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Zephyrhills leaders try harder to get along
By BRADY DENNIS ZEPHYRHILLS -- Okay, so it wasn't a love fest. But city leaders on Thursday night took another step toward setting aside their personal and professional differences, instead concentrating on the future of Zephyrhills. In a 90-minute workshop, they picked up where they had left off in July, discussing ways to better communicate with one another and learn to work together. They also agreed to begin 2002 by creating a five-year plan for the city, appointing a "community vision" committee and drawing up a contract for City Manager Steve Spina, who currently works without one. Thursday's meeting was marked by fewer complaints -- and even some compliments -- about the relationship between Spina and City Council members. "Overall, I think our communication has been a lot better," Spina said. "But sometimes I think there is a lack of feedback. If I don't hear anything (about an issue), I assume everything is okay. "Then at a council meeting, we get hit with a lot of questions we can't answer." Council members vowed to voice their questions and concerns to Spina, but they also asked him to seek out their opinions with a phone call or personal meeting when a controversial issue arises. Most officials also agreed that Spina needed a contract in order to spell out what council members expect of him. That, they said, would prevent him from being fired over one volatile issue. "I don't think it's fair for the city manager to be jerked around on a certain issue," said council member Elizabeth Geiger, referring to Spina's near-firing over a controversial city contract during the summer. "You get hot about one issue and you forget all he has done in the last five years. "That's not fair to anybody. It's important (he) has some sense of job security as long as he is doing his job." Even with a contract, Spina could be fired at any time by a 4-1 council vote. But a contract would guarantee him pay up until a certain date, unless he violated the agreement. Starting in January, council members said, they would begin outlining a five-year financial plan for the city. The purpose would be to figure out how to set priorities and fund the many projects on their wish list, from a new police station and civic center to City Hall and library expansions. Council members also set in motion a plan to appoint a "community vision" committee composed of 50 to 100 members who could meet during an intensive 21/2-day period and come to a consensus on future goals for Zephyrhills. The committee ideally would have members from a cross section of the community: all races, ages, income brackets and interests. In short, city leaders took on a big chunk of responsibility Thursday night, both for the future of the city and for themselves. They vowed to hold more workshops and impromptu public meetings where they could remove themselves from the restricted pressure of normal council meetings and instead "talk shop," as Mayor Roy Burnside put it. Moderating Thursday's session -- at a fee of $130 an hour -- was Michael Roberto, a former Clearwater city manager who now is a government consultant. Roberto said city leaders have a long way to go, but he said they seem intent on succeeding. "I think we have made some good headway," he said.
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From today's Pasco Times |
