##VIDEO ID:jN4_eMYaAU4## you would desire to please rise for the invocation uh we have a moment of silence and the pledge uh as led by commissioner Lee commissioner Le please join me I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you call the order the meeting of the city of Eustace uh City commission the date is uh January 16th 2020 2 the time is approximately 6:02 uh Madame clerk uh do we have a quum and has proper notice been given yes mayor thank you okay before we uh we go on please silence your phones and well Pages uh put them on vibrate or turn them off uh if you plan to speak please get a card from the table to our left just behind the clerk and give it to the city clerk seated to our left your name will be called uh when that item comes up you are to uh come to the podium uh give us your name and if you're uh city of eustus residents if you wish to speak on multiple items uh we ask that you please complete a request for each item that you would like to speak on when you speak please approach the podium state your name as I said for the record uh limit your comments to three minutes comments are to be directed to the commission as a whole and not to any particular commissioner okay is important to speak directly into the microphone stand behind the podium because this meeting is being recorded okay all right uh approval of minutes oh I'm sorry um Madam yeah Madam assistant City Commissioner man do you have an agenda update yes mayor just one I just wanted to bring to the commission's attention that you have an updated version of the downtown incentive program document printed at your seats that was part of the agenda packet and that's all I have okay thank you uh we have approval of minutes from the meeting January 2nd 2025 can I get a motion motion second second okay all in favor I mean roll I'll do a roll call commissioner Lee I commissioner ASB body I vice mayor Ashcraft hi and mayor Hawkins I thank you and now before us presentations uh the first would be uh an incoming message from yours truly my journey to this moment didn't begin at Birth I wasn't born in Eustace I've lived all over the country but it was by choice that I chose to make Eustace my home I chose Eustace because it welcomed me with open arms from the moment I arrived excuse me I fa to sense of community and I knew this was the place that I wanted to raise my family I chose to stay here because of people like Dr Lura Bennett Mikey seall Nancy schneck Terry Fister people who nurtured our son through Elementary and I stayed because of the friendships forged on the sidelines of weekend soccer games doing middle and high school band competitions in conversations with neighbors who watched over our homes while we were on vacation I stayed because of the police officers that drove by and checked on my home when we traveled I stayed because of the countless usess neighbors known and unknown who never judged us or considered us as Outsiders but embraced us as one of their own it was commissioner GT ban who spoke into my future and planted the seed for the path that I would one day take even when I had no desire believe me no desire or interest at that time it was my backbone my steadfast supporter who silent stood by me holding their breath in support of each new and crazy idea that I chose to pursue it was Bob Moren and Marie alberty who reached out to me and said it's your time as I step into this road I don't take it likly the responsibility to represent this city as your mayor sitting here with these four hardworking thoughtful Forward Thinking leaders my goal is to be part of a unified team not a team of one mind but a team committed to putting the interest of Eustace and its citizens at the Forefront of every decision that we make our decisions are not made for our benefit nor should they ever be made for our benefit our decisions are made for the people of you while we know we can't please everyone or solve every challenge we will approach every issue with thoughtfulness integrity and a commitment to to serving your best interest you can rest assured that our decisions will always be free from undo influence and guided by what is best for our city us is city where quality of life is more than a phrase It's a PR promise it's a city served by courageous honest hardworking and caring employees dedicating to making that promise a reality for each of you thank you for the trust you've placed in me and in us please know that we love this city just as much as you do because we chose it thank you okay now moving on uh Pres presentation miss an hi I'm Ann Ivy Library director this is Carrie Katrell I invited car here today and I wanted to let everyone know that we created an award last spring the library team and it is an award that recognizes kindness and excellence in the everyday things we do for the library and it is nom by the employees volunteers staff whoever and um we give them out every month we started it in May and we've already had 81 nominations and certificates are given out and we recognize things for anything that someone wants to recognize you for it's made a really huge impact in people volunteering to do stuff but it's also been really good team building for us so the rules of the game we just nominate people that you want and I'll give them a certificate but I said at the end of the year Whoever has the most will get to be recognized for the commission and I get to either they have the joy of having dinner with me or I give them a gift card that's their choice so Carrie started a few months after me so she'll be in her seventh year next month so she's um really lucky to have her she came from lots of Library experience in the county before so I knew that when we switched over she'd be a really good asset and she has um I just wanted to present Carrie with this award and just go over a couple of the things that she not all of them not all of them but the ones that she was recognized for she's always wanted to volunteer and help out just about anybody on the team um we had that Li Library Card roll out um as you all heard about in September where we got so many Carrie was always asking people if they wanted to switch cards but she also took it upon herself to take those designs and make little keychains that they' give out the first couple weeks that we did it she also um helped one person said thank you for helping her transition back to work after her maternity leave was finished so we all know that takes little a little bit of time to get back into it um her supervisor said She's continually taking initiative to help patrons at the front desk when needed and she's off desk exercising great teamwork so those are a few like I said I'm just pleased to have her here and I'm um I think she's already starting to get a kickoff I've gotten a couple already for January so I don't know it's really competitive at the library anyway I just wanted to say thank you Carrie and I want to just give you this little certificate if I can do that without spilling anything all right here we go it's as it's the library Excellence award program is the name of it so leap is the thing and we have a little frog on it so Leap Frog so um this is a our very first Library excellent award program for the inaugural year and for receiving the most leap certificates in 2024 so thank you you find out when you see the picture not this time no and I'd like to say that U uh as you know I went to the library yesterday and the first sming face that I saw thank you thank you okay uh next presentation would be G3 C2 monthly update welcome sir we appreciate you having us so um Derek and I as you guys have have been have been working on this for a little while Jerry could you give your your name my name's Jerry Gunther and Dereck Wallace okay thank you um so the first thing we decided to focus on was block three and two important parts we took the master plan and are basing for the most part what we're going to present what's in there Derek focused on the mixed use and residential project on half that block and the other half we looked at parking we feel that parking has to go in first in order to support support these three blocks plus taking out the parking that is being used for the uh uh buildings that are already built so what we and I gave you guys four different elevation that finfrock is who dererk and I partnered with on the parking garage have done in other communities three of them were built in downtown areas and kind of have a downtown look to them with brick and um you know other architectural features to kind of blend in a downtown community the one different one which is very different was Advent Health that's um a very inexpensive garage and what they use as Banners To kind of decorate it which can be changed periodically for different marketing of course any blend of these can be used downtown if you go that way um so then you look at what the need is and in the master plan it had 220 spaces on the three blocks which we think is significantly under what we're going to need um par there now is about 300 spaces um theoretically on the three grass Lots but let's not we're not even taking that into consideration if you look at um what the master plan suggested which was a 100 room hotel and they had I think between 80 and 112 we used 100 a reception hall retail space office space residential units and what that would need if it was a on if it was a mixed use space which is different than a standalone it comes out to 500 94 spaces is what is needed then you blend that because obviously office is mostly going to be during the day the convention center could be if it's wedding receptions will be weekends or nights and so you take that down by about eight or 15% to a number of 500 so that's where we came up with the number for the garage and then you can see on the next few pages is how finf frock laid it out the most economical design for a um that's on I'll let everybody get to it it's it's the site plan and it's the Page Beyond that site plan and so that is on the north side of block three that garage would have 520 units or spaces in it if we did it exactly as planned where are we so we are on in the book where are we which tab tab yeah so if you look at T tab one tab one okay and then after the site plan yeah after the site plan then there's a satellite picture oh okay and so that shows you that red rectangle is the north half of block three and then it shows on the next page a two pay two Bay parking garage which is two roads with four lanes of parking and so this is the biggest deviation you're going to see from us on what's in the master plan we just feel that 120 or 220 spaces for the amount of density that we're going to put in is not adequately going to um give parking that's going to be built in the ground so as you're driving down the oneway street here you won't see that much of it because if we put a three-story mixed use building on this this side of it it'll hide the garage and so what we're trying to do is go from the height here to a mixed use Pro which is a little higher to a garage that's built into the dirt which is a little higher than the mixed use project okay okay and that would be your first that would be your first project well the first two we're going to do both both these projects on block three at the same time okay the hotel and the parking no mixed use which Dereck will go into more more detail on it okay um and the way it'll probably go is block three with the parking and mixed use will be first the hotel we're working on and and Derek may go into a little more detail on that but we've got to get some energy down here before we're going to be able to get a hotel operator to come down here and say he wants to operate that kind of Hotel so we'll probably do Residential on block two you know