Town Manager Job in Lantana 33462, Florida US
Town Manager
Lantana, FL
(Population 10,423)
The Town of Lantana, incorporated in 1921, encompasses an area of 2.79 square miles located about 5 miles south of the City of West Palm Beach, Florida, eastward to the Atlantic Ocean.
Lantana is a full service community offering Police protection, Public Works, Water and Sewer Utilities, Building, Marine Safety and Municipal administration. The Town's form of government consists of a Town Manager with a Mayor and four Council Members elected for three-year overlapping terms. The Town Manager is appointed by the Town Council.
The Town of Lantana's recreational facilities include an eight-acre municipal beach with 745 feet of ocean frontage. Lantana has four passive parks, which encompass 12 acres. The Town also has a 22-acre sports complex which consists of several baseball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts and a playground. Lantana has a recreation center with four tennis courts (two lighted) and four shuffleboard courts (lighted). The Town has a two-acre boat launching facility capable of a four-boat capacity with a parking area.
HISTORY
The Town of Lantana is a coastal community in Palm Beach County, which still retains the charm of its origins as an old Florida fishing village. Although it is one of the smaller communities of Palm Beach County, it is noted as one of the oldest. The first settlers came after Congress passed the Armed Occupation Act in 1842 at the end of the Seminole Wars. One of the pioneer settlers, the Lyman family, is distinguished as the founders of the Town. M. B. Lyman brought his family to Lantana in 1888 and started several enterprises. He established a store, Indian Trading Post, and post office in 1889. As postmaster, Mr. Lyman named the post office as Lantana Point for the wild Lantana plant, which grew in abundance in the area. The “Point” was later dropped. The Town of Lantana was incorporated in 1921 with twenty-two residents voting in the first election. At the time of incorporation, the area of Lantana was one square mile with a population of 100 residents. Today, the Town covers 2.79 sq. miles, and the year round population is 10,423 with a seasonal population of approximately 13,500.
COMMERCE
The Town of Lantana is approximately 98% developed, primarily residential. During the fiscal year 2011, the Building Department issued 495 permits with fees of approximately $196,703 for total construction of $5.5 million. In addition, the Town issued 109 new business tax receipts and 1,239 business tax receipt renewals for total revenue of $206,735.
GEOGRAPHY
The Town of Lantana encompasses an area of 2.79 square miles and is located about five miles south of the City of West Palm Beach. The Town’s corporate limits extend just west of I-95 and eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. Four other municipalities and one unincorporated area of Palm Beach County border the Town. Palm Beach County is located on the southeast coast of Florida and extends westward to Lake Okeechobee with a total 2,230 square miles, including 46 miles of frontage on the Atlantic Ocean and about 25 miles of frontage on Lake Okeechobee.
CLIMATE
Lantana has a tropical monsoon climate with average temperatures around 83°F. Summers are wet; passing afternoon thunderstorms occur 50% of the time. Sea breezes cool the air the rest of the day. November through April tend to be mostly dry and quite pleasant—a perfect, long season. High temperatures average in the mid 70’s in the winter with average lows around 60°F. In the summer, the highs average around 90°F and the lows in the mid-70s.
Hurricanes do pass through the area from time to time, but tend to be relatively tame. With current construction standards, properties are better protected against storm damage.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The Town is quite diverse for its small footprint. 62.7% of residents are White, 25.5% African American or Black, 1.9% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 3.0% report two or more races, and 6.4% from other races. Of this population, 17.5% are of Hispanic origin. The ancestry of a portion of the population was approximately 15% West Indian, 6% Italian, 4% Irish, 4% German, 4% English and 3% Finnish according to the Census of 2010.
THE GOVERNMENT
The Town of Lantana was incorporated as a political subdivision of the State of Florida in 1921. Town government operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The Town Council consists of five, non-partisan council members. Elections are held every three years, with overlapping terms. A Vice Mayor and Vice Mayor Pro Tem are selected each year by the council members. The Town Council meets in regular session twice each month to set policy and carry out legislative matters of the Town. The Town Council appoints the Town Manager. Both elected officials and staff are dedicated to making the Town a better place to live.
The Town Manager oversees the Town’s day-to-day operations, and is responsible for directing all Town employees.
The Town provides a full range of municipal services including Development, Operations (including Sanitation, Marine Safety, and Parks), Library, Police, and Utilities (Water and Sewer). The general fund budget breakdown is $8.3 million, utility fund breakdown is $5.1 million, and the total budget is $14.8 million.
The Town has a millage rate for 2011/2012 of 3.2395.
THE ISSUES
Over the last several years, the Town has experienced tremendous loses in revenue due to effects of the recession. Property values have dropped from a high of $1.1 billion for Fiscal Year 2008 to the current valuation of $700.5 million for this budget. During this period the Town’s tax rate has remained consistent which has resulted in significant reductions in property tax revenues. Additionally, other categories of revenue have continued to shrink as overall economic conditions have worsened.
Town staff has worked diligently to right size the governmental entity to fit the economic realities of our citizens. This has required reducing the workforce and reassigning tasks and duties to remaining staff in order to keep services and programs functioning. All aspects of the Town government are constantly under consideration for changes that will result in maximizing every dollar.
Town staff has been successful in obtaining and implementing several energy grants. Additionally, the Town is a leader in the State for the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program and is coordinating the Municipal Energy Conservation Coalition (MECC). These efforts will inject new sources of revenue into the local economy while reducing energy use.
We are financially healthy and stable due to a conservative approach to government. Budget reserves for an entity of our size are more than adequate and are allowing us to pursue much needed infrastructure investment. Recurring costs for programs such as the Police Pension is among the lowest in Palm Beach County. Being fiscally conservative in the ‘good times’ when property valuations were very high, has helped position the Town to better weather the current ‘bad times.’
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will have a passion for Lantana, expertise in a wide variety of municipal operations and an energetic attitude. The manager will be someone with a strong management and financial background as well as excellent communications skills and a track record of achievement. This individual will be someone of high integrity whom the elected officials, the staff and the residents implicitly trust. He/she will deal with today’s problems and recognize the importance of long range /strategic planning.
This individual will provide the Town Council with the information it needs to make an informed decision; which includes recommendations that are logical and sensible. He/she will be someone who delegates, mentors, and builds teams. The ideal candidate will know how to balance the workings of his/her staff – monitoring performance and allowing the staff the latitude to do their jobs. The individual will place a very strong emphasis on customer service and have outstanding people skills. The Town is a small community and people expect their officials to be available and communicative. She/he will believe in transparent government, be involved in the community and focused on providing the best possible services at a reasonable cost.
The manager will have strong negotiation skills, be politically savvy but not politically involved, and have a good sense of humor.
A Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university with a major in administration, management, or a related field is preferred. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of ten years of progressively more responsible experience in local government management.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Under Florida’s public records act, once an application is submitted, it is deemed a public record. As a practical matter, we generally do not divulge applicant names until after the closing date. We do not expect extensive media coverage of this search as it progresses.
HOW TO APPLY
Submit a completed Town of Lantana employment application along with your resume to Tia Marie Kitchen by 4:30 PM on April 6, 2012. Direct your questions to Tia Marie Kitchen at (561) 540-5001.
THE PROCESS
Applications will be screened between April 6th and April 8th. Finalists will be selected on April 9th with a selection made on April 14th or April 16th.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Lantana is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages minorities to apply. The Town values its small town/neighborhood feel and is committed to serving its residents and businesses. A veterans’ preference will be granted if applicable under Florida law.
PLEASE APPLY VIA THE WEBSITE ONLY AS EMAILS WILL NOT BE RESPONDED TO.
Thank you.