By ED BALDRIDGE
ed.baldridge@newssun.com
SEBRING -- Tension between the Sebring Sun 'N Lake Board of Supervisors and their general manager prompted a conditional resignation from Al Grieshaber Jr. at the opening of their regular meeting Friday morning.
The board accepted the resignation, and conditions, from Grieshaber with a 3-2 vote. Supervisors Frank Guglielmi and Diana Johnson cast the dissenting votes.
"He decided to take the high road after we had a discussion last week. We have not been seeing eye to eye, so to speak," board president David Halbig said after the marathon meeting Friday. "I think this is the best resolution, I suggested to him on Tuesday that he should resign rather than me making the motion to terminate him. That gives him some benefits that a termination would not give him," Halbig said.
The improvement district has recently struggled to meet loan obligations due to what Attorney John McClure said was assessment collection issues because of the economy.
Fifth-Third Bank recently notified the improvement district that its $10 million bank note was in default.
In November of 2009, the district could not pay the full interest and principle, which prompted the bank to initiate a consultant to look into the situation.
After Grieshaber and his staff notified Focus Management Group, who Fifth-Third asked to review the district's records, that some of the records would have to be handled as a public records request, which would cost about $2,000 to research, and needed to be paid in advance, the bank threatened litigation on Aug. 16 and gave the district until Aug. 23 to pay back its note.
According to McClure, the bank also threatened to put the district into receivership.
Halbig stated that Grieshaber's resignation was not brought upon by the current bank issues, but that it has been building for sometime.
"Al has the capacity for hard work, we have just not been seeing eye-to-eye on things," Halbig said Friday.
Halbig suggested to the board that they take a look at a consulting firm to help with the district management until a permanent replacement could be found.
"We can do that because Al's recent resignation put us into a state of emergency, but we cannot have them as a permanent replacement without going out for bid," McClure advised the board during their meeting.
Grieshaber's resignation becomes official on Aug. 31, but he had offered to act as a consultant if needed.
The board also agreed to pay Grieshaber and provide benefits through Feb. 28, 2011 as well as a lump sum payment for his vacation and sick leave.
Sunday, August 29, 2010 - www.newssun.com/0829-eb-Sun-N-Lake