and we'll start that immedately we're going to have in the next six months we'll have plans for all three blocks we're just this is just the first one we're bringing to you okay okay hey um so now I'll turn it over to well hey Jerry um sorry um before you go um I'm just I'm just curious how did you determine the number of parking on the two grass lots and I mean the the P the pay estimated based on grass Lots I mean the a consultant looks at the square footage of that and says hey if they Park on this you know freestyle which is basically what you do that's approximately how many cars you could fit on it three LS okay all right thank you dere Wallace as as Jerry indicated you know we U we looked at parking garage and then we looked at the other are basically try to create a mix using resal type process and in tab two uh you can see where we start out site plan that shows parking garage and then mix which is right next to and that mix use would it be apartments condos apartments okay all right Apartments where you'll have Apartments uh not just you got one building if you turn to where is highlight pink and blue okay two pages back yeah M um basically where it's colored is the mixed use portion of of of the U project and that's where we're we're trying to do a mix use which will be three stories which will sit right across from where it's like two stores some maybe three uh but we and then we turn the corner is e u I think whatever it is but uh you'll have retail on the on the first floor you have office on the second floor and then you have some more uh residential on that third floor could you move the mic closer to you please you'll have uh residential on on on the on the third floor and then it it'll sit back from from the road so you don't have a five back get FL parking as as shown if you go to the first color picture it sort of shows you so what's in the center is parking no residential parking is in yeah okay okay got you okay okay gotcha okay so on this first floor it's retail retail and if you sort of look at the picture it also shows you how we would try to uh uh have some where you to sit out and eat outside which and this is this this is one day work work is is perfect trying to give concept that's what what we worked on on doing uh and I just got a lot of picture uh renderings basically to show you the concept and I think that's the only thing we can do right now is to see if if if if we are going in the right direction in in terms of aligning uh what you think we ought to be doing or or not uh so renderings that I had done basically show a on the outside which on eust and magolia and Gro Street that's more or less uh mixed use then inside that you have some res and these are separate buildings they're not there not one building I mean so the retail I mean the res I'm talking about SE building okay okay now uh I'm looking at the parking garage and and I don't know if it's possible um is it is it possible to wrap the parking garage with apartments or something like that so we don't have retail yeah or retail yeah so we don't have you know when you come downtown and you you take a left all you see is Park Garage is it possible to do something I think I think what Jared was trying to uh to tell you with the pictures that he had there that it it doesn't have to look like a parking garage and but the answer to your question is we can probably do anything you you want at this particular stage because what we're doing is just coming with the concepts so if you if you basically said you don't want the parking garage the way it is it's designed the most efficient way to to provide most economical way to provide parking downtown but you wanted to do a little something different that's where we got to communicate to say Derek can you do this again we start looking at that yeah I think you're right what what he showed us it it looks good I'm thinking old school parking garage but um it would be nice to have like some retail or something like that in but remember that it's just so much retail you going to be able to get in a parking garage no in that block I mean uh uh that's I'll be talking about that too I mean it it takes uh time to find these people right and and you can't just go and build all of this uh retail space uh and assume that as soon as it built because the uh our F financing is built on having quality tenets MH that you can show the bank that you have quality tenants to go in there so you can't really just get finan and just build a building and then go get the tenants you got to pretty much going with a financial package that show who the potential uh uh tenants would possibly be okay so how many um of the residential units would you have uh well it's it's rejected uh like uh but this is conceptual now and and I really can't tie it down because I just rushed uh but this this is the amount of space that is available for residential okay well I like it that you're giv a concept you kind of have an idea uh and approximately how many just a guesstimate of the um retail space well and when you say retail are you talking about like restaurants um shopping areas yeah we're if you look at um yeah we're talking about uh we say shopping areas I'm not sure what that that means but is lot like little dress boues retail it's a lot of different spaces and then you got to find a tener and then they might need a th000 square feet they might need you know 200 so that that space that we got available for that would would be broken down as we work with uh a company to do feasibility studies say what what's out there so today we don't know what the spaces are going to actually be we try to build them around what kind of Ts that we can get Derek I think you're right when you say that but did so should you be doing a a market study first for what you're before you go designing something without knowing George no no problem I'm here for you I I haven't designed anything but a box okay okay it's just a box okay and that's why I say you got to do feasibility studies by firms who know how to to Source the tenants that are coming in so only thing I did was is produce a concept in a box okay and say there are so many square feet available for retail so many spaces so many square feet available for office and is a different and it makes you s okay and you did what you should for our first meeting sir you did what you should what you need to do for our first meeting correct right okay all right uh let's go back to what block is this again great block three yeah that's that's the one on our Magnolia and and UST and Grove right okay right the main where the main hospital was yeah across from Chris's place okay yeah um take a lift parking garage and the parking garage as drawn would probably is that off of Grove entrance and what's the next street from from Street we put back in McDonald is it or is McDonald what's the next stre from from from is that MD mag I think that's McDonald yeah okay yeah it's the next grp yeah it's McDonald East McDonald okay okay all right goad um a couple thoughts ER okay that I know we need to talk to a consultant that we end up with to see what what what our side of the table likes but I don't I I don't know that a parking garage in the middle is conducive to walkability where before I think and a consult probably has to guide us on that but I think a parking garage need to be on the outskirts so that we can get walkability through the whole town uh I think there are some things where people don't walk past the parking garage as easily as they do so my vision is a walkability down town I think that's partly in the uh uh in the master plan and I think the uh focus of a parking garage on our most precious middle is probably not not conducive to a walking or in my opinion definitely not conducive to a walking but I'd like to see you guys focusing on the walkability around the you know the lot especially in the heart I don't I don't know about Chris but I I don't want to look out see a parking garage I want to see people interacting walking going and stuff like that um and I think a market analysis to help us understand a lot of those other things that you're concerned about so that you could um get the vacancy rates that you need to get is important that's just one little thing I have to be honest with you I'm not good enough to go through this huge thing and get it handed to me before so I I just suggest if you have these things and I know you're on your first one and you got it you said done in a day but if we can get them sooner where we can analyze them because I I really I can't read all this so it's a lot to digest and I I want you to have true feedback okay okay so look at it now talk next month as weild walk us through what you present what you think and hopefully we'll get a a consultant as quick as we can and that we could give they can give us some direction too let understand your prision understand no I I know you got to deal with your would deal with that I'm trying to do really just give you an opinion as to you know the walkability part stuff like that a little bit of it referred to um in in the process as to what uh the master plan kind of let us down but but a parking garage in the middle I'm just telling you it's probably uh something I would rather see on the outskirts get everybody walking I want walkability I want people to walk you know you go to Walmart or even Target you walk a lot more than people think they walk so to walk from a parking garage to uh Chris's place and I'm picking on him because he's kind of in the middle over there uh it's not it's not really as long of a walk as somebody thinks so walkability is I think important to us utilizing our you know activating our Waterfront and all that as part of it but that's that was my thought yeah I think walkability is a good thing we just have to make sure that we can feel the space between the garage the parking garage and so I I think that we need to make sure that we've got all that taken care of as well what I'd like to see happen is guide us through this tell us what this is all about and then we can take it and absorb it and then we have a conversation the next time so what we're doing now we're using our time on being on one thing let's tell tell us what this book is about and so I guess with the parking why we chose that selection when you look at the city that's already here you know this location is the furthest east of downtown and it's on the furthest south portion where we can put a parking garage because people are coming from this way and so this is a garage they can enter easily on this side eventually you will need a a part garage or a parking on the North side also but this will allow people to walk downtown and allow them to walk to the lakefront also with 77 residential units people aren't going to rent an apartment and have to walk from their parking to their apartment it' be tough to get it financed that way I didn't say three blocks I didn't say three blocks so well we have we have existing residents living who are walking to the public parking that we have now but yeah I guess I got a digest all this is this is a lot of reading and I I don't uh just tell us other thing is the hotel being cadd corner to this property if you go to the north in the west is where the hotel would be they're going to need parking they valet or whatever again in close proximity people are going to want parking close so that's really the why we picked this location first is people are coming for the most part down both directions would that be parking if if we decided to do we didn't call it Convention Center what do we call that Convention Center would that be parking for them as well yes okay it's kind of in the center of all that furthest to the east that we could go without a major road to walk