CITY MANAGER | v CRESCENT CITY, FLORIDA 1

Welcome to the City ofPort Orange, Florida

CITY MANAGER | Apply by February 5, 2021

— POSITION AVAILABLE —

Port Orange blends sheer beauty with opportunity within its 28square miles. The City is often characterized as a bedroomcommunity, and that is a good thing. It is a wonderful place to live,work, play, and raise a family, and includes a unique City Centergovernmental complex that has become the heart of thecommunity. Largely suburban, Port Orange does not have manyof the issues other cities do. From its well maintained, tree-linedstreets to its climate, parks, recreation, and schools, this communityprovides an exceptional quality of life. It is the pride of VolusiaCounty and composed of 150 distinct neighborhoods. That makesit easy for anyone to find their ideal home. Better yet, prices arereasonable, and because of its highly regarded developmentapproach, an investment in Port Orange is secure. The City trulylives up to its motto, “Unique by choice, not by chance.”

The City is family oriented and hosts many city-wide events.Among these are concerts, the Spring Fair, 4th of July Celebration,

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many of them moved here from somewhere else. Knowing PortOrange is not perfect�no city is�they committed to making ita better place for themselves, their children, their neighbors andthose who come after them.

For recreation and activities outside the City, you do not have togo far. Next door are the Intracoastal Waterway and DaytonaBeach with its 23 miles of white sand. It truly is the World’s MostFamous Beach. Paddle board, surf, parasail, swim, sail, sunbathe,fish, walk, jog, picnic, ride a bicycle or drive your car on its hardpacked sand. Daytona is home to NASCAR, the DaytonaInternational Speedway, the LPGA, and the Daytona Tortugas, aminor league baseball team. Then there is Bike Week in Marchand Biketoberfest in October. The Peabody Center offers touringacts and the nationally accredited Museum of Arts and Sciencesis a great place for the young and old alike. The Oceans Centeroffers convention space. Next door is the Daytona Lagoon waterpark. The best part, though, is if you visit/participate in any ofthese, you can then go home to peace and tranquility.

Take a dinner cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway or travel 90minutes along the coast to visit St. Augustine (to the north) or theKennedy Space Center (to the south). Going inland one hourputs you right in the middle of the tourist and theme park meccaof the universe�Orlando! For family fun, DisneyWorld,Universal Studios, and SeaWorld cannot be beaten. Lesserknown and a little further away is Legoland in Winter Haven,another great place for children.

Yearning to travel, Daytona Beach International Airport is about20 minutes from your home and hosts flights by American, Deltaand Jet Blue Airlines. About 50 minutes southeast by car, is theOrlando-Sanford International Airport (a major hub forAllegiant Air). Continue southeast another 20 minutes and youwill arrive at the Orlando International Airport. In addition,Jacksonville International Airport is just over 90 minutes northand Melbourne International Airport is 90 minutes south. Whencruising comes back, you can depart from Port Canaveral, thesecond busiest multi-day cruise port in the world and just onehour south!

Family Days, Halloween, Christmas Parade, and the TreeLighting. Port Orange’s governmental complex includes a park,gym, library, community center, amphitheater, and playing fields.It often hosts community events and festivals. Youth and adultsports and recreational classes offered year-round are held thereand at the other over 25 beautiful City-owned parks and facilities.Port Orange also has a municipal golf course (managed by acontracted partner).

The public schools here are excellent and one of the reasonsfamilies are drawn to Port Orange. Many are A-rated by the state,and one of the high schools, Spruce Creek High School, has beenlisted in the top 100 schools in the nation. For advanced study,Port Orange is home to the Florida Campus for PalmerChiropractic College. Daytona State College, Embry-RiddleAeronautical University and Bethune-Cookman University areall located next door in Daytona Beach. Stetson University is 45minutes away in DeLand, and a bit further are many of the fabledFlorida institutions of higher learning: the University of Florida,the University of Miami, Florida State University and CentralFlorida University, among others.

