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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-04-96 WS . . . MINUTES OF THE OCOEE BOARD OF CITY COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION HELD JANUARY 4, 1996 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Vandergrift called the Work Session to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Commission Chambers and called the roll. PRESENT: Mayor Vandergrift, Commissioners Anderson, Glass, Gleason, and Johnson. Also present were City Manager Shapiro, City Attorney Rosenthal, Administrative Services Director Beamer, Planning Director Wagner, City Engineer/Utilities Director Shira, Personnel/Employee Relations Director Psaledakis, Recreation Director Beech, Police Chief Mark, Fire Chief Strosnider, and City Clerk Grafton. ABSENT: None At Mayor Vandergrift's request, City Attorney Rosenthal made comments regarding the procedure for this meeting. He pointed out that, because of the Sunshine Law in Florida, the only way a body of elected officials can discuss the City Manager whom they employ, or exchange ideas regarding his evaluation, is in a public meeting. He said further, as a general statement, that each member should feel free to make any comments he deems appropriate in terms of the evaluation and the survey, that only those statements made falsely or with malicious intent would possibly get anyone in trouble. Mayor Vandergrift announced that a Special Session was scheduled immediately following this Work Session and that, although not generally the custom in workshops, comments from the public would be allowed during this meeting. (Clerk's note: The Special Session was not held following this meeting due to the late hour of adjournment.) In discussing the order of the agenda, consensus was reached to reverse the items and consider the City Employee Survey first. DISCUSSION CITY EMPLOYEE SURVEY City Manager Shapiro read his comments regarding the Employee Surveys dated January 3, 1996 into the record. In these comments Mr. Shapiro said that, although he felt the survey to be a good tool, the timing of the survey contributed to the low scores in that (1) a budget had just been adopted that included removal of a merit system and a threat of possible future reduction of some employee benefits, (2) the City Commission had been divisive, (3) the City Manager and a City Commissioner have been under investigation by the FDLE, and (4) the City Manager has asked to be allowed to look for employment elsewhere. He noted that the lowest scoring item in the survey was communication and the next lowest item his management skills (which he attributed to lack of communication as well). Mr. Shapiro proposed breaking the employees down into talk teams with which he would be committed to make communication a top priority. . . . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 Commissioner Gleason said he appreciated Mr. Shapiro's statement regarding commitment but he wondered why he thought employees would speak out now when the fear of retribution was great enough that many of the employees had typed their responses at home to keep from being identified as the author of the written comments. Mr. Shapiro responded that there has been no retribution, only perceived retribution, and he believed that the employees sincerely want to work for the City and will say what they think if put in small groups where they can speak freely with the hope of some positive response or action resulting from their remarks. Commissioner Anderson said it appeared that the high numbers (good remarks) referred to within the individual departments but scores tended to go down when referring to the City as a whole. Mayor Vandergrift asked what Mr. Shapiro meant by the statement indicating the Commission has been divisive. Mr. Shapiro responded that there have been moments during the last few months when there have been some unsettling times and some serious discussions during the meetings among the policy makers, which is usually true in growth cities. Mayor Vandergrift noted that the survey validated remarks he had made to City Manager Shapiro and Personnel Director Psaledakis 3 years ago regarding the employee morale and attitudes, when he had offered to work with them to improve those conditions. He said Mr. Shapiro's remarks would have been good at that time but are coming too late to be effective now. Commissioner Gleason said that in his review of Mr. Shapiro's performance in June 1994 he had given him generally good marks but even then he had pointed out a serious employee morale problem due to his management style as a matter to be worked on. In February 1995 and October 1995 he had again called it to his attention, with a response from Mr. Shapiro indicating that when a commissioner is "out to get" a city manager one of the first reasons he would list would be employee morale. Commissioner Gleason said that he did not have a lot of faith in Mr. Shapiro's ability to turn the morale around at this time, because even when his review was favorable regarding other areas of his performance he did not respond to this need. He said also that the recent FDLE investigation had nothing to do with the results of the Survey, as he believed the same results would have been found in 1994 if the Survey had been done then. Commissioner Johnson, citing employee attitude over the past ten years and more, said it wouldn't matter when the Survey was done or who the city manager was they would not have gotten good reviews in the Survey, as that is just human nature. Commissioner Anderson said this Commission's job is to bring the concerns of the people to Mr. Shapiro who has said that he will try to work on the communication problem, now Commission must decide if they trust Mr. Shapiro to do the things assigned to him. Commissioner Glass expressed appreciation to the employees who took the time to complete 2 . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 the Survey and write their opinions and said that this Commission definitely will not tolerate retribution for anyone giving an honest opinion. He said the Survey is a good management tool, and if used properly can identify problem areas to be dealt with, but just because Mr. Shapiro did not use it before now does not necessarily indicate he is not a good manager. He said, however, that good managers recognize a morale problem more quickly than Mr. Shapiro did. He said that, while giving a generally good evaluation, he also had brought some employee morale problems to Mr. Shapiro's attention at the time of his evaluation in October. He asked Mr. Shapiro and Ms. Psaledakis to respond to the critical survey comments regarding Ms. Psaledakis personally and to the structure of her office, as in that position of Personnel/Employee Relations Director she often is put in conflicting positions. He noted that Mr. Shapiro's written comments did not touch on that issue, which he perceived to be another primary item of concern to those who responded in the Survey, along with communication. . In his response, City Manager Shapiro stated that he made some mistakes in the last few years on several occasions, Le., (1) by not taking part in the response to employees on the committee during the time when a committee (involving employees, Ms. Psaledakis and former Mayor Dabbs) was rewriting the Personnel Rules and Regulations and the evaluation forms, and (2) by not permitting employees to be present and a part of the complete grievance procedure but instead requiring Ms. Psaledakis to represent them in their absence. He said that possibly there should be an additional role of advocate from among the employees, not to replace Ms. Psaledakis, but to work as a representative of the employee also. He said that because he had not been a visible part of the process, Ms. Psaledakis frequently had been perceived as the person who made the decision. Mayor Vandergrift said an advocacy group of employees (misunderstood by Staff) had been set up 3 commissions ago which was to give power to City employees and the advocacy idea Mr. Shapiro mentioned would have fit into that even though it was expressed differently. He said that he and Commissioner Gleason had attended a full employee meeting and the question was asked then if this group was being set up just to take away benefits. He said this Commission did not ask for that group to be set up for that reason. They were asked to be set up to give power to the employees to be able to communicate back and forth. Ms. Psaledakis said that was not her understanding of the purpose of the employee committee group but rather that they were to deal with benefits, longevity, etc. She said she was hired in 1990 as Director of Personnel and Employee Relations and her role was to ensure that the personnel rules adopted by this Commission are interpreted and enforced appropriately, and that grievances are processed properly. She said that her role includes being an advocate for the community at large, assuring that a good service is performed for the community, and that good productivity levels are maintained, along with a sense of respect for each other and the community. She said she had done the very best she could, that she worked for the Office of the City Manager and under his direction. She said there were many times when she had . 3 . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 disagreed with him in his office and times she would have done grievances differently for the benefit of the employees. She said there are times when there is confusion regarding the policy making role versus the administrative role and she invited Commissioners to visit her office at any time for any information they need. She remarked that some of the comments in the Survey were very negative, bordering on slander, but generally there were good comments that should be given attention. Commissioner Glass noted that there were a number of comments regarding a perception among the employees that policies would change suddenly, which seemed to be a lack of communication, and he asked for Ms. Psaledakis' comments. Ms. Psaledakis responded that the policies went through the Personnel Committee, then through the Personnel Board, then to Commission for adoption by ordinance. She said, however, that there is one section in the Personnel Rules called Department Policies or Directives and when those policies or directives are