across to get to it so we got to kind of think we got to figure out or the consultant has to help us figure out do we want the community centers still on the water is that going to go away is it going to go in the heart of downtown there's kind of there's been talk both ways and if we have it in there how much how much traffic will we have for walkability because really I think the focus has to be putting bodies in front of our retails our restaurants and all that well well I think you're talking about two different things because they're talking about a Convention Center if I'm not mistaken and we're talking about a community set oh okay I thought the two are they interact we don't want to compete against we don't want a 500 on the water and a 500 with them right that's not good we think they should be combined and you know we will at some point put an unsolicited proposal about what you can do with the existing Community Center but we want to bring people downtown and like George said we don't want to compete where we have a center and you have a center and you know we're pricing against each other um we want to put it right in the middle of downtown because right the community center is most people will drive to the community center get out of their car go to the event and get back in their car and leave and so we want to create something where they Park walk to the community center in our downtown so they can visit downtown after the event but we're making some decisions about yeah premature tell me about tab three tab four tab five tab six that's what I want to know so um so tab three basically we have had conversations with a develop Hotel developer who there's an interest but time is too short for them to be able to say yes they can go forward or whatever and they say by by by uh April they will be able to have have have a better feel for whether or not there's real interest or not uh it's not going to be easy to get a hotel but these guys uh and and and all in here is their information okay all right that's all tab three is but even if they come up with something it's it's going to be at least a year or two before they we get a hotel it's going to be 18 months before they start right okay all right before they start okay and then tab U four basically is is is a firm that sources the uh vendors for the Mixed use okay and basically that this just their information but this is a company who has done stuff for public and who has done stuff for villages and they work well respected is called cman and I I saw a sign when I was coming in that a shopping center uh uh that they're renting so they're they're a very respected uh uh company and so we had conversation with them they're very interested in working with us to to bring vendors uh to to uh UST okay and the last one is I basically had have a in process design guidelines uh for we can start I know Tom indicate we don't need it right now but I think it it does somewhat need be have something and basically I I have a document that we will work with the city on in terms of trying to develop the guidelines not just for for the central business district this is for Central business district but for downtown but we're starting from somewhere not starting from scratch and that's basically our presentation anything else in six that's constru any you good okay all right so so so so understanding that uh you're getting a consultant to to consult so we we can't do anything other than maybe concentrate on other pieces it's I mean you you telling us you don't want the parking garage that you want it out or you want any closed those are the kind of directions we're going to need you know from uh the council before we can do anything else to to to massage whatever that that particular block we need to have some directions in terms of the uh the counsil well I mean if parking garage isn't there or it's this way or this way still figuring it out we talked about but it makes a difference in terms of yeah what what we put there okay but so do the design standards make a difference so yeah we we we're utilizing um only a portion of site if you don't want it go we got look at uh right now we got we we got both on the same site we got parking and was indicated on on the master okay so if we move it then you got to reorganize that's what I'm saying so it's nothing we can really do until the uh consultant basically says no Park you know T Park Bas I think based on all the conversations that that we've had and well some of us has had uh about the development downtown our hotel or Convention Center was always going to be on block one if I'm not M Block ones across from El Marie scenario Lake and then if we tie that with a Marina and if we tie that with walkability and the trail which is what the master plan showed so yeah you're right that's what so that's what that uh and we know that our plan or or or at least at this point we know that we're comfortable uh with a hotel or or a Convention Center being there we know we're going to need parking we know that um Hotel uh convention attendees we know we're going to need parking so where else would we put it walkability is is it's everything really well is is is everything but if if if I'm you know bringing five suitcases into my hotel you know so we need to we need to think about that I mean there should be my my vision is like there like a you know they have a drive drop off you might have some parking there the valet might remote some we want to utilize the precious Center uh for walkability and activity and and things like that but I don't know so many hotels I stay at they they they take my car and I don't know where it goes see I don't allow people to take my car well that's cuz you're a cop so uh that's cuz he has a Tesla but and they can't yeah that's why yes I mean my vision of parking should be on the outskirts I kind of showed you Derek in that little sketch that's you know how we talked about it uh but I'm open to what the consultant tells us to and what they come up with not too much on the outskirts look at the one that we have on Orange Avenue you know it's like it's a walk to get back there so I'd like talking about the the city one for the city employees yeah and and not if you're going to Ras not if you're going but there's something beyond all that it's just a a longer walk especially I I agree with I I I agree with the walkability I I agree with the walkability allowing people to see our city but we we have to kind of find a happy media there because we we do need parking uh and you do need parking for the for the residents you got to have some so so we got about 5 55 56 residents now in downtown all of them are parking in public parking um we don't I mean uh you guys don't have anything in downtown but pretty much the the people in downtown we've all agreed and has been pretty good that we ask all the business owners and their employees not to park on Magnolia eustus Street and to park in the G I've got some apartments as well and and and there's a ton on top of my favorite things and it's work it's working in a you know in a downtown but we'll we'll massage through that you know and talk with the are we going to be losing some spaces in this whole process that we have now will be losing some spaces not not based on this okay this well that's on the street on the angle you just lose M okay right and and and that'll be tough as we yeah so we have to get a par even even with all the construction the parking is going to be an issue First Development thing is is and the goal is to have everything full all the buildings full and so the parking situation now will be much different when everything's full and so this is an opportunity when you have these three blocks to make sure you're taking care of that because otherwise like a lot of CI it's it's too late once it gets busy I mean I like to see a feasibility for that or you know so that we know okayy they think based on traffic when that guy was talking the consultant guy and he was beating us up on our traffic Camp I was could me off he saying that's not good that threw me off but U I don't want to do anything that's going to slow down our progress if if because it sounds like what we're doing we're setting them up for favor we've given them six months to get things to us um and we need to start making some decisions that's why we need a consult yeah we we need to start making some decisions um it's I think we're we were like I said I think we're a little bit out of the order of how the dominoes Falls but um you know the the the ideas that they're sharing the ideas we're sharing back we're moving forward we're moving things are are moving we don't really know the right way we have our personal feelings about it but we need support on our side and and then we need analysis so that we know that they're not stuck with a bunch of empty buildings the next thing we know we're in trouble they or they're in trouble or whoever is what so I I think we got kind of let them develop their idea too we're already squashy yeah exactly and I think we got to let them develop their ideas some more and then the more they expand it the better we understand it and the more we know we're getting came develop it more until we until we get the yeah you you K this design no we I haven't well I have some concerns about it yeah we don't know to do okay and and and and the consultant may come say no this is what what Derek's on home run hidden I I I I see it differently on the walkability side and we have to look beyond their lots too we have to look at everything I think we got to give them a chance to develop their idea to keep going where where they were going to go what are we going to get next month you know what did they develop s what they going to present us and break it down some more that will be okay yes we'll move to lot two yeah and then we'll move to lot three or one after that after okay those will be closer to what's in the master plan and I'm worried that we make them do all this work and then the consult says well not then we then we're then we've made them chase well I ask you not to take the assult were as God oh I think I think what our consultant says we're got to take pretty damn serious just like you should for your consultant cons also okay on um I I think we we need to decide uh with this plan so that we have a base for next month I think that's what we should do and I think we need to get the consultant in as quickly as possible okay we're not we're not meeting with the consultant until the 13th I think the only thing that that lot many lot so I guess the question is how I understand that you need you guys don't have the experience with this a complicated real estate project so how long how soon will you have a consultant because Derrick and I are used to moving forward with these projects you know at our risk and so we want you to feel comfortable and it sounds like you're going to need the consultant place to feel comfortable say have we have we been considered hiring one yet I mean we're Mr Mayor yes um just a quick update on the Consultants so it would be our goal to have that person on board prior to the workshop so that they could attend the workshop So currently our city manager is asking for information from potential providers so we're talking we're talking the 13th of February before yes sir I if I were you guys I wouldn't do another thing yeah well I mean the reality is I don't mind doing a little bit more from a site plan I meaner I honestly I wouldn't really I honestly wouldn't do another thing and we and we said it we said this wasn't going to slow it down but as we talk here tonight it absolutely has because we can't even tell you what to do at this point based on uh we have to have a consultant so honestly if I was in your shoes I