North Bay Village accepts manager's resignation, appoints Frank Allison as interim

North Bay Village commissioners voted Aug. 15 to accept the village manager's resignation and to authorize payment of $89,019.06 for accrued sick and vacation leave in exchange for a general release, then appointed former village manager Frank Allison as interim.

The village attorney explained the proposed terms at the meeting and said the payout would settle "any and all claims" the manager could bring, including whistleblower and Fair Labor Standards Act matters, and that staff would draft the necessary release and resignation documents for execution by the commission. The attorney described the payment as $89,019.06 in accrued sick and vacation leave and presented a motion to accept those terms; the commission moved, seconded and voted to approve the motion.

Mayor (meeting chair) said the resignation and subsequent events had been "disappointing" and that the decisions reflected a series of choices that led to the current situation. A longtime resident, Jack Ratner, addressed the commission during public comment and praised Frank Allison's past service, saying Allison had an "open door" management style and helped obtain significant fee waivers after Hurricane Irma.

After approving the resignation payout, commissioners discussed interim options. Some members favored an internal candidate to maintain continuity; others expressed concern about leaving key departments understaffed if an internal leader were moved. Vice mayor (who offered to handle negotiations) told the panel he would "negotiate the terms" of the interim agreement with Allison and the village attorney and that the goal was to have the interim in place quickly. Allison accepted the appointment and said he would start on Monday, and commissioners agreed to finalize and negotiate the interim terms with the incoming vice mayor and legal counsel.

Commissioners also directed staff to move forward with a competitive process to hire a permanent village manager: options discussed included posting the vacancy publicly and using an HR consultant to help develop a job description and candidate criteria. The commission asked the HR staff and the incoming mayor to present a recruitment plan at a future meeting.

The commission did not adopt any additional personnel changes for senior staff immediately; Allison said he would avoid making staffing changes during his interim tenure and expected to work with the commission on any long-term personnel decisions.

The commission's vote accepted the resignation, authorized the payout and appointed Allison as interim. The vice mayor will negotiate the interim agreement and staff will return with more details on the permanent recruitment process at a later meeting.