Marco City Manager review may segue to review of city charter

MARCO ISLAND — It appears a discussion about the performance of City Manager Steve Thompson may segue into a discussion of the city’s council-manager form of government and possible future changes to the city charter.

While several issues on Monday’s City Council agenda are new, many others are issues resurfaced from months or even years ago, including a possible resolution to the parking lot issue between the city and their City Hall neighbor, Andrew Guidry, a physician whose office is located on Bald Eagle Drive.

The lot is currently barricaded due to a dispute with the city over liability insurance costs in sharing his lot with City Hall.

The six month performance review of Thompson was among the agenda items tabled at November’s City Council meeting and will be addressed first Monday afternoon.

Also back on the agenda from November is an ordinance requiring landscape contractor education and selection of the consultant for the committee’s study of taking over the electric company.

Thompson’s performance review may lead to a contentious discussion, but Chairman Bill Trotter said he hopes to keep a constructive conversation of what is working well and what could use improvement.

Vice Chairman Frank Recker said he has lost all faith in Thompson due to the lack of disclosure about a “Transition Report” written by former interim City Manager and Parks and Recreation Director Dana Souza to Thompson in May. The report was released to council in October.

Recker said he would like to see a review of not only the City Manager, but also the city charter so that City Council may have a stronger role in the management of the city.

“The people formed the city wanting a charter where the good old boys would call the shots, someone to get the city going. (Former City Manager) Bill Moss was probably the best one to do that... But we’ve evolved into the ends justifies the means,” Recker said.

He added that he doesn’t feel he knows where the city stands financially.

“If I don’t know what’s going on, how does the average person know what’s going on?” Recker asked.

Souza, who left the city for a job in Greenville, S.C., released a book of documents supporting the transition report Monday.

“There really isn’t anything in there that is new. Most of the issues we addressed,” said Chairman Bill Trotter of the 164 pages of supporting documents Souza released in the affidavit.

Recker said he saw Souza carrying a black book under his arms, asked what it was and Souza said it contained documents supporting his transition report.

“I told (Souza), ‘I hope you plan to release those documents before you leave,’ and he did,” Recker said of the book which was turned into an affidavit dated Nov. 24

Issues causing the most concern seemed to be evidence provided by Souza that suggest council was not properly advised on some issues affecting their decisions and overall financial practices, including inexplicable money transfers between accounts without city manager or council approval in advance.

Bill Harrison announced his retirement as the finance director following the release of the report. Harrison and Thompson later called his departure a “constructive discharge” and Harrison collected severance of $25,000.

Harrison’s departure and the upcoming audit of the Collier Boulevard project may bring corrections to the finance department, which many say they have lost faith in.

As for confidence in Thompson, Recker says “I’m done. My confidence is lost.”

Trotter said he has not lost confidence in Thompson. Following several conversations with Thompson since the release of the transition report, Trotter said he feels confident that Thompson has addressed all the issues or is in the process of addressing them.

Trotter encouraged anyone with remaining questions to ask Thompson directly.

Recker said he has not had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Thompson on the issues raised in the transition report since the Nov. 3 council meeting.

Among the primary concerns were changes in the costs of the North Collier Boulevard project.

Thompson told the Eagle in an interview Wednesday that it is possible for the North Collier Boulevard project to have an approximate $800,000 overrun at one point, as mentioned in the transition report, and also have $2.5 million extra in the utility enterprise fund as reported by Harrison in October.

Thompson said that it is “probably technically correct” with quantity estimates in one area of the project above anticipated costs approved by council, and quantity estimates in another area, such as utility relocation, under estimated quantities, therefor explaining the discrepancy.

He added that he is pleased to have auditors draw conclusions about the project and help in constructing additional internal controls.

Thompson said the first problem he saw was that city staff could and should have been better informed city council over the years with changes in project costs.

Thompson addressed this by creating monthly pending items lists beginning in October detailing the progress of all major city projects. He said he plans to hire a new finance director by January who will help to add the financing updates for each project monthly.

Trotter said communication between the city manager and council will be his biggest area of emphasis Monday.

He said he is looking for very specific guidelines of what needs to be communicated to council in a timely manner and how it should be communicated.

Other items on Monday’s City Council agenda include:

- Second reading of an ordinance to amend capital improvements to the comprehensive plan.

- Second reading of the school concurrency amendment to the comprehensive plan.

- An ordinance to permit boat docks from extending 20 feet to either 25 feet or 30 feet depending on the width of the canal. The ordinance would amend Chapter 54, Boat Docking Facilities, of the city’s ordinances.

- Appointments to the ad hoc financial planning committee.

- Award of contract for construction to the Kendall and Mackle Park sewer districts with a $7.6 million contract to Quality Enterprises USA, Inc. and $8.2 million to Mitchell & Stark Construction.

- An easement over a portion of Bald Eagle Drive to LCEC in exchange for $750,000 to be used for sidewalk improvements.

- A $484,000 contract with Astorino for the design of a new utility operation building.

The full agenda and supporting information is available on the City of Marco Island Web site cityofmarcoisland.com. City Council’s six month review of City Manager Steve Thompson and discussions on a communication plan begin 3 p.m. Monday in the community room next door to the police station, 51 Bald Eagle Drive. The regular city council meeting begins 5:30 p.m. Monday in the same location.