R81 building and construction services appointment

1:02:09Yeah. Great. Thank you. Thank you to the County Attorney's Office for doing that too. Moving on. R81. R81, Mr. Biles. Is this yours? Or no? Yes, sir. Ms. Sally? Okay, one of you. Ms.

1:02:22Sherman.

1:02:23Good morning, Commissioner Sally Sherman, Assistant County Administrator. I come before you this morning seeking your confirmation on the appointment of Gary Jorner as our Building and Construction Services Director of Administration. He will be taking over the role that is currently being held by Ms. Paula Barlocardo. Who you later have on the agenda this morning, being considered for Director of Support Services, which is in more in line with her personal goals. At this moment, though, I'd like

1:02:53to pause and say thank you to Paula publicly for all of her support and hard work during this time period.

1:03:03Mr. Jorner is a native of Pasco County. He has over 30 years of work experience. He has worked in the role of enhancing the efficiency in service deliveries in the offices that he has worked in and held. He's dedicated to fairness and accuracy. I'd like to put a pin in those two words and come back to them later. He's managed over two hundred people.

1:03:31He has skills in improving organizational performance and delivering services to not only meet but exceed customer service expectations. This has been done while he builds trust, inspire confidence, and promotes accountability on both his staff and himself. When I thought about this position and the role that was needed, I focused on

1:04:01the mission of this organization and that serving our community to create a better future. Moreover, I focus on the values that have been identified in the Commission's strategic plan, which is paramount to me, one of the things that really inspire me on a daily basis. And those values centers around integrity, respect, service excellence, and innovation. Also when it comes to building and construction services,

1:04:31sir. Ah, bored. I think of life safety. And just for your information from June to October of twenty twenty. Building and construction services have issued approximately 47,000 permits. Of those 47,000 permits, they come in at a valuation of $2.5 billion. These permits were issued implementing

1:05:03codes and ordinances adopted by you, the commission, and also adhering to some other local, state, and federal policies, which is Paramount. And that's where it comes in with accuracy and fairness in service delivery. When you hear about building and construction services, sometimes we focus on some of the failures and tragedies. That's what they report in the newspaper. But what they don't focus

1:05:33on are those thousands of structures that are built. Two standards meeting life safety codes. You can't quantify. a life when you're dealing with building codes and permitting.

1:05:50I have had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Jorna on a number of occasions and I strongly feel that his personal values are totally aligned with the values of this organization. And I have um joked with him on occasion saying that you must have been in the meeting that I just completed because the things that he said resonated with what I, our Administrator, Mr. Bow, and you as the Commissioner want to see in-service

1:06:20delivery when it comes to permitting. So again, I come to you seeking your confirmation on the appointment of Mr. Gary Jorner as our Building and Construction Services Director of Administration.

1:06:34Thank you, Ms. Sherman.

1:06:38Questions? Talk um

1:06:41Mr. Chairman Mariano.

1:06:43Yeah, go ahead, sir.

1:06:45Um, Sally, I was gonna say, um, and and I wanna say Sally, I think you're doing a phenomenal job as as uh our assistant county administrator hope that s it's over permitting. Um it is a difficult job and we've talked many times and you've you've helped get a lot of things through, but we still struggle, seem to get 'em through. Do you think that this position which I'm okay with the position itself, but do you think we should look internally as far as your own department and look even externally as far as any if there's any of the best candidates that may be out there as well.

1:07:16Commissioner Mariano, I appreciate your compliment and I also appreciate uh your bringing that to the forefront. I we have considered internally and I'm going to tell you that internally I don't feel that there is a person that We'll be able to handle the position. Again, um based on what I've been able to learn and discern based on looking at Mr. Jonah's background. Um

1:07:47in a very um unique way. Asking questions of his current team members and past team members. I truly feel he's the candidate for this position.

1:08:02Ooh.

1:08:03Mana uh I'm sorry, I apologize. Yeah, I was trying to see if he had a follow-up to that, but it doesn't look like so. Okay.

1:08:09Um Sally.

1:08:10Commissioner Starkey.

1:08:11Yeah, and Glenn I again, I'm so glad you're here and um Uh I know we have a lot of work to do and and uh you have your hands full. And I do think this position is needed. But um as I mentioned to the administrator I have a little reservation with this selection. Just from my own personal interaction when I found something that wasn't correct, and I uh on our uh in his world of property appraising, and

1:08:41I brought it to his attention at multiple times, and it was never corrected, and it was frankly the answer was not. That there they weren't gonna do anything about it. And it took doc me talking to Dr. Bellis about it. to get get it fixed and it costs this county tens of thousands of dollars. And while, okay, forty, fifty thousand dollars maybe isn't a lot of money, the um The in action. um

1:09:13of of fixing the problem does not sit well with me because you're Your department in in that position needs a lot of action. And um and so I'm I'm probably not in support. Yeah. I think we need to maybe keep looking.