originated they are supposed to come to Mr. Shapiro (after her review to be sure they are not in conflict with Personnel Rules) before implementation. There have been several times when department heads have issued such directives without the required review and employees have interpreted them as policy. Also employees are required to sign for policies as they are issued so that staff can be sure that all employees are notified. . Mayor Vandergrift suggested a directive manual with the directives approved by the Personnel Department. Ms. Psaledakis said the City Manager is responsible for the personnel system and not the Personnel Department. There was further discussion regarding the need for a Standard Operation Manual for City Hall. City Manager Shapiro talked about the time when, upon the advice of the labor attorney, it became necessary to stop the circulating of birthday cards and allowing vendors, etc. in City Hall, and he said that action was not well received by employees. He attributed that to the fact that this had been a small, close knit group in the past where those comfortable customs had been allowed, and losing that privilege was sad for all, including him. Mayor Vandergrift asked Ms. Psaledakis if she had been oblivious to the morale problem for the past few years. She said she had heard negatives regarding Department Heads and Commission as well. When asked if she had thought of any way to come against it, she said she felt it was the City Manager's place to correct morale, not hers. They discussed the quarterly employee newsletter, its origin and its value as a morale booster. Commissioner Anderson mentioned the remark appearing in the Survey several times about someone being told they were lucky to have a job and he discussed with Ms. Psaledakis who might have made such a remark to the employee and what a bad feeling that would provoke. Commissioner Gleason recalled that because of some of the issues faced during the budget process Commission had asked that an employee group be formed to deal with benefits and if they broadened it from that base, that was their right to do so. He said that when he heard Mr. . 4 . . . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 Shapiro say that the people who served on the first committee would not be permitted to serve again he felt that the employee perception again would be that of "control" rather than that of employees having a voice. Mr. Shapiro responded that the majority of the employees who talked to him on the subject had expressed the opinion that most of the employees on the original committee had been hand picked by administration and there was no ability for anyone to have choices on who would serve in that capacity. There had been concern expressed regarding being sure that there were single employees as well as those with dependents serving so that the issue of dependent coverage could be fairly addressed. And Mr. Shapiro said that after the initial distribution of membership on the committee was established, so that all departments were fairly represented, its makeup would be reviewed to assure all groups were represented as well. Commissioner Gleason objected to administration interfering with the makeup of the committee if its membership was the result of volunteers or election. Mayor Vandergrift noted that he recalled stating that Commission was empowering employees to be "a part of" rather than "apart from" the budget during the discussion on forming the employee committee. Commissioner Glass asked Ms. Psaledakis to comment on why employees would fear retribution for speaking out. Ms. Psaledakis said she did not know, that she did not fear retribution for speaking out but she could only speak for herself. Commissioner Anderson asked if fear of retribution was an issue before the previous personnel director left. Commissioner Johnson responded that there was no previous personnel director, but that the same thing was discussed when Teddy Ryan was City Manager, and he pointed out Planning Director Wagner in the audience who had experienced those feelings. He said also that it flows both ways, up as well as down. Mayor Vandergrift asked if an atmosphere could be established in this organization where such fear of retribution did not exist. Ms. Psaledakis responded that an atmosphere lacking in gossip needs to be set up to begin with, and she again invited Commission to visit her office. Commissioner Gleason said he had been told that the layoffs several years ago were the result of retribution. Ms. Psaledakis explained that the perception of a hit-list was dispelled by her when she explained the proposed stages of the layoffs to two of the affected employees. She said the stages included beginning a call-back of employees in 6 months and projected into the hiring of additional employees in 3 years when the growth of the City and economy were anticipated to justify such action. Commissioner Gleason pointed out that the minutes of the meeting when Mr. Shapiro was hired 5 . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 reflect a comment that there were no personnel problems in the City at that time, and he said that did not tally with Commissioner Johnson's earlier remarks regarding fear of retribution existing in the past. And further, regarding employees' retribution to elected officials, he said, that was not retribution, but rather democracy when a person runs for office or campaigns for another candidate. Commissioner Johnson said he was not referring to those employees who later ran for office, or campaigned against him, that those problems did exist in the past and he suggested that Commissioner Gleason check with some of the long term employees for verification. City Manager Shapiro stated for the record that while former Commissioner John Bateman was Acting City Manager and in control of the employee committee, he put into place a process in the Rules and Regulations providing for seniority layoff, and all but one of the employees laid off had enough seniority to bump someone; however, they did not exercise that right. Mr. Shapiro said that, because of that possibility, the theory of a hit-list was not valid. . Mayor Vandergrift asked how much the City was out of budget to prompt the cutting of 10 jobs. Mr. Shapiro responded that the City was not out of budget, but there was a concern it would be because of a reduction in revenues. That concern was expressed to Commission and action was taken in order to avoid being out. Mayor Vandergrift suggested that action was enough to affect employee morale in the extreme. Commissioner Johnson pointed out that some of the employees involved in the layoff had been hired with the understanding that if the revenues did not come in to support their jobs they would be the first to go. Some of the others did not have to take the layoff due to the seniority layoff process, but they chose not to exercise that right. When Mr. Shapiro started to explain further the reasoning behind the layoffs, Mayor Vandergrift said that his intent was to point out that, if you are dealing with low employee morale, that period would be a major contributor to the level of morale and a difficult one to overcome. Mayor Vandergrift explained the Employee Survey that had been referrred to through the meeting was distributed to all employees within the past month and the results had been tallied to show the problem areas in the administration of the City's business. Commissioner Gleason asked Mr. Shapiro, since he had announced he would not ask for renewal of his contract and had asked for authorization to seek employment elsewhere, what made him think under that environment employees would respond and communicate with him. Mr. Shapiro said the system needs to be established, and the teams must be organized on our time, with a commitment on the part of department heads to make the time available, and whether he is here or not makes no difference once the methodology is in place. He said this plan was the result of conversations with other city managers and our department heads. He said Buyer Mark Brace had brought material from Altamonte dealing with task forces that take city problems and deal with them and he would like also to use that material. . 6 . . . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 RECESS 8:30 P.M. - 8:50 P.M. The following citizens spoke: Former Mayor J. Lester Dabbs, Jr., 619 Caborca Court, talked about a mandate given to Mr. Shapiro when he came aboard and told about Planning Director Wagner's experience with being moved from upstairs to the basement and out as an act of retribution by the then city manager. He told about the committee that met every week for a year or more working on rules and regulations and then interviewed department heads. He pointed out that if one question is used /l.UJprove a point, then all should be used, noting that the elected officials scored lower than the city manager. Mrs. Peggy Jarrard, 606 Banderas, said she saw value in an annual employee survey, reviewed by an independent citizen's committee with the results reported to the City by them. She commented that quality circles should be incorporated and she asked Mr. Shapiro what he was doing to improve himself and his communication skills. She pointed out that there are many classes available at Valencia and UCF regarding knowing yourself that could be useful. Mr. Benny Howell, 895 Marlene Drive, said Mr. Shapiro may not have the best attitude but he did know how to run a city. He said it appeared that some of the Commissioners want more than just Mr. Shapiro's job, they also want his hide on the barn door. He talked about some employees who really are lucky to have a job as he has watched them work. Mrs. Fran Gosnell, secretary to the City Manager, said she has had a bad year. She said she has paid a price for honesty and would like to read her survey comments but has already suffered retribution. She asked Mr. Shapiro what it would take to open up the communication between them and let her do her job. In response to questions from Commission it was established that Mrs. Gosnell's work load was changed as a result of a job audit. Mr. Shapiro said that the job audit showed that he had a choice of changing Mrs. Gosnell's duties or her job description and he chose to change the duties. Mrs. Pat Bond, 295 N. Lakeshore Drive, talked about running the City as a business and said that we should simply support each other, stick together and put concerns in proper perspective. RECESS 10:40 P.M. - 10:50 P.M. Mr. John Resnik, 407 Abbey Ridge Court, told about retribution that happened in the past with former City Manager Teddy Ryan which affected Janet Resnik and her job. He said the Survey should be used as a constructive tool and then do another survey again in a year. Mrs. Cathy Sills, 205 S. Lakeshore Drive, speaking as a land owner instead of employee, said that 4 hours of vacillation was enough and someone should soon reach a decision. She said the 7 . . . . . . