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04-03-1979 - Workshop u o CITY OF EDGEWATER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING Ii !f]'fjJfb"LJ ~\ ~j'" "'~.~'1J', 1:Jf;1' " ~'f '.,~ 11 . /;. 0", . !' . f.;J /t:ar' .' April 3, 1979 Mayor Robert H. Christy called the City Council Workshop to order at 6:30 P.M. in City Hall. ROLL CALL Mayor Robert H. Christy Councilman Louis J. Rotundo Councilman David C. Ledbetter Councilman Walter B. Sikes Councilman Neil J. Asting City Attorney Judson Woods Deputy City Clerk Cornelia Kinsey Police Chief Earl Baugh Present Present Present Excused Present Excused Present Present Mayor Christy said that the Workshop was primarily to discuss the applications for City Clerk and City Planner. Councilman Asting said that he would like first to discuss the cost of living raise for all employees. He believes the raise should be the same percentage for all employees. The City should stay within the 7% increase. The Council should act on this at the next regular meeting. The City Council discussed the applications for City Planner. Councilman Asting said that, in his opinion, the best application was from Mary Cybulski. He has spoken with her on the telephone and she is presently working with the Jacksonville Planning Bd. Her background seems to indicate that she has the training and back- ground that the City needs. She has had some experience with grant applications. She indicated that she would be willing to start at a salary of $10,500. The other leading application was from George Swanwedel. He has had experience also in engineering. Councilman Rotundo said that we should determine what salary most of these people are looking for before we waste their time an& the Council's time in interviewing those people who want more money than the City can pay. The third application the Council considered was from Richard Barbone. The Council discussed the other applications and felt that most of them required too high a salary. Councilman Asting said that Mr. Barbone presently lived in Ohio and might not be willing to come down here for a salary of $10,500. Mr. Opal, Zoning Board member, spoke from the audience concerning the position of City Planner. He said that the Zoning Board was going to write a letter to the Council recommending Ruth Ruppert as City Planner. She has the experience, she has a college degree and she is well versed here in the City of Edgewater as far as the map and every- thing is concerned. We didn't write the letter because we were holding a workshop and could not take action. However, it was the consensus of the opinion of the Board that she should be considered for this position. She is well qualified. She is more qualified than anyone you can get. Mayor Christy said that Ruth Ruppert had submitted an application. Councilman Asting said that her education was not in the planning field. She has a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. These subjects do not get into urban planning. Deputy City Clerk Kinsey read Mrs. Ruppert's application. Her former positions include a job obtaining field estimates, data, and computer estimates. At Ross Meyer Dodge her job was preliminary diagnosis of .--- Q o vehicle problems. At Speedway AMC she handled submission of warranty claims and at DBCC she assisted in the purchase of equipment supplies and materials for the science department. She has been working as a draftsperson for the City primarily on the correction of the City map. Mr. Opal said that Mrs. Ruppert had applied for a job at City Hall and was told she was overqualified for any office job. Councilman Asting said that what we are looking for is someone who has had formal education in city planning who can work on the comprehensive plan and assist the Zoning and Planning Boards and lay out a development plan over the years for the city. This takes formal training in a specialized field. The Council did not feel that Mrs. Ruppert was sufficiently qualified to consider for this position. Councilman Rotundo said that if the City(was going to spend the money they should get a planner ;"\'/"Hh experience in that kind of work. The Council next discussed the position of City Clerk. Councilman Asting said that his choices were: Mr. Dunwoody Mr. McMillan Mr. Ryland Mr. Stewart Councilman Rotundo said that his choices were: Mr. Dunwoody Mr. Page Mr. Ryland Councilman Ledbetter said thatihis choices It/ere: Mrs. Crouser Mr. Dunwoody Mr. Stewart Mr. Norland Deputy City Clerk Kinsey had the list of names that Councilman Sikes had selected. The were: Mr. Brough Mr. Stewart Mr. Wetherill ~1 r. M 0 h met t Mr. Rice Mayor Christy said that his choices were: Mr. Stewart Mr. Hagan Mr. Polumbo Councilman Asting said that he was surprised by the lack of female applicants for the position. Mr. Stewart had been selected by four Councilmen. Mr. Dunwoody had been selected by three Councilmen. Mr. Ryland had been selected by two Councilmen. The other applicants named by the Council had each been selected only by one Councilman. The Council will hold another workshoD meetina on April 12~ 1979 at 7:00 P.M. at which time they will" ~ersonalfy interview the following applicants: Mr. Stewart Mr. Dunwoody Mr. Ryland Mr. McMillan 2 # .. '-> o The Council will also interview applicants for the City Planner position at that Workshop. The two applicants selected for a personal inter- view were Mary Cybulski and George Swanwedel. The applicants will be notified by the Deputy City Clerk of the Workshop-Interview meeting. Mayor Christy said that Cindy Meadows,who had contacted the City about using Edgewater for her work on a thesis concerning urban planning, was coming to talk with him this week. She might be a help to a new City Planner. Councilman Asting said that he had spoken with Mr. Woods concerning the clause in the Police contract, the lime too" clause. Mr. Woods said that would not apply in the case of the other employees receiving a raise. Chief Baugh said that the police had received a 10% raise. Councilman Rotundo said that the Chief was promised an additional $600. raise during the year. Councilman Asting said that if you could take raises in increments it would not be so bad. Chief Baugh said that was what they did with him. In October they gave him a 5% raise and said that in another six months he would get another 5% raise. Councilman Ledbetter said that with the cost of everything it is hard for the employees to manage. Councilman Asting said that was why he was supporting raises for the employees. Chief Baugh said that the lowest paid police officer in Edgewater qualifies for food stamps. Deputy City Clerk Kinsey said that a number of Edgewater employees qualified for and needed the food stamps. Chief Baugh complimented the Water Dept. on the fine job the crews were doing putting in the water lines. Councilman Rotundo asked, now that we have a City Engineer, how expensive would it be to buy well points? Councilman Asting said that he could not answer that question. However, they were changing their thinking on sewers. Sewers and paving were voted down in the last election. Sewers will have to be put into Florida Shores eventually but at this time most of the people in the area are more upset with the dust caused by the unpaved roads. He is hoping that we can put a paving' program for Florida Shores in the next budget. At a later date, sewers can be put in the 20. easements in the back of the properties and not disturb the paving. The sewer facilities we have at the present time would not handle Florida Shores when that area finally gets built up. It will probably be necessary to have another sewer plant in the southern part of the city. The Council did not have any further business to discuss. The Workshop was adjourned. Minutes Submitted by: Nancy Blazi 3