Mayor Beatrice Roberts said she can see the pros and cons of hiring a city manager.

By Terry Witt -Spotlight Senior Reporter

            An accountant familiar with Bronson town government said he believes Bronson is positioned well to hire a city manager and can afford to fund the position.

            Chiefland certified public accountant Robert Beauchamp wrote a letter to Councilman Robert Partin concerning the possibility of hiring of a manager after the two talked about whether it would be a good idea to go that route.

            Employing a manager would be a major shift in the way town government is operated. The town currently uses a clerk to run the town. Clerk Shirley Miller has resigned effective June 12.       

            Mayor Beatrice Roberts reminded the council at a workshop Tuesday that the city’s charter makes no mention of a city manager. She agreed to Councilman Jason Hunt’s suggestion to add an agenda item to next Monday’s council meeting for discussion of a charter amendment establishing a city manager position. The council will consult with Town Attorney Steven Warm.

             Beauchamp oversees accounting functions for the town and is familiar with Bronson’s financial condition. The town has discussed hiring a city manager for years.

            Miller missed a week of work after being called away to a death in her family. She plans to remain on the job for most of next week to make up for the time she missed.

             Beauchamp paid her a compliment in the letter saying she performed many of the same functions as a town manager.

            “I feel that the role Shirley has provided for the Town of Bronson for the past few years was that of a town manager. Shirley really had very little to do with the financial accounting process and focused her efforts on city hall management and grant administration. My experience is that this is typically the role of a town manager,” Beauchamp said in his letter.

            Beauchamp suggested the city give thought to preparing a list of responsibilities for a town manager. He said it should include all the duties Miller assumed on a day to day basis, and “should be expanded to address both the needs and weaknesses the Town of Bronson now experiences.”

            The town manager for Bronson would likely be expected to perform human resources duties and supervise town employees. Human resource duties haven’t been officially assigned to the current clerk or past clerks.

             The lack of clarity about who performs human resource administration duties has been an issue in Town Hall. The mayor’s job duties are akin to that of a town manager. The mayor currently supervises the town’s department heads. If the town decides to hire a manager, it isn’t clear whether council would have to rewrite the mayor’s job description in the charter.

            Beauchamp said Deputy Clerk Melisa Cook is doing a good job for the town and has a much better understanding of QuickBooks, the payroll process and day to day accounting procedures.

            “Every effort should be made to retain her as I would hate to think the town is trying to replace both of these individuals,” Beauchamp said. “However with the loss of Shirley, you do have a loss of internal control procedures. It is unacceptable for the person who reviews the invoices, writes the checks, records the checks, and signs the checks to prepare bank reconciliations. It opens the door for intentional and unintentional errors to occur and not be detected. Shirley provided the bank reconciliation procedures for the town’s bank accounts.”

            Beauchamp said his firm could assist the town by providing reconciliation service during the transition period. He said it was his understanding that Melisa is allowed to sign checks on occasions. He said her authority to sign checks should be removed and replaced with an appropriate council member.

            Cook has already taken on additional responsibilities in the absence of Miller. Roberts said if the city no longer has two clerks, the new city manager would have to assume some of those additional duties. She said Cook’s job duties would also have to be rewritten and she should be paid more money. Councilman Berlon Weeks said her pay should also be bumped up during the transition leading to the hiring of a city manager.

            Roberts said she checked on Chiefland’s clerk and Cook is making $6,000 to $7,000 less than the deputy clerk in Chiefland and handling considerably more job duties.

            “I can see the good in a city manager and I can see the pros and cons. A city manager would be good because you would actually have a human resources department. I can see a city manager coming in and getting a car and driving around and you never see him,” she said.

            Councilman Aaron Edmondson said he checked with Archer and their city manager was being paid about $80,000 annually. He said Miller was being paid around $45,000 and the money she was making would help offset the manager’s salary, but the manager would also need health insurance and car insurance. The town would have to decide on what type of car the manager would drive.

            “I think we should sit down and consider everything,” he said.

            Weeks agreed. Edmondson said the council should look at all the costs of a manager.

            Roberts said the city manager should be placed on probation for six months or even a year. Partin said most city managers work off a yearly contract.

            Weeks suggested the town contact the Florida League of Cities for assistance in drafting a city manager job description and looking at all the costs involved. Weeks has pushed hard for more than a year to hire a city manager.

            “Ask them for help on how we should approach so we aren’t completely changing the way our form of government functions, even though we’re bringing it into the new century,” he said.

            Suncoast Connector Letter

            Partin said Andrea Garcia, a senior communications official working with the Suncoast Connector toll road project called him again and talked in general about the project for about an hour.

            Partin said she told him the state has pushed back the deadline for completing the Suncoast Corridor study to November and told him the task force is continuing to meet using webinars. Any member who wishes to participate in the online meeting is asked to contact the M-CORES people in advance.

            The council plans to send the state a “wish list” of projects it wants the toll road agency to fund if the Suncoast Connector is constructed near Bronson or somewhere that impacts Bronson.

            Weeks said he wants to make certain off ramps are constructed at U.S. 27A and State Road 24, both of which pass through Bronson, to give toll road travelers the option of patronizing Bronson businesses.

            Roberts suggested council members write down their wish list for the state consider. She said she might want Warm to assist in writing the letter.

            Surveying Pine Lane/Pine Drive/Pine Terrace

            The council is planning to resurface three dirt streets in town using asphalt millings that have been purchased.  Pine Lane, Pine Drive, and Pine Terrace connect to form one S-shaped street.

            Partin said he and Public Works Director Curtis Stacy looked at the three roads and they don’t believe town needs a survey to establish the edges and a centerline. He said he and Stacy can do that with a tape measure.

            Edmondson clarified that the millings aren’t going to be the final paving solution for the streets. The council agreed that eventually the street would be surfaced with asphalt. Edmondson said he also wants the town to contact every property owner along the street to ensure they agree to surface the road with asphalt millings.

            No Sewer Line Enforcement

            Roberts said the city has policies in place requiring homeowners and businesses to hook to city sewer within a year of the lines being constructed in front of their buildings,but she said some people haven’t hooked up to the sewer lines.

            She said the city’s policies require property owners to pay a minimum sewer bill even if they aren’t hooked to the line. She said the town’s failure to enforce the policy is costing money. Roberts said the town has a $75,000 annual mortgage on its new sewer lines and needs full customer compliance to ensure the bill can be paid.

            The Florida Rural Water Association has agreed to conduct a free water and sewer rate study for the town. Roberts suggested the council also request advice from the association on how to gain full compliance with sewer hookups.

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Town of Bronson Workshop June 9, 2020; Posted June 9, 2020