City Commission Workshop on 2026-01-06 9:00 AM - Commission Retreat

Name: City Commission Workshop on 2026-01-06 9:00 AM - Commission Retreat
Start: 2026-01-06

Regular Meeting

North Port, FL · January 6, 2026

Minutes

4970 CITY HALL BLVD City of North Port NORTH PORT, FL 34286 Meeting Minutes City Commission Workshop CITY COMMISSIONERS Pete Emrich, Mayor Barbara Langdon, Vice Mayor Phil Stokes, Commissioner David Duval, Commissioner Demetrius Petrow, Commissioner APPOINTED OFFICIALS Jerome Fletcher, City Manager Michael Fuino, City Attorney Heather Faust, City Clerk Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:00 AM City Commission Chambers Commission Retreat CALL TO ORDER Mayor Emrich called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: 5- Mayor Pete Emrich, Vice Mayor Barbara Langdon, Commissioner David Duval, Commissioner Demetrius Petrow and Commissioner Philip Stokes ALSO PRESENT City Manager Fletcher, City Attorney Fuino, City Clerk Faust, Board Specialist Lindner, Police Captain Harvey, and Deputy Fire Chief Herlihy. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Vice Mayor Langdon. 1. PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public comment. 2. GENERAL BUSINESS: A. 26-0275 City Commission Retreat and Governance Workshop Mayor Emrich announced the item. Mr. Fletcher introduced Doug Thomas, Executive Vice President, Recruitment and Leadership Development, Strategic Government Resources (SGR). Mr. Thomas provided an overview of the agenda and introduced Lynn Tipton, Florida League of Cities (FLC). City of North Port Page 1 Printed on 2/10/2026 City Commission Workshop Meeting Minutes January 6, 2026 Ms. Tipton spoke to her professional background and experience. Mr. Thomas provided a presentation including effective governance principles, North Port City Charter, Commissioner and employee communication policy, and policy timeline. Commission questions and discussion took place regarding policy intent, revision history, and consistency, Commissioner and employee communication, and transparency. Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including GrayRobinson legal opinion and International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Code of Ethics. Commission questions and discussion continued regarding Charter language interpretation, Commission authority limitations, application of legal opinions, and ICMA Code of Ethics. Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including governance and recommended strategies. Commission questions and discussion continued regarding Commissioner and employee communications, operational boundaries, City facilities, governance responsibilities, and public trust. Recess was taken from 10:30 a.m. to 10:46 a.m. Ms. Tipton provided a presentation including history of municipal forms of government, characteristics of various governance models, council -manager form of government, non-interference policies, and comparisons to peer cities. Commission questions and discussion continued regarding council -manager form of government, non-interference standards, governance balance, political pressures, citizen understanding of government structure, and consistency. Recess was taken from 1:07 p.m. to 1:37 p.m. Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including path forward and one-on-one meetings. Commission questions and discussion continued regarding communication practices, agenda briefings, citizen concerns and response time, conflicts of interest, consistency and balance, government trust, organizational structure, political pressures, public confidence, and governance roles. Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including recommended strategies, Commission workshops, and interactions with employees. Commission questions and discussion continued regarding Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) considerations, citizen concerns, workshop structure, consensus procedures, employee interactions, and potential policy language revisions. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public comment. 4. ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Emrich adjourned the meeting at 12:58 p.m. City of North Port Page 2 Printed on 2/10/2026 City Commission Workshop Meeting Minutes January 6, 2026 City of North Port, Florida By: ___________________________________________ Pete Emrich, Mayor Attest: _________________________________________ Heather Faust, City Clerk City of North Port Page 3 Printed on 2/10/2026

Agenda

4970 CITY HALL BLVD City of North Port NORTH PORT, FL 34286 Meeting Agenda City Commission Workshop CITY COMMISSIONERS Pete Emrich, Mayor Barbara Langdon, Vice Mayor Phil Stokes, Commissioner David Duval, Commissioner Demetrius Petrow, Commissioner APPOINTED OFFICIALS Jerome Fletcher, City Manager Michael Fuino, City Attorney Heather Faust, City Clerk Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:00 AM City Commission Chambers Commission Retreat PUBLIC COMMENT: Properly submitted comments will be accepted and included in the official record of the meeting pursuant to City Commission Policy No. 2020-04. Public comment may be submitted in the following ways: In Person Attendance: Submit a comment card to the City Clerk. Comment cards with completed information may be submitted until the Mayor closes Public Comment for the agenda item. Public comment is limited to three minutes per person. Online: Submit a written eComment using the eComment link at cityofnorthport.legistar.com/Calendar. The link will be available online at 8:00 a.m. the day before the meeting until one hour prior to the start of the meeting. Your public comment is limited to 2,000 characters. Voice Mail Message: Leave a voice mail message via telephone at 941-429-1032. Voice Mail messages will be accepted the day before the meeting from 8:00 a.m. until one hour prior to the start of the meeting. Please provide information as listed in the City’s outgoing message. The message must not exceed two minutes, fifteen seconds. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1. PUBLIC COMMENT: (The purpose of the Public Comments Section of the Agenda is for members of the public to speak to the City Commission/District Governing Body on any subject pertaining to City Business whether or not it is on the Agenda, with the exception of Quasi-Judicial Items.) 2. GENERAL BUSINESS: City of North Port Page 1 Printed on 1/7/2026 City Commission Workshop Meeting Agenda January 6, 2026 A. 26-0275 City Commission Retreat and Governance Workshop Attachments: December 3, 2024 Minutes Presentation 3. PUBLIC COMMENT: (The purpose of the Public Comments Section of the Agenda is for members of the public to speak to the City Commission/District Governing Body on any subject pertaining to City Business whether or not it is on the Agenda, with the exception of Quasi-Judicial Items.) 4. ADJOURNMENT: NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF REPORTS - The Agenda is a summary of the proposed actions to be taken by the City Commission. For almost every agenda item, the City staff has prepared materials for Commission consideration and provided a staff recommendation. All of these materials are available at the City Clerk's Office, during normal business hours, for inspection and (for a fee) copying. Questions on these materials may be directed to the staff member who prepared them, or to the City Clerk's Office, who will refer you to the appropriate person. AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990 - The North Port City Hall is wheelchair accessible. Special parking is available on the west side of City Hall and the building may be accessed from the parking area. Persons with hearing difficulties should contact the City Clerk to obtain a hearing device for use during meetings. NONDISCRIMINATION: The City of North Port does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, family or religious status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or physical characteristic in administration of its programs, activities or services. No stenographic record by a certified court reporter is made of these recordings. Accordingly, anyone seeking to appeal any of the decisions involving the matters herein will be responsible for making a verbatim record of the meeting/testimony and evidence upon which any appeal is to be based. Copies of the recordings are available (for a fee) at the City Clerk's Office. City of North Port Page 2 Printed on 1/7/2026