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Charter panel debates city manager powers, removal protections and residency rules
Summary
Board members spent extensive time clarifying the city manager's duties and debating whether the charter should add procedural protections (supermajority removal, written charges and a follow-up hearing), require residency, or leave details to employment contracts; staff will compare other charters and return with draft language.
The Charter Review Advisory Board held an extensive discussion about the scope of the city manager's duties, how financial accountability should be shared with the clerk/treasurer, and how removal and due-process protections should be handled in the charter.
The city manager described the position as "the chief administrative official for the city," responsible for day-to-day operations of departments including public works, fire, police and community redevelopment. Board members asked whether the charter should spell out strategic-plan expectations and performance-review frameworks or leave those matters to employment contracts.
A central point of contention was removal and due process for charter officers. Some members argued the charter should include clear guardrails so a single political majority cannot "willy-nilly" remove a charter official; others noted existing employment contracts and severance provisions often permit removal without cause if compensation terms are met. One suggestion was to require a higher threshold to fire (for instance, supermajority) while leaving hiring to a simple majority.
Several members also raised equity and historical trust concerns. A board member with civil-rights experience said guardrails encourage participation from historically disenfranchised groups and protect employees from capricious political change. Staff and the board agreed to research how other Florida charters handle residency requirements, removal thresholds and notice/hearing timelines and to return with model language.
Next steps: staff will compile comparative charter examples, review standard contract language for charter officers, and draft options on (1) whether removal should require supermajority or a confirmatory hearing; (2) residency timing (for example, six months to establish residence); and (3) whether to include performance-review expectations in the charter or leave them to contracts.
