And until it's offered to Ms. Curry and she says yes, please don't

556
03:51:50.800 --> 03:52:06.319
make it, you know, fully public yet that she's the top choice. But until she says yes, we don't. >> Okay. Go ahead. >> Ready for a motion? >> Yes. >> We ready for a motion? Ready for a motion?

557
03:52:06.319 --> 03:52:22.720
>> I move that we offer Cynthia Curry the interim city position as a 1099 employee and allow HR to negotiate to a maximum of the current city manager salary.

558
03:52:22.720 --> 03:52:41.760
>> Second. >> Second. We got two seconds. All in favor? >> I. Any opposition? Thank you. We do have another item on the agenda if we're done. Oh, go ahead. I'm sorry. >> Request to uh clarify your number two

559
03:52:41.760 --> 03:53:00.319
candidate. We had it in our notes and Mr. Gleason. >> Mr. Gleason just wanted to confirm. Yes, >> that is correct. >> That's correct. Under regular business, we have authorization to approve additional service expenses associated with the

560
03:53:00.319 --> 03:53:17.199
financial audit. >> Who's going to speak to this? >> So, mayor, mayor, commissioners, I'll I'll start it off the conversation. As you all know, we received the email. We received communication from the auditors in regards to additional uh services

561
03:53:17.199 --> 03:53:34.800
required to complete the audit uh which would uh basically require us to apply additional funds. Those funds uh listed by the auditor were um in excess of 21,000 um 21,000 is some change at a

562
03:53:34.800 --> 03:53:51.600
flat rate 24 if they looked on the hourly services for their personnel. It was in my opinion um in review of that that >> Thank you. It's in my opinion in review of that that we bring it uh to the commission

563
03:53:51.600 --> 03:54:08.319
not only for notification um but so that uh we can get approval uh to sign and uh you will be allowed to provide any direction uh for us moving forward or any other commentary uh to the auditors. Anything else you would like

564
03:54:08.319 --> 03:54:25.840
>> discussion? Go ahead. >> So I have a question with regards to the additional uh retainer or extension. What additional information would they be providing?

565
03:54:25.840 --> 03:54:44.479
uh because based on the um document that was sent, they identified the uh I guess the the things that are in question, but they also provided a somewhat solution to rectifying or

566
03:54:44.479 --> 03:55:02.560
correcting uh the issue that has been brought forth. So, I'm a little bit interested in knowing how they would dive deeper or what the anticipated outcome would be. uh with this additional fee. >> So from my understanding, I'll attempt

567
03:55:02.560 --> 03:55:18.000
the answer and then uh if there's further, I'll defer to Miss Pierre. Um but from my understanding, uh from what they're looking for, uh they are they gave you a general overview. uh the audit would provide a more

568
03:55:18.000 --> 03:55:33.040
clearer outcome and they're going to do a deeper dive into each of those um those individual uh items that's listed uh and provide you with uh what their findings are. uh just off the top the

569
03:55:33.040 --> 03:55:50.640
the general overview uh just gave some understanding of I guess not only the requested items but for the reason that they wanted to dive deeper into it and um look a little further that there'll be reason to look a little further forward.

570
03:55:50.640 --> 03:56:09.040
>> Thank you. >> Go ahead. >> Go ahead, Commissioner Davis. So to Commissioner Campbell's point, I agree. The only recommendation I see that would require additional services, I believe, is in the item number one, and it says

571
03:56:09.040 --> 03:56:26.560
they recommend, well, it says that management perform a comprehensive review of ADG. So, so I think what you're saying is they want to dive deeper into their audit, which is more than their standard audit.

572
03:56:26.560 --> 03:56:44.399
It's Miss P. >> Miss Pierre, could you Are you able to address that question? >> I'm with Commissioner Campbell. I just want to understand >> Okay. >> Can you get our

573
03:56:44.399 --> 03:57:09.279
can you get this physical report? >> I have it. the email 18 it >> so while you're looking that up it really appears that to me that that the findings that they already have they

574
03:57:09.279 --> 03:57:25.840
also have remedies in this draft that tells us pretty much what to do. So I'm the third person that concur with what you're saying. Why pay for something that you already found and you're telling us how to remedy it?

575
03:57:25.840 --> 03:57:45.520
>> Um >> because it says management. I'm sorry. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> It says management. The recommendation is that management remedy these uh issues. That's the recommendation >> and given what we have done just moments

576
03:57:45.520 --> 03:58:02.319
ago, I think we have a strong person that will be able to come in uh and review this document and give us her professional opinion with reference to this. um additionally $21,000 for

577
03:58:02.319 --> 03:58:18.560
something that we've already gotten a draft of. I just don't think it's uh wise a wise way to spend taxpayers dollar. Um so I would not be in favor of moving

578
03:58:18.560 --> 03:58:35.199
forward with this additional cost uh at this point. >> Go ahead, Commissioner. >> Miss Pierre, general question. I I have the document here if you want to just get mine. And we have the paper. >> Miss Miss Pierre, we have it. My question is, does the auditor complete

579
03:58:35.199 --> 03:58:52.640
the ACFR for the city? >> So then my then that drives me to wonder because when I look at the email from the auditor, it says in order to complete the ACFR by and to submit to the state by June 30th,

580
03:58:52.640 --> 03:59:09.359
they need to perform additional duties. Where I'm going with this is if we deny this, is the auditor saying or implying that they cannot complete our ACFR by June 30th if we don't provide the additional

581
03:59:09.359 --> 03:59:23.680
>> funding >> funding and and I think that's the critical question here because an interim city manager can't create our ACFR. When I spoke to the auditor, the auditor

582
03:59:23.680 --> 03:59:40.479
confirmed to me that first the letter that you received is not an official letter. It is a draft. So that means it's not final. It actually is a result of of the auditor having discussions with you with one of more than one um

