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11-11-83SpMtg NOVEMBER 11, 1983 A Special meeting of the City Council of the City of belra~ Beach, Florida, was called to order by ~ayor Willard V. Youn9 an the Council Chambers at City Hall at 7:00 P.M., Friday, November 11, 19~3. Roll call showed: Present - Council Member ~lcolm %'. ~ird Council Member Doak S. Campbell Council Member Arthur Jackel Council Member Edward L. Perry Mayor Willard V. Young Absent - None Also present were - City Attorney Herbert W.A. Th~ele. Mayor Young called the meeting to order and announced that this meetin9 has been called for the purpose of (1) holdin9 public interviews with two candidates for City Manager. Mayor loun9 outlane~ the questions that they will be asking the candidates. Mayor Young introduced the first candidate, hr. ~rtin Gainer. The following are questions asked by Mayor Youn9 and the re- sponses given by 5~. Gainer: Question: To what extent do you consider the beach area to De an important asset to the City, bearing in n, and that it is one o~ the outstanding attributes that the C~ty o~ belray ~each has. Response: I recognize that and I think it is one of the ~enities that contributes to making Delray Beach a very fine place to lave and do business. I think it helps to create a ver~ goo~ in,age of the City. Question: How would you propose to commit the City's resources to Capital Improvements for the public beach, bearin that they do have meters along the beach. Response: I would really need to study that situation to make a mean- ingful answer; however, I would sa~ that, first o~ all, there should be a long range capital improvement program and you should establish what your priorities are Capital Improvements, now and in the future. In ~oang so, you should look at the Capital I~provement needs o~ the beach and it should fit into your ~apital Improven~ent Fro- gram. I think, of course, that a CaFital Improvement Fro- gram is very important to the community. You should not just spend all your funds on maintainan9 ongoan9 operataons. You have to have Capital Improvements for the communit~ to be aggressive and dynamic and competitive wat~ other com- munities. You should try to operate as efficiently as you can so that money is left over to be Fu~ in a CaFital provement fund. For the benefit of the public, ~]ayor Young pointed out tnat that question did not entail any renourishment of the beach which is taken care of by the Federal, State and Count~ 9overnments and, to some extent, the City of Delray Beach. Question: In view o~ the greatly increased number o~ ~eople in the beach area during peak season, how would you deal wath thear impact and their nee~ for greater protection at that tame? Response: I think it would be imperative that the City provide ade- quate police protection, emergency medical assistance to those people in that area who might need that k~nd o~ as- sistance durin9 that time, as well as any other servaces that might be required. I would propose to do that. Question: outline briefly what your priorities are in your budget- making procedure. Response: I would say that I begin by tryin9 to get the feel of the Council, to see how the Council feels about budget exFendi- tures. Then I would certainly keep that in mind as I ap- proached my responsibilities o~ preparin9 the proposed budget. One of the first things I would do would be to try and determine what revenues might be anticipated without increasin9 property taxes. Then, of course, we would try to determine what revenues would be needed in order to continue the ongoing operations of the City. If there was not enough money, we would look at priorities. We would try to deter- mine what programs could De cut back or should be cut PacK. I would certainly not accept the status quo. I would use work measurements, statistics, I would have an ongoln9 budget analysis, a management review program wnere we would look at the budget and the management operations throughout the year to determine how efficiently the various operations are operating. I would approach the situation with the recognition that some operations outlive themselves ana, perhaps, cut back. There should be consolidation and those kinds of things. That gives you a basic idea of now i woula approach the budget process. Question: What experience have you had in dealings with minorlt~ interests in the community? Response: I have had very detailed experience with that. I was Urban Renewal Director in Daytona Beach when I first went there. So I worked very closely with the minority population that community in connection with that urban renewal pro3- ect. Question: What do you see your relationship to be as City hanager to the City Council. Response: The City Council, of course, establishes policy an~ the hanager has the responsibility for carryin9 out that policy. That basically is it. The City ~nager also has the respon- sibility of providing the Council with all the information, statistics, recommendations and so forth neede~ for the Council to make solid, valid decisions. The City ~anager has responsibilities for proposin9 programs for legislation, solutions, pro~ects and so forth to the Council and 9ivin9 all the detailed information that Council needs in order to make sound judgments in regard to the matter before the Council. Question: Describe some innovative sources of revenue you might sug- gest to finance ongoing City programs. Response: If I knew the answer to that, I would be one o~ the