Housing is quite reasonably priced here. The average threebedroom, two bath with a two-car garage single family home sellsfor around $250,000. The crime rate is low. AreaVibes found it tobe 26% below the national average. Children are comfortableriding their bikes on the streets. The cost of living tends to belower than most other places. For example, it is 2% belowColumbus, OH; 10% below Atlanta, GA; 14% belowRichmond, VA; and 20% below Boston, MA. Plus, Florida doesnot have a state income tax. Utility rates are among the lowest inVolusia County and presumably, Florida as a whole. Further, localhealth care is excellent. Several very good hospitals are in the areaand the Mayo Clinic of Florida is just 90 minutes north inJacksonville. Shopping and dining opportunities are plentiful,and you can buy anything you need within a five-mile radius ofthe City.

What makes the City special though is its people and their senseof community. Residents are friendly, help one another and areproud of their city. They are very accepting of newcomers, as

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Many people plan only to visit Port Orange, fallin love with it, and stay. As you consider applyingto become our next City Manager, know thatyou will not find a better place to call home.

HISTORY

The area’s modern history began in 1804 whenPatrick Dean was granted 995 acres from theSpanish Crown. Later known as the DunlawtonPlantation, its Sugar Mill still stands�afterbeing destroyed twice by Seminole Indiansduring the Second Seminole Indian War of 1836and being rebuilt.

In 1866, the Florida Land and LumberCompany brought 500 freed slaves to publiclands along the Halifax River (a.k.a., theIntracoastal Waterway), north of Spruce Creek.In 1867 Port Orange was incorporated as a city.By 1869, however, only nine families remaineddue to the economic decline of the settlement.

Not a great deal happened over the next 100years. In 1970, the city’s population was only3,800, and they lived largely along theIntracoastal Waterway. In the mid to late 1970sDunlawton Avenue (now Port Orange’s majorthoroughfare) was extended from a little west ofthe Intracoastal to Interstate 95, and the Citybegan to blossom. By 1980, the population was18,800 and 1990, it was 35,300.

Planned by choice, not by chance, Port Orange’spopulation grew by about 10,000 in eachensuing decade into the beautiful community itis today.

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DEMOGRAPHICS

For more information on Port Orange Demographics, see Table1 (top right).

CLIMATE

Port Orange has a humid subtropical climate with two basicseasons. From late May through October, it tends to be hot,humid and wet. Temperatures in June, July and August average inthe high 80°s F during the day and the low 70s at night. Rain fallsabout every three days and tends to come in relatively briefbursts. From November through April, it is drier. During thecoolest months (December through February), the averagedaytime highs are in the low 70s and nighttime lows drop toaround 50°F. Cold fronts drop the daytime temperatures into the50s with nights in the 30s a few times each month. Ocean breezeskeep the climate mild in winter and provide cool winds in thesummer. All in all, it is the perfect place for fun in the sun all yearround!

While hurricanes occur, they tend to be infrequent. That said,Hurricanes Matthew and Irma struck the area as a category 1storms in 2016 and 2017. Both caused primarily roof and treedamage. Since 1950 the only other direct hit by a tropical cyclonewas Hurricane Donna in 1960. It was also a category 1 stormwhen it passed through the area.

GEOGRAPHY

According to the United States Census Bureau, Port Orangecovers 28.7 square miles. Of that, 26.6 square miles is land. Thevast majority of the City lies west of the Intracoastal Waterwaywith only about a dozen blocks on the east side, none of whichborder the Atlantic Ocean. Daytona Beach lies to the north, NewSmyrna Beach to the south and unincorporated Volusia Countyto the west. See Figure 1 for more information. Port Orange is anaverage of three feet above sea level.

The City is about 60 miles northeast of Orlando, and 100 milessouth of Jacksonville. Atlanta is a 450-mile drive to the northeast.

