Working with incoming clerk on role
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Agreeing questions about the incoming city clerk’s duties still need to be addressed, most Starke commissioners moved forward an ordinance restoring the office of city manager.
Only Commissioner Scott Roberts voted against the first reading of the ordinance because it eliminated the position of chief administrative officer.
That now vacant position was created a year ago and held by Jimmy Crosby until he resigned amidst an investigation into his leadership. City Manager Drew Mullins became general manager over utilities during that time, with all other administrative oversight given to Crosby.
Roberts argued that the job was too big for a single individual and that returning to a single city manager was a step backwards. Referencing multiple presentations that evening on planning for the funding and construction of ongoing and future infrastructure projects, Roberts said it was “just a tip of the iceberg” and too much for a single person to handle. He said the point of dividing city management was to become more efficient.
“I think the structure we had before was the most efficient. I’m not talking personalities; I’m talking about structure,” he said, adding the city needs not just a separate utilities manager but a separate utilities board. He wasn’t confident Starke would go that far. (“It’s too big of a leap.”) But he said with a capable workforce in place handling broken water mains and zoning changes, the separate managers would be able to focus on the city’s future.
“The way this is written up will work, but it will not work as efficient as it should,” he said.
Commissioner Bob Milner, former city manager, was “unabashedly in favor” of a city manager form of government. He had the support of Scott Anaheim as project director, he said, and Mullins now has David Sparks over utility operations. That frees Mullins to concentrate on many of the things Roberts had mentioned, from future planning to taking on agencies like the water management district and lobbying for the city in Tallahassee.
Mayor Andy Redding agreed with Milner, saying the city manager ordinance before them was the same document they approved before splitting the duties to appoint Crosby CAO. He said the commission should stop rewriting job descriptions “every time we turn around because somebody has a stronger personality in one area or the other.” A strong city manager would be able to delegate responsibilities from the top down but would bear ultimate responsibility.
Commissioner Janice Mortimer initially agreed with Roberts, saying the city had made great progress over the past several years, and she wanted that to continue. “I really don’t think we can afford to go back. I really don’t think it would be fair to our constituents nor to ourselves to go backwards,” she said. Both she and Roberts said they wanted to fill the position of chief administrative officer.
City Clerk-elect Chrissy Thompson also weighed in on the ordinance. Having been a city commissioner along with Mortimer when the commission first created a city manager form of government, Thompson said Mullins should be city manager or named chief administrative officer if the ordinance was not approved.
Mullins said splitting management and creating two heads proved problematic for him. With the clerk coming in, that’s now three heads. Redding reminded the board that splitting management between a general manager and a chief administrative officer was in preparation for a future without a city clerk. Many of the CAO’s duties and employees belonged to the city clerk. Voters chose to keep the position in the charter. So, with either a city manager or CAO, there will still roles to define.
Hearing those points, Mortimer agreed and joined the vote to pass the ordinance on first reading, with Roberts dissenting.
Clerk-elect requests input, pledges positive working relationships
As for questions about the separation of duties between the city manager and an elected city clerk, Commissioner Danny Nugent continued to argue that the ordinance assigned financial duties to the manager that should belong to the city clerk. Milner said the clerk’s duties must be defined between now and when Thompson is sworn in next month.
Thompson said the charter supersedes the city manager ordinance and secures her place as city treasurer. While she was fine with the ordinance passing on first reading, she requested input on anything regarding her elected office.
“I intend to enforce the city charter,” she said. “If I’m the one bonded, I’m signing the checks, how can I do that if I don’t have access to those accounts? How can I do that if I can’t … see what’s in there? I’m not signing blank checks, guys, you all know that.”
“I will 100% work with you five. I will absolutely work with the city manager, whoever that may be, Drew or anybody, to make the city run more efficiently and better. So, wherever you put anybody, I just feel like we definitely need some clarification, because it’s not fair to our employees. They don’t really know who they’re going to work for,” she said.
Thompson offered to attend a workshop or work one on one with Mullins and their attorneys.
“Drew and I will figure it out and do it. He does have to have access to everything in that clerk’s office, as does anybody in this city. It’s all public record, and it should have always been open. I know it has not been. I’m sorry for that. I can’t change what has been in the past, but I can absolutely stand up here and tell you how the future is going to be. We are all going to work together, and we’re going to do it in a positive way.”
