For the third time in as many years, Miami declared financial urgency, a legal maneuver that would have enabled the city to force employee concessions.

Regalado anticipated forced concessions would be necessary— until the police union won a legal challenge alleging the city had failed to follow procedure when invoking the urgency law.

The Third District Court of Appeal ultimately overturned the lower court, opening the door again to forced concessions. It never came to that.

In other business, the commission bid farewell to longtime City Clerk Priscilla A. Thompson, who is retiring after 32 years. In a tearful speech, Spence-Jones called Thompson “the voice of conscience for all of us up here on the dais.”

City Elections Coordinator Dwight Danie will replace Thompson through January, when the commission will approve a permanent replacement.

Commissioners also approved a pair of high-profile contracts Thursday.

One agreement will enable the Pennsylvania-based convention center management firm SMG to take over operations at the James L. Knight Convention Center in downtown Miami. The city will pay $78,000 for each year of the three-year contract, Public Facilities Director Henry Torre said.

The previous operator, Global Spectrum, had submitted a proposal to continue as the management firm, but lost in the competitive bidding process.

Commissioners also signed off an agreement that will allow the television series Burn Notice to film a seventh season at the old Coconut Grove Convention Center.

Sarnoff had wanted to raze the waterfront convention center to make way for a new public park. But he ultimately agreed to let the series have an additional year in exchange for $450,000 in rent — a $210,000 increase over the current year.

The producers rebuffed Sarnoff’s suggestion to blow up the convention center in the last episode.

Burn Notice has yet to be picked up for a seventh season, but the producers are hopeful they will get the green light soon. The series has pledged not to ask for an eight season at the Coconut Grove site.