City Council - Special Meeting

Okay. I call a special meeting for Florence City Council to order. Please rise for the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Roll call, please. Councelor Van Hton, here. Councelor Stifl here. Councelor Mgleman here. Councelor Gardner here. Councelor Stone here. Councelor McKinnon here. Mayor Wolf here. And uh city attorney Dan Finley's here remotely.

Okay. Item three, consent agenda. uh consider approving the annual liquor license renewals for Louis Place and Alazison Mexican Restaurant number two. Someone like to make a motion to that. I'll make a motion for consent agenda A and B. I'll second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? I. Any opposed?

Okay. Motion passes. Consent agenda passes. All right. At this time, does anybody wish to have an executive session? Okay, hearing none, we will move to number five, new business, consider approval of an employment agreement with Lori Cobbler to serve as city manager. Um, at this time, we will have public comment in front of a new business. Um, just a reminder, got three minute time limit as always for public comment. Um, we will not be responding back probably directly to to questions in this, but we may address some in our remarks that that we have. All right, that Okay, remember your uh state your name, your address, and three minutes. Stay on topic. Make sure the green button is pushed.

The red button is pushed. It's now green.

Okay. Thank you. Uh, Zo Casulus, 916 West 2nd Street. Uh, thank you first of all for the opportunity for um us to speak at this meeting and for you to hear our voices. Um, I just have a few brief words. It's confusing and disconcerting to me as to how we've actually arrived at this point. First, let me say that I do not know Lori, and this is nothing against her personally. But it seems that there has been a discrepancy between the job description and search criteria and the qualifications she as the candidate that has been selected uh possesses. As a taxpaying member of the community, it's concerning to me to have paid a recruiting firm for an executive search only to not hire only not hire from, excuse me, to not only hire from within, but also to hire somebody with less qualification than other candidates and experience that does not meet the requirements set forth for the job. It is difficult for me to understand why if we thought we had a qualified individual already, we would not simply follow the law, post the job opening as required and then hire her if she was the most qualified candidate. And if the reasoning is that we thought we might find somebody more qualified, why when we did find at least three other candidates who were more qualified, did we not hire one of them? When I first bought a house in Florence 5 years ago, I saw this as a hidden gem with so much potential and brimming with possibilities. Sadly, I have watched those possibilities get squandered by

the leadership of this city. It seemed once again we had the opportunity to bring in new life and vibrance to the city and a vision for a sustainable future. The decision that was made seems to take us backwards and back to the status quo. These decisions do not seem to represent the desires of the community which have been voiced over and over again with concerns for honesty, transparency, and trust in the leadership. And those of us who invested have invested our lives, our families, and our livelihoods into the community are frustrated and angry with the city's inability to support a sensible future. There are many others who were not able to attend tonight's meeting to comment due to the time that it was scheduled. But we all cannot stand by quietly and watch our town continue to die. All right. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of council. My name is Kevin Mumalchi, managing editor and owner of the Florence Reporter, PO Box 10000, Florence, Colorado. While the city of Florence and council members have gone to great lengths to convince the citizens of Florence that the city's search for a new city manager was open, transparent, and a fair process, nothing could be further from the truth. Regardless of having very specific and clear parameters outlined for required credentials and timeline, the city repeatedly failed to stay true to the very process it created, especially when considering applicant Lorie Cobbler. The first example of what can only be considered as preferential treatment. Miss Cobbler was allowed to move forward in the application process despite not having a bachelor's degree in public administration, public policy, finance, or a related field, which is listed as a required credential on both the website