Figure 1: Port Orange, FL Location

Port Orange

Educational Achievement (Over Age 25)

High School or Higher 92.0%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 25.8%

Other Statistics

Median Age�Port Orange 46.2

Median Age�U.S. 37.8

Median Household Income�Port Orange $51,883

Median Household Income�U.S. $61,937

Poverty Rate 14.9%

Table 1: Port Orange Demographics

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Distribution byRace Distribution by Age

White 86.3% 0 to 15 15.2%

Black 5.8% 15 to 25 11.2%

Asian 3.6% 25 to 45 22.0%

Additional Races 4.3% 45 to 65 27.1%

Total 100% 65 to 85 21.5%

Hispanic Ethnicity(all races) 7.2% 85 + 3.0%

Estimated Population: 62,832

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fill a vacancy until the April 13th specialelection. They are fiscally conservative,responsive and collegial�a group thatworks very well together. While they donot always agree, they respect each other’sopinions and move on once the vote hasbeen taken on an issue. They all have thebest interests of the residents at heart.They value and respect city staff members,the recommendations they make, andtheir professionalism.

The Council appoints the City Manager tooversee the City’s daily operations. It isdone with a two thirds super majority,while removal requires a simple majority.The individual manages the city’s day-to-

day operations and oversees an Assistant City Manager, sevendepartment heads (Administrative Services, Finance, Police, Fire/Rescue, Parks and Recreation, Community Development, andPublic Works & Utilities) as well as an executive assistant, thePublic Information Officer, City Clerk, and a Workday ProgramAdministrator. See Figure 2 on page 7 for more information. Solidwaste collection and disposal are performed by a third-partycontractor.

The City’s FY 2020-2021 general fund budget is $43,180,416 andthe total budget is $121,999,168. 37% of the Fund Balance isunallocated. Overall, the City has approximately 500 employeesand the largest departments are: Public Works and Utilities (149employees), Police (105), Parks and Recreation (75) and Fire/Rescue (65). The City has received the GFOA’s Awards forDistinguished Budget Presentation (for the past 30 years) and forExcellence in Financial Reporting (for the past 35 years).

The City recently implemented Workday HCM and Financialssoftware. It is part of a City-wide ERP effort to upgradeinformation and reporting capabilities for the Council, staff, andresidents. The Community Development Department isimplementing SmartGov this year, and the Finance department isreviewing the upgrade of its existing Utility Billing software. The

COMMERCE

Port Orange’s residents tend to be educated, productive, andcompetitive. Due to the City’s quality of life and the caliber of itsschools, many choose to live here and commute to jobselsewhere, such as the Space Coast and Orlando.Education, health care and government tend to be the area’slargest employment sectors. Raydon, a virtual reality-basedtraining company for defense and commercial applications, isheadquartered here. See Table 2 for more information.

THE GOVERNMENT

Port Orange operates under the council-manager form ofgovernment and is governed by a council composed of a mayorand four council members. All are elected to staggered four-yearterms with elections in even numbered years in November. Theyare limited to three consecutive terms, and it is not unusual forMembers to serve three terms. The Council Members representthe district they reside in but are elected at-large.

Of the current Council, the Mayor has served ten years, onemember has served eight years, another six, another four, and oneserving as an interim member, having recently been appointed to

Employer Industry Employees

American Builders &Contractors Supply Retail 2,600

Volusia County School District Education 901

U.S. Food Wholesale 490

City of Port Orange Government 485

Publix Supermarkets Retail 326

County of Volusia Government 277

Halifax Health Healthcare 235

Target Super Store Retail 250

Mariner Health Healthcare 200

Lowe’s HomeCenters LLC Retail 150

Table 2: Principal Employers, Port Orange, FL

Source: Port Orange, FL 2019 CAFR

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Third, as is true nationally, staffing the Police Department hasbecome difficult. Jurisdictions in Volusia County have over 130vacant positions, of which Port Orange has 16, or nearly 20% ofsworn officers. Creativity will be needed to eliminate thevacancies.

