PANAMA CITY — City commissioners appointed a new representative to the Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) Tuesday amid an allegation the agency violated the Sunshine Law.
Though the DIB has not been officially cited or fined for Sunshine Law violations, officials during Tuesday’s commission meeting took turns trading blame for a series of questionable decisions.
DIB Chairman Jim Hayden said any violations could have been avoided if Commissioner John Kady, the city’s former point man with the DIB for nearly five years, would have played a more active role or stepped aside after the DIB restructured in 2012.
“To be honest, I’m surprised it took us that long to violate it because we are still learning,” Hayden told Kady. “… What upset me about your resignation is not that you are resigning; it’s the fact you didn’t do it in November 2012.”
Kady had not been present for DIB meetings until an annual audit revealed DIB Director Dutch Sanger had been claiming 10 percent of cash sponsorships for BP spill-funded events. Kady claimed the funds were outside Sanger’s contract parameters for a “10 percent commission of paid cash sponsorships.”
Sanger agreed to repay $11,625 in commissions at a Feb. 10 meeting of DIB members held in a downtown restaurant, which Kady said did not have proper public notification.
With counsel from the commission, Hayden said, the DIB would have known the meeting could clash with the Sunshine Law. However, Kady said the DIB was caught trying to conduct business outside of public scrutiny, which Sanger should have known to avoid.
“The single person involved in this who needs to give you guidance is the director of the DIB,” Kady said. “And that is the person that failed you. … That’s who led you down this road.”
Sanger argued the meeting was properly noticed on the DIB website and with fliers on the DIB headquarters. He also maintained claims about unethically accepting a commission for DIB sponsorships were “unfounded.”
“I stand behind my morals and professionalism,” he said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Commissioner Ken Brown was appointed to take over as the commission’s DIB representative. Brown said, though, he will not be at the next DIB meeting, he plans to be regularly present.
“It’s going to be a new overall experience coming in,” Brown said. “I hope we can make progress and continue to do what the DIB has always done.”
Commissioners Tuesday also:
-Appointed five members to the Tourist Development Council Plan Advisory Committee to design uses for an estimated $2 million in additional taxes expected from adopting a bed tax in the city limits.
-Approved a $419,286 bid for the HUD street resurfacing project to C.W. Roberts Contracting.
-Awarded a contract for Employee Assistance Program Services to ComPsych for about $8,100 per year.
