Five months into the job, Milton City Manager Scott Collins tenders his resignation

Scott Collins' seemingly perpetually tenuous relationship with the city of Milton appears to be on the rocks again.

On Wednesday Collins submitted an email and letter informing members of the city council and City Attorney Alex Andrade of his intent to resign his position as city manager effective Feb. 23, according to city resident Pam Mitchell, founder of Milton Concerned Citizens.

City Council member Jeff Snow reacted by submitting a resolution to appoint former City Manager Randy Jorgenson to lead day-to-day operations in Milton as a search is conducted to replace Collins. Collins was hired in October to take over for Jorgenson, who had retired in September.

"I'm working for solutions," Snow said.

Snow declined further comment on the resignation other than to say "I think the city's definitely going to be OK." He did not address speculation that Collins might be retained by the city in some capacity.

"I'm trying to work through some things before the City Council meeting on Tuesday," he said.

Tension begins: "Undercurrent" of ill will nearly blows up Milton city manager negotiations

Snow was the only member of city government that had anything at all to say about the Collins' resignation. Mayor Heather Lindsay and council members Gavin Hawthorne and Casey Powell did not return phone calls. Councilwoman Marilynn Farrow said she wanted to speak directly with Collins before publicly discussing the resignation.

Collins himself also declined to comment.

A couple of city residents were slightly more willing to speak about what they believed were the reasons behind the resignation. Mitchell theorized that Collins had been worn down by the heavy workload of not only running the city, but also trying to resolve an ongoing crisis at a waste water treatment plant operating at peak capacity while preparing for a state audit.

"It's a lot to ask of one man," she said. "There's not enough hours in the day to do all he's been asked to do."

The state's auditor general has embarked upon an operational audit of the city of Milton, at the request of Sen. Doug Broxson, centered primarily around its management of the North Santa Rosa Water Reclamation Project and its ongoing effort to build a wastewater treatment plant. The audit could take two years and the city will be required to turn over information as requested.

Mitchell speculated the effort to bring Jorgenson back to the city was an effort to impede the auditor general's efforts. Jorgenson served as city manager for five years prior to his retirement.

Another city resident and Milton Community Improvement Board member, Cassandra Sharp, agreed Collins likely felt overwhelmed by the workload, but she believed ultimately the blame for the city manager resigning laid with the mayor and Mitchell's Milton's Concerned Citizens group.

"He has seen with the mayor and her supporters and the shadow government they have created a 'not in my backyard' campaign against the waste water treatment plant that is costing the city, in my opinion, millions," Sharp said.

Sharp said the ongoing audit, which she is not in favor of, came about after Milton's Concerned Citizens launched a petition drive.

Collins and the city of Milton became acquainted with one another last year when the city embarked on a nationwide search for a candidate to replace Jorgenson. The council voted unanimously July 11 to enter contract negotiations for the first time, seeking to hire him before Jorgenson's scheduled Sept. 5 retirement.

By the following Monday the relationship had seemingly imploded. Collins notified Lindsay, council member Mike Cusack and Buzz Eddy, who had led the city manager search, that he no longer wanted the job. He made it clear he was feeling political pressure ahead of his decision to step away.

City officials were able to coax Collins back to the negotiating table, but again he retreated. On the second occasion that he asked to be pulled from city consideration, Collins said he was finished with municipal government work.

"I am sending this email to confirm that I won't be contracting to serve as the city of Milton's city manager," the email said. "This decision is not specific to the city of Milton as I have decided to bring my city management career to an end."

In an interview following his second decision, Collins spoke of a "weird" encounter he'd had with Snow and County Commissioner James Calkins as he left City Hall after being chosen as the next city manager.

He also said he was uncomfortable with the way discussions about the job that were held between him, Andrade and Cusack had unfolded and disturbed by constant contact from the public.

In September, Andrade informed the council that Collins had inquired as to whether the council might reconsider him as a candidate for the city manager position. A deal was reached through which Andrade negotiated a contract and Collins was finally hired.

Collins threatened to resign his position late last year after an email exchange between himself and the mayor.

"After reviewing your emails from earlier today, and some previous emails, I don't believe that our working relationship is going to be successful," he told Lindsay. "I look forward to all of the work that will be accomplished in the next year and then assisting the city however I can to hire a city manager that meets your preferences."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Milton City Manager Scott Collins has resigned