On Tuesday, February 5, at 6PM, both the Cedar Key Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and City Commission met at City hall with one item on each group`s agenda: personnel options and funding. Commissioner Dale Register explained that the city currently operates without several positions filled, hence the agenda topic and this special commission meeting, which normally convenes only on the third Tuesday of the month. The commission approved hiring recently resigned Teresa George as City of Cedar Key`s Assistant City Clerk with the necessary funds to be taken from either or both city and CRA budgets. Caveats discussed were that Ms. George: complete and gain Florida state city clerk certification within a year; be ready to function as city clerk by September should current City Clerk Frances Hodges opt to retire; complete the transition of city funds to QuickBooks. The vote was three to one: Scott Dennison cast a nay vote; Heath Davis was absent. The commission also voted to rehire recently terminated Walter Brown as its building official. Fire Chief Robert Robinson reported that the search for a certified building official yielded only individuals experienced with construction and one residential inspector. Dennison expressed "grave reservations" rehiring Brown. Attorney Norm Fugate was directed to write a contract hiring Brown for ninety days, containing a seven-day termination clause, and holding Brown responsible for full knowledge of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) codes, state, county, and Cedar Key codes, flood plains, etc. Police Chief and Interim Public Works Director Virgil Sandlin reported on his meeting in Lake City on the preceding Thursday with Florida Department of Transportation officials. He assured commissioners that the previously distributed contract will be rewritten resulting in the city not being responsible for maintenance and repair. Sandlin reminded the attendees of the upcoming Wednesday, February 13, 2013, 6PM meeting at the Community Center when the CHW engineering firm will seek input from residents regarding the pedestrian pathway. |