Commission questions utility of proposed position

Town Manager Dave Bullock made it clear Monday night he’s not comfortable discussing employment decisions with the Longboat Key Town Commission in a public forum.

The commission discussed a proposed resolution seeking $66,315 from the capital improvement fund for a new utility manager position to oversee the town’s myriad upcoming capital improvement. But commissioners expressed skepticism about the position, which was met with annoyance from Bullock.

During its Jan. 20 regular workshop, commissioners expressed concerns about the actual associated costs that would come with benefits.

“I really have a problem with a full-time project manager position,” said Vice Mayor Jack Duncan. “Is it $66,000 or $75,000 at the end of the day? I really feel we can get a project manager on a consulting basis so we don’t have to pay benefits.”

Duncan said he questioned the need to add a position and preferred for Bullock to review “what the town was trying to accomplish.”

“If we’re trying to find someone to replace Anne (Ross), I would like to see us putting in for a higher credential position than a project manager.”

Commissioner Phill Younger agreed.

“Anne is an engineer and performed other functions in addition to project management,” Younger said. “Now we’re hiring someone just for project work. If we need a person in there, we should get someone with an engineering background.”

Younger also said he has an issue with using capital improvements funds to pay for the position.

“We’re not looking at this in a straight-forward manner,” Younger said.

The comments irked Bullock, who doesn’t need commission’s direction for personnel matters.

Commissioner Irwin Pastor supported Bullock’s decision, telling commissioners they were meddling with affairs the commission should trust its town manager to handle.

“We’re looking at eight projects over the next two years that are going to cost us 10s of millions of dollars,” Pastor said. “It’s a tremendous mistake not to listen to the people we trust to manage this town. The town manager is 100% correct in his assessment. There’s a time when you make exceptions and take (money) out of capital funding for a position that’s needed.”

Commissioner Terry Gans agreed.

“I don’t know if it’s appropriate to tinker with the organizational chart of our town,” Gans said. “I find with the town manager.”

When Younger pushed for a concrete cost for the position over the next two years, Bullock asked for the resolution to be withdrawn.

“Pull it out, and don’t vote,” Bullock said. “There’s two issues: I’ll hire who I think is right. If I’m not hiring people you want, you need to deal with me. I don’t want this discussion to go on. The more we talk, the worse it gets. I’m uncomfortable with this. Let’s move on.”

Younger was upset by the comments, saying, Every commissioner has a right to express their opinions.”
Mayor Jim Brown ended the discussion, ignoring Bullock’s request to pull the resolution and asking for a vote.

Brown, Pastor, Gans and Commissioner Pat Zunz voted to approve the resolution for the position.
Duncan, Younger and Commissioner Lynn Larson voted against the resolution.

Bullock told commissioners earlier in the discussion the new position would be around as long as there is work for it.

“The town eliminated 10% of its workforce since 2008,” Bullock said. “This position will be here as long as there is work for it. None of us really have a permanent position.”

Why does the town need a utilities manager?

The town has major capital improvement projects on the horizon, including a $20 million 12,000-foot water forcemain replacement that traverses Sarasota Bay and carries 2.5 million gallons of wastewater the town generates a day on average to a Manatee County treatment facility.

“The real driver is that pipeline job that sucks up a lot of staff resources,” Bullock said. “I won’t slow down on any capital improvement project unless directed otherwise.”

Bullock said the position was needed because Anne Ross’ town engineer position that was split between the Utilities Division and Town Manager’s Office two years ago was shifting her further and further away from her engineering and project management work and more toward her assistant town manager duties.