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Council approves events, contracts, disaster-prep rankings and awards town manager 5% raise
Summary
At the May 18 meeting, Fort Myers Beach council approved special-event permits, adopted museum and donation policies, authorized engineering and disaster-recovery contracts and ranking, approved a $580,000 contract ceiling increase for financial consultants, and unanimously awarded the town manager a 5% merit increase.
Fort Myers Beach Town Council approved multiple administrative and contracting items May 18 and took personnel action after a public evaluation of the town manager.
Events and community donations - Council accepted a contribution presented by What's Up FMB (more than $129,000) in support of the Fourth of July fireworks and parade operations (presentation by Beth Cahill, S11). Council approved a recurring permit for Coastal Cars & Coffee (five dates, Santini Plaza) and authorized use of 22 overflow spaces at the Waste and Away lot from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the event dates, subject to Fire Control District and Lee County Sheriff approval. The Whale anniversary special event (June 13) was approved, including amplified outdoor music and expanded outdoor alcohol service, subject to agency approvals.
Contracts, procurement and policies - Council adopted a revised collections management policy for the Mound House museum after a MAP assessment presentation by Brianna Vaquero (S22). - Resolution 26-102 amending and restating the town's donation policy (including naming-rights language) was approved unanimously. - The council authorized an agreement draft for JR Evans Engineering for the Newton Park Beach facility reconstruction (design/permitting not-to-exceed $497,750), with Elizabeth Fountain (JR Evans) outlining a 9—10-month design/permitting timeline and 6— months construction estimate. - Staff presented and council approved a second amendment to Title Basin's disaster recovery services agreement to incorporate CDBG-DR and state terms. - Council approved a second amendment increasing Goldman Wolf LLC's contract ceiling from $197,600 to $580,000 to cover additional financial consulting costs incurred because of staffing shortages and audit/budget needs; staff said payroll vacancy savings will offset the increase. - After a competitive process, staff presented rankings for RFP 26-11-ES (disaster debris removal and disposal): Carter Gulf Joint Venture Inc. ranked No. 1, TFR Enterprises Inc. No. 2, and Southern Disaster Recovery Vendor No. 3; council authorized staff to enter negotiations with the top-ranked firm.
Personnel action - In the town manager's annual evaluation using ICMA-based criteria, councilors praised outreach, emergency-preparedness work and staff-building; areas for improvement included response timeliness and packet distribution. The council approved a 5% merit increase to the manager's base salary, retroactive as provided by contract, by unanimous roll-call vote.
What's next: Staff will complete contract negotiations where authorized, finalize the JR Evans agreement, implement adopted policies, and return with the second-reading charter language and other items at upcoming meetings.