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 Survey was promised in 10 days but did not get out for 30 days and there was no explanation or excuse given for the delay. She said that was only one example of the level of trust that is deserved. She said employees would like to see their boss out walking around being visible, in the field making personal contact, and that it would be necessary for Mr. Shapiro to do something about the information produced by quality circles in order for them to work. Ms. Janet Resnik, 522 Whiskey Creek Court, said that employees were not out to get Mr. Shapiro, nor were they out to get Ms. Psaledakis, they were instead out to get change. There was discussion regarding the requirement for department heads to be present at this meeting and Mr. Shapiro responded that the requirement was due to the rating communication got on the Survey and he felt that their presence was necessary for that reason, not for his benefit. When Commissioner Anderson asked Ms. Resnik if she had heard Commission ask Mr. Shapiro to communicate with employees, Mr. Shapiro responded with her in the affirmative and he said that a 2 by 4 had hit him in the head and he realized that a change is in order in himself. Commissioner Anderson asked for a time frame and Mr. Shapiro responded that first, if he felt the empowerment to do it, he will begin immediately, that he has already made plans to work on the schedule for employees' time to talk with him in small groups. Commissioner Gleason said that no staff should be on the committee, that only those chosen by the employees should be on it. Mrs. Betty Hager, 511 Orange Avenue, said that the City has 7 years invested in Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Shapiro has 7 years invested in the City. Employees who were disatisfied should have gone to their supervisors using the chain of command, not to Commissioners. Commissioners should have sent employees back to the proper supervisor to talk over their problems. She said people should be more sympathetic toward Ms. Psaledakis with her job. Commissioner Glass responded to Mrs. Hager's remark re: directing employees to their supervisor by saying that no employee had come to him complaining. After the remarks from citizens were heard, City Attorney Rosenthal recommended that any kind of vote should be taken at the Special Session scheduled following this meeting or as an agendaed item at a regular Commission Meeting or Special Session. He said that general direction to City Manager could be given by consensus of Commission. Mayor Vandergrift asked if Commission wished to give direction to City Manager based on comments made thus far. Commissioner Gleason said Mr. Shapiro has indicated what he believed he needed to do. There had been enough discussion from the audience and from the employees and there appeared to be a process in place in terms of election of employees to form their own committee and that 8 Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 was the initial basis. When that committee gets elected and can sit down with the City Manager that will be the initial step and then the committee will be broken down into smaller circles. Mr. Shapiro said that this committee is going to be empowered to do that. Then the theory would be to go to the different little groups - teams - bring that process back to this committee and this committee would report to Commission collectively as to what has been said and done. And he asked Commissioner Gleason if that was his thinking. Commissioner Gleason responded that it was, as long as that did not violate the responsibility of the Charter. Mr. Shapiro said, "At this point I don't think it does, Jim, because at this point, I think there's an issue you all have taken by the teeth and said you want something done about it. I think you have every legitimate right to expect the City Manager to come back to you through this committee if that be OK, because it's OK with me, and actually indicate what the employees really did mean in the Survey. Maybe this committee will be able to meet with the employees, in a way we'll be talking with the employees out in the workplace at the same time and they also want to be the mouthpiece to a degree for some of the employees who don't want to see me. But in either case you will have a balance to have this subject back to you in some form." When he said he would probably prepare the report, Commissioner Anderson said he would prefer to receive the report directly from the committee. He then asked Commissioner Glass for his opinion. Commissioner Glass responded that he was not a personnel expert but