most popular men in this country today. Cities all over the country are looking for answers to that; certainly cities Florida are. The cities in some states are finding innova- tive ways to approach special problems they have, like California where they have Proposition ~13, and they are forced to find new sources of revenue. In Cali~ornla they are contracting a lot of services out, t~ey're establ~snin9 improvement districts, and assessing districts that benefit from special improvements in those areas an~ so forth. ~hey are relyin§ ~re heavily upon user ~ees, they are contract- ing services out to private enterprise to operate, like 9o1[ courses, etc., which then do not constitute a burden upon the taxpayer. I am afraid I do not really have any innova- tive ideas. If I did, I'd be a very sought after fellow. - 2 - 11/11/~3 hayor Youn9 pointed that he asked that question wlth tongue in cheek because of the possibility of Proposition #1 which is going to mean a terrific impact on all o~ the municipalities and the &tate and County as well. ~. Gainer replied when that time comes, they are 9oin9 to have to look very closely at City organization to see where they can cut back and what they contract out. In a lot of places, they are contracting out fire services. He is not saying they would want to do that; that would be one of the very last things they would want to con- tract out. A lot of places do contract out garbage collection. It's going to be an extremely difficult task and he hopes it does not come about because it would be very devastatin9 to the City. Question: What would be your philosophy regarding the City hanager/ Department head relationship in carrying out the functions of City government? Response: I take the team management approach with department heads and staff. I require them to participate in the dec~sion making process. I give them stron9 and firm leadershl~ and direction and then delegate responsibility to them. I allow them to do their thing but I hold them accountable ana I monitor them closely. I try to 9et good people ana then give them latitude to do their ~ob, always adherin9 to the policies of the City Council and to my general policies. Question: What is your philosophy about a City hanager's ln~olve~ent in community organizations? Response: I think a City 5~nager should be involved ~n community organizations so that he can become more aware o~ the con~ munity's needs, desires, wishes and so forth; be a part o~ the community and have a better feel for the community. Question: Have you any knowledge about Delray Beach at all? Response: I only have very basic knowledge. I know that it is growin9 awfully fast. ~. Campbell asked ~. Gainer the following: Question: Have you had any experience in Coral Gables with citlzen advisory boards. Response: Yes, I have. The City of Coral Gables nas a great man3 citizen advisory boards. I think I might have sent an organizational chart with my application. That organiza- tional chart shows a great many boards and so forth in Coral Gables. I feel that I could work well with the advisory boards. hr. Perry asked ~. Gainer the following: Question: Do you understand that the City of Delray Beach is made uF of quite a wide diversion o~ groups; tne beach property owners; a very sizable minority segment, a very sizable middle class retired segment and graphlcally buildln9 an upper middle class technical professional seg[aent. Woula that give you problems or have you met with that sort o~ situation in your experience. Response: I have had occasion to work with similar problems, especi- ally in Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach had somewhat the san~e situation that you have here so I am very ~amlliar an~ comfortable in dealing with those kinds of problems. Mr. Jackel asked ~. ~ainer the following: Question: How will you handle the quick growth in our City? - 3 - i1/ll/U3 Response: As you know from reviewln9 my resume, I have an extensive background in planning and development. That training and experience to taught me to look ahead and plan ahead and not to ~ust take each day as it comes an~ not deal with da~l~ crises but to anticipate needs; to plan ahead to ma~e sure that the community develops in an orderly, proper way ~n- stead of in an unorganized improper way which would De detrin~ntal to the people and the community, bo i woul~ give necessary direction to sta~ an~ Council in connection with looking ahead and antipatin9 that a lot of growth and development will take place in the community an~ try to n~aKe sure that the growth and development takes place ~n an orderly, proper way and a planned way in which the~ anti- cipate what improvements will be necessary to accomo~ate that growth; that they plan for the financln9 and construc- tion of those improvements at the proper time. ~ayor Young asked the followin9: Question: In connection with the budget, which is a rather intricate piece of work, would you have any ideas of methods of de- coding so that it would be more understandable to the gen- eral public. Response: No, but I recognize that as a real problem and I've seen ~t time and tin]e again. I think a budget shoula be in suf- ficient detail so that not only the public, Put City o~- ficials, department heads, staff, City Council and the ~it~ hanager are able to look at it an~ know exactly what funds are going to be spent for. I believe it should be in suf- ficient detail for the benefit o~ everyone, not 3ust the public. ~r. Bird asked the