of the city's chosen search firm, strategic government resources, and zip recruiter. Here is Miss Cobbler's education as reflected on her application compared to another city manager finalist Chad Rooney. Cobbler is a graduate of the Sam Walton Institute and Walmart Leadership Academy. Rooney, on the other hand, has a has served as a town manager for the town of Williamsport, Maryland since 2021 and holds a doctoral degree in public administration from Liberty University, a master's degree in business administration from Asheford University and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration. In addition to being outmatched on paper, Mrs. Cobbler did not farewell with the city's secret citizen interview panel, which has largely been shielded from the public. According to my source, seven out of the eight member panel ranked cobbler dead last. Naturally, I requested to re review the panel's recommendations, but I have not received the information from the city. According to the member of the panel, quote, Lor's interview was the worst interview that I've ever been a part of. It was painful and embarrassing in my opinion, and I told the recruiter, Lorie should have never been considered. End quote. Does anyone care to elaborate as to how the city's interview panel came to be? Was there an open call for applicants that afforded every citizen an opportunity to participate? Were the me or were the members just handpicked by council members? Last and certainly not least, Cobbler, who has never managed a city before and lacks the required credentials, will receive an annual salary of $130,000 of taxpayer money. This is $28,000 more than what's currently being offered to a felony prosecutors that work within the 11th judicial district. Thank you. My name is Pat Hansen. I live at 603 West Fifth Street and I appreciate the the time that you're giving us to allow us to have public comment here. Florence is a small community and after

years of instability and wellocumented issues in city government, many of us were hopeful that this hiring process would mark a new start, a fresh start, one grounded in transparency, professionalism, and public trust. At the public meet and greet, we had the opportunity to meet and hear from all the finalists. Three external candidates presented strong educational backgrounds. They demonstrated research on our town and they spoke directly to the challenges that Florence faces. They offered visions. They offered strategies and they offered professional experience consistent with what the job description allows and outlines. The internal candidate with while she is a familiar face and a current employee does not meet the stated educational requirements. When qualification standards are set and they are publicly posted, it is important that the city follows them. Ignoring them undermines confidence in the process and raises concerns about fairness and transparency, especially in a town that is still working to rebuild trust in government. My concern is not personal. My concern is procedural. If the city has set minimum qualifications, the city should follow them. If the community is asked for input, that input should matter. And if Florence is trying to move forward, we need to demonstrate positions of leadership are filled through a clear, consistent, merit-based process. Florence has worked too hard and come too far to repeat the mistakes of the past. Please choose the path, the path that rebuilds trust, not the one that risks losing it. And I can say as a Florida, as a Florence resident moving from Colorado Springs in 2020, I've

invested lots of money in this town. We take pride in maintaining our property. We've done volunteer work in this community. We've helped out when there's events in this town. I used to go to city council meetings when I first came here, almost every meeting. I used to attend things. I used to go to the mayor meetings, but now apathy has taken over in our town. When you come to the meetings, you see a handful of people unless there's a really pressing uh issue. So sadly, this has dwindled. We don't feel heard. I was looking for a fresh start with a new candidate and I felt like the external candidates offered that fresh start. Sadly, this election will change nothing. We will stay status quo. Thank you.

Are there any other comments?

Good evening. I'm Susie Selbach. I live at 524 Brookway. Talk loudly into the mic. It's great. Okay. Okay.

I'm Susie Sealbach. I live at 524 Brookway. I bought my house here in Florence. Looking forward to positive growth which is not happening. Community involvement which has dwindled to almost none. And one of one of my concerns about this election is that I live by the rules and it has served me very very well. I do not understand why we elected someone that did not meet the criteria. If I'm wrong, certainly correct me, but I don't think I am. Or followed the guidelines, even the timelines. I I feel that's very very unethical and it it really does not promote any more trust. It w was so clear yet it seemed to be totally ignored. The other thing I want to know is how the interview panel was selected. Was that put out to the public where we we could show our interest? I would have been a great choice. I've interviewed a lot of people. I've hired a lot of people. I've fired a lot of people and I would have liked to have been among that panel. Another reason I would have been a good choice is I don't know Lori and I don't know very very many people here which would have made me totally unbiased. So I think I think we deserve an explanation. I mean how was the panel chosen? I if if I'm if that was put out publicly I missed it. And I echo the thoughts of the people that stood here before me. We have investments here.