wouldn't do another thing until we decide on what's going to do with this consultant why would you guys want to put in more work if things are going to change right exactly we won't do any work on the parking I mean what we got done on the parking we'll wait till we get clear Direction but like Derek said it's a rectangle we can put on an EMP lot in town that'll fit it could be 350 spaces it could be 600 spaces it could be anything so that's what I'm saying is and we don't want to be Mount dor sorry j I didn't mean to catch up that's I mean do we do we I don't think the parking garage in Mount door is utilized much at all because it's on the outskirts and everyone comes to that town they drive around looking they drive around looking for a place to park and they leave so I mean I kind of like the idea of the fact that parking garage is down there where if you park there you can go you can go anywhere but I mean is it the right place to put it but that's what I was saying about that garage we have now and people do not and the walking the distance so I I guess I'm just concerned that we want to move on but then they bring us something and then we start poo pooing it and then I would we're not moving in so he's saying don't do anything but whatever you guys can do I think we need to keep moving I mean why why would why sorry why would we want want them to continue when all we're doing is give them ambiguous opinions on what to do they need something more concrete to get to where they need to for the next level and if we have to wait on a consultant and we don't meet a consultant until February 13th this all could change and I and and we said it wouldn't slow it down I knew it would yeah I um we know that we w't some somewhere else well they can't they can't develop a site plan for half a block that's what they said can or don't you want to do the whole block at one time we were hoping to do one block and then go to the next block and then go to the next block you know kind of pieces in puzzle and then they mentioned that the second next month you're going to come with the other portion of it watch two is what the plan was yeah so that would be next month so I think we need I'm sorry j I'm sorry I'm sorry I think we need to make a decision what we want to happen and and my decision as I sit here is is to move forward I agree even Mr Mayor no disrespect but even if we get a consultant on the February 13th it says that is not the right place to put that it should be next to Mega workplace on that on that surfice parking lot remember what someone said the consultant works for us right I understand that's why I'm saying then why would you want them to continue to work when we don't we don't have a concrete opinion on what we want from at this point but I agree that the consultant is not God they're not God either but the consultant is not God what I believe the consultant would do would be to look at what they're presenting look at what we want and try to make it work and and together not necess the workshop and I'll say and I'll say it one more time I thought that's why we paid yeah the other master plan they had Consultants they had three or four different teams of Consultants they may have not gotten the detail um as Mr geman but isn't that their job to do that to get to get those numbers to the of the feasibility they they give us an opinion on what they said would work down here Based on data based on public input based on commissioner input and they they dug a lot into what they thought would work for downtown am I wrong right they did no feasibility are are isn't that their job though somebody needs to do it right away yeah ised just our job because we got fin got get for Fin and and the thing you got to realize is the rents now and the retail downtown usus and residential that doesn't work for new construction everything's going to have to double and so at least double and those people are going to have higher expectations and so are are you going to rent an apartment where you don't have parking guaranteed and close to your house no and so it's going to have to be on one of these three blocks and that's my only point is if they said hey let's not put it on block one I mean not block three let's put on block two you know they're going to have find geot technical issues then we don't want to put it on block one because that's the lake lot and so it kind of you know is going to have a bearing on whether the project even happens or not is where the park is located from a finance so I I think that makes sense I think I thought we were given some feedback so did if we don't if if it's not a time for us to give feedback now then we won't so I don't no it's a perfect time but feel like I feel like I'm talking and I'm getting no it's no it's a perfect time to give feedback but they need something concrete and if we're not going to do anything until we get this consultant on board we should have had them on board before we even hadn't in my opinion had him even go down any path whatsoever I don't want to set them up for failure and I think that's what we're doing I agree we need to they gave us a concept we asked for it let's go with go with it how I see it say that again you're saying don't worry about any oh no consultant markar training just let them have the deal we need consultant right I I don't think that we should wait two months to get in a consultant for them to come back with our it it just makes no sense and I don't like it because I smell Atrium all over again I do too so why no no the order of it's all in the order I think um May it's all in the order of the process if if we're going to do that I won't extend it on the other end all depends on what it looks like I mean they told us they're going to do it look at it if we like it we like it if we don't it's non-binding so got to get right I agree we got to I mean we're not equipped to to to develop this entire downtown on conversations up here yeah but some things just make sense so you you want to know you want to know another reason why I'm upset because we pay Consultants all this money and then we find a way to unravel it and we spend a lot of money with these Consultants that were the best of the best when they came to us when they came to us so what if we get Mr here or whoever we decide to hire and they completely give a different opinion on how the downtown should be developed then where we're at then we're in the middle now we have two differ opinions and then what we do we go get a third one I mean once's it stop no we listen to our gu and we try to work with them and we go back and forth we get the master plan Consultants were our people too they they worked for us we paid them they were working directly for us well I believe that they said that they're going to work with the master plan that we we have we need to just move on and get this done and I believe that a consultant is not maybe I'm just naive is not going to come in here and say no you can't do this don't do that I think they're going to look at it and if there's some tweaking that needs to be do done or suggestions that's what we will get out of it I don't expect a consultant to come in here to tell me yay or nay do this or don't do that well and the problem is the m the consultant's not just going to you know he's not going to just give an opinion on three blocks he's going to give opinion on the whole the whole the whole master plan down downtown Pro downtown project as it goes into the future my gosh I mean this plan could change how many times down down down the road based on many many factors um I mean we we pay a consultant a lot of money I can't remember how much a lot of money to get us to where we're at right now and I I'm still trying to find the value of another consultant besides having maybe legal representation for predevelopment agreements and working working with them directly um that's my opinion you know I uh excuse me uh I think at this point uh we need to give them some direction Gary what do you think I you already heard my I I don't do a darn thing wait a minute don't do a darn thing don't do a thing until we till we talk to this consultant and listen listen to his opinion and find out what he says should be on these three lots in the master plan I really I feel bad for him at this point I do I really do you're going we're going to make him do all this work and then it could change based on the opinion of someone else well I I hear what you're saying and as far as I'm concerned we need to let them do what they're doing the consultant can come and give us his opinion about it but again again the consultant is not God and they can't say don't do this or don't I think that they'll look at what we're doing and see how they can make it all work together in and and and I think that they need to go forth and do what they they said they're going to do and get ready for next month and we need to digest what's in here and and be ready to to deal with them next month but and then we can still listen to the consultant there's nothing wrong with George it's a lot of moving Parts here uh I I think I think I think there's a lot of stuff for them to do I mean Derek said it's got one day into that I think the hotel that need you know it's not a five minute thing to find and get the so they got that to work on uh they got their uh um you know they've got uh Crossman who's who's a great company from what I know so that's fantastic if you can get them on board to help you fill those building they're they're they're they're doing a lot they're on ground level they're on ground level one of what's going on um so I I think they're they're moving I mean um this is for one hour this is this pretty damn impressive he's talk about just printing it up for one hour we've been working on this for a month okay uh I believe uh that you all should continue to work uh my thought all along is that we would we would keep moving and my my big thing is we can uh walk and chew gum at the same time uh I understand that there's Financial issues that you have to worry about moving forward any the time and all that stuff but but I agree with with Emily you know we have a consultant come in and we listen to them but they're not the end on uh I understand what George says about the walkability uh but based on where we're putting the hotel where we're putting the uh uh the convention center it just makes sense to me that it would be there um I understand I understand your frustration well I'm frustrated so if we all that if if we all believe that then if if you're the opinion that's that's why we then why do we need a consultant to tell us that we know what we want we know what we know what probably will work for the most part I I think we're we're four smart individual up here who know absolutely nothing about development I I think that we continue with our consultant and our consultant picks up where he picks up I I I I I agree with that I just want them to know that I mean they've said this is non-binding we're trying to all work in good faith they need to understand that there there's going to be tweaking to some of this stuff or or or at worse and I God forbid you know there could be a lot of tweaking we're on day one Our dating let let's just cross the tweaking part when twe a parking garage is not a tweak so when when well I'm TI every time they come here we've got all the negatives and we're pushing them down let's move on let's get this on show on the road ask you consider also that each block come next time with block it won be hard to right so we come back with whatever that's AEL and I'm assuming you guys have done enough market research knowing that the hotel can't go in first am I correct yeah right so so why why would we want to work on that if you guys know that