Palm Bay, FL – It started with a simple observation on a Friday night. The Palm Bay City Council was scheduled to hold a high-stakes workshop on Tuesday, January 20, to set the “Strategic Goals” for the 2027 budget. But the agenda packet released to the public was empty—just a title page with no data, no presentations, and no context.
With Monday being a federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the public was facing a scenario where the blueprint for millions of tax dollars would be revealed only moments before the discussion began. It was a classic case of “Management by Ambush,” a dynamic that often leads to inefficient meetings and reduced public oversight.
But this time, the story didn’t end with a frustrated public comment at the podium. It ended with a solution.
The Timeline of Accountability
At 7:47 PM on Friday, I sent a formal email to the Mayor, Council, and City Administration. The message was direct: conducting a strategic workshop without providing the materials in advance “borders on a failure to properly advertise the meeting” and denies citizens the ability to make informed decisions. I requested that the item be postponed until the data could be made public for at least 72 hours.
In many cities, such an email sent after business hours on a holiday weekend would sit in an inbox until Tuesday. But at 8:46 PM, City Manager Matthew Morton responded.
Instead of citing technicalities or dismissing the concern, Morton validated it. Here is his response in full:
“In all fairness and straight to your point, there are no attachments published at this point. There are a few discussion starter slides that we intend to use, but perhaps that should have been a priority for clarity’s sake.
Lesson learned moving ahead - there should always be something substantive.
That said, the intent of this item was to have a philosophical discussion with Council about their priorities and the current environment before we launch into the budget process. We aren’t asking for any decisions to be made Tuesday night.
However, if Council determines that it would be preferable to hold this discussion after the discussion starter slides are made public, I’m sure we could just as easily reschedule this meeting for sometime in February.
Thanks for the email and the accountability.”
A Better Path Forward
This is what responsive government looks like. It is not about never making a mistake; it is about how quickly and honestly you fix it when it’s pointed out.
By acknowledging the oversight and offering to reschedule, the City Manager has turned a potential transparency failure into a demonstration of accountability.
We encourage the City Council to accept the Manager’s offer to reschedule the strategic discussion to February. This will give Staff time to publish the “discussion starter slides” in the agenda packet, allowing both the Board and the taxpayers to come to the table prepared.
Effective oversight requires data. On Friday night, we asked for it. And to his credit, the City Manager agreed.
