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Panel: Revise rules on city manager job

A committee recommends changing Largo's charter to end ambiguity over the city commission's hiring, firing and salary decisions.

By SHANNON TAN
Published September 16, 2005

LARGO - It takes four city commissioners to change the city manager's salary.

Or is it five?

In an effort to clear up inconsistencies in the city charter, the Charter Review Committee voted Wednesday to recommend changing the charter to make it easier to hire, set the salary of or fire a city manager. If the changes are approved first by the City Commission and then by voters in a March referendum, it would take a simple 4-3 majority vote to appoint, set the salary for or fire a city manager.

Currently, it takes a supermajority vote of at least five commissioners to hire and terminate the city manager. But there's confusion whether four or five commissioners are needed to approve the city manager's annual raise.

City Manager Steven Stanton's raise was questioned recently after Commissioner Mary Gray Black, who voted against the increase along with Mayor Bob Jackson and Commissioner Jean Halvorsen, contended the charter required a supermajority vote to adjust his salary.

Stanton's contract stipulates that if his pay raise is less than what other executive management city employees get, he could consider the move "termination without cause" and receive a year's severance pay.

John Hubbard, the city attorney for Dunedin and Tarpon Springs, was asked to write a legal opinion on the issue. He found several cases where the charter was at odds with the city's legislative policy.

Bruce McManus, a charter review committee member, suggested making it easier to hire and fire a city manager.

But Shirley Craig, a member and wife of Assistant City Manager Mac Craig, said the city would have difficulty attracting candidates for the job if it only took four votes to fire the city manager.

Committee chairman the Rev. J. Arnold Johnson agreed.

"If I'm called to a church, I like a supermajority to want me there," he said. "It gives you a sense of confidence."

The committee also voted to include a sentence in the charter saying commissioners need to go through a formal process to remove the city manager if they make a decision that could result in the termination of his or her employment agreement.

Under the process, commissioners have to first approve a resolution calling for his removal, and allow the city manager to request a public hearing. Then they have to take a final vote.

The 15-member advisory committee has been reviewing the charter since January, and will provide recommendations to the commission in November. Commission-approved changes would then go to a referendum in March 2006.

[Last modified September 16, 2005, 01:36:17]