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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-09-30 - City Commission Special Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION MEETING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Beth Talabisco called the Special Commission Meeting of the City Commission to order at 9:04 a.m. on Monday, September 30, 2013 in Conference Room 105, Tamarac City Hall, 7525 NW 88 Avenue, Tamarac, FL 33321. ROLL CALL: Mayor Beth Talabisco, Vice Mayor Harry Dressler, Commissioner Pamela Bushnell and Commissioner Diane Glasser were in attendance. Also in attendance were City Manager Michael Cernech, Assistant City Manager Diane Phillips, City Attorney Samuel Goren and City Clerk Patricia Teufel. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Talabisco led the Pledge of Allegiance. City Manager Cernech stated that as requested at the Workshop on September 23rd the Human Resources Department has begun the process of background checks on all the applicants and expects them to be completed sometime this morning and Human Resources Director Maria Swanson will meet with each applicant prior to their respective interviews to verify the accuracy of the background checks. City Manager Cernech said this meeting is not being streamed as of yet and asked the Commission if they wanted the meeting streamed live. There was a consensus from the Commission to have the meeting streamed live. City Attorney Goren gave an overview of the process that has gotten the Commission to this point as well as the appointment process to fill the vacant District 2 commission seat created when former Commissioner Atkins -Grad resigned. City Attorney Goren said the appointment process would be held pursuant to the Florida Statute's Sunshine Law. City Attorney Goren discussed alternative methods of making the appointment and added that the Commission also had the prerogative of developing a short list following the initial interviews of all eight applicants. City Attorney Goren stated that five interviews would be conducted today with the remaining three conducted on Tuesday, October 1st beginning at 9:00 a.m. and final interviews and appointment on Thursday, October 3rd beginning at 1:00 p.m. and the City Clerk would be in contact with those that are requested to come back. Mayor Talabisco disclosed that she did meet with Stewart Webster; Vice Mayor Dressler said he did not meet with any of the applicants but did receive a call for a meeting with an applicant which he declined; Commissioner Bushnell said she received three calls from Mitch Caesar about one of the applicants and Commissioner Glasser said. she did receive a few calls from one applicant, had a brief conversation but did not discuss anything about the process to fill the vacancy, and was contacted by another applicant for a meeting which she declined. City Attorney Goren went over the interview process with each applicant prior to their interviews and throughout the remainder of the morning and early afternoon the following individuals were interviewed and responded to questions about their background, qualifications, community involvement and what they could bring to the table that would benefit Tamarac: Leonard Hixon, Gregory Beckno and Stewart J. Webster. As the Human Resources Department was unable to verify Mr. Webster's degree from Baruch he was asked Page 1 of 2 SPECIAL COMMISSION MEETING September 30, 2013 to provide the City with documentation regarding his degree. After each applicant was interviewed City Attorney Goren advised that there -were other applicants to be interviewed later today and tomorrow with final selection on Thursday, October 3rd at 1:00 p.m. Mayor Talabisco recessed the meeting for lunch at 12:59 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 1:44 p.m. with all present as before. For the remainder of the afternoon the same process was followed as noted above and interviews were conducted with E. Mike Gelin and Larry Goehrig. As the Human Resources Department was unable to verify Mr. Gelin's degree from Morris Brown College he was asked to provide the city with documentation regarding his degree. City Attorney Goren said the Commission will conclude interviews tomorrow after which the Commission will deliberate and make a decision as to how the meeting on Thursday will proceed. City Attorney Goren reminded the Commission that this is a Sunshine issue and cannot be discussed privately amongst them but only in a public forum. There being no further business to come before the City Commission, Mayor Talabisco adjourned the meeting at 3:24 p.m. Beth Talabisco, May P'atricia Teufel, C City Clerk Page 2 of 2 SPECIAL COMMISSION MEETING September 30, 2013