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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_Workshop_7/30/2018MINUTES VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA WORKSHOP July 30, 2018 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM. A roll call was taken by Assistant to the Village Clerk, Mary Ann Grieser. Present were: Mayor Abby Brennan, Vice -Mayor Tom Paterno, Council Member Vince Arena and Council Member Kristi Johnson. Council Member Laurie Brandon was absent. 1. Overview of Water Utilities Operations, Personnel Vacancies and Hiring Procedures. Village Manager Couzzo gave an overview of the water utility operation, which included Administration, Production and Distribution. He stated that the plant was staffed appropriately and was highly regulated by other agencies. Assistant Village Manager/Human Resource Director Merlene Reid distributed an organizational chart and explained to Council that Water Service Technician Supervisor (distribution) Mark McClintock would be retiring soon. Newly hired Water Plant Superintendent, Nate Litteral, was currently in charge of water production. Additionally, Manager Couzzo advised that Council keep in mind that Mechanical Technician John Collins had been with the Village for 30 years and was eligible to retire. He further suggested an apprentice should soon start to train with him. The employees from the production and distribution departments did not normally multifunction or cross train. Manager Couzzo stated that the smart meters were approximately 30% installed to date. Finance Director Chris Quirk added that there were about 1500 meters which still needed to be installed, and 500 had been installed this year. Additionally, there was a $1.6 million dollar upgrade project which was currently out to bid. This project was large and encompassed electrical and pump upgrades, as well as generator improvements. The recent boil water alert was discussed as it related to the generator issue and it was revealed that Florida Power and Light (FPL) had recently reprogrammed the generator timing mechanism. Manager Couzzo suggested that the new Water Utility Director be well -versed in blending both water production and distribution. Manager Couzzo estimated that the water plant was worth approximately $75 million dollars. Prior attempts at hiring a Utility Director unfortunately generated a weak pool of candidates. The water utility plant and the reserve funds were discussed at length and Council was advised to hire a new Utility Director as well as a new Water Service Technician Supervisor. Village Council Workshop Minutes July 30, 2018 Page 2 2. Discussion on Citizen Comments at Village Council Meetings and Workshops Vice Mayor Paterno asked if Council would be more open to allowing residents to speak at public meetings. He mentioned that there was not much follow-up on topics that residents brought to Council during public meetings. Village Attorney Davis informed Council that citizens could speak for three minutes during the "public comments" portion of Council Meetings and also could have three minutes to speak during each agenda item. Additionally, it was not a requirement for a citizen to give their name and address, although it was helpful in regards to follow up. Vice Mayor Paterno felt that the "to-do list" did not receive follow up, although Mayor Brennan stated that she did follow up on the list during her weekly meetings with Manager Couzzo. Council Member Arena suggested placing a due date on items within the "to do" list. Attorney Davis stated that during a Workshop Meeting, a "public comment" section could be added to receive input from citizens. Vice Mayor Paterno asked for a cumulative list to be added to the Workshop Agenda, complete with a "comments" section in order to show details of progress, and a date area to show the anticipated task completion date. Council decided that comments should be welcomed at the beginning of the meeting, in order to discuss other agenda items without interruptions. Attorney Davis reminded Council that they were not able to direct staff. Council was hopeful that staff would be able to communicate more effectively with a new Village Manager. Mayor Brennan felt that transparency was an important matter when hiring a new Village Manager. She felt that personal attacks during public meetings should not be tolerated, although citizens should be able to voice their concerns. 3. Discussion on Village Manager Michael Couzzo's Retirement Amendment to Employment Contract Mayor Brennan revealed that Manager Couzzo was agreeable to leaving early so long as his benefits would be paid thru the end of the year. Attorney Davis advised Council that the problem occurred with the pension agreement not allowing a lump sum payment. The new language now had the Managers last day of work being October 1, 2018 with normal pay periods occurring until the end of the year. Additionally, it was clarified that Manager Couzzo's last day acting as Village Manager, with authority to direct, would be October 1, 2018. 4. Discussion and Review of Draft Village Manager Employment Contract Template Council discussed the length of time they would like to include in the new Managers contract. Attorney Davis revealed that there was now a state statute, which capped severance packages at 20 weeks of pay. If there was cause to terminate the contract, then no severance would be paid. It was a Consensus of Council to offer a three-year contract to the new Manager. The Cost of Living Adjustment would be the same as the other employees without an additional escalation clause. The Performance Recognition Compensation (PRC) was discussed, with Council in agreement on having a standardized scoring mechanism as well as a monetary range. A 90- day, six-month and yearly review was recommended to determine the monetary amount. The new Manager would need to be aware that the bonus/goals were to be determined based upon Council's reviews. Village Council Workshop Minutes July 30, 2018 Page 3 Council discussed leave time and preferred to offer three weeks during the first year, going up to four years the next year. In addition, the new Manager would receive five additional days upfront. Also, there would be 12 hours of personal time (prorated) if the Manager was to start on October 1st, 2018. Starting on January 1, 2019, the new Manager would receive six personal days with vacation time accruing as per Village Policy. Council decided to provide a cell phone instead of an allowance. A car allowance was discussed and it was determined that a standard mileage reimbursement rate would be offered to the new Manager using his/her own car. Additionally, moving expenses up to $12,000 were agreed upon. Council declined to offer the new hire a generalized expense allowance. The 457 Pension was declined and the General Employee Pension Plan was offered instead. Attorney Davis explained that under the "termination" portion of the contract, misconduct was referred to as: a conscious disregard of an employer's interests, deliberate violation/ disregard of reasonable standards of behavior, carelessness or negligence to a degree of recurrence that manifests culpability or wrongful intent, chronic absenteeism or tardiness, deliberate violation of a known policy, one or more unapproved absences following written reprimand relating to more than one unapproved absences, violation of a employers rule, etc. Council advised Attorney Davis to line up the severance package in a manner similar to the vacation time. It would be paid at a rate of two months for the first year, three months for the 2"d year and four months for the 3rd year. Additionally, it was decided that the notification period should be set at 60 days. It was agreed that the Village would pay what was owed to the Manager for the month, in the case of death. ADJOURNMENT: Council Member Arena moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Council Member Johnson. The motion to adjourn carried unanimously 4-0; therefore, the meeting was adjourned at 9:32 p.m. Pending Tasks: Item: Assigned: Make changes to new Manager's contract Attornev Davis Task list to include comments/updates and anticipated completion date Lori McWilliams Lori McWilliams, MMC(L�GtIZ� Village Clerk Note: These summary minutes are prepared in compliance with 286.011 F.S. and are not verbatim transcripts of the meeting. A verbatim audio record is available from the office of the Village Clerk. All referenced attachments are on file in the Village Clerk's office.