1:09:34Commissioner, while I um appreciate your comments, I would like to say that

1:09:41I'm sure that with the 47,000 permits that we've issued during this past year, you're going to find some people who felt that we have not done things as they felt that it should have been done. And I ask that you trust me in making sure, and I think each of you will attest to the fact that if there's an issue that comes up and you notify me that it is looked into immediately, that's my role and that's Mr. Bao role. And I'm certain that uh if

1:10:11there's a concern that arises, it'll be um handled appropriate appropriately. I I still go back

1:10:17to the point that it wasn't wasn't my role. to um fix it, I brought it to the attention of someone in in a leadership position that should have fixed it. And I brought it to his attention multiple times. and it never got fixed on their end. And so that to me is a lack of leadership. And I think you need leadership in that position. So that's that's where I am.

1:10:41And I appreciate it, but I'm the role that's going to ensure that it will be addressed and I will Guarantee that for you, Commissioner.

1:10:52Ms. Fitzpatrick.

1:10:53I was just wondering, was this posted and listed publicly? So was there any other applications?

1:10:59No, this was an internal this was a specific hire, an an internal position hire.

1:11:05Okay, so

1:11:08And then my other question just was his level of education. Is he replacing Paula?

1:11:15So as Ms. Sherman mentioned, Paula's moving over to another position that's more in line with her long term career goals and we are supportive of that. And that's coming up in a couple items.

1:11:25I

1:11:26so this this is a position to that that that is NBCS to run the department and the key experience that that Mr. Joyner brings is his customer service. expertise and running government customer service operations. And that is what we need. You know, eighty-five percent of our permits are not the standard home builder. They're not the commercial developer. They are the one offs, if you will. And so that is where we need to focus our customer service

1:11:56operation. And that's that's what we need to do. And you know, again, this is an an operational issue. We are we are hiring somebody to fill an operational role, which is what you really hired me to do. Uh and so that is kind of what we're doing here.

1:12:10We have a comparison between the two and I'm just looking I know I'm new with this, but looking at Paula's salary of a hundred and five thousand and then having someone replace her for twenty thousand more. It just

1:12:24it's it's what the market were better for those two positions. You know, they're the both positions have different level of expertise, a different level of

1:12:36And so that's kind of where we and how we define the salary requirements of those positions.

1:12:42Right, but if he is replacing Paul's position.

1:12:47Commissioner Fitzpatrick, I apologize. I'm doing to do this to you real quick, but um you're you're getting feedback, which is we're not I don't think the public can hear you. Um Thank you. Thanks for fixing that. And I apologize, but I wanted to make sure everybody could hear you clearly.

1:13:02I was just I don't remember where I was at.

1:13:04Sorry.

1:13:05Um, that's okay. I was just asking if Paula was making a hundred and five thousand and Mr. Joyner was going to come in and replace her, why is he getting paid a hundred and twenty-five thousand? So it just doesn't look

1:13:19I

1:13:19don't know the Paula

1:13:21was only in there as an interim fill while we went through this process. Waiting on Mr. Joyner to become available and then being able to fit in the role. So that was an interim position for a short duration. with the idea that we would then be moving her into a position that is more in line with her long term career goals, which is what we're doing today. And then eventually Yeah.

1:13:47So you felt she was qualified to do that position, but she wasn't getting on a short and then on a

1:13:51short term basis, on an interim basis.

1:13:54I'm just looking at the pay scale difference from male to female doing the same job.

1:14:04Well one was doing it an interim I I understand your concern. One was doing an interim basis and you know the one oh five is actually based on the criteria and duties and skills of the one she's moving into, not the one she's leaving. And that's a that would be a permanent salary. She had a temporary boost while she's in their interim following our pay policy NHR. And so that we were following the policy with her. When we went out to hire Mr. Joyner, we are working on what the market would

1:14:34bear for that position. And that is what we're hiring him at.

1:14:37Oh. Thank

1:14:38you. Commissioner

1:14:39Oakley. Thank you,

1:14:40Commissioner Yeah. Yes. I um I appreciate Ms. Sherman's um value in this position and and um her choice of Gary Joiner feeling that I have I Believe that that probably is the right decision at this point. I have a little reservation because of some of the things that happened with some of our owners and developers of properties that are gonna be developing and coming to your office in the future, that I wanna make sure that there's no issues uh

1:15:11caused by what he's done in the past as a property appraiser. uh to affect those people coming forward with new projects, new uh developments coming coming forward. And so I have all the confidence world and Mr. Bowes uh choice of this position and and following through with it. And I know that if there's conflicts and things that will um affect that position and affect us as a county, I

1:15:41would feel assured that you would take care of that right away and we wouldn't have that issue. So with that, I do give you my support and I make a motion we accept.

1:15:55So I have a motion on the on the table to accept. I do have one question though, uh so I haven't had a chance to have a discussion yet. Um this is just this is general. Um you know, typically a position, because this question was just raised. Um I think either Commissioner Fitzpatrick or I think it was Commissioner Fitzpatrick that raised it. Um typically on director level positions from my memory. Um unless it's an internal promotion. They're always publicized. I don't remember one time. When we

1:16:25did not publicize an opening unless it was an internal Promotion.

