PANAMA CITY — Cocoa Beach City Manager Bob Majka will be the next Bay County manager if he and the county can agree on a contract and pass a background check.
Bay County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously agreed to offer the job to Majka, the assistant county manager of Bay County from 2006 to 2012. Majka previously said he would be interested in returning to Bay County.
Current Bay County Assistant County Manager Dan Shaw has agreed to fill the interim role.
County Manager Ed Smith told commissioners Dec. 15 that he would retire earlier than he anticipated from a position he has held for more than nine years. Smith, who held the job longer than any other county manager, cited family reasons for the abrupt retirement and his decision to move to South Carolina. He said he already was planning to retire in the spring.
The commission then agreed to gauge Majka’s and Shaw’s interest in the job, rather than advertising the opening.
Commissioner George Gainer on Tuesday was the only commissioner who expressed some reservation about the vote to hire Majka.
“I’d much rather have seen us open this up to other people, especially anybody in our staff who would want the job, but to keep board unanimous, I’ll vote ‘yes,’ ” he said.
Shaw had expressed an interest in the job and did submit an application, but he recently withdrew his name from consideration.
Majka moved to Bay County as a teenager in 1986 when his father was stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base. In 1989, he began working in local government as a hazardous materials firefighter. In 1993, he joined Bay County as the hazardous materials program manager, advanced to become the emergency management division manager and then chief of emergency services in 1998. Majka was promoted to assistant county manager in 2006. In 2012, he went to work as the Cocoa Beach city manager.
Majka was not at Tuesday’s meeting.
Bay County Human Resources Director Amy Cooper told commissioners that Majka has had several notable accomplishments in his job in Cocoa Beach.
“He led a team that completed over $21 million in wastewater treatment plant improvements,” Cooper said. “He developed the city’s first five-year strategic plan, and he developed and implemented the city’s first ad valorum tax abatement incentive program, along with many other accomplishments.”
Majka’s contract with Cocoa Beach calls for him giving the city three months notice, but Cooper said that is not set in stone. “He said they are willing to be flexible,” she said.
County Attorney Terrell Arline outlined the typical contract agreement the county enters into with county managers. He said the annual salary is $146,918. Majka said in a letter to the commission that he would accept the typical compensation for a county manager. The job also includes a car allowance.
Other action
- Approved a $175,000 grant with Enterprise Florida Inc. for construction of a turn lane on Magnolia Beach Road, which was requested by Naval Support Activity Panama City.
- Approved a $200,000 defense infrastructure grant with Enterprise Florida Inc. for the expansion of the Bay County Intelligent Transportation System for Tyndall Air Force Base along Tyndall Parkway from Ivy Road to just west of the Dupont Bridge. The proposed project includes the extension of fiber-optic cable infrastructure and the installation of a “dynamic message sign” to alert motorists of gate conditions and possible road closures.