Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fort Pierce commissioners approve city attorney training while scheduling formal contract vote amid confusion over auto-renewal
Summary
The commission approved city attorney Sarah Hedges's $1,733.51 seminar registration but postponed a final decision on her contract to the June 8 meeting after commissioners disagreed over whether a prior 3-2 vote to renew meant nonrenewal; Hedges said her contract auto-renews unless the commission gives written nonrenewal notice 90 days before expiration.
The Fort Pierce City Commission on Monday authorized city attorney Sarah Hedges to attend the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association conference July 8—1111 at a cost of $1,733.51, but commissioners left unresolved whether Hedges's employment contract will be renewed.
Commissioner Johnson had pulled the travel item to raise broader concerns that stemmed from a 3-2 vote at the previous meeting on a separate motion to renew the city attorney's contract. "My interpretation was that it would not be renewed," Johnson said during Monday's meeting, arguing the failed motion signaled nonrenewal and that the commission needed to decide what actions, if any, should be taken between now and the contract's September expiration.
City Attorney Sarah Hedges disputed that interpretation. "I have a contract that states that it auto-renews unless this commission gives me notice 90 days before that date," Hedges said, adding that the motion to renew that the commission voted down was not required by the contract and therefore "no action is taken" by the failed motion. Hedges said the June 8 agenda item was placed to finish that discussion.
After extended back-and-forth, commissioners approved the travel authorization by roll call vote (three in favor, two opposed) while scheduling a formal discussion and possible action on the contract for the commission's June 8 meeting to meet the 90-day notice timeline if the body chooses nonrenewal.
Why it matters: The exchange highlighted a procedural gap between how individual commissioners understood a prior vote and the city attorney's written contract. If the commission wants to prevent automatic renewal it must give written nonrenewal notice 90 days before the contract's renewal trigger date, city staff said; otherwise the contract remains in effect until the end of its term.
What happened next: Mayor Linda Hudson and other commissioners urged colleagues to use the June 8 agenda to settle outstanding questions. Clerk Cox and staff confirmed the timeline that would preserve the commission's options while allowing Hedges to attend the seminar if the commission approves travel now.
The commission did not take final action on the contract itself; it remains scheduled for further discussion at the June 8 meeting.
