Special City Commission Meeting - October 23, 2024: City Attorney Employment
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Special City Commission Meeting – October 23, 2024: City Attorney Employment
The Hollywood City Commission held a special meeting on October 23, 2024, at 11:08 AM to discuss and vote on the employment of City Attorney Douglas Gonzales. The sole agenda item (D-2024-01) centered on a separation agreement and general release offered by Mr. Gonzales following an error in ballot language for a charter amendment (Amendment 6). The meeting included public comments, staff explanations, and commission deliberation.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Bob Glickman (3111 S Ocean Drive) expressed support for City Attorney Gonzales, stating he believed the situation stemmed from the Amendment 6 ballot language controversy. He suggested the commission could remove the ballot item or place a moratorium until the next election, and urged keeping Mr. Gonzales in office.
- Pamela Bergio (2131 N 54th Avenue) agreed that the city attorney had done a decent job but emphasized the importance of correct ballot wording and the costs to taxpayers. She supported a moratorium on the issue and thanked Mr. Gonzales and the commission for their attention.
Discussion Items
- Background on Ballot Error: Assistant City Manager Adam Reichbach explained that the ballot for Amendment 6 contained insufficient language regarding the limitation of leasing city property east of the Intracoastal. He detailed that an emergency ordinance would be requested later that day to prevent the vote from being counted, with notices posted at precincts and mailed to voters. Additionally, the commission had already passed an ordinance adopting the restriction on property leasing for two years, pending a corrected charter vote in 2026.
- Separation Agreement Details: City Attorney Gonzales submitted a separation agreement and general release. Assistant City Manager Raelin Storey noted that per the agreement and his employment contract, Gonzales would receive payment for accrued leave, which would extend his official termination date for contract purposes to May 22, 2025, while for pension purposes his service would end on October 9, 2025.
- Transition and Effective Date: Deputy City Attorney Damaris Henlon stated the office was strong and requested that Gonzales remain through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. Commissioner Callari and others discussed the need for continuity. Gonzales clarified that if the agreement took effect immediately, he would leave and only be available for consultation; he proposed an effective date of January 1, 2025 (later adjusted to December 31, 2024) to allow him to work full-time during the transition, mentoring Henlon and helping the office. Commissioner Gruber and others expressed support for this approach, and Gonzales committed to being available even after the separation period.
- Commissioner Biederman’s Concerns: Commissioner Biederman questioned whether the situation required such a step, noted that he had not heard directly from Gonzales that he was resigning, and asked Henlon about her readiness. Henlon affirmed she was prepared to serve as interim city attorney and valued Gonzales’ mentorship.
Key Outcomes
- Vote: A motion by Commissioner Traci Callari, seconded by Commissioner Adam Gruber, to approve the Separation Agreement and General Release for City Attorney Douglas Gonzales with an effective date of December 31, 2024, passed unanimously (7-0) on a voice vote.
- Transition Plan: Gonzales will remain City Attorney through December 31, 2024, working full-time to transition responsibilities to Deputy City Attorney Damaris Henlon. After that date, he will be available for consultation as needed. The commission retained the option to extend the effective date if necessary.
- Next Steps: The city will move forward with a permanent city attorney search, with Henlin expected to apply. The commission also planned to consider an emergency ordinance at the regular meeting later that day to address the ballot language issue.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Thank you. Yep. All right, we're gonna call this meeting to order. Thank you, everyone for being here. Today is October twenty-third, twenty twenty four. We are here for a special city commission meeting. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you so much. Roll call, please. Commissioner Clary. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. All right, thank you all very much. Uh today's regular agenda includes one item, item D twenty twenty-four zero one. Uh it's a discussion by the city commission to consider the employment of the city attorney. Uh this special meeting was called um last week uh in order to uh discuss and uh and vote on the a separation agreement and general release that was offered by the uh city attorney. Um, as you all know, there's been a discussion uh about uh the city attorney's employment and uh as it's stated here in the separation agreement. Uh there's been a determinant there will be discussion today about a determination that it is in uh within the mutual interest of the parties that the uh city attorney uh terminate his employment with the city uh of Hollywood. Uh we thank Doug for his uh years of service in the city of Hollywood. Uh and circumstances sometimes arise when we um, you know, need to uh perhaps take action on employment. Uh, but we certainly thank Doug for his service here in the city. Uh if I could have uh some public speaker cards, and then we'll move on to discussion. All right, thank you all so much. We have two public speakers today. Let's begin with uh Bob Glickman, and we'll end with Pam Borgio. Please, Bob to the microphone. I live on Hollywood Beach. Uh I believe that this all started because of the amendment from amendment six, I believe it was at the last meeting. The amendment it was technically written correctly. Some of you didn't like the way the language was proposed. You know, the people in that live in Hollywood, we're not stupid. We understand what the amendment is all about. This went on for a couple of years here in the city, about thirteen oh one. We all know whether we're for or against it. The people that are not property owners probably will not vote down ballot. And it's just unfortunate what's going on here. You should find a median where this could be solved. Mr. Gonzalez has been here for many years. I think he's done a great job here in the city. He's brought the city together. Anytime somebody had a problem or had a question, he or a staff were quick to respond. You know, I think there's a way out of this whole situation by the commission. If they can remove this item from the ballot, if they can't, what they should do temporarily is put a moratorium on this item, agree to bring it up two years from now at the next election, because I understand you can't have a special election for it. And whether it passes or it doesn't pass at the upcoming election, still bring it forward in two years and let people vote on it again. But in the meantime, just put a stop to anything that's going on, so you don't have to give away 1301 or public property or pro or public buildings or anything else.
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