City Commission gives staff high marks in annual evaluation

City commissioners completed their annual evaluations of the city manager, auditor and clerk, and city attorney on April 4. All evaluated members received high marks, which showed strong cohesion among city leaders.

Each commissioner received a form that identified key topics for each position, ranging from “significantly below expectations” to “significantly exceeded expectations.” Commissioners also had the opportunity to provide comment for the staffers whom they evaluated.

“I am always impressed at his ability to keep on top of things and always be responsive to residents and staff alike,” Commissioner Liz Alpert said of City Manager Marlon Brown. “He never lets things fall through the cracks. He is popular with staff and the community. We are fortunate to have him as city manager.”

Alpert, along with Commissioners Kyle Battie and Hagen Brody, gave Brown perfect marks. Commissioner Jennifer Ahearn-Koch’s evaluation said Brown met or exceeded all expectations.

Battie took his perfect evaluation of Brown a step further and said Brown was a treasured asset.

“All I can say about Mr. Brown is that his being promoted to city manager was the best decision this commission and this city has ever made,” Battie said. “He made my decision to be here the best decision I’ve made.”

Sarasota City Auditor and Clerk Shayla Griggs was the next to be evaluated by the commission and also received high marks. The only area which the commission found she needed to work on was made by Ahearn-Koch, who said she needed to improve her service as a “parliamentarian to the commission”.

Alpert, Mayor Erik Arroyo, Battie and Brody also praised Griggs’s work as auditor and clerk. Alpert said that she has continued to improve in her position but has performed very well in the meantime.

“Shayla has demonstrated her capacity to perform the role of city auditor and clerk in an exemplary manner,” Alpert said. “She is striving to improve her skills. She works well with her staff and other city staff. It has been a pleasure to have her as our city auditor and clerk.”

Lastly, the commission evaluated City Attorney Robert Fournier. Arroyo said he wished to see improvement in Fournier’s ability to prosecute and defend legal actions the city is involved in, but largely approved of the work Fournier did this year.

Brody and Battie gave Fournier perfect marks. Battle said there is no comparison to the value Fournier has provided to the commission, city and citizens of Sarasota.

“Mr. Fournier provided an extremely high level of service, not only towards me and the rest of the city but the entire Sarasota community,” Battie said. “He also has incomparable value towards my growth as a commissioner for the citizens of this city.”

The expectations for each evaluated city staff member were set in January. In addition to the individual evaluations, the commission overviewed city projects that were completed last year, as well as the ones that were worked on and will be completed later.

Creating and managing COVID-19 policies was one of the key accomplishments mentioned by the commissioners. This included working with Sarasota County to create the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Relief Assistance Program, where the city provided resources for processing applications.

The evaluation discussion also boasted the city’s balanced budget for the fiscal year of $223 million with no new positions filled. The annual audit did not make any major findings other than some improvements needed in the information technology sector.

The commission also recognized approval of plans that included the Newtown Community Redevelopment Area Plan and Bay Park Conservancy Plan. Ongoing work, which included the coming Sarasota Performing Arts Center and research on sound ordinances, was also recognized.