Utilities Advisory Board on hold: The group needs City Council to approve a new member

MARCO ISLAND — Choosing a fifth member to sit on the Marco Island Utilities Advisory Board (UAB) is turning out to be more difficult than anticipated; and until the position is filled, the committee may not be able to conduct business.

The UAB’s regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday was cancelled because of a lack of quorum. City ordinance requires the UAB to have four members at each meeting in order to vote on recommendations which are passed to city council. Only chairman Ken Honecker; and members Bill Porter and Amadeo Petricca attended. Richard Bergmann was not present. A fifth member, Mike Nicifora, submitted his resignation in May.

City Council members nominated three UAB candidates at the last council meeting June 20, but were unable to come to an agreement on a final candidate. Since councilman Frank Recker was absent from the meeting, no candidate had a majority. Members were deadlocked 3-3 on David Rasmussen, a former UAB member; two of the six councilmen voted against engineer Phil Gramatges by a 2-4; and opposed Jim Wilson by a 1-to-5 margin. A second round of voting was dismissed when Councilman Chuck Keister (who nominated Wilson) and chairman Jerry Gibson stated they would not change their votes. A motion to table the issue until August, when all council members will be present, failed; however the issue will be included on the August agenda by default.

City Manager Jim Rivere and Ccouncilman Larry Magel suggested that the UAB temporarily suspend its requirement for quorum, but that isn’t possible without changing city ordinance.

“It should be no surprise, I stood up and told them (council) this would happen,” said a frustrated Honecker at Wednesday’s meeting. The scheduled agenda included discussions of the utilities budget for fiscal year 2012 and a $60,000 project contingency authorization for the city’s North West Treatment Plant (NWTP).

The UAB members present on Wednesday sought the advice of city clerk Laura Litzen on its options. Members could have held a workshop and discussed the issue but chose to cancel since no votes could be taken or recommendations made.

“By the letter of what we’re supposed to do, we can’t do business,” said Honecker, adding that the committee is in a “holding pattern until Council makes a move.”

Reached by phone on Wednesday evening, Councilman Bill Trotter said he believed there was miscommunication about whether the UAB could meet.

“I was disappointed because it’s important to get the UAB’s opinion,” he said, adding that the UAB has agreed to reschedule its meeting to July 13, although there is no guarantee of a quorum.

There is a sense of urgency since the city’s budget committee will meet on July 22 to hammer out budget details.

Trotter said he considered the UAB’s input critical in estimating capital, expenses and revenue for the utility department.

When asked whether politics played a role in the inability of council to choose a new UAB member, Honecker declined to point fingers.

“All I can say is this council has stated that UAB is important. So if that’s true, they need to do something.”