that you know that you can't put a hotel in until everything else is in they no but you've done enough You' done done enough market research knowing that a hotel can't be the first thing you build okay okay okay I think I think I think okay uh let's let's I think that they should move forward okay I don't think they should okay as long as they understand it's non-binding and it's in you know and we're we're moving I i' love to see what they got I'm not sure what well I I I think what no no no I think you could come up with more Concepts as I think is what maybe commissioner asot is talking about you know have you do more Concepts on the other blocks we do that you still got block right well at some point I think what D saying at some point we need to do a predevelopment by block so let's say you consultant he says yeah that's the right place for the parking garage it needs to be 400 spaces not 500 you know two less Apartments whatever that is you know then we do a predevelopment agreement for that one block but we'll have the plans for the other blocks the other blocks are going to be very similar to what's in the master plan a hotel and you know some type of restaurant with a rooftop feature a Convention Center um I I believe the consensus is to move forward for me I say the consens I know so okay dererk and I'll work through it and then if you guys have any questions you'll get with the city manager and we'll be glad to answer keep working and then you know we'll continue move forward and hopefully you guys can get a consultant on board quick okay all right thanks appreciate it okay uh now see Mr if we take a small break yeah uh let's take a five minute break please for e e e e e e e e e e e e e e continue now let's move on to audience to be heard Miranda mayor I have two cards the first is Marie Alberti three cards Marie alberty Alber inspir push first off I just want to say thank you for pushing him I heard his speech and for mentoring him to get up here oh I had nothing to do with that yeah all right nothing to do with that you get all the blame if it doesn't go well um Marie alberie 205 Temple Circle also the other half of my day I spend it one West Orange Avenue as the president and CEO of the Eustace Lake Eustace Area Chamber of Commerce and I am here tonight representing them um we have decided to do a monthly Sip and stroll Sunset Sip Sip and stroll in our downtown area start there it's dedicated to supporting local businesses and fostering a vibrant Eustace during the initial months the event will primarily focus on downtown businesses and in the future we plan to expand and create opportunities for other local businesses to participate uh at this time let me see I lost it there it goes um here we go uh our first sipson Sunset will be uh January 30th it's a Thursday night it was chosen as an evening that is not a first Friday or a Friday night to try to drive traffic down downtown on another week night uh we have some great entertainment lined up for our first one his name is Mark hton and he will be uh located in in pocket park and our first sponsor is uh Hickory Hill realy and Property Management Lois benaglia and Ryan benaglia and we hope to see everybody downtown and participating um we did this it was just a registration just registrate register our our local businesses that want to participate and support each other um other than that that's our first one on board time it starts at 6:30 and you can purchase tickets online or you can we will start at the Chamber of Commerce building and you can pick up your wine glass your I'm okay to drink uh wristband um and it will be wine beer meat since we have all of that in downtown Eustace that other people do not have we also have an ice cream shop that has um liquor infused ice cream so that's there also it's up to each individual business what they would like to um provide and on that note oh you didn't start the clock okay I'm okay now um George Fest coming up nobody started it George Fest is coming up uh February 5th is the George George Fest breakfast at lifeo church and we invite everybody to come and participate in that we also do the normal window decorating for George Fest and we have been out and trying to solicit our our local businesses to participate in that that's another activity that gives them a little bit more visibility um this year we're sponsoring the tiny Miss tiny Miss and Junior uh Eustace program uh the pageant and uh I think that's it for us uh we've got a lot going on we're working with the city also the carnival has been extended this year um to I believe it's nine days or 10 days so uh we have a lot of good things going on and I can honestly say that um uh I've been in your shoes so I feel for you so and it'll all be okay thank you thank you Miranda uh next we have shaita Hill and I will start the clock this sorry about that good evening I have Pastor Kelly with me as well we just wanted to say first of all good evening to the city officials and thank you for your support with the upcoming Martin Luther King event and just wanted to invite the community to come out we will start on January the 19th at Trinity Church at 4:00 p.m. followed by gospel concert then we will meet on Monday January the 20th at eus Memorial Library and we will have a continental breakfast then um we will do the unity walk from the Comm from the library to Fern Park with familyfriendly activities for that morning and afternoon and again we just want to invite everyone to come out and then again to also tell our City commissioners our chief of police and all who have made this possible thank you so very much for your support and showing the unity that Dr Kean represented uh shaita when will the uh the speeches will the kids do the speeches they supposed to have submitted the speeches when was the deadline for that tomorrow okay so tomorrow is the deadline to submit the speeches to I don't know if everyone knows what that is yes so we have opened up we want to encourage our young people first of all to write and learn more about Dr King and then also will give them an opportunity to get up and do public speaking so we are encouraging them to complete a speech we have guidelines and rules for it to be submitted to the chambers by tomorrow um at the close of business there and then it will be judged and they can also win a monetary gift for submitting their speech then they will have an opportunity to read their speech or recite the speech at the at firm Park doing the event on Saturday no I'm sorry Monday so um we again really want to encourage our young people to get involved with that unfortunately we have not had many speeches submitted so if you know any young people who would like to participate please encourage them to do so because I know we have some young people out there who can really do a very good job with that there were two that was okay great great you want to say to what you just said yes sir thank you thank you we heard you loud and clear thank you yes sir I have a card for Harold Kelly but I think same thing okay thankk you and those are all the cards I have mayor thank you uh is there anyone in the audience that would would like to speak on something that's uh uh that's not on the agenda anything that's not on the agenda okay okay all right uh now for the consent agenda uh commissioners before us is uh we have to consider need to be pulled is there anything needs to be pulled okay okay um can I get a motion to accept a consent agenda motion to approve second roll call commissioner Lee hi commissioner ASB body hi vice mayor Ashcraft hi mayor Hawkins hi okay now we're moving on to uh uh uh 6.1 one under ordinance and public hearings resolution number 3 25-11 yep I got that one thank you Mr Mayor resolution number 2511 a resolution of the city Commission of the city of usce Florida providing for a reduction of outstanding code enforcement fines and a release of a code enforcement lean recorded against 1601 Orange Drive excuse me excuse me uh we can hear you up here thank you thank you upon full payment of the reduced fine uh Mr Martin okay did you just read my introduction I believe you did all right you okay I apologize so resolution number 25-11 uh approves a code enforcement board order reducing outstanding fines from the current amount of $28,750 to $1 13,230 and releases the lean against 16001 Orange Drive upon payment see almost almost identical uh staff recommends approval of resolution number 25-11 um I have some background if you'd like to hear it would the commission like additional information a substantial reduction why okay the um the original fine the property was subject of a tax deed sale in December of 2023 at the time the fines were uh $95,000 uh the city received $66,000 in the tax deed Surplus those are funds available that were above and beyond what was doing the taxes uh so the 28,5 28,750 was what what would did not get paid from those from those proceeds the uh applicant requested a reduction to zero the code enforcement board denied that and and picked the number of 13,230 for and they've done everything they were supposed to do oh the new owner has absolutely brought the property in compliance they've renovated the house it looks better than it has in years okay question and I'm glad you brought that up um the fine was on the old owner correct correct it was uh the old owner was Godly trust okay and all the fines were accured under the old owner correct that's there that's a lean against the property so it carries over the the leans do not not survive a tax deed sale it's still an incumbrance on the property so generally we recover if it when we get uh tax deed surplus funds generally it's enough to cover all the all the code enforcement fines and you don't ever see us because once we get pay payment in full we issue the release release of lean but in this case uh that didn't happen that didn't sound quite right to me I don't agree with that either it's first I'm hearing of it makes no sense Chief Capri sorry Chief Capri well here we go again with with with with taxing people that shouldn't be fine $66,000 we got from the tax detail now we're going after an innocent person here for money that's trying to uh you know we I think we're out of our boundaries with this code board stuff you know Chief I I I have to agree with you it never ends it's always something else I I have to agree I don't understand why if I buy a house from someone and the lean and a substantial amount has been paid from the sale that I would be resp responsible for the balance it makes no sense to me Mr Mayor it's not a traditional purchase this is a it went to tax deed so that's that's what's happening here they failed to pay the taxes on the property and that was sold by the county to cover those taxes and out of the Surplus we were notified and we were able to claim a certain portion so it's not it like it's a traditional sale where they do a lean search and they would have to satisfy the lean ahead of time difference yeah so when you when you uh purchase a tax lean you purchas with the understanding that they're there there may be a lean on the property that is not extinguished by the sale in this case um our code enforcement leans are not extinguished and it is a buyer beware situation because it's not a traditional sale where there's title insurance or anything of that sort so it's it's very different it's kind of like a foreclosure um sale uh judicially it's the same thing with just for taxes so there could be people out there that haven't been notified that should have been notified I mean it's it's not um your traditional process but in this instance this particular lean is not extinguished by a tax deed a mortgage would be but not in this case so that's what's Happening Here the new owner um is there's still