1:16:32Yeah, Commissioner, I can answer that one. Please. Yeah, in general we would. In this one I felt uh with uh Ms. Sherman that you know there was a talented individual out there that was specifically had the skills and experience necessary to do the job that was already Effectively, a Pasco County uh employee is a property appraiser, and it just made sense to just go directly to him and not. go through the process when I already knew who we thought we needed to hire. And and so we didn't want to anytime you go through that process you

1:17:03put other people through time and effort to get through that. When and if you already know who you think you want to hire, then it probably makes sense just to go straight to to the end result. And when So, you know, I kind of go by the the mono, you know, when there is talent available that is that would make sense for the county or for whoever I'm working for, I want to try to accumulate that talent. And that's part of what we try to do here at this point.

1:17:27Also Chair, one of the things that you and the commission have tasked with the division is the improvements that you want to see with regard to customer service. And I feel that this is the most efficient way to continue to advance those improvements in a timely manner so that we can get to where you want to be with customer service delivery in the branch.

1:17:52Uh Commissioner Oakley as a question. Okay.

1:17:56Can we postpone this to be an agenda item till next month and open it up so it's publicized so we make sure he to confirm that he is the best person for the position?

1:18:07I I w I would prefer not. I mean the board obviously can do what and direct us what the board wants to do. I I would go back to, you know, the hiring and firing of the county employees as an operational decision that, you know, we bring the director as an above to the board for confirmation. Yeah.

1:18:23Mr. Chairman M let me let me go but up let me yeah hold on one second Commissioner We Just let me go, but to her to answer your question, yes, you have the ability to do that. Yes, you do. Okay. Want to make sure you understand that. Thank you. There's a preference, but you as a commissioner does do have the ability to continue an item if so see fit. Commissioner Mariano.

1:18:43I was gonna say in in and kind of uh talking with uh listening to Commissioner Starkey bringing up a a customer service point. I will tell you that people at the Lynx golf course, uh, when they found out, which they didn't know, kind of surprised all of us, including myself. uh that the agricultural exemption was granted there. Uh I know that people try to reach out to him to get him to uh come meet with him to some degree and I don't know that it that happened. From what I understand it didn't happen. Uh and when we're gonna be in that position, we need

1:19:13responsive uh action right off the bat. And back to Christina, Commissioner Oakley's point as far as going out on the market, I think there's a lot of people out there would have a great skill set that could actually help and may have superior skill set. And I think one of the things that Paula struggled with while she was there and and Paula did a phenomenal job But you if we can find someone with the skill set in the permitting business, just like Sally's grown up in the business, she's got the skills from the bottom line level all the way to the position

1:19:43she's at now, I think there may be some talent that's out there and if we don't look out there and find the best person for this position, which is a very, very critical position. We deal with this all the time. Uh for four years, Dan, I I we've given you, you know, whatever you need it to go as far as to find the right people coming in. I think Sally was a great pick, but I think if we're gonna bring this position forward the way you've done it, I think we're best serving the peace people of Pasco to put, look at everybody out there. Not to even take him out of the position, but at least less to go look at the talent that's out

1:20:13there and who wants this job and find out what's best for the position.

1:20:18So I st I still have a motion on the floor. I have not read I I will call for a second. Do I have a second on Commissioner Oakley's motion?

1:20:27What was his motion?

1:20:28So I do not have a com a second on Commissioner Oakley's motion. I did have I did have it was not a motion, but I had a s a question if a motion could be made about continuing the item. But Right now my I don't have I'm okay

1:20:46to continu

1:20:46I don't I don't have a let me and I apologize. I still don't have a second on the other motion. So with that that motion dies. Did you you have to do that? I will make

1:20:58the motion to postpone it to the next agenda to next month on the agenda.

1:21:02So I have a motion to continue this to the December

1:21:06discussion.

1:21:09I think her motion was to postpone it and advertise. advertise and

1:21:16just make sure we have thoroughly made sure. Yeah so

1:21:19why don't you restate what it

1:21:21is that you want.

1:21:24I would like to make a motion to advertise publicly the position to make sure we have the superior person and the best fit for the job.

1:21:33That is the motion on the floor at this time.

1:21:35I'll second that.

1:21:36So I have a second to that motion. Discussion.

1:21:41Discussion.

1:21:44I will call that motion.

1:21:47Yeah. District One, Commissioner Oakley.

1:21:50Hi.

1:21:51District 2, I'm sorry, District 3, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District 4, Commissioner Fitzpatrick. Aye. District 5, Commissioner Mariano.

1:21:58Aye.

1:22:00District two, Chairman Mariano.

1:22:01I motion passes 5-0 and just for discussion, if I understand, make sure we understand correctly too, is that um that it's not taking anybody out of the running for the position, but this position at the board's direction will now be advertised and um

1:22:19That we brought to back to us after that's advertised.

1:22:23Yeah. Okay. I guess uh I don't see any nodding heads, but I assume that's what's going on. That's what I heard. Okay. Okay, directions been given.