following: Question: How often and in what manner do you feel it appropriate to inform Council of the current f~nancial status o~ the City? Response: I think that there should be a monthly breakdown of the financial status and Council should be informe~ 5~ntnly. Department heads should also be informed monthly so they know how their budget is goin9. Question: With regard to budget limitations tnemselves, once passe~ as a document by Council, how much flexibillt~ do you envision should be retained by the City hanager as ~ar as moving funds within the budget without referring back to Council for authority? Response: The budget is ~ust a measure~ent of your needs at best. it is not an exact document, so changes have to be made in the bud9et as you go alon9 in order for it to be a reallstlc and practical workin9 tool. I th~nk, when changes are made, management should come back to the Council and ask that the budget be amended to reflect those changes. Question: I wondered if there was any area where you felt the preroga- tive should be administrative in making a change, without necessarily comin9 back to Council, an~ where you thought that line was that said Council has got to be involved in this. Within parts, do you need to come back to us. Response: I think so. For the benefit of the citizens, hr. Gainer ma~e the fol- lowing presentation: I have a very diversified background in all levels of government. I have had the privilege of workln9 at the Federal level, State level, County level, municipal level and in the private sector. This diversified experience has provided me with very valuable experience in government. It has enabled me to be a much better, much more qualified public administrator. As I've already mentioned, I've had an extensive background in plannin9 development, redevelopment an~ that sort of thing in addition to City ~anager experience. - 4 - ~/~/~3 Mayor Young asked if any members of the public wished to ask ~. Gainer any questions. hr. Sam Schwlmer asked ~. Gainer the following: Question: I'm sure that you are aware that the City Council has author- ized the position of Assistant hanager. How would you use such a position? Response: I was not aware o£ that but I appreciate your calling it to my attention. I really do not know how I would utilize tha~ position until I am on the DoD and can see what is needed and what the organizational makeup is. I think that would be the appropriate time to make a determination as to exact- ly how I would utilize an Assistant hanager. He would be, for the most part, my alter ego and help me to carry out mk responsibilities. I'm sure I would assi§n him soD~ speciai things. I think I should reserve my decisions or comments about that until I'm actually on the 3oD and have an oppor- tunity to evaluate the situation. Upon question by hrs. Donna Cotton, ~. ~a~ner stated that in referring to an Assistant 5~nager, he did mean "he or she". ~rs. Cotton also asked Mr. Gainer the followlng question: Question: ~at is your understandin~ o~ the Florida Sunshine Law and how it would relate to the office oi Cit~ ~nager. Response: I am very familiar with the Florida &unshine Law, haven9 operated under it for a number o~ years now. Very basicall~ it ~ust provides that e~erything the City Council does has to be done out in the open. Two members o~ the Council cannot meet and discuss matters that will come be~ore ~oun- cil at an open meeting. They cannot talk about these mat- ters on the phone and so ~orth. They can come and talk to him, one at a time. He cannot phone them to see how they might vote on an issue coming before Council. 5~. Jack Kellerman asked the following: Question: Have you had any experience in dealing with labor unions, and, if so, any problems? Response: Yes, I have had experience; first, in Daytona Beach and then in Coral Gables. Yes, they had problems with the unions. In Coral Gables, he took his directlon from the City mission, and the negotiation team for the City carried out his directions whic~ were tne directions o~ the City mission. Because of the way they operated there, he too~ the blame if thin~s did not go right. If things went well, he got the credit for it. Nevertheless, he was implementin9 the position of the City Commission in regard ~o labor. 5~. Bob Stump asked the following: Question: For what reason are you seeking the DoD of the City ~anager of Delray Beach, in terms o~ your own personal motivation and objectives? Response: I'm no longer the City ~nager o£ Coral Gables. I thln~ Delray Beach is a very desirable city to be City hanager o~. It would offer me the k~nd o~ pro~essinal stimulation and motivation that I would en~oy. I would enDoy approachin9 and working with the challenges that you have here. I would enDoy the fact that it is a growing community. I feel that I have special qualifications to deal with those Kinds of problems. I would en~oy living here and my wife woulo enDoy living here. I would be extremely proud to have the privi- lege of being City ~anager of Delray Beach. Mr. Jack Pitts asked the following: Question: Regarding the matter of arbitration, I won't put you on the spot by asking i~ you are for or against it, Put have you been involved in City contracts where arbitration took place, or are you familiar with it. Response: Yes, I am very familiar with it and I am very well informed on the procedures. ~. George Palahunic asked the following: Question: Are you familiar with the County operation and laws in our particular area? We