City updates commission on 'responsible government' pillar: youth programs, HR digitization, Sunshine Law training and legislative tracking

City staff presented a brief update on the city's 'responsible government' strategic pillar, describing youth engagement programs, employee development, digital process improvements, Sunshine Law training for citizen board appointees, and active state and federal legislative items the city is monitoring.

Youth and workforce development Organization Development Administrator Kayla Ruffin said the city runs programs exposing middle-school and high-school students to municipal careers and allows students to apply for actual entry-level jobs and internships. She said more than 50 students participated this year at the middle-school level and the city partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay to mentor Winter Haven High School students; 16 students participated this year with nine graduating seniors.

Leadership development and staff training Ms. Ruffin described the Leadership Development in Public Administration (LDPA) program run in partnership with Polk State College; the current cohort included city employees who developed implementable business-case proposals during the course, and staff said cohort recommendations have been adopted in prior years.

HR digitization and process efficiency Tyler Best, HR systems and security analyst, described digitizing historically paper-heavy processes including employee performance reviews, personnel action forms, travel and training requests, CDL and educational assistance applications, and applicant tracking through the city's UKG system. John Murphy, City Attorney, said evaluations that previously took weeks to circulate now have completed routing in as little as 48 hours, and HR digitization should reduce delays in hiring and improve equal-employment-opportunity tracking.

Sunshine Law training Outside counsel Drew Crawford and City Attorney John Murphy summarized three Sunshine Law training sessions aimed at board and committee appointees; Mr. Crawford said about 66 attendees took part and city staff plan to extend training offerings to staff who support boards and committees. The trainings covered Sunshine Law transparency obligations, public-records responsibilities and basic board ethics.

State and federal legislative tracking Public Affairs Director Katrina Hill briefed commissioners on bills the city is monitoring in the Florida Legislature, noting session timing and committee progress. She highlighted several priorities for further tracking and advocacy: - Emergency preparedness and stormwater language (Senate Bill 180 and related amendments) with potential implications for unfunded inspection mandates; staff said they were reviewing amended language and had previously sent a letter opposing an earlier stormwater draft. - CRA sunset proposal (Senate Bill 1242 / House companion 991) that would sunset community redevelopment agencies; staff said the bill had not moved on the House side and remained in rules on the Senate side. - Local business tax, utility enterprise fund transfers and stormwater inspection bills were among items staff said they continue to monitor for municipal fiscal impacts.

Staff also said the city is preparing for a Washington, D.C., trip to pursue FAA support for a dedicated airport frequency, seek federal assistance for Willowbrook Road, and advance other federal priorities.

Next steps Staff said they will continue to implement the LDPA and HR digitization work, expand Sunshine Law training offerings for staff, and continue legislative advocacy. The city will present additional updates at the May strategic momentum session.