Proposed Town Manager Charter Amendment fails the 'smell' test

Fellow voters and residents of Hillsobro Beach,

We are sad to report that the Town Commission is on the verge of potentially passing a Town Charter amendment to hire a Town Manager, but in name only. The Manager would have neither the Police Department nor Town Clerk reporting to him/her, thus making the position inconsequential, ineffective and a waste of their salary. The Pelican newspaper summed up the Commission workshop meeting over this issue like this.

The Commission will vote on this charter amendment on December 2. Because we believe that this position, without the required authority would simply be a waste with little if any benefit, we sent the following note to the Commissioners:

Dear Commissioners,

We, the HBA, urge you to REJECT the Town Charter amendment to hire a Town Manager as it is currently written. We strongly endorse the idea of a Town Manager with full responsibility, but we believe that a manager whose portfolio includes roughly half the Town's budget and staff would not make financial or administrative sense. It would be a waste of taxpayer funds while potentially setting up organizational conflict.  

The Town Manager should have all Town departments and staff reporting to that position. Without this provision, the charter amendment should be voted down. Without it, it is a bad change which is much worse than no change at all.

Many of the Town's citizens agree with this position.  

Should you reconsider and approve a vote for a Town Manager with full authority, enclosed is an updated Charter amendment with that verbiage.

Respectfully yours,

Hillsboro Beach Advocates

Most residents we have talked to agreed with this stand. Please help by voicing your opinion to the Commission to either fully authorize the 'Town Manager' in the Charter amendment or to reject the amendment as it is currently written. You can find a copy of an updated Charter amendment that would be acceptable here, which we also shared with the Commission.

A great commentary describing where we are now and why a Town Manager should be hired by Hillsboro Beach was written by the Pelican staff in the Friday, November 21 edition, titled "Government in Hillsboro Beach must step into the present". It is worth a read.

Why Hillsboro Beach needs a Town Manager

1. The Model City Charter recommends the council/manager structure of municipal government. This is stated in the 8^th edition published in 2003. It has become the most widely used governmental structure in American cities.
2. The Town did a Charter Review in 2008 and the recommendation was to convert to a Town Manager/Commission form of government. Our current Mayor was a member of the review committee.
3. Most Florida towns our size have moved to the Town Manager form of government since the Sunshine Laws made it illegal for Commission members to interact on a daily basis. Similar/neighboring towns include:

Highland Beach

Pompano Beach

Deerfield Beach

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

Jupiter Island

(All of the above have the Police Chief reporting to the Town/City Manager.)

4. The Sunshine Laws create the need for a Town Manager. Commissioners cannot talk to one another except at public Commission meetings once a month, but a Town Manager can talk to anyone anytime.
5. Commissioners are largely volunteers donating spare time and offering their best efforts to run a $6+ million business. No private sector corporation would install five volunteers (meeting once per month, who cannot discuss business among themselves otherwise) without a manager running the daily affairs of the enterprise.
6. A $6+M entity cannot be run efficiently without daily, professional oversight. Though small, HB is a complex entity including: Police, Water Department, beach issues, and 30 employees/contracted consultants.
7. Without a Town Manager, even minute details of management cannot be dealt with except once a month and in public, wasting the time of a room full of people, many of whom are Town employees paid by the hour.
8. Every employee needs a job description and an official annual evaluation. All equipment/processes must have manuals detailing operations and procedures. A Commission of volunteers is not equipped to oversee this.

Come to the meeting this Friday and tell the Commission you want them to put this vital issue on the March 2015 ballot. We hope you will make it a top priority to attend. This issue is fundamental to the future efficiency and effectiveness of your local government.

If you cannot make it, please email your thoughts to the Commission, care of the Town Clerk and ask that it be sent to all Commissioners:

 jmmark@townofhillsborobeach.com .