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Century Hires Consulting Company At $7,500 A Month As ‘City Manager’
December 13, 2023
The Town of Century has hired a consulting company to act as a city manager for $7,500 per month to help Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. run the town.
The contract with Local Government Consulting Group of West Palm Beach, is effective for up to six months, plus any renewals. The town can terminate the contract with 15 days notice, or the consultant can terminate with 30 days written notice. Howard Brown, Jr., is the principal of the company, but the contract allows managing members Erin Connelly and Cheryl Harrison-Lee to work with the town.
The town accepted the city manager proposal after newly appointed Century interim Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. told the council that he would need help to properly run the town.
“I know that I am in over my head, but I don’t want the town of Century to suffer due to my lack of experience in this position,” Gomez told his town council a few minutes after he was sworn in in late August.
Months ago, Gomez asked the town council to consider contracting with consultant Robert Thompson of DeFuniak Springs, who he said was recommended by the Florida League of Cities. However, Thompson later accepted a job in Arkansas.
Gomez introduced Brown during a council meeting in November, telling the council that it was critical that quick action be taken to bring a town manager on board. He then pushed for a short-notice special meeting, less than 48 hours later, in order to hire Brown, but a contract was first developed by the town’s attorney.
Howard’s proposal states that he “has served as a City Manager with a national perspective, having successfully managed municipalities across the country.” and “My municipal government experience spans a diverse range of communities, including urban, rural, and suburban areas,”. His experience included village manager in Indiantown, Florida, city manager in Bell, CA, Muskogee, OK, and of Opa-Locka, FL.
Under the contract, the consultants scope of services includes:
- Attendance at Meetings of the Town Council. Consultant shall attend in-person all meetings of the Town Council.
- Operational Analysis: Consultant shall evaluate Town operations and provide strategic recommendations to enhance service delivery efficiency under the direction of the Town Mayor or designee.
- Financial Management: Consultant shall advise on budgeting, financial planning, and fiscal management to ensure sustainable town finances, as directed by the Town Council.
- Economic Development: Consultant shall formulate economic development strategies to drive business growth and employment, in collaboration with the Town Mayor and Council.
- Community Engagement: Consultant shall design and execute initiatives for community involvement, ensuring alignment with the Mayor’s vision and Council’s directives.
- Strategic Planning: Consultant shall create a strategic plan, working closely with the Town Mayor, designee, and the Town Council to encapsulate the Town’s long-term objectives.
- Policy Development: Consultant shall assist in crafting policies and administrative procedures in response to the Town Council’s legislative goals.
- Staff Development: Consultant shall conduct training programs for town staff as directed by the Town Mayor or designee.
- Legislative Support: Consultant shall provide expert advice on compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements as requested by the Town Mayor or Town Council.
- Project Management: Consultant shall manage specific projects as assigned by the Town Mayor or designee, with oversight from the Town Council, to ensure successful implementation.
- Performance Metrics: Consultant shall develop and maintain performance metrics, reporting to the Town Mayor or designee and Town Council on the progress and effectiveness of Town services.
Comments
33 Responses to “Century Hires Consulting Company At $7,500 A Month As ‘City Manager’”
Isn’t Century already in debt all the dopeheads out there none hardly work, so our taxes is goin to a guy that looks like he is smiling so nicely like the guy on that nutrigenex commercial about men over 40 and your ladies will like it too. Well I don’t agree too this how is this guy going to know what’s best but who knows he might come in amd see all the money exhortations of the other’s who knows but I guarantee he won’t give a crap about nothing but making his company money.
When Donald Trump was President, he accepted no salary. f Gomez is Mayor and wants to hire a firm to do his job @ $7500.00 a month then he should accept no salary or take it out of his income.
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Gimme a break. my tax money is being trashed. a trained chimp could run century.
I’m not exactly certain of the town’s population but I saw it to be at, or near 1,700 folks,
give, or take. I’m wondering if each resident donated 20 hours a month towards making improvements for their town if it would yield a positive beneficial result? I’m fairly confident that at a minimum it would create a genuine sense of ownership and foster a delightful esprit de corps rather than what seems to be endless criticism and snarky jabs at all of those previous unsuccessful experiences. If my math is mathin correctly that would equal 400,000 volunteer hours per year if it were 100% participation rates. 34,000 hours per month I think. My profession is large loss high end commercial disaster restoration construction project management. So I’m responsible for significant sums of money in property, equipment, personnel, labor, and safety and generally the overall financial health and well-being of whatever project is assigned to me. If I had those labor hours available to me I’d could get you all to the moon in a year if that was the objective. I’m not poking at the residents of the town, just offering some encouragement and perspective on what can be accomplished with the proper approach, attitude, motivation, determination and a willingness to make whatever changes that are necessary to achieve something to be proud of, a legacy to leave for your posterity and an undeniable testimony to your commitment to your town and to each other and the life you truly want there. It’s much easier to sit on the fence and hurl insults and offer words of condemnation, but in my experience that sort of thing yields zero positive impact or results. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Good luck Centurions.
