Pahokee commission sets interim city manager hiring process, Sept. 24 application deadline and Sept. 30 interviews

The Pahokee City Commission on a special‑call meeting established a process to select an interim city manager, directing staff to advertise the interim posting broadly, accept online applications through 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 24 and to have HR provide the compiled applications and resumes to commissioners by Sept. 26 ahead of interviews and a selection on Sept. 30.

City manager Jackson framed the discussion by recommending two guiding documents — Resolution 2024‑32, adopted Aug. 27, 2024, which requires public interviews and presentation of credentials for charter officers, and the Florida City/County Managers Association search guide — and outlined four search options including an in‑house appointment, hiring a search firm, an association‑run search or a hybrid approach. "I strongly recommending two documents that the mayor has already referenced," Jackson said as he described the guidance and the ethical limits for an outgoing manager’s direct participation.

The commission agreed as a process step to first ask whether any qualified in‑house staff want to be considered for an interim assignment; if not, commissioners instructed staff to contact candidates who already have applied for the permanent city manager post and invite them to indicate whether they wish to be considered for the interim role as well.

On logistics, the commission directed human resources and the city attorney to compile and streamline interview questions into a single pool of no more than 10 standard questions that will be asked of each candidate; commissioners may add limited follow‑up questions during the interview. The clerk summarized the consensus: "Going to advertise the interim position with a cut off date of September 24th by midnight," and that HR would deliver applications and resumes by Sept. 26 so commissioners could review packets before the Sept. 30 interviews and selection.

Commissioners debated the interview format and public access. Some members raised concerns that live streaming candidate interviews could give later candidates an informational advantage by watching earlier interviews, while others stressed transparency and public access. Staff noted the meeting must remain open to the public but live streaming is discretionary; the commission left final streaming decisions to staff for this session and reserved broader process decisions for the permanent search.

Compensation for the interim role was discussed but not formally adopted; commissioners expressed a working consensus to use a $100,000‑per‑year salary as a baseline to be prorated for the interim service. Commissioners estimated the interim appointment would likely last about 60–90 days while the permanent search proceeds.

There were no public comments. The commission adjourned the special call by unanimous roll call vote at 7:13 p.m.

What happens next: staff will publish the interim posting across the agreed platforms, accept online applications through Sept. 24 at 11:59 p.m., have HR deliver application packets by Sept. 26, and conduct interviews and a selection on Sept. 30 (start time tentatively 6 p.m.).