CITY MANAGER
CITY OF LAKELAND, FLORIDA
THE COMMUNITY
Lakeland is a premiere city, located in Polk
County very near the exact geographic center of Florida. It is approximately 30
miles east of Tampa and 40 miles west of Orlando. Founded in 1885, Lakeland has
a population of 87,000 and covers 68 square miles.
Recognized
nationally by Money Magazine in 1998 as the “10th Best Place
to Live in America” for medium-sized cities in the South, Lakeland offers its
residents an exceptional quality of life. Beginning with Lakeland’s downtown
district, which has been under a continuing program of redevelopment for several
years, the City exudes beauty, charm, vitality, and a palpable sense of
continual progress.
The beauty of
historic Munn Park in the heart of downtown is complemented by a charming
commercial district with numerous specialty shops, restaurants, and night-time
entertainment opportunities. The Lake Mirror Promenade features magnificent
columns and a seawall with classical ornamentation. Nearby Hollis Garden boasts
a European design with more than 10,000 flowers and shrubs. The list of “beauty
marks” could go on and on. The parks, lakes, streetscapes, and beautifully
renovated businesses and government buildings make for a captivatingly beautiful
downtown.
Culture and
history abound throughout the city. Lakeland’s Florida Southern College features
the world’s largest one-site collection of buildings designed by the legendary
architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. The Imperial Symphony Orchestra provides the
finest in instrumental music and concerts. The Lakeland Center is a top-rated
entertainment, sporting, and convention complex. The historic Polk Theatre, a
grand fully-restored 1927 theatre, provides a venue for community-sponsored
films and special events.
Lakeland’s
special events are too numerous to mention, but they include the annual Orange
Cup Regatta, a nationally acclaimed, limited hydroplane boat race; auto racing
at the USA International Speedway; and the Experimental Aircraft Association’s
annual Sun ’n Fun Fly-in, an aerial extravaganza that has become America’s
second largest aviation event of its type. Spring home to the Detroit Tigers,
Lakeland also boasts the Lakeland Tigers baseball team, Mayfaire-by-the-Lake Art
festival, The Polk Museum of Art, Explorations V Children’s Museum, the Pied
Piper Players, Arts on the Park, the annual Florida Southern College Festival of
Fine Arts, and the Florida Dance Theatre.
Lakeland’s
municipal golf course and 32 public tennis courts are complemented by numerous
public and private golf courses and tennis courts. Forty-nine well maintained
municipal parks dot the City and, together with the City’s 38 named lakes,
provide a multitude of opportunities for active and passive recreation. These
include two pools, two top-quality weight rooms, eight racquetball courts, bike
trails, and many water activities.
Lakeland abounds
with educational opportunities. In addition to Florida Southern College,
Lakeland is home to several other colleges, including branch campuses of Polk
Community college and the University of South Florida. Lakeland takes pride in
the superior performance of its public school students.
Anchored by
facilities such as Watson Clinic, The Center for Cancer Care and Research,
Lakeland Regional Medical Center, and Lakeland Regional Cancer Center, Lakeland
is positioning itself to be a “Mecca” of healthcare.
Shopping
opportunities are abundant, from numerous small specialty shops to the
one-million plus square foot Lakeland Square Mall. Dining opportunities abound
in downtown and throughout the City.
Interstate 4
passes through the northern part of the City and the Polk Parkway traverses the
southern half of Lakeland. Together with Linder Regional Airport, its high
quality of life, its proximity to Tampa and Orlando, and its business-friendly
recruitment policies, Lakeland has enjoyed considerable success with business
development, and that success is on-going. Major companies with corporate
headquarters in Lakeland include Publix Supermarkets, Watkins Motor Lines, and
Saddle Creek Corporation.
CITY GOVERNMENT
Under its
charter, the City is managed with a Commission-Manager form of government that
has been in place since the mid 1920s. The legislative body consists of a Mayor
and six Commission Members. Each is elected at-large for four-year staggered
terms. The Commission and City Manager positions have both been very stable.
There have only been three City Managers in Lakeland since 1960, and the
incumbent is retiring after 25 years of service, three as City Manager.
With a staff of
2,100 full-time and 525 part-time employees, the City of Lakeland is a
full-service city. The City has its own electric utility which supplies an area
of 258 square miles. By customer count, Lakeland Electric is the 3rd
largest municipal electric utility in Florida and the 23rd largest in
the U.S. The City also owns and operates the Linder Regional Airport, the
Lakeland Center, and Cleveland Heights Golf Course. All departments of the City,
with the exception of the City Attorney, are under the supervision and control
of the City Manager.
The City’s
population has grown substantially over the past decade through annexation and
infill, and this growth continues. The tax base has experienced steady
increases due to growth and increases in property values. This, in combination
with dividends from the electric utility and other enterprise funds, has allowed
the City to maintain an ad valorem tax rate of $2.995 per thousand dollars of
taxable value, one of the lowest in the area. The City has a current General
Fund budget of $70 million and a Total Budget of $426 million.
The City has
excellent working relationships with the County, surrounding cities, the chamber
of commerce, and local businesses and associations. These relationships have
fostered partnerships that have allowed the City to tap many resources in
support of its continual quest for quality of life improvements. Some examples
are the Downtown Development Authority and the Community Redevelopment Agency,
both of which provide tax increment financing for local improvements. The City
has also been the recipient of generous private gifts, such as the $1 million
Hollis Garden and the $2 million Barnett Family Park.
CURRENT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
There is a high
level of consensus throughout the organization about the City’s major goals.
These include: continuing quality-of-life enhancements, economic development,
continued expansion of downtown redevelopment improvements, neighborhood
improvements, growth through annexation and in-fill, and maintaining and
improving the economic strength of the electric utility.
The City of
Lakeland is experiencing the same kind of financial pressures that many other
cities in Florida and across the country are facing. These relate to matters
such as the general state of the economy, rising insurance costs, and unfunded
state mandates. In addition, rising fuel costs and operating demands of a 1000
MW generation and distribution system, have placed downward pressure on the
electric utility’s profits. While some of these are viewed as temporary
phenomena, the combination of lower-than-anticipated revenues and increased
costs are creating tension between the competing goals of maintaining a very
high level of services and maintaining the historically very low ad valorem tax
rate.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal
candidate understands redevelopment, is accustomed to a focus on quality and a
high level of service delivery, has excellent organizational and financial
skills, and is politically astute and socially adept.
Education ¨
The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in Public Administration. The
successful candidate will have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Public
Administration or a related area.
Work
Experience ¨
Ideally, the candidate will have at least five year’s
experience in municipal government as the chief executive officer. However,
applicants with extensive experience as an assistant manager or other high-level
public-sector experience will be given consideration, particularly if they bring
strong skills in areas such as planning and finance. Florida experience
and electric utility experience are both pluses.
Desired
Attributes