The fourth challenge/opportunity is the development of theRiverwalk Property on the west side of the IntracoastalWaterway, just north of Dunlawton Avenue. Currently largelyundeveloped, this 35-acre parcel is about 60% owned by the City,34% by Halifax Partners (with plans for high rise residential andsome mixed use) and the remainder by small existing businesses.The conceptual plan calls for park land along most of theIntracoastal frontage, a large park (approximately 30% of theproperty on the northern end), the Halifax Partnersdevelopment, and mixed use on the southern 25%. The challengeis to bring the conceptual plan to pass�identifying andimplementing projects that the City Council finds appealing andthe developers find profitable.

Fifth, Ridgewood Avenue near the City’s eastern boundary is alsoUS Highway 1. As such, prior to I-95, it was the major north-south road along the east coast of the United States, and many ofPort Orange’s early businesses were located along it. AsDunlawton Avenue became the City’s primary location forshopping, services, and offices, the businesses along Ridgewoodsuffered and the corridor is in need of rejuvenation.

Other areas to consider are: it will soon be time for an update tothe City’s comprehensive plan and while, the City has done agood job overall with succession planning, a few key positionsneed to have a strong second in command.

Finally, while nothing is broken nor are there any obviousdeficiencies, the incoming manager will want to review theorganization to ensure staffing is optimized, and that bestmanagement practices are in place in all departments.

City recently implemented Paymentus, USA as its onlinepayment system.

Most of the City’s employees are represented by one of fourunions: the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF-representing rank and file fire fighters), the International Unionof Police Associations (IUPA–representing rank and file policeofficers as well as sergeants), the Police Benevolent Association(PBA–representing police lieutenants) and the NationalAssociation of Government Employees (NAGE–representingwhite- and blue-collar employees).

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

Port Orange is well positioned physically and financially. Beinglargely suburban-style residential, it does not have many of theproblems of a typical city of 65,000. Its reserves are 37% of theannual budget. Its staff is very capable, and its departments arewell managed without silos. That is not to say the City does nothave challenges.

First, the City’s current strategic plan’s five-year cycle ends in2022. Now is the time to begin discussing the plan for the nextfive years as some significant changes are underway in theenvironment. Specifically, opportunities for growth will be muchmore limited in the future. As a result, new revenues from growthwill phase out. At the same time, Florida has a adopted a $15/hour minimum wage, increasing it from $8.56/hour. Whileincrease is gradual (to $10 per hour on September 30, 2021 and$1 per year thereafter until it reaches $15 per hour), the City willneed to pay some of its staff more. Port Orange also needs toinsure it is competitive with other employers if it is to attract thecaliber of employees it presently has. At some point in the future,it will need to undertake a pay equity study.

Second, Port Orange is in the enviable position of having a well-maintained infrastructure, but even well-maintained things wearout eventually. The City needs to be ever vigilant and part of thestrategic planning will need to be long term capital needs to avoidinfrastructure failure.

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AdministrativeServices

City Clerk Comm.&PublicInformation

CommunityDevelopment

FireParks &Recreation

PublicWorks&Utilities

Police Finance

HumanResources

ParksMaintenance

RiskManagement

InformationTechnology

RecreationBuilding Budget Engineering

Grants

Planning Accounting Administration

Purchasing

Fleet

Figure II: City of Port Orange�Organizational Chart

Citizens of Port Orange

City Council

City Manager Boards andCommissions

Exec. Assistant/OfficeManager

City Attorney

Assistant CityManager

AthleticsEngineering Customer

ServiceWater

Production

Public UtilitiesFieldOp.

ReclaimedWater

LaboratoryOperations

SolidWaste

PublicWorks FieldOperations

*The PWFieldOperations Divisionincludes roads and streets, stormwater/drainage, facilities maintenance andgroundsmaintenance.

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THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The City Council is seeking someone to workwith it as a partner, a supporter and a trustedadvisor. It wants someone who is intelligent,upbeat, friendly, outgoing, organized, positiveand with a "can do" attitude and who is visionaryyet practical. She/he will be resolute yet flexible,consistent, cheerfully persistent, high energy, anda leader�not a bureaucrat. When it is time tomake a decision, the individual will not hesitate.

