Holmes Beach should hire a professional city manager.
Or adopt a hybrid form of a professionally managed type of government.
The details are to be sorted out by the Holmes Beach City Commission, according to the ad hoc committee convened to advise commissioners on possibly adopting a new form of government.
After much deliberation and research over the past eight months, committee members struggled to agree on a definitive recommendation at the April 16 meeting, which lasted more than three hours. Eventually, one concept emerged as the favorite.
“Everyone is supportive of bringing in a professional person,” said David Cheshire, committee chairman. “I think we’ve come to a good consensus.”
The eight-member committee convened Aug. 24, 2017, to discuss how best to advise the Holmes Beach commission to adopt another form of government, hire a city manager or maintain status quo.
“I think we all agree we want a professional manager in our future,” said committee member Terry Schaefer. “I think we’ve accomplished our charge.”
The committee was not unanimous in voting on its consensus. Vice chair Scott Boyd was the only nay vote in the 7-1 count.
“I would recommend the city of Holmes Beach to continue to have a strong mayor,” Boyd said. “My ultimate desire: I would have an administrator who is hired and fired by the commission, but answers to the mayor.”
Other reservations about hiring a city manager revolved around cost and how a city manager would function in Holmes Beach.
Hiring a city manager would cost an estimated $120,000 or so in annual salary plus benefits, according to the committee’s research.
That’s a lot of money in the city’s $13,423,653 budget, but it would be worth it if the right hire were made, according to committee consensus.
Holmes Beach has employed a strong mayor-commission form of government since incorporation in 1950. A five-member commission establishes policies and adopts ordinances.
Committee members contacted officials from 30 Florida municipalities as part of their study into what would be the best government for Holmes Beach.
The next committee meeting time was not set, although it will convene once more before making an official recommendation to the city commission, Cheshire said.
How they voted
Scott Boyd: “Strong mayor-city commission with an interim administrator to see how it works. Once you put it in the charter, it’s in there forever.”
Jay Calhoun: “My recommendation is to hire a professional manager.”
David Cheshire: “Our function is to recommend the best form of government and then we’ll recommend what should be done to implement it. I do believe we need a professional manager.”
Nancy Deal: “Keep the mayor and hire an interim administrator reportable to the commission. Ultimately I recommend a weak mayor with a professional manager.”
Renee Ferguson: “I want that city manager to happen. Having a new mayor every two years with the ability to hire and fire is chaotic.”
Pam Leckie: “I believe strongly in a strong city manager. I dislike the term weak mayor.”
Ellen Prince: “Weak mayor, professional manager. If things go really, really bad, you can get rid of the manager.”
Terry Schaefer: “I fully recommend hiring a city manager.”
How they voted
The Holmes Beach ad hoc committee on the form of city government reached a recommendation at its April 16 meeting to present to the city commission. Varied concepts were endorsed along the way.
Scott Boyd: “Strong mayor-city commission with an interim administrator to see how it works. Once you put it in the charter, it’s in there forever.”
Jay Calhoun: “My recommendation is to hire a professional manager.”
David Cheshire: “Our function is to recommend the best form of government and then we’ll recommend what should be done to implement it. I do believe we need a professional manager.”
Nancy Deal: “Keep the mayor and hire an interim administrator reportable to the commission. Ultimately I recommend a weak mayor with a professional manager.”
Renee Ferguson: “I want that city manager to happen. Having a new mayor every two years with the ability to hire and fire is chaotic.”
Pam Leckie: “I believe strongly in a strong city manager. I dislike the term weak mayor.”
Ellen Prince: “Weak mayor, professional manager. If things go really, really bad, you can get rid of the manager.”
Terry Schaefer: “I fully recommend hiring a city manager.”
City manager recommendation
The Holmes Beach ad hoc committee on form of government approved the following recommendation April 16 for the city commission: “We recommend a change of the current form of government to a weak mayor-city manager form of government. The professional city manager reports directly to the city commission and manages all employees.”