We need to protect them. We need to feel good about where we live. Right now, I don't feel good about it at all. Thank you for your time. Any other comments? Okay, then we'll move on to the to the matter. Um item 5 A, consider approval of an employment agreement with Cory with Lori Cobbler to serve as city manager. Would someone like to make a motion to that? I'll make a motion for the council to consider the approval of an employment agreement with Lorie Cobbler to serve as Florence city manager.

Do we have a second? A second.

Okay. All right. Roll call, please. And just for your understanding that um council members may be making statement before uh they um say their vote. Well, I'll start with my vote. I vote I I've been on city council for a little over three years and we have gone through the process of hiring two city managers in that time. The first time our rookie council did an excellent job. The second time I think we did just as well. The second time we knew just what we were looking for and how important that job is to our town. We selected Lori Cobbler from a pool of good candidates and I thought Lori would give us a smooth transition and lead us in the positive direction that we are going. I have been impressed with her competence, knowledge, and integrity since I first came into office. She has a great grasp of procedure for all the departments and their functions, and I'm sure she will learn more as time goes on. I expect Lori to be very successful as our city manager and give us many years of constructive leadership, and I'll be watching you for four more. I would also like to use this time to thank everybody in the city staff who rose to the occasion again during this transition period. Chief Humphrey is an intern city manager and all the 40 plus city employees who provide for our community every day. I also vote I um see here. I've worked with Lori for the last two

years. Um and throughout the interviews, Lori stood out for her strong leadership experience, solid understanding of city operations, and a thoughtful practical practical vision for our city. Her background reflects a proven ability to oversee budgets responsibly and lead with both accountability and transparency. What impressed me most was her positive collaborative approach, commitment to transparency, and genuine passion for serving our community. I'm truly excited about what Lori will bring to our city and confident that she will be an outstanding leader. And I would also like to thank all of the city staff James.

So, what the recruiting firm went out and did, they brought us facts about every one of the candidates. Um, and that's something that council needs to base their decisions off of is what is presented to them. Um, what was brought forth was from um their um interviews from the city, the um meet and greet, those things were very important in this decision. Um and and I feel what Lori is going to bring is going to be very good for this city. She's been here for quite some time. She knows the system. Um and I feel she has what needs to happen. So my vote is yes. Thank you.

Feel that this was a very thorough process. Um the information that we received throughout this process looking at all the candidates from the get-go was overwhelming at times. You know we saw a toz information on them. Um I feel that this was a very thorough search. We took a thorough search uh look at every single candidate. feel that again I'm one voice of this council. I feel that a good decision has been made but my vote is no.

Councelor Gardner,

I vote yes. And I'm very confident that Lori will continue to move Florence forward. She cares and has a vision for Florence. My hope is that those who doubt your abil her ability will give her a chance to prove that she can and will do the job of the city of Florence manager. I have observed people with required credentials and not be qualified for the job. I have also observed people with not with required credentials that were more than qualified for the job. I believe in trust, Lori, and you have done proven yourself. Thank you,

Council McKinnon. I have to agree with all of these statements and I have watched Lori grow as a person. I agree because people that I have worked with in the past with the degrees and with a doctorate have not been competent. They h they've not done the job where others that have learned by doing are so much better than a textbook and what they can do. Anytime I have had a question on procedures, it's been answered immediately either by Courtland or by any one of the staff and by Lori. If I ask about a budget issue, is it there? Is it there? It's right there immediately. She's pulling it. She doesn't have to go, "Oh, um, well, let me look." She has it. I have watched this person grow and I trust her. I know what she thinks of this community. This is her life. This is her love and this is her home. And I vote yes. Mayor Wolf,