a balance on it and the new owner is requesting a uh they they request to the code enforcement board for a full waiver which the board denied in the past um these kind of cases came directly an investor a property owner they would buy it if there was if if the Surplus weren't enough to they just would submit a uh written request to the city we would put it before the uh the city commission under release of lean and we would advise the the commission that um the fines were this much we received this much the request is to wave the rest and the commission would generally approve that request so now everything going through the code enforcement board uh staff recommended the applicants you know approval of the applicant's request the board felt that the applicant should have done us due due diligence uh on the website it does say buy or beware if you go but you have to dig forward under the FAQs uh used to be right on the main screen when you go to log in into their to their sale website uh one of the one of the things the board did say is the city commission always has discretion to choose to go ahead and wave the remaining $1 13,230 how much was sorry go I was going how much of the original lean was it was 9 95,000 and that was due to just daily fines right there were two fines there were there were two leans against it so one lean was able to be released was be able to be paid in full uh um and the second one uh the property was just in violation from for it's a 2019 case that's associated with that so the gentleman that lived there didn't do anything to maintain it and when the property was sold at the tax deed cell we do stop the fines at that date because the fines were imposed against uh a previous violator but unfortunately the way the statutes read and the way title Works a lean runs with the land that's true um and and and the new owner brought everything up to compliance right away he did he uh we notified in January we notified the new owner of the outstanding violations within 30 days he corrected all that and with within under six months he completely uh renovated and remodel the house which had looked really run down for many many years what uh what was what was our cost our cost like oh we well we well recovered that you know our costs would would probably nowhere exceeded $2,500 25 00 if I had if I together and we we got 68,000 we got 6657 and 11 I what what was the reasoning with the code board not to go lower good question can I can I jump in on that if uh sure I don't think I don't think you should because you were on the code board no Mr Mayor it just gets to the point where when's it going to stop I mean this Board needs oversight okay the goal is to get compliance not to hammer people that are trying to make the properties better and I'm getting tired of it I've been up here saying it it is it's it's different for everybody else we need a magistrate we need a magistrate to handle the code issues enough with this code board this is ridiculous this this this makes no sense absolutely I'm embarrassed to be up here right now because I didn't know about I would have known about this I would have stopped this you know we got to start doing things with common sense that's all I'm going to say I'm not happy Madam attorney were you going to say something uh the the commission has discretion to accept the recommendation of the code enforcement board vary it however you choose to um and that's what we're here today thank you uh Eric what was what was staff's recommendation oh we've always recommended that the F the remaining fines be weighed because we don't it's in our office we don't feel that a new owner should be punished for the actions of a previous owner okay can I talk about the concept not the case but the concept you're welcome to talk even though you were on the on the code enforcement board yes and and you can vote as well this is not your property I just want everybody to hear this because I was sitting on so Envision it this way there's five of us up here and there's an Real Estate Investors and there's a sale coming online and we look at it and we know that there's a lean there for 95 ,000 bucks so when we think we look at the property we say I think the property is worth 200 Grand but I got to pay 95 there so what am I going to pay the buyer maybe 105 to make it the 200 I think it's worth the way it is and all five of us are here we try to make a good effort I don't get it you get it somebody else ends up with it and now it's an unbalanced unfair transaction and this is the way we've been doing it since all along to keep a steady Fair hand between everybody so it it's it's a consistency which is important if not then we've got hundreds of other fines that we've done this before we need to go back and give those people back the money it's a slippery slope so we we employ you guys employ now me up here we employ the code board to look at all of these things it was an extensive thing the guy is okay with it he knew what was there he knew what was there and the code sto the penalty stopped when the uh when he took over right it took over but he was under the impression that the leans uh he got clear title to the property so I had to that right shame on him I mean if somebody comes here with an argument that I was under the understanding we'd have no fines I'm I'm going to be limited what I have to say because I'll probably get in trouble to be honest with you but I'm I'm going to tell you right now it's got to stop this nonsense okay it's about what about making money is that what this is about I don't care about the business and the goal is to get compliance period once compliance is gained let me can I finish talking please once compliance is gained you move on hammering people and I've seen it up here people get treated differently and all this stuff on that code board I've seen it well you can disagree with me all you want I'm telling you the truth I don't care about people making money I'm care about and just because we did things the same always over and over again that's the worst thing you can say to me that's why we're in a lot of these problems here in this city because we do things the same over and over again we got to change it up and it's got to get better and Common Sense has got to Prevail sometime and that's all I'm going to say I'd like to answer to what he's directing to me no no if you have any other statements to make any other points I want to clarify what I said and that isn't that we do it as we normally do it there is an importance to a consistency and fair treating of everybody everybody needs to be treated the same way when there are violations the people who own the house across the street next door over for years six years five years they suffer a lot cost when you have such an impact around your property value if you tell me people don't go look at a property say oh I don't like that property next door it it affects its value speeding forward this is a practice between other buyers who've come up there we have unb if we if we deviate off of the uh uh tax deed procedures we are giving one person a favorable advantage over the others and that's what's most important to I understand what the chief's saying got the best Chief in the world no doubt about it but there are other factors outside of his stuff we need a consistency what do we do with all the other ones we have now we are we going to be the ones to be inconsistent or was it where I came from in Code Enforcement you and that how about the people who were next door and suffered how about the people who had to sell their house a little earlier because it looked that way there's a lot of moving Parts here I just I I want you to know they were aware of it they're happy with the 13 we cut the fine down um I have a question how how soon did he bring this house in into compliance like like I said the the yard was cleaned up in 30 days the house was renovated and completely this is not something where he took it over and just you to say I'm not going no it was his goal to uh fix it up and sell it so he had it on the market he had a contract on it and the lean came up and messed up the title on it you know he couldn't get he couldn't clear he couldn't close and we've I mean we've we've gotten more from the from the the lean that we had in cost correct did you say it was $2500 in I haven't I I didn't do the figures but if I did they wouldn't exceed $2,500 $2500 so well for one of them now there was uh for we did have to remove some trees so those were hard cost from the city so that was probably I think it cost a city something like5 $6 thousand to take down some dead pine trees uh probably in 2018 so Eric just to be clear he bought the property at tax deed and became aware of the lean at the time he was trying to sell the property correct okay yes commission okay I'm sorry is this I heard um s say mentioned taxes so is it taxes or that he violated codes in the city which is it or is it both it was both so what forced the sale under tax seed is failure to pay the property taxes uh for a certain amount of time uh the certificates are redeemed a sale is then forced and the property goes to auction so the Lake County property uh the Lake County Tax Collector recoups the money that hasn't been paid on the property for taxes and any surplus uh would then if if available would then go to uh valid lean hold olders or anyone that has a claim to the property and they take care of notifying those that have filed leans in public records or any information that they have so since arlans were public record we would have received notice um as a from the city um I'm sorry I there's talking so it's distracting um so we would have receive notice because we had code enforcement leans that had been recorded and we then submit a request for payment which is was done and we received a portion of that and that satisfied one of the two so the whole 66,000 didn't come back to the city some of it went for the taxes the 66,000 did come back to the city right uh so say say for instance uh you owe $10,000 in back taxes okay so it's a public auction it's just almost like a foreclosure people go online and they auction against the property so anything above $10,000 um the the county gets the $110,000 so say it sells for $100,000 and everyone's betting against it there's $90,000 worth of surplus and so uh when they do the title search they they check for any incumbrances any leans so say say there's no leans no mortgages uh no code enforcement fines that $90,000 will actually go back to the previous and original property owner right um yeah so remember so the city received $66,000 $665 7811 um so I would love any I would I wouldn't I would be a I'd love to be able to come to the board and say this is what we to the commission this is what we received the pro the new owner who has brought it in compliance has requested to release the lean and let the commission make decision on that so is it is is it possible to change resolution 2511 for the city commission to uh approve the applicant's request to zero and authorize the city clerk to execute a release aan the go I was going to say I think we have to make a motion to do that would we well are we setting a precedence oh yeah oh yeah and I just want to clarify it if the amount that is received is just enough to cover the taxes then we would have received nothing I mean it's just it all depends on who bids and and what they look at uh so it's um it's not a guarantee but the way that this resolution is worded uh we would have to come back to commission for it because it um indicates a full payment of the reduced fine and if there if the will of the commission is to consider a full release then this would not um this would would not cover what the commission's intent is and this