have County pockets strewn all over Delray Beach and we do have some operational problems; are you familiar with these aspects. Response: I am vaguely familiar with them. I have Deen told that there are pockets of unincorporated areas in the course, this kind of thing always presents a problem re- garding extension of utilities, fire and police services, and other services. ~. Robert Stump asked the following: Question: When was your last physical examination and what is ~our current status o~ health. Response: ~ last physical was probably about two years ago. I ~, ~n very good health. ~y weight is down Dust a little now because I had an extremely bad case of flu two months ago and I lost 14-15 lbs. I haven't gained it DacK yet. ~ther than that, my health is extremely good. Mr. Stump asked ~yor Young if the City requires a phMslcal examination as a prerequisite. If it is not, he would like to suggest that it become a prerequisite. 5~s. Alice Finst asked the following: Question: Could you tell us of your experience in getting Federal and State grants. Row you would go about it; do you ieel that they're more trouble than they're worth Response: I have mixed emotions aDout it, frankly. I thln~ though that cities in the past certainly' could not afford to ignore the many grants that are available. Sometimes these 9rants require matchin9 funds; sometimes you can use your available funds for pro~ects for which a 9rant is availaDle ~or a project that really should receive such a high priority; maybe t~ere is somethin9 else far more important. Those are polic~ decision that have to be made by the Council; I woul~ assume that it would be my responsiDility to inform the Council of all the grants available and the Council would ultimately make the decision as to which 9rants to try ~or. I have extensive knowledge o~ all the grants. I was head a State Planning department that had the responsIbility for assisting local governments all over the State of Florida ~n connection with obtaining Federal and &tate 9rants. that as a consultant and I did that in Daytona Beach in responsibilities for that Cit~. In Coral Gaules, even though Coral Gables is a very wealthy' City, we received millions of dollars in Federal 9rants durin9 the perio~ was City hanager there. A lot of people do not li~e the idea of gettin~ Federal grants but it's your 5~ney and somebody is going to get it if you don't get it. 5~. Pitts asked the following: Question: We have had a number of City hanagers here an~ I would wonder how long you would like to stay. We would like to get a City hanager who wants to stay here the next 25 years. - 6 - 11/11/~3 Response: I would like to be City hanager at least that lon9. 5~. French asked the following: Question: If the City Council establishe~ a policy that you felt ran contrary to your own philosophy and you ~elt ver~ uncon~- fortable about it, how would you handle that. Response: It would be my responsibility to carry out that pollc~ or else resign. So if I felt strongly enough about it, that I simply could not carry out that policy, I would have no alternative but to resign. hrs. Donna Cotton asked the following: Question: How do you handle the situation when one n~mber o~ Council gives an instruction that has not been approved by Council as a body? Response: Probably, I would suggest to him or her that we would nave to take the matter before Council for action. 1 woula tr~ to do it as tactfully and politely as possible. hayor Young thanked 5~. Gainer for his £ranK an~ open an- swers to all the questions that have been put to h~m Dy Council ana members of the audience. He advised that Council ~lans to have a spe- cial meeting the early part of next week at which time a ~inai decision will be made and 5~. Gainer will be notified of that decision. hr. Gainer stated that in his earlier con~ments about in- novative financing he mentioned what it is being ~one in some o~ the other states; the fact that they are contracting out fire services ~n some places. He hopes no one interpreted that as meanin9 that he would be in favor of contracting out fire services ~or De lray Beach. hayor Youn~ asked 5~. ~ainer, if he should be selected, now soon would he be able to take o~'er the position. ~. Gainer re~lle~ a very short time, a couple of weeks. 5~. ~ainer thanked Councll ann the citizens for inviting him here. ~. Young introduced the second candidate, ~r. Harry PerKins. ~z. Perkins thanked Council and the citizens for their generosity an~ confidence in inviting him here and stated he is from Florida an~ always en~oys returning here. He came down a day early and made it a point to see the physical facilities of the City of be lray Beach. He ~rove every mile of A1A in Palm Beach County to look at the beaches, he has looKe~ at the ~rina, the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Waste- water Treatment, the Regional Wastewater Treatment, the Golf Club, the Public Works Complex, the Library, the Adult Recreation Center, the bicycle paths, City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, the bouth Countk Courthouse, the De lray hall and some industries in the area. He a~vise~ that he has been a City hanager, a County hanager and has worKe~ ~or the State and he again thanked Council for lettin9 him be here. The followin9 are questions asked by hayor Youn9 and the responses given by ~. PerKins: Question: How do you view the importance o~ an Assistant tit3 ~anager and how would you use such a person. Response: I have served