The manager will have excellent communicationskills and use them. The individual will be apeople person�approachable, in thecommunity and part of the community, alwayslistening and always looking for ways to make thegovernment more responsive. The bestcandidate will be someone who can makeeveryone feel their views are being heard andwho will help bring the community toconsensus. He/she will realize that giving thecredit to others is the best way to get things done.

Customer service will not be just a catchy phrasewith the next manager but rather, along withintegrity, will be a core principle and a way of life.She/he will be someone who works with theCouncil, the community, local businesses andregional actors to find solutions to problems asopposed to someone who tends to find reasonsto say no.

The City Manager will be respectful of others,foster relationships, encourage teamwork,delegate and encourage an environment wherecreativity will flourish. The individual willrecognize talent, mentor that talent, and beconfident enough to then step back and let thestaff member do his/her job.

The ideal candidate will give assignments with both theresponsibility and authority necessary to carry them out. He/shewill set broad performance parameters but will also expect resultsand hold employees accountable. At the same time, theindividual will realize that creativity involves some risk and notevery plan succeeds. He/she cannot be someone with a zero-defect mentality. There is much to do in Port Orange and thestaff is very capable so the manager will be comfortabledelegating and leaving much of the day-to-day operations to theAssistant City Manager and to the Department Directors.

Training and professional development will be important to thenext manager. The City’s current staff is very professional andwants to continue to grow. The elected officials also see value intraining and education.

The best candidate will believe in transparency but also realize itslimits. He/she will work well with the traditional media andknow how to use social media to the City’s advantage. The abilityto anticipate/resolve issues before they become problems iscritical. Good judgment and common sense are essential.

In terms of specific skills, the individual will have a demonstratedtrack record of achievement in management, finance, grants, anddevelopment. Since Port Orange is nearing the end of its growthcycle, it will be important to have experience dealing with thenext phase�where costs increase but revenues from growthcease. Knowledge of and experience with intergovernmentalrelations will be important as will be collaboration and buildingconsensus. The City has worked hard improving its relationshipswith the County and its neighbors. That needs to continue. Skillin negotiating with both unions and developers will be essential.Experience with FEMA is a plus in case the City is faced withanother storm.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in businessadministration, public administration, public policy or relatedfield and seven to 10 years of increasingly responsible experienceas a senior-level government or private-sector executive isexpected. A master’s degree is preferred.

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The selected candidate should plan to make a commitment toPort Orange. This position should not be viewed as asteppingstone but as a gem in its own right. The City expects thecandidate will honor its prior managers’ tradition of passion andlong-term commitment to the City.

COMPENSATION

The salary range is $165,000 to $195,000. The City offers anexcellent, competitive benefits package with a pension providedthrough a 401A plan and the Manager can participate in a 457plan.

THE MOST RECENT CITY MANAGER

The most recent City Manager retired in December after servingin the position for five years so he can manage the affairs of anelderly family member. Port Orange has a tradition of longserving managers. It has had three permanent managers in thelast 36 years.

RESIDENCY

Although residency within the City limits is not required in theCharter or by city ordinance, the City Council expects its nextmanager to be a city resident.

HOW TO APPLY

E-mail your resume and cover letter to Recruit24@cb-asso.comby February 5th. Questions should be directed to Steve Sorrell at(513) 317-0678, or Colin Baenziger at (561) 707-3537.

THE PROCESS

Applications will be screened between February 6th and March9th. Interviews will be held on March 18th and 19th. A selectionwill be made shortly thereafter.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Wilmington, NC10

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The City of Port Orange is an Equal Opportunity Employer andencourages women, minorities and veterans to apply. A veteran’spreference will be awarded per Florida law.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For additional information about the city, visit:

www.port-orange.org

www.visitflorida.com/en-us/cities/port-orange.html

www.pschamber.com