Martino – City Council vs City Manager – Who Is In Charge?

If you haven’t taken an interest in the how our Palm Beach Gardens City government has been conducting its business as of late, perhaps, it’s time you should. As the City Charter states: 

“The form of government of the City of Palm Beach Gardens shall be that known as the Council-Manager form of government”. “Residents are served by five non-partisan elected officials who are the policy making body of the City. These elected officials – the City Council – in turn, appoint the City Manager who is tasked with overseeing all administrative duties and the daily business operations of the City.”

You only have to listen to or view the videos of the October and November 2022 City Council meetings and you may ask yourself, as I do, the following question. Has the City Council become a body of individuals that are subservient to the City Manager/Administration rather than – the City Council – as the City Charter mandates?

As a 57-year City resident and past Mayor and Council member it pains me to make the following assessment. In my opinion, since the year 2000, our local City government has gradually morphed into a Manager-Council form of local government. This transition has been a slow but steady cultural change, particularly, in the conduct of the processes of Gardens governance. It is in stark contradiction with the City Charter’s basic tenet, Council-Manager form of government, as referenced above. Was this purposeful? Maybe. Is there blame? Probably; possible candidates could be City Council members since 2000, the current City Manager, subtle Charter changes, and we residents for not paying attention and not attending Council meetings regularly.

Since 2000, how has this cultural change happened? Some of my perspectives are the following….

• The City Councils have moved away from transparency and communication with the public
• Staff and generous salaries (including the Manager) has ballooned in all departments
• Only one (1) monthly regularly scheduled meeting with the public, down from two (2)
• Zero (0) regularly scheduled workshop meetings with the public, down from two (2)
• No workshops results in limited or no deliberation with elected members as a body/council
• No workshops results in  more dependence on staff, less input as a Council into city business
• Less Council work, salary raise, $10,000 to $35,000, & $30,000 in medical/pension benefits
• Abandoning Council traditions; i.e., not naming facilities after city officials and personalities
• Less than adequate review and oversight with no decipherable contract with City Manager
• City Manager assumes responsibilities that clearly reside in the purview of the City Council
• City Manager sets most, if not all of the agenda items for City business, City Council does not
• City Manager is contemptuous of workshop meetings, thus, none are regularly scheduled
• City Manager appears to selectively inform Council of important City business

Do we truly have a Council-Manager local government with the elected City Council members as the absolute hierarchy of our City governance? That is a question that should be asked. Without the City Council recognizing their absolute prominence in the organization of our City government and the City Manager understanding his Administrative position, my opinion and answer is NO.

No Sportplex for the Gardens North County District Park

New news for the City came at the very end of the November 3rd City Council meeting when Council Member Marciano suggested having a workshop for the newly available remaining undeveloped parcel in the North County District Park. Apparently, the sign that had been visible on the corner for several years advertising the future Sportsplex was no longer there. Through the ensuing discussion it became clear that the proposed Sportsplex, to be developed by Palm Beach North Athletic Foundation, had not secured funding and was no longer a viable proposal. The foundation had been awarded the contract to build the facility in Ordinance 60, 2019. Several other entities are coming forward with fully funded proposals which the administration will review before bringing them to the Council.

Second Reading and Approval of Ordinance 13, 2022 – which would have raised the purchasing sign-off authority of the City Manager without Council approval, was delayed until the December meeting at the request of Mayor Reed.

All other Ordinances and Resolutions on the Agenda were passed 5:0. These included two new communities in Avenir as well as the new clubhouse in Frenchman’s Creek.

Public Comment was made by:

• Pamela Payne – CEO of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County – The City had a proclamation in honor of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
• Richard Ormond of Garden Isles wants city to take a more proactive role in code enforcement in neighborhoods without HOAs as well as protection against Air BNB type of businesses in residential areas. City Manager Ferris said they’ll look into how the City can help.
• Dr. Tracy Pellet – Provost and Dean of Palm Beach State College, Gardens Campus – introduced himself, gave greetings from President Ava Parker.

The City Manager Report included:

• Brief presentations by Fire Chief Keith Bryer and Chief of Police Clint Shannon on the significant assistance both departments have been rendering to areas hard hit by Hurricane Ian. All the deployments of Garden’s staff have been on a voluntary basis with the teams working under difficult conditions. Kudos to all for aiding Florida’s hard hit communities.
• City Manager Ferris also spoke to Operation Sister City assistance to Wauchula – where their 91 employees and families were especially hard hit by flooding from Hurricane Ian. The Garden’s sister city of Calloway was aided in the past and is ‘paying it forward’ by donating $15K towards Wauchula and Ferris is spearheading the effort to provide $35K to Wauchula including Calloway’s assistance, $10K donated by Christ Fellowship and (at the end of the meeting by a vote of the Council) $10K from the City Council budget. In addition, the City will be providing deliveries of personal items/necessities, Christmas gifts for children and ability for the public to donate via Amazon wish-ists. Look to the City website or facebook page for future links to help!

The December City Council meeting will be held on December 14 at 6pm; the January meeting will be conducted on January 12th 2023.