would have to be retied I'm I apologize for interiew interrupting so I'm pretty sure the uh the new owner would be more than happy to set this off an additional two weeks if it's if it saves them over $133,000 so at the uh approval from the city commission we can deny this resolution and then we can put another resolution together another staff report and resolution to be presented at the at what would it be a first meeting in uh February for to approve his request for a full waiver of the outstanding amount well it doesn't have to be denied I mean this could be this could be tabled and then uh uh we could use the same number and just read advertise with the correct intent now we don't have a full commission so we can't it's it's based on on the will of the commission as we have it today we we are missing commissioner Holland okay so we can't guarantee you want to table it and we can um if if that's the will of the commission but prior to we do have to get public input so anything further from the commission for yeah Eric how much did we take off of the five was like 25 Grand was taken off so we gave the guy a break of 25 Grand no um actually the board only wanted originally wanted to I don't what did they give them at the end of the day sir how much did they we took off how much of a reduction yeah all right you're going to make me do the math no just say it out loud I'll so it was $28,000 and then the the board reduced it to $133,000 so that's $15,000 reduction so my concern is just being consistent if if as a commission we decided that from now on we have a policy where somebody does you know buy a tax deed sale that we just let it go then we should do that and then it's fair and and I'm not even even saying that I'm not against that I I mean I understand where the chief is coming from I'm just saying can you know there's a lot of elements over there if one of us were trying to be involved or our family was trying to buy or friends were trying to buy that they need to know what deal is so our board has been doing what they've been doing but it's it's up to you guys I I just my point here my point is information but but I think I think we enough money I really do I mean 60 $668,000 uh well well takes care of uh everything that we had to do on the property and um I mean I understand code enforcement being you know the the the fines being at compliance and then being a deterrent for other people to do it but you know in this case I I think we've had we've gotten enough money so do you think you should direct I'm sorry sir if it was you know if the Figures were reverse and it was 13,000 then it would be different but it's a substantial amount of money that that we recruit that you know right and he and he brought and he brought the uh property up in in a very very timely very timely manner and um you stopped the fines though I always St you only stopped the fines because of the tax detail yep but he didn't get hurt he didn't get fined for the time that he took to to do it we wanted him to no actually if we're asking for $113,000 he is getting fined if if uh no no fines acred after the sale so he knew ahead of time what was there or should have known and so did everybody else who was on there bidding against him and now I mean if you guys want to do it I'm I don't it's let's just do it fair for everyone so let's direct maybe the co and I'm speaking out of line I don't know direct the code enforcement board or suggest to him if you ever get a tax deed sale don't punish that person at all give it to them for nothing and then when they call Eric all the time and say hey what do you think about this his phone goes crazy before tax deed sale he tells us that all the time let him tell everybody the same story that's all I want so if we want to do it this way then let let's do it all the time okay so why can't we s that person today it's up to us I guess I think you also have to be fair to the code enforcement board yeah I mean I think I think every case is different too sorry Emily every case is different I mean if he got the property and just you know and didn't do anything with it I then yeah maybe I'd be less inclined to uh give him a break but you know and I can just talk about you know my experience you know I bought the lot next to my house on Grove and it had it had it had some code code leans on it but I brought it up the code very quickly and and that's really what we wanted so I don't know I'm in I'm in favor of reducing okay well let me do we have any cards uh on this item no do we have the property owner here he's not here okay would anyone in the audience like to comment on this resolution okay seeing none I will close public input um seems that oh my name is Alan Pas Bowski and I'm the chairman of the code enforcement board which I've been on for over 10 years the mayor served on my board mr's body served on my board and I'm speaking uh on behalf of seven people who said on that board and all voted on this issue and as a chair I have to respect majority rules just like you do Mr Mayor on the city Commission this case was a property that was originally owned by an LLC and it was bought by an LLC on the courthouse steps when we reviewed everything the new owner did not even uh bother the show up when he was requesting a $28,000 release to zero I know the chief has certain feelings I would remind the city commission that the code enforcement board is appointed by the city commission they're not part of the code enforcement department within the city and the only cases we hear are those that the Code Enforcement Officers present to us there I'm sure hundreds of other cases out there that we may not have seen or never will see they determine what we vote on on the evidence presented what we vote on based upon the evidence that's presented and whether or not it does or does not violate the city ordinances code enforcement board has an attorney who makes sure that we stay within the legal lines and follow the law Courthouse sales are unique as the City attorney has pointed or commission attorney has pointed out to you and so uh obviously you can overrule anything that the code enfor board says or doesn't say votes on her either positively or negatively but uh you know we're not in the business of trying to make money I can attest you and Mr Hawkins and Mr ASB you both sat on that board and you know the due consideration and diligence and integrity that goes into every decision that was made or ever will be made by that board as long as I'm a member of it so you know this is a completely different uh situation because it was a courthouse deal he was notified of these problems in January 2023 I believe and it's now January 2025 when he submits and he corrected everything you now 20 January 2025 is when he submits his request for $28,000 reduction which is the City attorney is Po out or fines were not accured by him when he initially purchased the property they were residue from the previous owner action Al had to be put on the property and once again LLC owners new LLC owner he was buying that property to invest as an investment that's certainly his right but uh I take offense at the insinuation that the code enforcement board exists and makes decisions solely to put money in the pocket of the city I'll answer any questions that you may have thank you did you want to say anything else Eric thank you the previous owner was not an LLC it was in a trust it was Godly trust I do believe he mentioned something about the first owner being an LLC it wasn't it was in a trust and I can tell you what happened if you'd like to hear it um no I think we're yeah we can hold off so um what I want to do now is get a sense of what each of the Commissioners wants to do because of the fact that we don't have um commissioner Holland here it's um it's essentially going to be like a version of a straw po because some of you have differing views um so it looks like you are in favor of either a reduction or or no or a zero maybe somewhere in between so um commissioner Lee what is your desire here so that I could I'm looking to give staff some instruction too because um I just have um mixed feelings because I think we have a code enforcement board but we also have to know that they have policies and guidelines that they that they have to follow also um so so we make this decision which I don't have a issue with reducing but I don't want it to be because code enforcement is trying to make money or this or that I I want to get that out of it totally and look at what do we think that he's paid enough or not and is that but I think that we have to respect code enforcement board too because if that's the case then why do we have them okay um I'm just going to backtrack real quick just for the benefit of the public as well uh we have a procedure it's uh was adopted back in 2010 ordinance uh 20107 and it requires discussion when an item should be postponed when we have a commissioner that is currently absent but it's a curable absence which is the case um at this meeting meaning that were commissioner Holland here he would be voting on this item so if a commissioner is not present during a meeting where a curable absence U occurs the commission shall discuss and vote on whether or not to postpone consideration of the item and the purpose of this is so that an action can be taken whether in FA fa or against uh at 3 to one in this case um because there's there's only four of you on the particular item so the procedure requires that a straw pole be taken um on for the four of you as to whether you are in favor or against the resolution as presented and based on whether if we have a three to one or four to zero then we can proceed to a formal vote if not um we have a 2 two or there's differing instruction for staff then we would have to have this item brought back give staff Direction and then um hopefully at the next meeting we'll have a full commission as well so as presented um today we have it's for a reduction of the fine are you in favor or against approval commissioner Lee is that to zero no just against as it as it's indicated right now it states it's a reduction to 13,000 sorry $230 $230 so I against for against is 13,000 are you in favor of approving the reduction to that amount or against it and that's the same question I'll be asking the rest of you so you be that nothing is done against is that you you are not in favor of reducing it to the 13,000 and then you can tell me if it if you think it should be less or more I'm in favor of the reduction as as stated as stated okay commissioner as body I agree with uh commissioner Lee you're in favor of the reduction as stated yes vice mayor um no I'm not in favor I think it should be less okay and Mr Mayor I I agree with price beautiful so we have can we discuss what you would like and maybe we can come to a consensus and be done moved on um sure um I thought that's it sounded like that's the only choice two choices we had until we bring it back and then we could if these were if this was actual cost that the city incurred I would be all for it these are not actual costs that this city incurred these are daily fines that aced and aced and not actual Co cost to the city so he's done everything he needed to do these are not actual cost we've we've more than recouped our cost for staff and everything we had to do the the lean was is it was there in place he uh he paid he paid enough we're talking about this particular one we're just talking about my understand is we're just talking about this one so one question here I have is is it so you just said zero the way that the resolution is written we have room if it's a reduction in the fine we can alter the amount if we are going to zero then there is no reduced fine it's an elimination of fine or release of lean so we would