High Springs City Commission selects two City Manager finalists, declines wastewater grant

BY DAVID LIGHTMAN

HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. – At their February 22 Regular Meeting, the High Springs City Commission narrowed the pool of City Manager candidates from five to two, appointed five new Charter Review Board Members, and restored Steve Tapanes to his former position on the Plan Board. They also decided how to split City Manager duties between three staff members until they hire a new City Manager, returned State grant money after deciding not to extend wastewater service to I-75, and retired their longtime police K-9, Justice.

Selecting two City Manager finalists

Mayor Katherine Weitz introduced an item of unfinished business: Discuss, consider, and act on ranking of City Manager applicants. Both Weitz and Commissioner Tristan Grunder said that all of their top three choices were excellent and it was difficult to make a decision. The Mayor and three Commissioners each gave their rankings for the five candidates, from highest to lowest.

Commissioner Grunder: David Wisener, Timothy Day, Jeremy Marshall, Fred Ventresco, Jeff Shoobridge

Mayor Weitz: Fred Ventresco, Jeremy Marshall, David Wisener, Timothy Day, Jeff Shoobridge

Commissioner Andrew Miller: Jeff Shoobridge, Jeremy Marshall, Timothy Day, David Wisener, Fred Ventresco

Commissioner Byran Williams: Jeff Shoobridge, Jeremy Marshall, Fred Ventresco, Timothy Day, David Wisener

City Clerk Angela Stone tallied everyone’s votes using a point system. Jeremy Marshall was the clear winner with 15 points, Jeff Shoobridge had 12 points, and it was a three-way tie between Fred Ventresco, Timothy Day, and David Wisener, each with 11 points. 

Weitz said, “We’ve got a clear two. How do you gentlemen want to proceed from here?” Responding to a question from Grunder, Acting City Attorney Clay Martin said that if neither of the two candidates works out, they could always reconsider the other three candidates. 

Weitz asked to involve the department heads of staff as part of the second round of interviews, which will take place in person. Martin said that should be possible as long as all provisions of the Sunshine Law are followed. Grunder said, “Move on with the two… I like your idea of bringing staff in.”

Miller asked if the public interviews should happen at a Special Meeting, and Martin said that would be best, and they could have a meet-and-greet reception for the public before the meeting.

After some discussion, the Commission decided to have the two candidates arrive on a Wednesday and leave on a Friday. They will spend Wednesday with staff, touring the city and answering questions from department heads, and Thursday will be spent at the meet-and-greet reception and Special Meeting. Grunder suggested getting the Chamber of Commerce involved to help showcase some of the local businesses.

Public Works Director Thomas Henry asked if the department heads could see the questions and answers that the applicants had provided during the first round of questioning. Weitz answered, “Sure.”

Stone said she would make travel arrangements for the candidates and their spouses once she has spoken with them and determined their available dates.

K-9 Justice

The first order of new business was to surplus High Springs Police Department K-9 Justice, recently retired, to her handler, Sergeant Jason Taylor. Police Chief J. Antoine Sheppard said Justice has been with the Department since 2017, and she has mostly been at High Springs Community School. Sheppard said they have plans to replace her at the school with a different dog, purchased from donations. 

Weitz said, “I’ve seen the impact that Justice has had on kids that are there.” She said that although the dog is not technically an emotional support animal, she had that impact. Weitz added, “Everybody loved Justice. She’s the best girl ever.”

Following a motion from Grunder and a second from Miller, Weitz said, “Justice, it has been properly moved and seconded that you get to chase bunnies for the rest of your life.” The motion passed 4-0, and, after applause, Weitz presented the dog with a gift.

Appointments to the Charter Review Board

Weitz introduced the second item of new business, appointing five new members to the Charter Review Board. She explained that the board is seated once every eight years, and the purpose of the board is to review the City Charter and recommend possible changes. Weitz said they had nine applicants, and they needed to “whittle those down” to five.

The nine applicants for the Charter Review Board were Christy Swilley, Linda Jones, Regina Weller, Jacob Newton, John Manley, Julie Tapia-Ruano, Ross Ambrose, Steve Tapanes, and Lynn Jamison.

Miller made a motion to nominate Christy Swilley. It was seconded by Grunder and passed 4-0. 

Williams made a motion to nominate Regina Weller. Grunder seconded it, and it passed 4-0.

Grunder made a motion to nominate Lynn Jamison. Williams seconded it, and it passed 4-0.

Miller made a motion to nominate Jacob Newton. It was seconded by Grunder and passed 4-0.

After temporarily transferring control of the gavel to Vice-Mayor Grunder, Weitz made a motion to nominate Julie Tapia-Ruano. Miller seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0.

Appointment to Plan Board

The next item of business was the appointment of a member to the vacant Plan Board seat, which will expire in 2025. Donald Alderman resigned from the Board during the January 16 meeting. The applicants were Steve Tapanes, Allen Bates, Ross Ambrose, and Eva Czarnecka-Verner. 

Weitz said, “I want to take an opportunity to thank Donald Alderman for his passion, his love of this city. The work that he did on the Plan Board is unparalleled, and we are incredibly blessed for you… Big shoes to fill.”

Weitz said she thought Tapanes had done an excellent job on the Plan Board before he left to run for City Commissioner, and he has construction experience, so she was in favor of selecting him. 

Grunder made a motion to appoint Tapanes back onto the Plan Board, and Miller seconded the motion. During public comment, Donald Alderman said, “I recommend Steve, if at all possible.” The motion passed unanimously. Weitz said, “Welcome back, Mr. Tapanes.”

City Manager duties

Because City Manager Ashley Stathatos is resigning and a new City Manager has not yet been hired, the Mayor and Commissioners considered how to temporarily split the City Manager’s duties among existing staff members.

After some discussion, Weitz said, “It has been properly moved (by Grunder) and seconded (by Miller) that Police Chief Sheppard be Interim City Manager for Police and Fire; Public Works Director Thomas Henry be Interim City Manager for all other personnel; and that City Clerk Angela Stone have the hiring and firing capability, the check-signing authority, and the spending authorization authority.” The motion passed unanimously. 

Grant to extend wastewater service

The last item on the agenda was deciding how to proceed with a State grant to extend wastewater service to the I-75 interchange. Weitz said it was originally brought before the Commission last March, and they only have until the end of March 2024 to decide whether or not to accept the grant; she said she wanted to make a decision one way or the other. Weitz said the wastewater extension would necessitate forming a utility district with the County.

Grunder said he was previously in favor of the plan, but “with all the missing pieces that we have currently, I’m not a fan of this anymore. We’re just not in a place where we can do it.” 

Miller said, “I agree with Commissioner Grunder. This is the wrong time to be expanding infrastructure.”

Weitz added, “I concur. I’ve been opposed to this idea from the beginning.”

Grunder made a motion to send back the grant (to the State), and Miller seconded the motion. Weitz asked for comments from the audience, and the room applauded.

The motion to decline the grant passed 4-0. 

Information on Priest Theater and upcoming event

Weitz gave an update on the Priest Theater: the proposed contract is being reviewed by the State as required by law, and the project is moving forward.

“Fish Fries on Friday,” she said, “Come on out to the Fish Fries. They are a rockin’ good time, and all of the proceeds are going directly to the Community Outreach.” The Fish Fries are held on Fridays during Lent at St. Madeleine Catholic Church.