The Green Cove Springs City Council voted 4-1 on Tuesday, Dec. 9, to direct City Attorney Jim Arnold to draft an ordinance to propose three charter amendments to be put before the voters in April that would allow future city managers and attorneys to own homestead property outside the city's utility service limits to expand the pool of qualified candidates. 

Other amendments would allow any judicial officer or Florida-certified notary public to administer the oath of office for city council members in case a judge is unavailable, and it would allow the city to hire additional attorneys for specific cases. 

The current city ordinance requires the city manager and attorney to live in the city's utilitiy service limits within six months of their appointment. 

Council member Glee Glisson asked Arnold to clarify why the utility city needed to allow the city manager and attorney to live outside the limits. He told her it would give the city more flexibility to hire stronger candidates. He also said the city has limited options for hiring attorneys who live outside the service area. 

Vice Mayor Ed Gaw agreed with Arnold, saying strict residency requirements could restrict or eliminate qualified applicants. 

Steve Kennedy retired as city manager last month, and Assistant City Manager Mike Null was appointed interim city manager. However, he apparently doesn’t live inside the utility limits, and some council members are concerned he would be disqualified from consideration as the full-time replacement unless he moved. 

Councilman Darren Stutts said two weeks earlier that he believed the city manager and many department heads needed to live in the city. But he’s since had a change of heart. 

“I’ve had some second thoughts on that,” he said. “Mainly, in the last few weeks, Mike has been the interim manager. Mike has been here forever. It would be a hardship for him to move. He’s just down the street. 

“Thinking about it more, we’re thinking about hiring somebody to come in from the outside that we don’t know. We have no idea what they’ll be like when they get here. I think Mike has stepped up. Even when dealing with him one-on-one, when I bring up things that need to be addressed, he’s right there. That’s what a city manager should do – try to implement what we want. We need to give Mike a chance to fill that seat, if possible. Otherwise, I feel like if we bring somebody in from the outside, their resume may look good, everything may look right, but you never know until they’re here how that will work. We may not get the voters to go along with it, but I’d really like to see Mike get the chance to fill that position.” 

The council voted 4-1 to approve the first reading, with Glisson dissenting. 

Also, the council awarded a bid of $1,583,424 to ARKEST LLC for the Augusta Savage Cafetorium Rehab, provided Null and Mayor Matt Johnson are successful in securing a $585,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Florida Commerce. 

The city held three rounds of bidding, and it received seven construction architects. But construction delays since 2025 have increased costs beyond the original $1.2 million budget. 

The 5-0 decision also authorizes the mayor and city manager to sign all related contracts. The council learned that once completed, the center would be a source for revenue since it would be available to rent. 

In other business: 

• The council agreed to submit a loan application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for $5,346,000 for the North Water Service Territory/Harbor Road Water Treatment Plant Potable Water System Improvement Project. 

• The council agreed to submit a loan application to the FDEP Clean Water State Revolving Fund for $8,472,000 for the Harbor Road Water Reclamation Facility Phase III Improvements. 

• The council agreed to pay Accurate Power and Technology a total of $50,620.75 for the installation of the upgraded generator at City Hall. 

The city council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Council Chambers.