that he felt the morale issue has to be priority, whether with this City Manager or a successor. He said he wanted to see a plan; he felt both the elections and circles were a good idea, that the employees should be empowered. He said that Commissioner Gleason was correct in that he had been trying to get Mr. Shapiro to focus on the morale issue as a priority and he (Commissioner Glass) had in October as well. He said (addressing Mrs. Hager) that in looking over his review he found that he had stated that he had spoken with a few employees directly and that statement could have been misleading. He apologized to Mrs Hager and stated further that no employee spoke to him directly about the problem or employment issue, but just talking to the employees at the picnic the sense of a problem was apparent. When prompted by Commissioner Anderson for a direct response to his question regarding where the information/report should come from, Commissioner Glass responded that clear direction should be given to this manager (or any successor manager) that, at this point in the life of this City, employee morale is adversely affecting the quality of life and the productivity and service provided. He said that very clear direction with a definite time frame should be given that this Commission has waited long enough and it has to be a priority. He said that he had no problem with the information coming up through the chain of command so long as everyone in the chain of command knew that the policymaking Board of this City considers this a priority item. He said to Mr. Shapiro that he did not mean that statement to reflect poorly on Mr. Shapiro's selection of priorities, as it was due to his leadership (along with Commissioner Combs, Commissioner Johnson and others) of this City over the past 5 years that caused the City to be in a growth mode and attractive as a place to live. He said that was the reason he was a resident in Ocoee at all. Commissioner Anderson said he wanted to be sure that all the information 9 . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 came to Commission. Commissioner Gleason said that he felt that there was no doubt that it was a priority and that if Mr. Shapiro could put the information into a report the Committee would correct any inaccuracies. Commissioner Anderson asked for a time frame. Mr. Shapiro said that next week the ballot would be put together and the election held. He said he would put the schedule together dependent upon what Commission wanted this Committee to do. He said that he would meet with that group and see if they agree with the talk team issue and then if that appears to be the way, advise Commission, and then go out and do the job. He said the Committee could decide the schedule for the reports to Commission. . Mayor Vandergrift recalled that early after his election when meeting with former Mayor Dabbs and Mr. Shapiro, Mr. Shapiro had expressed an opinion that he did not care about anybody's attitude about how he did his job, not the Mayor, the employees, nor the public; but that now Mr. Shapiro has stated that he cares. He said that Mr. Shapiro should have started some time ago to right the wrongs and not wait until this meeting to begin caring and making plans to begin implementing at some future date. Mr. Dabbs responded from the audience that he was present at the meeting but he did not recall hearing Mr. Shapiro make those remarks. He did recall that he was appalled at that meeting, as he had high hopes that there would be a meeting of the minds, and although there was no meeting of the minds he would not describe the lack of it in that manner. Mayor Vandergrift said that after the renewal of Mr. Shapiro's contract he had suggested that they appear together and announce to the employees that they were trying to put together City Hall and Mr. Shapiro refused as he did not need that or any other input from the Mayor. Mayor Vandergrift continued that Mr. Shapiro's dictatorial manner in his office is intimidating and that he is intimidated, so much so that he is not to have a conversation with any of the employees. RECESS 12: 13 A.M. - 12.20 A.M. Mayor Vandergrift asked whether, due to the lateness of the hour, Commission would prefer to continue or recess this meeting and cancel the Special Session scheduled to follow. Commissioner Johnson said that he was going to speak for a few minutes and then a decision could be made about continuing or recessing the meeting. He asked that the records be produced regarding the Resnik incident mentioned earlier by Mr. Resnik to see why the vote was taken to change her position. He noted that there were 8 employees in the audience who had come to him looking for work who are now on the payroll, and that he would no longer intercede for anyone looking for a job with the City. He said that plenty of employees have come to him to talk to him and no one had told them that they should not. He commented about the underhanded people here also. He said he was not worried about the FDLE investigation because he had done nothing illegal and he would be ready with his attorney when the time comes. He said that whoever filed the report would be present also, and whistleblowers can be sued. He called attention to the article in the West Orange Times and asked citizens to read that . 