in towns o~ 12,000, 1~,000; I 3ust le~t a County of 251,000 and have never had an Assistant hanager. That causes my governing body ~re heartburn than ~t ~oes me, because I can run it without one. But people ~eel that i~ you have a corporation, there should ~e a number two person. So I will throw that back into your lap; I coul~ have one or not ha~e one. The only thin9 is ~ I had one, would like the ground rules spelled out between you an~ and him as to what he will do and not do and how ne will represent you. - 7 - 11/11/~3 Question: What experience have you had in dealin9 with minority in- terests in a community? Response: The City of Gulfport which I served was tremendously minor- ity grouped and I don't necessarily mean blacks; there were Lithuanians, White Russians, Poles ana so forth, l've served all communities and I've had minorities always pre- sent. This board here is the first board I've seen that didn't have one per se; I'm talkin9 about a woman or pos- sibly a black, hispanic or so forth. I 9et alon9 fine with them; in fact, my minority references are very high. Question: How do you see your relationship as a City ~anager to the City Council? Response: I think a City 5~na9er is the administrative head o~ the government. It's obvious you set the policy; you're the captain of the ship and I'm the rudder of the ship. ~ yet it there and you chart the course. I th~nk the relat~onshiF is one of cooperation without any doubt. Forms o[ 9overn- ment are one thing, but the bottom line seems to lie in the willingness to get the ~ob done. I want to pledge that too. Question: What experience have you had in dealing with public employee organizations; that would mean labor unions? Response: I had a little of that in Gulfport, Florida. In the rest o~ the southern states, like North Carolina and Georgia, where I've served, there is no PERC law or Taver Act or so forth that establishes a forum £or labor unions, bo consequently, they are virtually non-existent. They're there in the ~ire and police, but on a very weak level. I feel, without skirting the issue, that I can work with them very well. I don't feel, though, that a 5~nager needs to be embroiled ~n protracted or heated negotiations if he's 9oin9 to admin- ister fairly, followin9 the settlement o~ negotiations, bo I don't see that as a problem because I think I'm a ~air administrator. If you wanted me to negotiate w~tn your labor union, I would beg off because I ~on't think I coula go to the bargainin9 table and if it became heated again an~ come out of it and then be fair about how I a~minister. Question: %~ny are you seekin9 the ]ob of City ~anager of belray seach? Response: I purposely placed an application with Delray Beach because I am from Florida and have served in Florida; i think Florida is extremely progressive. I like this area an~ there are some grass roots on my family's side around here. It has the challenges that I like and want and I woul~ love to serve in this area. I want to come back to ~itk govern- ment, I want to come back to Florida and I would like to come into an area where I've got some memories, some family and so forth. Question: You have already explained what you know about our Have you any other further information that you have re- ceived since you sent your resume to us. Response: I went to the Chamber of Commerce and picked up all kinds oI material and have been 9oin9 through it an~ read~n9 every- thing I can. If you're asking do I know what the politics are in this community, no. Question: When was your last physical examination? Response: I had an Air Force physical which I took and passe~ in ~ul~. I'm in excellent health. I have to be because I am a Fed- eral Reservist. Question: To what extent do you consider the beach area an important asset to the City: - 8 - 11/11/83 Response: I have looked at it and I think it is the prettiest beach in the County. It is an adornment or an asset here. I've been a manager of a beach community in Gulfport and I was also County ~anager of a resort area in Georgia where we baa three islands, St. Simon, Sea Island and Jeckel Island, so I am very familiar with the preservation, the natural Deauty and upkeepin9 of the beach areas and the homes around them. I'm also aware of the ingress and egress. This commun~t~ needs to preserve that asset and I think you are and I think you will always because it is a wonderful asset and people in this area know it. Question: How would you propose to commit the City's resources through Capital Improvement for the public beach, excludin9 the renourishment of the beach? Response: 5~y experience, which was proven in the last few years pretty satisfactory, is to take out of the budget and set up a separate Capital Improvement budget because you are 9oing to have to have capital improvement; that isn't like a m~nl budget in which you have your interest groups like revenue sharing. Everyone puts their input into it ana then you have responses from people. You have your own little hear- ings on Capital Improvements and then you establish your priorities and you put them down in a plan and it's a ~ve year plan. That's not so far fetched. It's the same way you do it, like the State Highway department buil~s roads. You just put them down in order. That doesn't mean that the City Council cannot change priority ~1 at any time; they can, from a year to year basis, because Council people turn over like ~]anagers. But people will know where that prior- ity stands; it's a published