Meanwhile, Florida legislators are preparing proclamations to name roadway segments after semi-famous people and declare that today is “such and such day” instead of investigating fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds by entities like this.
Is this legal? You just sabotaged the election process? The people of Century voted for the mayor and now the mayor is being “replaced” by the consultant.
Why have an election? Just appoint a consultant.
Hmmm maybe someone should look into who knows who and how this come about.
The mayor’s salary, or at least half of it, should go towards the contract. Only fair because the consultant is going to carry the burden of the city.
SO, how under the town Charter can the town have a RECALL?
finely all of Centurys troubles are over.
Well, since we now have an overpaid manager to run the town, I see no need to have a mayor or the city council. We need to fire those and save the town a little money anyway.
I Love the Smell of Fraud in the Morning, it smells like… CENTURY
Mr Ben Boutwell was trying to lead this town and was doing I believe a great job. He just needed some help. I know his salary was not near this. I don’t see where a town this size can afford a person like this.
I am positive someone local person would have taken this job. No travel expenses would be needed. Plus the local person would already know how many years Century has been struggling. There are tons of retired managers who could manage Century.
I would like to know the pay scale of the city council and mayor.
Scammers hiring scammers to help ‘em scam.
Under the contract, the consultants scope of services include:
Do the Mayors job.
How can they afford a consultant at $7500/mth and pay back the money to the Children Trust? They haven’t had competent leadership in probably 20 years. The charter needs to be revoked and absorbed by the county. Maybe something productive will get done to manage the area.
@Eric M Century definitely doesn’t do background checks. What a HUGE JOKE!
And the beat goes on…….
First chapter in the book of “How Not To Run A City”.
Have you done your homework on this crook? Buyer beware!
I feel sorry for everyone that lives in Century. If the mayor was elected by the people who thought he was capable to run the town of Century and now paying $7K a month for someone to come in and help him run the town? Get rid of the mayor and hire the consultant.
I just hate my hard earned tax dollars is being fleased by these inept’rs
If the Mayor needs this, someone should review what occurred in the contracting process and then, review the qualifications needed to be Mayor of Century. If I am not mistaken, Century just made a substantial raise in taxes. Is there a correlation between the two: raise taxes to pay an agency to tell the Mayor what to do in that position? $7500 a month for 6 months, possibly to be extended?
I don’t live in Century so I don’t keep up with everything that goes on there but is it unreasonable to ask why Mr.Gomez ran for mayor if he didn’t have a clue how to be a mayor and now needs the city to pay $7500 a month for someone to come hold his hand . Another thing I’m curious about is I do follow northescambia.com and read most articles and remember them writing several articles on the Century city council for one thing or another and would add the names of who attended and who didn’t and i remember one who was absent a lot and now i wonder was that Mr. Gomez. My memory fails me a lot now days.
I feel like Mr. Gomez should step down and allow someone who knows what they’re doing take the lead. That’s a lot of money that could be going towards something needed
Just another on a long list of fails for the town.
Disband it, sell off assets, and do the citizens a favor.
Better yet, have the state revoke the charter.
The third world city council that runs Century shouldn’t expect any sympathy when they cry how broke the town is when they are funneling money to this sort of thing. The soft coup which removed Boutwell from the mayor’s office now rears its ugly head with unbridled spending run amuck. The town government needs to be dissolved in that good city government and management is made a mockery by this sort of thing.
Cool. Hire the guy who was 2nd in command for a city/town where everyone around him was arrested by the FBI and where he was also suspected of federal crimes. Seems Century is in a self inflicted death spiral.
You should know who you are dealing with
https://talkaboutmartin.com/2021/04/27/howard-brown-the-fbi-opa-locka-florida/
“Will Mr Brown move from Palm Beach to Century?”
Bet not for a 6-month job. But it does say in the article that he or another partner are expected in-person at council meetings. Bet he charges them for travel/lodging.
Did anyone bother to do a background check, contact previous employers or even bother to do some research on Google? Will Mr Brown move from Palm Beach to Century?
Google the man and his previous history. Always wise in any situation.
Also, 7500×6=$45,000. His worth more than Christmas Decocations for $40k, apparently.
Someone must investigateand and stop Century’s pattern of spend, beg for grants, spent, beg for more grants and spend more.
Where is the responsiibility?