thank you. Um, you know, this was probably the most uh deliberate um thing I've ever gone through. I mean, uh, I got to give a big thanks out to to uh, SGR and Marsha for all she did from the recruiting standpoint. Um, big thanks to all the community and civic leaders and department heads and the public for coming out. Uh I need to thank all those individuals who reached out to me within the last three four weeks uh just on a onetoone basis. I mean every every citizen had the opportunity to do that reach out to uh one of their council people or to me as the mayor and uh thank all those people that did. Um I want to say this first there are no holes in the procedure. We are assured by the recruiting firm and council that things were done properly. Um and the one thing I am going to address the question that came up I think all maybe three out of the four times was about the characterized as a secret citizens review panel and that is false. We followed the same procedure we did the previous time. It was a civic leader group. We took all the civic groups that are within the city that we deal with and are involved in all of the city/ community activities that go on all year and we invite somebody to represent their comm community their group like the merchants like the chamber of commerce like the Elks the and I'd have to go down through that whole list again. We follow the same thing. We invited some of them have changed leadership since then and we invited sent an invite out for one person from all those groups to come in. So it wasn't a secret citizen. No one was

handpicked. It was more of a the civic group panel and that's the way it was characterized. um citizens. Every citizen had the opportunity to come to the meet and greet and and talk with each one of the candidates and like they said, every citizen had um the opportunity to talk to each any one of their um council members or to me. Um so there was nothing secret done. No one was handpicked about that. Okay. Um I am excited for the future of Florence. Uh we're going to finish up 2025 on a on a great note. Uh we are financially sound. We have master plan coming on. We have um our capital improvement plans out there. There are lots of things going on positive for this community. And I am excited because we're going to be able to hit the ground running in 2026. One of the first things I did this morning was I went and reviewed Lor's 100 day plan. All the candidates were required to submit a 100 day plan. I went and and reviewed that. Yeah, I got some questions in there and we're we're going to talk about some things. But there's also really really good things in there, some good changes just, you know, within the city. But I'm also looking forward to, you know, building these some of these build up and build back some of these relationships with regional partners. Um, you know, and those were specifics that Lori has in her in her plan. And because of all that, I vote yes. Okay, it carries 6 61.

I'm sorry, what was the question? Yes. 61. 61. Okay. Lori, I just want to say congratulations. Um, we look forward to to uh working with you and what you can do for the city of Florence. Okay. Any other comments here? All right. Um, hearing none. Do we have a motion to adjurnn? Um, I have one one item. Um, okay. Uh, if we could discuss the next regular meeting, December 15th, um, with Courtland.

Yes. As of now, there are no agenda items scheduled for the 15th. I got a couple consent agenda items on there for the uh local liquor licenses, but until then, we don't have any action. We got the valuation early from Fremont County. Lori took care of that. So, if you would like, I just need a consensus vote and we can just reconvene city council for January 2026. What if something would come up that we have to address? Special meeting. Special meeting. What about you guys? I see no opposition if there's no agenda items.

I agree. No agenda agenda items. I'm for postponing counseling.

Okay. But with the caveat, we know that if something does come up, we call the special meeting. Okay. On that same on the same note, um there's been something that I thought that, you know, we as a council need to potentially do and and have a workshop on on some water issues. I know we've had one, but they're pretty complicated and and there's a lot going on out there water-wise. And uh I think what I'll do is I'll ask Courtland to reach out I'll talk with Tom and ask Courtland to reach out to each one of you about the possibility of when might be a good time for a workshop dealing with water. Um you know, we know how complicated from from this whole process, we know how complicated it was. Um,

we're not talking water treatment. No, no, we're just talk there's all sorts of things going on. Yeah, that's on Yeah. Yeah. Oh, and I also want to say if you haven't if you get constant contact, we just put out the um information today on the new TOC um results came back really really good. Just a reminder, we there was a mixup clerical error and now we have to test on a monthly basis and those the results of those tests are on the constant contact and and we will post those every month as they come up. Okay.

Okay. I need a consensus. We need a consensus voice vote. Okay. All in favor of cancelling the December 15th council meeting. I I Any opposed? Motion passes. Okay. I will make a mo motion to adjurnn. Do a second. I second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right. City council adjourned at 528.