BELLEAIR BEACH - The City Council Monday night turned down a move to reverse the action it took at a special meeting February 15 to re-broadcast on the city's television station the candidates' forum that was held last night.
Voters go to the polls next Tuesday and those who were vitally interested in the election had a chance to hear the six candidates for three seats on the council last night.
Some hot oral scuffling surrounded the controversy on re-broadcasting the debate. But the move to dump the action of three weeks failed, 4-3, and those who didn't make it to City Hall last night or didn't or who want to see the re-run can do so on BBTV15, the city channel.
Opposition to the broadcasts centered on a panoply of arguments presented in a manner that would have left the members of the U.S. Supreme Court agog with glazed eyes.
More of that scuffling occurred on the issue of creating a television advisory committee, the makeup of the group and the policies that will generally be followed with city broadcasts.
Those ideas got counsel approval with Mayor Rudy Davis and Councilmembers Lynn Rives, Jeff Coulson and Stan Sofer consistently supporting the resolution.
Monday's meeting, on the verge of a new election, marked the city's first year under its new manager-council form of government.
City Manager Reid Silverboard's stellar efforts over the past year were recognized. Davis pointed out that after 55 years the city had undergone a major change in its form of government and the channeling of procedures into a new form was a Herculean task that Silverboard performed excellently.
All this tied in with the business at hand which was the evaluation of Silverboard and a concomitant raise.
Davis suggested that Silverboard get a 5.7 percent increase as did all city employees and urged, in addition, a one-time 10 percent bonus that translated into $6,000.
All the members chipped in with their ideas, nobody asking anything less and even one member shooting for a flat $10,000 bonus.
Silverboard wound up with a $3,420 increase and a $6,000 one-time, lump-sum bonus.
In other action, the council approved on second reading an ordinance on purchasing procedures. It raises the allowable limits for the manager to spend without council okay to $3,000. It had been $1,000.
On amounts from $3,001 to $10,000 council approval must be sought and on amounts higher than $10,001 bids must be invited.
An ordinance relating to decals to be put on vehicles so that residents may permissibly use the beach accesses in Belleair Shore will no longer necessitate a city employer personally putting a decal on a vehicle.
The decals can be mailed out and residents will put them on.
The council spent some of its three hour and 40 minute meeting on some touch-ups presented by Harvard Jolly Clees on the new city hall.
Then it barrelled into a long discussion on whether residents could have basketball hoops out in the neighborhoods.
After an involved and intense struggle over this vital question with aspects of liability and oppressive rule making introduced into the conversation, the issue was left that if folks want to heave the big old Wilson into hoops let 'em go ahead and the city would remain on the sidelines unless a swarm of complaints inundated City Hall.