City of Mexico Beach Special Meeting Minutes FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2025 - 3:00 PM The City of Mexico Beach City Council met in a regular meeting on Friday April 25, 2025, at 3:00 pm at the Public Works Building in Mexico Beach. Mayor Wolff and thet following Councilmembers were present: Linda Hamilton, Jason Adams, Erik Fosshage and Tim Linderman. Also present was City Clerk, Tammy Brunson. I. Call to order: Mayor Wolff called the meeting to order at 3:00 pm. II. Regular Agenda: Mayor Wolff calls the meeting to order, mentioning the topic of the city administrative process and the need to hire a temporary city administrator. Mayor Wolff suggests contacting Mell, who is available and has a place in Mexico Beach and mentions the League of Cities as another option. Jason Adams confirms he has contacted Mell and that he is available, emphasizing the need for a longer commitment this time. Discussion on Mell's previous tenure and his willingness to stay for at least three months, with some flexibility for personal commitments. Mayor Wolff outlines the contract details, including Mell's role as an independent contractor with no benefits, and the need for a minimum three-month commitment. Discussion on Mell's salary, which was $2,000 a week last time but is now being asked for $2,500 a week. Clarification on travel expenses, with a cap of $2,000 for initial travel and termination. Agreement to negotiate the contract details and have the attorney review it. Tim Linderman suggests making Chief Walker a temporary city administrator with the mayor's help to allow Mell more time to prepare. Discussion on restricting Mell's authority, particularly in hiring and firing, to avoid past mistakes. Jason Adams emphasizes the need to have a clear job description and restrictions for Mell to avoid confusion and issues. Mrs. Hamilton brings up the need to elect a Mayor Pro Tem. Mayor Wolff notes electing a Pro Tem is not on the agenda and without the attorney present he is not sure that can be done. Mrs. Hamilton questions why the attorney is not present at the meeting when the agenda states he would be present. She continues by stating the firing of the City Administrator at the last meeting was not on the agenda. She stated she felt betrayed by all four men on the council. She feels they all knew what was going on and had scripts in hand as to how it would be handled and that she was not informed of anything that was going to happen at the meeting. She was hoping the attorney would be at this meeting to discuss the legality of the firing, since it was not on the agenda. Both Mr. Adams and Mr. Linderman denied having any prior knowledge of the situation with Mr. Linderman stated he was offended that Mrs. Hamilton would accuse them of a Sunshine Law violation. Mayor Wolff discusses the need for a permanent city administrator and suggests hiring an outside firm to handle the process. Jason Adams supports hiring a firm to oversee the hiring process, mentioning past success with a headhunting firm. Discussion on the process of vetting candidates and the importance of having a clear job description. Mr. Fosshage motioned, and Mrs. Hamilton seconded that the mayor and the city attorney reach out to Mell Smigielski, to signed a contract to be an interim city administrator, using the same prior contract language, except for raising the weekly salary to $2,500, subject to a restriction on hiring and firing city employees and restriction on no organizational changes. City of Mexico Beach Special Meeting Minutes FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2025 = 3:00 PM II. Regular Agenda Continued: Agreement to explore multiple sources for hiring a firm, including the League of Cities and Bay County. Public comment included discussion on the need for an HR director in-house to handle human resources effectively and emphasis on the importance of hiring a regional candidate who understands Mexico Beach's unique needs. Agreement to narrow down the hiring process to one firm and to collect resumes from all sources. At 3:53 pm the mayor askes for a 5-minute break for him to call the attorney to make sure electing the Mayor Pro Tem is ok since it is not on the agenda. At 3:57pm the meeting continues. Mrs. Hamilton motioned, and Mr. Adams seconded to elect Mr. Fosshage as Mayor Pro Tem. Motion fails with a 2-3 vote. No votes were Mr. Linderman, Mayor Wolff and Mr. Fosshage. Mr. Adams motioned, and Mr. Fosshage seconded to elect Mrs. Hamilton as Mayor Pro Tem. Motion passes with a 3-2 vote. No votes were Mayor Wolff and Mr. Linderman Tim Linderman offers his resignation due to the personal attack from Mrs. Hamilton on himself and his integrity. II. Adjournment: Mr. Fosshage and Mrs. Hamilton motioned to adjourn the meeting at 4:00 pm. By: Attest: dammy Bunorc Mayor Richard Wolff City Clerk, TammyBrunson