BELLEAIR BEACH -- Rudy Davis bested Bert Cutler in Tuesday's voting for mayor, 392 to 142.
With the mayor's race settled -- the only contested election issue this year -- the new mayor and commission was sworn in last night, embarking Belleair Beach on its new form of government.
In the new set-up, the mayor serves as the presiding officer on the City Council and is a voting member.
The new city manager, Reid Silverboard, is the executive authority in the city and handles the day-to-day functions of the city. All city employees report to Silverboard. Changes are expected in what had been a very loosely run situation among certain employees. Observers are hoping thiw ill end with Silverboard's advent.
At Monday night's meeting, the last such meeting under the old form of government, Silverboard demonstrated his crisp professionalism with a memo he submitted to the council regarding amendments in the agreement with Harvard Jolly Clees, the architectural firm designing the new city hall.
At last week's meeting, Silverboard who has been serving as city administrator, pending his full takeover yesterday, was asked to nail down certain cost amendments with the architect.
He met with Ward Friszolowski of the architectural firm and discussed the fixed fee balances in the agreement.
The costs that he outlined in his memo, a piece of professional work that has not been seen in the city in some years, were $105,600 for architectural engineering, $24,000 for civil site engineering and permitting, $8,000 for landscape design and $13,300 for internal design. The total comes to $150,970.
That, of course, does not include construction costs, only those fees that Harvard Jolly Clees with collect for its work.
In other action Monday, the council approved on second and final reading an ordinance forbidding storage sheds, a resolution amending the pension plan.
While an employment agreement for Nancy McCollum, the city clerk, was on the table, the council did not approve it like it did with a similar agreement with the police chief recently.
No mention was made of compensating McCollum for doing two jobs since last October. As well as her extensive clerk duties she handled what Myrna Reynolds, the finance officer, did for months.
Reynolds was sick and died two weeks ago.