FORT PIERCE – The employment contract for Fort Pierce City Clerk Linda Cox was extended for another year Monday night, two weeks ahead of the notice deadline city commissioners were obligated to provide her if they planned not to renew her employment.

But the decision was not unanimous.

District 2 Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky voted against the action Monday, saying he believes the job responsibilities outlined in the contract extension are in conflict with the Fort Pierce City Charter.

He said his vote should not be construed as a criticism of Cox’s performance as city clerk, however.

“The City Clerk is recognized as an independent and co-equal Charter Officer, as specified by the Charter of the City of Fort Pierce,” the city’s governing charter states.

“No other Charter Officer shall have any authority or ability to direct, supervise or interfere with the administration or activity of the Office of the City Clerk, including any and all personnel actions or decisions.”

Dzadovsky said he dislikes the division of labor and the independence of the Charter employees – city manager, city attorney and city clerk – who report directly to the city commission and not necessarily to each other.

Mayor Linda Hudson told Dvadovsky, “I couldn’t disagree more,” saying the biggest reason for their autonomy is their specific areas of independent responsibilities.

The city manager is responsible for the overall operation of city government, the clerk is responsible for official recordkeeping, elections and producing records requested under public records disclosure. The city attorney handles reviewing contracts, producing legal opinions and representing the city in court issues.

According to Dzadovsky, Cox told him she prefers the current division and responsibilities.

While several commissioners said it’s probably time to review and update the City Charter, District 1 Commissioners Arnold Gaines and Curtis Johnson Jr. said they did not want to hold up extending Cox’s contract for another year.

In other business Monday, there were no public comments on the adoption of a $73,263,742 budget to operate the city beginning Oct. 1 to Sept.30, 2027. City spending is up about 23 percent from 2023-24, and the largest share of the budget is for public safety.

To pay for that plan, commissioners adopted a 6.9-mill municipal tax levy, rather than a rollback rate of 6.5461 mills that would have generated the same amount of property tax revenue in 2027, as the city collected this fiscal year.

While the levy remains the same, a growth in taxable property value will generate more operating funds.