document that can 9o to t~e public, to the news, etc. That's a subdivision o~ the budget. The bud9et is handled much the same way except this is a five year program. To answer your question, all capi- tal improvements as well as the beach would be handled very much in that order. Question: Outline wnat your priorities are in budget-maKing procedure. Response: I think the first priority is to get together in a brain- storming session and find out where the Council wants to 9o. After that, I think that it's up to the Administrator to take that message back to his department heads and to tell they what we're goin9 to do this coming year. Now that's goin9 to be a year by year basis; it's 9oin9 to change. Some years you are 9oing to want to improve your mechaniza- tion; the next year, if you want to coincide with the re- nourishment of the beach, you might put that in as a Fr~- ority. I think that it is a floatin§ situation, that the priorities are going to change from year to year and Council to Council. The staDility will be there but again I think it is one of those things where I take the message Dack and then I work with the department heads on what we're go~n9 to do and not do. You do not buy a fire truck every year bu~ you probably buy police cars every year. yOu do not do certain things all the time, so it is goin9 to float from year to year. Question: How would you propose to commit City resources to capital improvements for the public beach on a regular basis? Response: Again, that is a priority that Council sets and I told you about a mechanism on how you can set that priority. I think that I would be responsible for the administerin9 of it an~ the follow through of it but I think that question is kin~ of a policy question and I want to stay away from it. Question: What yardsticks and workload indicators do you use to ma~e a request for expenditures to be included in the budget? Response: Again, that is a case by case basis. It comes back to the stemming of the goals which they come up with together. You decide what you want to do and I'll get it done, hopefully, through motivation and through cooperation with the admlni- strative staff, but we're talking generalities and philo- sophies more than we are in specifics. The only thing I can say is it's going to change on a year Dy year basis. Question: Describe some innovative sources o~ revenue you might su9- gest to finance ongoing City programs. Response: It's hard for me to imagine that there's any large amounts of money out there because there's too many good minds trying to figure out what it is. I think there might be some here and there. There is probably more money to De derived in savings and cutting waste. I guess the bottom line would be to get it off the property taxpayer; if any- thing, let's let the tourist pay their way nlore. It's not a specific answer but that's the philosophy. The property owner is very well burdened now. Question: Would the possible passage of Proposition 71 have any affect on your thinking in that regard? Response: From what I know of Proposition ~1, I'm a~raid that it could put us in a bind. I had a general delegation in a county ~ served, which is Richmond Count~ in Augusta, Georgia; the local delegation went up there and li[aited us on local state legislation for 5% growth a year; we had a natural growth o~ about 8% or 9%. It really became a scramblin9 o~ prior- ities. Basically, there is no answer but one o~ the prob- lems, as I understand it is if it's going to roll back on the revenue you're now taking in, then you nee~ to divest yourself of those marginal revenue producin9 things. For example, your wastewater; you make ~ne~ on water but you lose on wastewater. Question: How would you accomplish decodin~ the City budget so that the taxpayers could more easily understand it? Response: You have me at a disadvantage because I don't ~now how ba~ly it's scrambled. I guess it was about 8 or 9 years ago when I was in Florida that Legislature passed a standard~zed chart of accounts. With their wisdom and study, I assume they were pleased with what they were seeing when they 9or through; or they would tinker with it some more. ~o answer your question, I appreciate the fact that it's never enough detail; never enough detail for mana9ement decisions either. I'd give my best effort to improve it. Question: What is your philosophy about the hanager/~epartment head relationships in carrying out the functions of City govern- ment? Response: I like to think o~ it as one of cooperation and ~tivation in getting the ~ob done; working together and being success- ful. It is up to the hanager to be responsible for carrkln9 out the ~ob that the City Council sets forth in terms o~ ~ts goals and priorities. Question: How do you handle the problem of an individual Council member giving you instructions which have not been approved by the Council as a body? Response: The only thing I could do is 9© to the Councilman, look him in the eye and say you've got me in a pickle. Then I'd try tactfully to bring it up suDtlely and try to d~scuss at. ~ don't know what else you can do. Question: What is your philosophy toward growth for the City an~ the planning for it? - 10 - 11/11/~3 Response: This area has got to have controlled growth. You'~e 9ot to know what you're doing; you've got to be able to proDect or you'll have a terribly chaotic effect. I don't think you should relax any o£ your ordinances or variances or things like that. You need them and you need to