583
03:59:40.479 --> 03:59:56.239
elected official and addressing their specific concerns. So my dis my discussion with the auditor um was really that this this extra service is just to address concerns that were

584
03:59:56.239 --> 04:00:14.160
brought forth to the auditor and it has it is not um directly related to the audit itself. He wanted to point out that we have a deadline of June 30th for our financial audit. However, the the

585
04:00:14.160 --> 04:00:29.439
the letter unfortunately I wasn't able to pull it up on my on my desktop, but from my discussions with him, he explained to me that these additional services were as a result of discussing with more than

586
04:00:29.439 --> 04:00:45.600
one elected official on the on the board on the commission. However, the memo says it was it was the information or the concerns came from the finance department, not not commissioners and you could say from

587
04:00:45.600 --> 04:01:01.520
individual commissioners or other whomever, but it doesn't say that. specifically satisfying >> and I think that >> got my mic on but specifically you didn't really answer Commissioner Davis's question as to whether we are

588
04:01:01.520 --> 04:01:18.399
prepared to turn in the information we need to uh on the 30th of June whether they are prepared to have all the information they need to complete it to turn in it on the 30th. >> So the finance department as a whole has been responsive as far as questions during the audit process. The audit

589
04:01:18.399 --> 04:01:34.800
process is a two-fold um process where the auditor will request items, the finance department will respond and that's what we've been doing. And as far as the audit, finalizing the audit that comes from the auditor writing and drafting preparing the the audit report

590
04:01:34.800 --> 04:01:50.560
along with the acter that's the auditor is paid for that service. So, I think what would help is pro possibly speaking with the auditor directly to bring clarity as far as that letter that is a draft and it's not final. >> Are you talking about us talk to the

591
04:01:50.560 --> 04:02:07.600
auditor or you >> I've already spoken with the auditor and my understanding was that these additional services were as a result of concerns that were brought forward. Well, I want to be specifically clear that I did not speak to >> I haven't spoken. Go ahead,

592
04:02:07.600 --> 04:02:24.239
>> Miss Pierre. Here here's here's this. Regardless as to the origination or the driver for this communication we received from the auditor, there's some information we

593
04:02:24.239 --> 04:02:40.080
need for our city. Number one, are we at risk of not meeting the June 30th deadline or I mean this is not this is not I'm not asking you to respond. These are things that need to be addressed I

594
04:02:40.080 --> 04:02:55.279
believe before the commission can fully provide direction or guidance. Number one, if what the auditor is saying is hindering the completion of that, we need to understand exactly what

595
04:02:55.279 --> 04:03:12.319
the auditor is going to do for the additional um fees and how are is that work outside of our normal scope that we have already paid for. I think that's what's most

596
04:03:12.319 --> 04:03:30.080
important here. Um, I will say this and and and I I think I'm going to say this. I'm I'm going say it and see if it comes out the way I intended. Um, for me, the source does not matter. We

597
04:03:30.080 --> 04:03:46.560
have a deliverable and a requirement that is due by the state of Florida for our city. We want to make sure that this process is on track for us meeting that requirement. If

598
04:03:46.560 --> 04:04:03.279
there were findings that will hinder that process and they require a deeper dive outside of our original scope, we then may have to consider that. But we need to know that information

599
04:04:03.279 --> 04:04:20.399
first. So we do need to understand the the source of the information where it came from does not matter. If we can materially show that these items that have been identified from this audit exist. So I I just want to

600
04:04:20.399 --> 04:04:36.160
make sure we keep the main thing the main thing I think is what I'm trying to say. >> So So mayor and commissioners, if I may, uh I will reach out to him today. uh place that call, receive that information, uh give an answer to your questions, and then reach back out to you all with that information um as soon

601
04:04:36.160 --> 04:04:55.600
as I receive it. >> Thank you. >> And I do have another question. >> So, I think the authority of the city manager is under $25,000. That is correct. So I want to go ahead and address this now in this meeting because

602
04:04:55.600 --> 04:05:12.000
we don't have another meeting to address it um due to the critical time constraint. If indeed it is proven that additional services are required

603
04:05:12.000 --> 04:05:28.880
outside of the scope of our prepaid services >> to get our deliverable. Is that something that the city manager has authority and support from this commission to do? >> He already has. >> I know he has authority. I just

604
04:05:28.880 --> 04:05:44.479
>> It's the support piece that >> I want to know. Does he have support? >> He has my support. >> He have my support as well. I don't know why actually. With that being said, I don't know why it's actually even came to us. Um, and I I don't know you want

605
04:05:44.479 --> 04:06:00.880
to support, but if it if it's going to delay >> the process, I I also support Miss Pierre. >> I I understand if it's supposed to be done within the next two weeks. I see what the letter says and I think you if you feel that you need to pull the trigger, pull the trigger. Get the get

606
04:06:00.880 --> 04:06:17.680
the additional so that we can have an official letter from the auditors and we'll know where we are. Okay? Cuz we asked for it. But we asked for um the professional audit to come here. So here we have it. Okay. >> And I understand the caution in wanting

607
04:06:17.680 --> 04:06:33.920
to have a discussion with this commission and that makes sense. But I think we are all in support and and you do have the authority to make that decision for any expenditure under 25,000. So, I think we're all set, >> especially when an applicant came in and

608
04:06:33.920 --> 04:06:50.960
asked us what the condition we are in and we did not have the answer. Um, I think that is important for you to go ahead and do. Uh, Chief, thank you. >> Thank you. >> Make sure I get it done. >> With that said, any other items for discussion? Do we have a motion to

609
04:06:50.960 --> 04:06:56.439
adjourn? So, move. >> Thank you.