10 l . . . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 newspaper because it was a hometown newspaper. He commented on the articles in the Sentinel and said he would address those later. Referring to the article regarding the FDLE investigation, he said that everyone knows that he has always asked developers for money to benefit the youth in this area and that this incident was no different; there were 4 kids on the team, not just his son. Commissioner Johnson put former Commissioner Vern Combs on notice that he will be prepared to bring suit against him in the near future for statements made by him in front of witnesses in the lobby during a recess. He said he had no problems with other Commissioners presently serving doing whatever they wanted to, but that he felt it was necessary sometimes to break the monotony in 5 hour meetings by whispering to, or joking with, the Commissioner seated next to him. He said that the threat of an FDLE investigation did not scare him and if backed into a comer he would come out fighting. He said that there truly had been retribution involving city employees because he and his family had been subjected to it when people had made threats on his job and police officers had harrassed his children. He said the only opponents he had had in running for office in ten years were previous employees who had wanted him to vote differently. He said he had been elected by and worked for the people, which fact seemed to escape those who opposed him. He said that his term would be up in April, and those who wished to take his place should prepare to be candidates,as he was sick of some of the people he had to deal with, and being told who he should or should not talk to. He said that Mr. Shapiro was going to leave, but he felt that Mr. Shapiro should finish his contract out and finish up the projects already started in the City and prepare for a new person to come in. He said his daughter was told in High School that he was a thief and he is not supposed to say anything. He said he has lived here 40 years, is not a thief and does not lie. He said that the Mayor would not listen to anything if you pounded it in his head, that they tried twenty years ago and it did not work then either. He said he understood that the survey was being done so that the employees could come up and say what they wanted to say but that it appeared that the object was to get at the somebody. Said Mrs. Jarrard's suggestion to hire an outside group to handle the problems was a good idea. He said it was time for people to stop the hypocracy and move on. He talked about the projects over the past ten years that he has solicited funds for and worked toward when the county and schools could not do anything: the Little League, Pop Warner, Girls Soft Ball, Senior League, Senior Citizens, and others. He said he was not ashamed of the money he had raised for those and other projects. Referring to the letter typed by a city employee for him, he said that he and Mrs. Johnson had prepared the contents of the letter and he had asked Ms. Psaledakis to type the letter on her lunch hour rather than take it the the City Manager's secretary, as there was no longer any confidentiality in his secretary's office. Referring to the remarks about his wife's taking care of the travel arrangements for the City, he said that she made sure that no one paid more than absolutely necessary for their tickets. He said he had been accused of being Mr. Shapiro's buddy, but there had been many occasions when they strongly disagreed. He stressed the fact that all that is done is for the citizens. Commissioner Anderson said that it appears that a plan is coming together and a committee 11 . . . Ocoee City Commission Workshop January 4, 1996 will be formed that will be working on problems. He asked if he could ask questions of employees. City Attorney Rosenthal responded that Commissioners should coordinate with City Manager in order to not inhibit workflow. Commissioner Anderson suggested ending the meeting due to the hour. Commissioner Glass concurred as he wished to start refreshed on the City Manager Evaluation item. Commissioner Gleason agreed that it was time to adjourn. He stated that the remarks about the Survey being used against Mr. Shapiro were not so, his evaluation was written before the Survey was done. He said also he was hurt by Mrs. Hager's remarks regarding the FDLE report, and that he has trememdous respect for Mrs. Hager. Ms. Psaledakis said she appreciated the dialogue, that there is room for each/all to change and that all should feel respect for each other and end the gossip. Mayor Vandergrift said that the air had been cleared to a degree, and that employees have been given orders to hit the ground running tomorrow. He announced that the Special Session scheduled immediately following this meeting hereby cancelled due to the late hour. CITY MANAGER'S EVALUATION This item will be considered at a workshop to be scheduled for the next available date. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 1:05 a.m. Attest: APPROVED: City of Ocoee ~ S:ar' S. Scott Vandergrift, May r 12