Melbourne Beach commission adopts MGT recruitment brochure with edits, votes 5-0

The Town Commission of Melbourne Beach on Sept. 3 approved a recruitment brochure prepared by management firm MGT for the town manager position, voting 5-0 to adopt the document with a set of edits discussed at a special meeting.

The brochure will be used to begin a search for a new town manager. Commissioners said the changes clarify the manager's responsibilities, minimum and preferred qualifications, expectations about enforcement of town ordinances and how the town will handle vacancies and grants. A motion to accept the brochure “subject to all the changes that have been mentioned here” carried unanimously, 5-0.

Why it matters: The brochure frames the town’s expectations for the next town manager, including minimum hiring requirements, enforcement priorities for code and short-term rental issues, and administrative responsibilities such as agenda preparation and grant coordination. Those items set hiring benchmarks and will guide the recruitment and later the job offer.

Commission discussion and approved edits Commissioners spent the meeting reviewing the brochure line-by-line and proposing edits they said would reduce ambiguity and reflect the town charter’s limits on manager authority. Commissioner Anna Butler said she had suggested language additions to reflect the clerk’s role: “I added and town clerk slash deputy clerk to develop agenda materials as necessary,” she said during the meeting. Vice Mayor Don Barlow said he had added language making clear that anyone on the commission may place items on the agenda: “I had added and commission after mayor mainly because right now, any one of us can put items on the agenda,” he said.

The commission agreed to several specific changes that were read and approved during the meeting: change a typographical error that read “supervised town managers” to “supervise department heads”; add the town clerk (and deputy clerk) to the list of people who develop commission agendas; revise grant language to require the manager to “research and identify grant opportunities, coordinate and prepare grant applications on behalf of the Town, and oversee the administration of awarded grants with assistance as appropriate”; and add a provision requiring the manager to “promptly ensure continuity of service delivery by identifying alternative service options and coordinating appropriate coverage or supplementary resources for all department roles, as needed and authorized by the commission.”

Qualifications, enforcement and other clarifications Commissioners also rewrote qualification language to remove ambiguity around an “or demonstrated ability” clause. The brochure now emphasizes minimum qualifications and preferred qualifications as separate items: a bachelor’s degree in business, public administration or a related field from an accredited college or university and a minimum of three years’ related executive experience are the stated minimums; a master’s degree, five or more years’ experience and Florida executive experience were recorded as preferred qualifications. Commissioners discussed but did not make the brochure promise any automatic vehicle allowance; travel for town business will be reimbursed under standard procedures, and any special allowances can be negotiated in an offer letter.

Several commissioners pressed for clearer language about enforcement. The commission agreed to add wording that lists the manager’s responsibilities to implement commission goals and to oversee enforcement of town ordinances and code enforcement programs, including areas cited as examples at the meeting such as short-term rentals, construction and nuisance properties.

Salary and hiring process The brochure will list an annual salary figure of $120,000. Commissioners discussed including a 6-month performance review and potential adjustment but agreed that details of any review or negotiated adjustments would likely be placed in an offer letter rather than the public recruitment brochure.

Action taken The commission voted to accept the MGT brochure with the edits discussed and recorded during the meeting. The vote was 5-0 in favor. No substantive public comments were recorded during the special meeting’s public comment period before the vote.

What’s next The commission recessed and then moved on to a subsequent special meeting on the budget. With the brochure approved, the recruitment process using MGT’s materials may proceed according to the town’s timeline and hiring procedures.