Special City Commission Meeting

City of Deltona 2345 Providence Blvd. Deltona, FL 32725 Minutes Special City Commission Meeting Monday, April 8, 2024 7:45 PM Deltona Commission Chambers DECORUM POLICY: The City of Deltona has a significant interest in conducting orderly and efficient public meetings, which includes preventing disruption, promoting civility, and preserving decorum. To that end, behavior which disrupts or impedes the efficient and orderly conduct of any public meeting, as determined by the Mayor, or presiding officer, or a majority of the City Commission, is not permitted. The Mayor, or presiding officer, or a majority of the City Commission, may interrupt, warn, or terminate a speaker’s statement when that statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, irrelevant, or otherwise reasonably perceived to be a disruption to the fair and orderly progress of the discussion at hand. The Mayor, or presiding officer, or a majority of the City Commission, may also interrupt any part of the meeting to warn any individual that they are being disruptive or otherwise impeding the efficient and orderly conduct of the meeting. The Mayor, or presiding officer, or a majority of the City Commission, may require any individual to leave a public meeting for its duration if that individual is unable to observe this Policy after being warned. Should an individual be required to leave a meeting for violating this Policy, that person shall be escorted from Commission Chambers by a Volusia Sheriff’s Deputy. 1. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:46 p.m. by Mayor Avila. 2. ROLL CALL – CITY CLERK: Present: 7 - Mayor Avila Vice Mayor JodyLee Commissioner Avila-Vazquez Commissioner Colwell Commissioner Heriot Commissioner McCool Commissioner Shimkus 3. PLEDGE TO THE FLAG: 4. BUSINESS: City of Deltona Page 1 Printed on 4/10/2024 Special City Commission Meeting Minutes April 8, 2024 A. Final selection of the City Manager candidates by the City Commission. Interim City Manager Glenn Whitcomb gave a brief overview of the item. Mayor Avila noted that Candidate Silverman withdrew his application for City Manager. Lynelle Klein of Colin Baenziger and Associates read out the scores each applicant received from the City Manager Selection Committee (CMSC). The Committee choice from highest preference to least was: Scott Andrews (19), Dale Dougherty (29), Michael Silverman (50), Terry Suggs (51), Carmen Davis (54), Christopher Miller (60), Robin Hayes (62), and Jason Glenn (71). In this case, the lower scores indicate higher preference. The Commission, staff, and Mrs. Klein discussed the CMSC recommendation, a candidate meeting with the Interim City Manager, interviewing candidates, showing up, the meet & greet, appreciating the CMSC, hiring influence, policies and procedures, communicating with the CMSC, and public appearance. Mayor Avila opened the public comments and Elbert Bryan addressed the City Commission. The Commission discussed the City Attorney interview format and the Saturday interview process. Motion by Commissioner Shimkus, seconded by Commissioner Avila-Vazquez, to accept the Committee's recommendation and invite the top 5 to come in for an interview this weekend. The motion carried by the following vote: For: 7 - Mayor Avila, Vice Mayor JodyLee, Commissioner Avila-Vazquez, Commissioner Colwell, Commissioner Heriot, Commissioner McCool, and Commissioner Shimkus B. Discussion regarding the City Manager interview process. The Commission discussed timing, citizen involvement, and the City tour for candidates. The City Clerk gave a brief description of the timeline for the City Manager interview process. The Commission, staff, and Mrs. Klein discussed extending the meet & greet to 8:00 p.m., who leads the City tour, public interviews, public comment, interview questions, soliciting questions from the public, solving the City's issues, coming prepared, canned answers, quick thinking, and adding additional meet & greets. Mayor Avila opened the public comments and Elbert Bryan and Jim Pescha addressed the City Commission. City of Deltona Page 2 Printed on 4/10/2024 Special City Commission Meeting Minutes April 8, 2024 The Commission, staff, and Mrs. Klein discussed soliciting questions from the public and extending time for public comment. After discussion, Commissioner McCool requested to extend public comment to 4 minutes on all City Manager related topics until this process is finished and the Commission concurred. The Commission, staff, and Mrs. Klein discussed breaking the cycle, doing what the residents want, Commission attendance at the meet & greet, interacting with residents, extending the meet & greet to 8:30 p.m., Deltona's unique issues, candidates' approach to problems, pre-set questions, and interview freedom. After discussion, Mayor Avila requested that the Commission be free to ask whatever questions they have proposed and the Commission concurred. The Commission, staff, and Mrs. Klein discussed interview length, voting at the April 15th meeting, extending the timeline, being long-winded, and sticking to the provided schedule. C. Discussion regarding the City Attorney and the future of that position. The Interim City Manager gave a brief overview of the item. The Commission and City Attorney discussed work-shopping the topic, hiring a larger firm, institutional knowledge, resident perception, land development and use, the pass-through ordinance, the volume of work to do, confidence, over-correcting, bringing back trust, more legal help, issues with developers, proportionate fair share, taxpayers' costs, improvement, accessibility, fresh eyes, wisdom and experience, personal attacks, the rumor mill, being proactive, the previous law firm, soliciting the right help, an in-house attorney, billable hours, team work, Charter Officers, loyalty, waiting for the new City Manager, firms we employ, too much change at once, being short-staffed, City Attorney helping where needed, insurance lawyers, Roper P.A., specialty attorneys, hiring a search firm, bringing item back to the Commission, putting a plan in place, sustainability, consulting prior firms interviewed, having a hybrid model, having a staff lawyer, and hiring paralegals. Motion by Commissioner Shimkus, seconded by Commissioner Heriot, to have the Interim City Manager reach out to the last two top ranked firms and have them submit back whether they are still interested and if their proposals have changed as well as reconsider this topic at a workshop within the next 60 days. The Commission discussed personal feelings, loyalty to the City, protecting the City, outgrowing the previous law firm, other firms, land use codes, the Comprehensive Plan, getting a fresh perspective, competency, things falling through the cracks, not waiting for a "good time", and making the motion time specific. Mayor Avila opened the public comments and Kathy Bryan, Carolyn Hickerson, and Elbert City of Deltona Page 3 Printed on 4/10/2024 Special City Commission Meeting Minutes April 8, 2024 Bryan addressed the City Commission. The Commission and staff discussed starting the process, going out to bid, hiring in-house, the new City Manager's input, timeline for seating new City Manager, poor follow through, and headhunters. Amended motion by Commissioner Shimkus, seconded by Commissioner Heriot, to have the Interim City Manager reach out to the last two top ranked firms and have them submit back whether they are still interested and if their proposals have changed as well as to reconsider this topic at the first meeting in May. The amended motion carried by the following vote: For: 5 - Mayor Avila, Vice Mayor JodyLee, Commissioner Heriot, Commissioner McCool, and Commissioner Shimkus Against: 2 - Commissioner Avila-Vazquez, and Commissioner Colwell 5. PUBLIC FORUM: Time permitted, public comments shall be limited to items on the agenda and shall not exceed two minutes. Please be courteous and respectful of the views of others. Personal attacks on Commission members, City staff or members of the public are not allowed, and will be ruled out of order by the Mayor. 6. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS: The Interim City Manager reported that Finance Director Mari Leisen has tendered her resignation effective April 16, 2024. 7. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. ______________________________ Santiago Avila, Jr., MAYOR ATTEST: ________________________________ Joyce Raftery, CMC, MMC, CITY CLERK City of Deltona Page 4 Printed on 4/10/2024