think it out, Fut it in writing, add to it and to monitor and control lt. Otherwise, you are goin9 to have some tremendous Froblems. So to answer your question, controlled growth; it's got to be planned. I think the details should be left to the Administration to make suggestions to Council but the over- all philosophy of where you want to head is what ~ouncil is elected for. Question: What is your philosophy about a City hanager's involvement in community organizations? Response: 5~ track records show that I'm a Doiner. I get into all clubs; I go to breakfast clubs and supper clubs. %~hen somebody invites me somewhere, I don't say no. W~thln propriety of what's acceptable to Council, I'm a goer. Question: What is your opinion of sensitivity trainin9 as a tool to avoid people problems? Response: I have found out in my last six years. We have nad gather- ings with the Council, hanager, key department hea~s, an~ news media. We've gone on one or two day excursions an~ they were generally headed up by, in Georgia and North Carolina, an institute of government which is an offshoot the graduate department. We woul~ have skilled leaders in psychology helping us set down our goals; mainly Dust twlce a year. The sensitivity comes out of it because when you're in there setting goals, you really learn what the other person is saying. One of the things which seems to reduce friction among Commissioners an~ Councilman is that I talk to each of the Council persons two or three times a week; after a while I get to know what that Council person's thin9 is. The friction that seems to always besiege a ~oar~ that you all don't know what you're all thinking among each other. These sessions are sensitivity type train~n9 or goal setting. It's a wonderful expression of where we're 9oing. It's amazing what you can learn from one another an~ what i can learn from ~ou. I know that two years we set out 21 goals and reached about 16 of them; we thought it was an outstanding situation. Question: In your career as City hana~er, I noticed that you'~e ma~e frequent changes. Will you explain to us why you made these changes and how they came about. Response: I haven't changed ~obs; I'm still in the same profession. have progressed; I have always had upward mobility. started off with a town of 12,000 and went to Gulfport. Because I had served with him in the State Legislature, I was asked by President Carter to come back to Georgia to be the County ~ianager of his recreation retreat. I went there. Some of the goals he had in mind didn't all pan out and the second or third largest county in Georgia asked n~ to con~e there. I went there under one condition. I might add that when I became a County ~anager, I was the first professional manager in each of those places. I left Richmond County an~ I might add, in talking about minorities, all County govern- ment is partisan. I've always served with a split Repub- lican/ Democratic. $o when I went to Richmon~ County, told them I'd get them underway but I was going to 9o. bo at presidential election time, I resigne~ on my own an~ took a ~ob to go to a larger county in North Carolina of 252,000 people. I might add that I was fired o~f the last Dob; before that I have never been asked to resign, i might a~ too that I've always had one or two Councilman barKin9 at me; I think that's normal. But I've never been asKe~ to - 11 - 11/11/~3 resign nor have I ever had the majority ask me to resign. I lost my last job because of a combination of many ~actors; the combination of serving a two party system, a rotatln9 chairmanship and an environment where people were electe~ from districts. $~hat that means is that in these tight budget, if you're elected from districts, that Commissioner is going to fight to keep the dollars in that district. hany times the hanager gets in that bargaining ti£f. These are some of the reasons. I would like to sum it up by saying it was one of those political situations. 1 Have moved on my own on an upward escalation. Question: Would your intent be to stay with Delray Beach? Response: Absolutely. I want return to City hanagement and I want to return to this area. I'm very steadfast in that. Mr. Campbell asked the following: Question: We have several advisory boards in the City, other than the Planning Board and Board of Adjustment, dealin9 with various functions of the City. How do you see the role oi citizen advisory boards? Response: When I was a City hanager, I used to like to play K~n9 Tut. Now that I've been a County hanager, I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China. I want as many people around hie as I can get. Citizen input is the way you not only know what is going on, but that's the way you 9et it done because tne~'re the ones that are going to make it work. ~. Perry asked the following: Question: %~e have an Internal Audit Committee and formerl3 we ham another similar committee which got into some proDlen~s with the former City hanager. Do ~ou feel you could work with a committe like the Internal Audit Comittee? Response: Yes. The trouble with internal auditors is that they in- variably get on a witch hunt or di9 up somethln9 incon- sequential; it gets things in more of an uproar than it's worth. Yet, I'd welcome one. Question: How do you stand with staff; do you consider yourself pro- gressive in your relations with staf~ or do you pride your- self on being kind of a hardnosed that gets the lob done no matter the cost? Response: I think you're limitin9 me to two