Council approves resolution to cooperate with Governor’s Department of Governmental Efficiency after edits on access and scope

The Clearwater City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 25‑07 on April 17 to express the city’s willingness to collaborate with the Governor’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (referred to in the record as the EOG DOGE team) to identify inefficiencies and recommend improvements.

Council debate focused on two principal concerns: (1) whether the resolution, as drafted, would grant unfettered physical access to city premises and records to state reviewers, and (2) whether language directing staff to “fully support” the team’s requests would weaken local policy autonomy. Councilmembers proposed and the council approved edits during the meeting that (a) add the adjective “reasonable” to describe access to records and physical premises, and (b) replace stronger wording with language directing city staff and elected officials to “fully consider” DOGE team requests rather than to “fully support” all requests.

Councilmember Ryan Cotton urged including advance notice and coordination with department heads when reviewers seek on‑site access, saying in part, “Maybe we can alter that, or maybe city staff can alter it to where the language reads, by an appointment.” Councilmember Michael Mannino — who introduced a draft amendment to emphasize eliminating misspending, waste and saving taxpayer dollars — said the edits will preserve local discretion while allowing the city to benefit from state recommendations. Vice Mayor Lina Teixeira said she supported the resolution’s intent but asked that the council soften Section 6’s language to preserve the city’s autonomy.

City staff (the city clerk read back the proposed amended text into the record) recrafted Sections 3, 4 and 6 in real time. The final version as adopted amends Section 3 to grant the DOGE team “reasonable access” to necessary records and physical premises, revises Section 4 to focus on identifying and eliminating misspending and waste, and revises Section 6 to direct staff and elected officials to “fully consider” DOGE team requests permitted by state and federal law and to provide reasonable access to requested information.

A resident speaker recommended the city pursue the Florida Sterling Award evaluation process as an alternative or complement to the DOGE review and urged the council to prioritize process improvements and execution of recommendations. After the amendment motion and a second, the council voted to adopt the resolution as amended; the vote was unanimous.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 25‑07 (cooperation with Governor’s Department of Governmental Efficiency team) adopted unanimously as amended to add “reasonable access” and to change language to “fully consider.”