Special City Commission Meeting of May 20, 2025: Interim City Manager and Consultant Procurement Process
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Special City Commission Meeting of May 20, 2025: Interim City Manager and Consultant Procurement Process
The Sarasota City Commission held a special meeting on May 20, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 12:05 PM. The meeting focused on two agenda items: approving an interim city manager agreement for David Bullock and deciding on the consultant procurement process for the city manager search. All five commissioners were present, with Commissioner Battie arriving at 11:10 AM. The meeting included a 15-minute recess at the start to review documents.
Discussion Items
Interim City Manager Position (Agenda Item II.1)
- The Commission reviewed a draft employment agreement for David Bullock as Interim City Manager. Key points discussed:
- Comparison to the existing agreement with Interim City Manager Douglas Jeffcoat.
- Clarification that "interim" is the preferred term over "acting" as used in the charter.
- The interim manager would have hiring and firing authority per the charter, unlike Mr. Jeffcoat's contract.
- Commissioner Ohlrich questioned the removal clause (E) allowing termination if Bullock is unable to perform essential functions due to illness for three consecutive months. The Commission agreed to remove clause E entirely, noting that the charter's removal authority (Article 5, Section 2) sufficed.
- Vice Mayor Trice inquired about outside employment; Bullock disclosed his uncompensated role on the Patterson Foundation board and stated he would recuse himself from any related votes.
- Bullock requested a start date of May 27, 2025, but noted a two-week absence in early June due to prior commitments. He would designate Mr. Jeffcoat as acting during that time.
Consultant Procurement Process (Agenda Item II.2)
- Staff presented the difference between hiring a consultant (to assist in selecting an executive search firm) versus directly engaging search firms. A consultant would require a competitive solicitation, adding time and complexity.
- City Attorney Polzak displayed "Exhibit A: Florida Local Government Executive Search Firms" listing eight firms, one of which had previously withdrawn.
- Commissioners expressed that hiring a consultant was unnecessary; the search firms themselves could provide the desired services (e.g., helping the commission define criteria).
- The Commission directed staff to proceed without a consultant and instead request letters of interest from the seven remaining search firms on the list.
Key Outcomes
- Motion 1 (approved 5-0): Approve the Interim City Manager Employment Agreement for David Bullock with the changes discussed (removal of clause E and other edits).
- Motion 2 (approved 5-0): Direct the City Attorney and City Auditor and Clerk to proceed with the city manager search without a consultant.
- Consensus (unanimous): Direct Procurement Staff to request letters of interest from the seven search firms listed on Exhibit A (excluding the one that withdrew).
Other Matters
- Commissioner Ahearn-Koch requested future agenda items: (1) a discussion on having advisory board presentations at regular commission meetings, and (2) a review of meaningful and accountable citizens' input in the city's process, potentially in July, August, or September 2025.
- Commissioner Ohlrich requested that staff communicate with John Simone (1350 Main Street resident) to explain the permitting process and the agreement with 1350 Main Street regarding special events. She also shared updates from MPO training and a legislative session wrap-up webinar.
No citizens signed up for public input.
Meeting Transcript
I'll go through the pledge and everybody. Good morning. Um, I want to call to order this uh May twentieth, twenty twenty five special city commission meeting, and um I'll call on the city auditor and clerk for an invocation. Uh Corrector Aaron Coach, if you'll leave us in the fledge. Um schedule on this. Um, and I don't think no changes to the order of the No, there are no changes. Um we are gonna take a uh fifteen minute recess, so we have uh we just received a you know, right before the meeting, a copy of the interim city manager employment agreement to give everyone a chance to read it. So um it is eleven. I have eleven oh two on my watch. So we'll come back at eleven fifteen. So we're we're in recess. Okay, good morning again. Opening the meeting back up. Um, everybody I think has had a chance to read through the um interim city manager employment agreement. And so I'm gonna call on the city auditor and clerk Griggs and City Attorney Polzak to make the presentation. Well, on this is really not much of a presentation. As a commissioner read the um employment contract. Um, if you have any questions or anything that you aren't happy with, please let us know now so we can make any adjustments. Commissioner Alright. Um, my first question is how does this compare to the contract we have with Mr. Jeff Coate? Yeah, very similar is actually based off that template, which is a fairly standard template that the city has been using. We just made some updates to it, which we went through with Mr. Bullock and we could go through with the commission if you want us to. Okay, that's all right. Um and the second thing I noticed when I was reading the charter and the city manager's duties, it referred to an acting city manager. Does it matter if we refer to them as interim or acting? We we definitely literally just had this discussion about an hour ago. Um the way the charter is written, it says acting, but we we think this is a charter issue and not more so our issue because technically we look at acting as different than an interim. You know, acting could be, let's say Mr. Jeff Cote gets sick and Mr. Robinson needs to be the acting city manager for a month. We look at that as acting and not interim. So I think there's a charter change that we need to maybe fix in the next charter review. But um I think we all agree that interim would be the best language for this contract. Good. I uh I appreciate that. And my third and final question is the charter provides the authority uh to the city manager for appointment and removal of city officers and employees. Do would this apply to the interim city manager? Does it apply to Mr. Jeff Coate? So it will apply to Mr. Bullock, that's uh as you said, authority specified in the charter for for the city manager and interim city manager in this case. It did not apply to Mr. Jeff Coat. There was language in it where he could not um hire and fire um a part of his duties, but with this contract it does allow you um this interim to hire and fire. And why did you choose to vary from the wording in Mr. Jeff Coates contract? I had heard from a couple of commissioners the concern of that and wanting that to be in the language of being higher and fire. I don't mind, I just wanted to know what the rationale was.
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