choices and I don't buy either one of them. I think that I'm successful and I tnin~ that different staffs, as a whole, have dif~eren~ personal- ities. A lot of that has to do with what's gone on i~medl- ately before or what they've been entrenched in. I think m~ track record shows that I can be very stern and also shows that I can be very successful. I think that I can do what's necessary and I certainly will relate to the Council. hr. Bird asked the ~ollowln~: Question: What kind of reports would you envision providin9 the Coun- cil and with what frequenc~ with regard to financial status of the community? Response: I think that orderly reporting in detail is a must. i thln~ monthly reporting of those things out of line would be ma~e available. I wouldn't 3ust give you a piece of Faper with a lot of numbers; I'd give you my comments which would prob- ably be more than the Finance Officer's comments. - 12 - il/1~/~3 Question: How do you envision the Administration's ability to nDve money within the budget once the budget has Peen signed by Council? I'd like your answer to have two parts: {1) at what point does it come back to Council for ratification ana action and (2) what do you see as bein9 generally Admini- strative housekeeping as far as moving funds. Response: One of the things that worked successfully ior me is the Capital Improvement budget. That part of the budget, since it's a subdivision of the budget, could not be changed without Council approval. The second thin9 is personnel. think that for the coming year, as City hanager, I need to tell you how many peoFle we are going to need; I thinx that should be set in concrete. That even goes to n~ney kou might have for part-time help; I don't think the hanager, without comin9 back to the Council, should ada any tional slots or try to hire anyone who's not in that budget. After you take away the hi9h priced items and take away the personnel, you're down to a lot less money. In §ettln9 Pack to what I think the ~anager could do, I think the ~anager, not touching capital equipment, not touchin9 personnel, an~ reportin9 exceptions by quarterly report to Council, should have the ability to be able to move money around. That isn't very much money left but it saves you from the nitt~ gritty. Question: There's always a lag in personnel. With normal attrition, delay in hiring and those kinds of things, there's always going to be within the personnel budget a certain amount excess. How do you envision handling that. Response: That's very simple. I tell my employees that nobody touches that money in personnel; that's the surplus. I~ we can 9et a raise next year, that' s where it' s going to co~ ~ro~. ~. Jackel asked the following: Question: You mentioned the fact that you are in the a~r Force ke- serves; what is your rank? Response: I'm a Lieutenant Colonel. ~. Robert French asked the following: Question: Is there any area where you feel ~our experience nas not been as strong as you would like it to be; do you feel there might be an area where your skill could be shar~enea? Response: No. hs. Donna Cotton asked the following: Question: What is your philosophy regarding city employees ~er~ormin9 personal services for you, such as shoppin9. Response: I've never had it done. To me, that's a "what i~" question. I'm not for it. 5~. Jack Pitts asked the following: Question: We are looking for a man who is going to stay here ~or a long time. Have you reachea the scale? Response: I have reached the scale and dropped bac~ and ~'n~ I've gone that route; Di9 and more is not necessarily bet- ter. I have reached that conclusion and ~ am sincere when say that I'm not sending out resus~s to be a Cit~ ~anager here, there or everywhere. I wanted to return to the area of Florida which I like and in which I have roots. - 13 - 11/11/~3 5]ayor Young asked the following: Question: Are you familiar with the salary range and benefits that 9o with it. Response: Not with all of it. I read the reported salary but that's all I know. ~rs. Alice Finst asked the following: Question: Do you see yourself as doin9 most of your work at City Hall getting information from department heads or do you see yourself spending time out in the City seeing what's goln9 on? Response: No, as I told you, I'm a joiner and a goer. You're 9oin9 to have to do so much in City Hall because Council expects you to be accessible to those people. You're also goin9 to have to be out there where the action is. You ask how do I do both; I 3ust work longer hours. ~ayor Young thanked ~. Perkins for his frank ann open answers to all of the questions that have been put to him Dy Councll ann members of the audience and advised that he will be in touch with h~m. He further advised ~. Perkins to send his expense report to the atten- tion of the City Clerk. Mayor Youn9 declared the meetin~ ad]ourne~ at ~:45 P.h. ATTEST: U City Clerk ~A YO R The undersigned is the City Clerk of the City of be lray Beach and that the information provided herein is the minutes o~ the meeting of said City Council of November 11, 1983, which minutes were formally approved and adopted by the City Council on ~o ~ ! /~3 . NOTE TO READER: If the minutes that you have received are not completed as ~ndicate~ above, then this means that these are not the official minutes of C~t~ Council. They will becon~ the official minutes only a~ter they have been reviewed and approved which may involve some amendments, additions, or deletions to the minutes as set forth above. - 14 - 11/11/~3