have to reward it charge him 100 charge him $100 $100 so you you're indicating $100 yes Mr Mayor yeah I I again I I agree with with vice mayor um I I think that that amount is excessive uh when it comes to what is what's been paid and you know and I think that staff has recommended they recommended and staff is out there every single day the staff is recommended no F okay if I'm not state if I had to make the res if I had to make the recommendation I would always because like I said I I don't like a new property owner to be held responsible for the actions of a previous property owner but I don't have the authority to make any adjustments in that that's what I look for the code enforcement board and the city commission I missed that part that part staff is recommending zero staff initially recommended you recommended generally what what I'll do is um I'll give the board their options and then I'll give a if it if it comes down to it and they can't make a decision then I'll I'll give them a recommendation to did you recommend zero zero yes just just answer you recommended zero right we recommended zero staff that I would have come with sta answer okay and again tax deed sales they are unique so want to keep that in mind so doing this if we go to zero is it something I heard you said we have to come back with it again yes because the title of the resol resolution involves full payment of a reduced fine so if it's if the uh consensus is for there to be an elimination of the fine then that's a different it's a different title so it would have to come back and and wait for meor Holland and as long as we understand this is Case by Case by case I don't want to set a precedence but we're going to take it Case by Case by case and this is a case that Justice case we're dwelling on right now but I think we've got to give the board some experience as to what's you know we've had cases come before code enforcement that had $200 and some thousand doar and we reduced it to nothing when there was a minor child who inherited a property and couldn't have the power to sell it that makes sense we took it to zero so I just want consistency I'm okay with what the chief is saying I'm okay with with getting rid of it the 13 completely I just want my argument is about please just hear it's about consistency fairness and letting something go into sale where everybody's on the same level but as far as the 13 I do agree with him on that part my concern is the consistency that's it so you know if we could vote for 13 uh for the 13 to go away I would vote Yes but that's apparently what not what we're doing here right and my points and my arguments have been for consistency so I think as a commission we need to tell them from now on that's what we're expecting that's all when I I just want to when I can talk I just want to say one last thing when whenever you go ahead I'm not trying to make problems here I'm I'm gonna always do the right thing not the unpopular I don't care if it's unpopular but I want to clarify something that the chair said I never once said the Cobo was trying to make the city money I said the goal is compliance not to make money had nothing to do with the Cobo I have nothing against them personally this is a business move I took an oath to protect and serve and I just it smells bad and I don't like the way it looks and I think you got to use common sense to Prevail we got 66,000 the guy okay we recommended zero go with our recommendation it's going to be different Case by case it's got to be it can't be the same on everything but you got to use common sense and to me it just looks bad when we're getting $66,000 and now we want another 13,000 no no is this is there a self still P pending on this property is this sale pending I think he bought it right no he no he no but I thought he said he was trying to resell it last time I checked it it was off the market so I think he took it I think he took it off the market to see what was because I think that one sell no it's fine okay so what I would recommend to the commission is uh to table this item till the next meeting and for the wording of the resolution to have um it can stay the same either a reduction of the outstanding lean to a amount to an amount to be determined by the commission or elimination of the lean to if DET something to that extent basically to cover both scenarios but not establish a specific amount and then in your report as well as the body of the resolution you can indicate what the um what your recommendation was what the recommendation of the code enforcement board was so that the full board the full commission has all of the information and then can decide whether to reduce it to a certain amount or completely go with zero that way we don't have to um redo it based on an amount we revisit the option of ring it to100 in the resolution based on what I'm hearing I'm hearing bring it back I would be I would be in favor of that I don't know what you need from us that would be that could happen tonight it would be over with no well have to bring it back yeah just based on everything that I've heard I think it should be brought back because I would also like for the consideration of the code enforcement board to be taken into account by uh commissioner Holland moving forward we just want to be on the same page I want people to be treated fairly and I I don't want to see greed Merchants need to be dealt with on a different level people uh uh SL Lords and people like that that run their properties to the ground they're the ones that need to be held accountable not the ones that are fixing their properties and trying to make the city better and we get $66,000 from them oh by the way here's another $113,000 we want I mean I'm not the smartest crayon in the box but come on man really I mean Common Sense has got to prove up I'm done okay thank you Eric I'll I I can get with you on on the language for the resolution I'll make a I'll make a hold on uh before we um before we move move on uh we won't be able to hear this again until the 20th of next month because we're going to have a curable absence on the next meeting what we'll be G I think $100 $100 I think we're good because I we pretty much have uh your take on again there's going to be some flexibility so as long as we can get a decision from the majority okay yeah for the record I'm a reduction to zero okay well we'll have the option of elimination of the lean or a reduction to an amount to be determined so we'll have that wiggle room that we need if um if that were to happen and uh we do need a motion to table this item till the next commission meeting I make a motion to table item six or resolution 2511 till the next meeting is there a second second second okay roll call please commissioner Lee hi commissioner ASB hi vice mayor Ashcraft I mayor ha Hawkins I and Mr Mayor just real briefly in light of the discussion today and everything that um was brought up by commissioner ASB body just to throw it out there maybe a workshop between the city commission and the code enforcement board would be a good idea because they are doing a great public service and it's also an opportunity for everyone to get a sense of what's Happening um just in the community as well as what their objectives are and not discredit their work and vice versa had we had one before I thought we talked about that we had a joint meeting with the commission when we were when you were on there where the commission and US met together okay and we had a a uh it's been a while okay let's a ago yeah I agree we should do it just a suggestion okay um uh everyone it is 605 we've been here8 I mean 805 would would we like to continue or we like to put everything because we only have a couple other items so continue continue okay okay coming down to other business Al Al ladimer economic development director uh um Commissioners um at a October 3rd Commission meeting uh staff was asked to uh develop some ideas to help stimulate uh business um uh traffic and growth downtown uh we were asked to work with the Chamber of Commerce we did that uh also in that process we talked to uh businesses downtown we created a um draft of an incentive program we brought that to you you gave us some feedback asked us to go back um well you gave us your feedback was we brought you six ideas um you uh told us which ones you liked asked us to go talk to the business Community about which ones uh they felt were the strongest out of that list uh we did that we walked downtown talked to the downtown businesses and so today what we have before you is uh the um revised draft uh but it is uh uh you also asked us to put it in complete form with um uh recommended guidelines and an application so you could see the total program so today I am presenting you the downtown business growth and economic stability uh sustainability uh incentive program uh it has four Grant um opportunities for downtown businesses uh the entertainment Grant uh sidewalk uh dining establish M assistance grant uh patrons tour Grant uh and the uh customized business training uh grants so in the entertainment Grant category there are two grant opportunities under that category the first one is um just general entertainment Grant which can be applied for um a maximum Award of $500 uh that would be for a downtown business owner to request up to $500 to provide entertainment that would be um outside of its venue uh and supporting the entire downtown area for example a band or a comedy show a magician a soloist pianist uh Puppeteer balloonist um those would represent the wide variety of uh clientele that comes to the downtown area uh there would be a limit of 10 of those uh for a maximum uh award in that category of $5,000 the um second category under question me too um for this $500 so it says 10 Awards can one business get them all or is it just one time how is that broken down it's limited one per business per year uh you done yeah yeah uh Al uh do we approve the entertainment or do we leave it up to because what if the bush man wants to come to Eustace what um what we have recommended is that a committee uh is formed of staff to review every application so a number of uh things would be considered number one is the Taste uh the style the preference of the entertainment um the um timing so that it's you know the event doesn't cannibalize something that the city is sponsoring or one of the traditional events that come to the city page three who's your vision of who that board would be or who that committee would be it it's staff it would be like kind of a special events Grant will you guys do it yes okay okay I'm sorry go ahead okay so the second category um under entertainment is uh concerts in pocket park um and uh what What's envisioned uh is that middle schools uh or grants would be given for Middle School bands High School bands College bands uh and the Chamber of Commerce could hire a Performing Arts band um to play in pocket park um the way I look at that one is Sunday brunch with music uh echoing out of parket park um pulling you know um patrons downtown on a day uh that can become uh something of a regular occurrence if the entertainment is consistent in paret park who's going to organize that AR um the applicant so it would be organized by one of the business applicants or a group who wants to perform um it is the business applicant the business applicant takes the lead um on making sure that the event is uh well planned they actually have to provide us with a budget you know not for us to approve but for us to make sure that they uh include C like setup cleanup tear down so that we under they understand that the city's not going to be responsible for that so if they are doing a $500 Grant to to do an establish I mean to do a performance outside of their business so they can also do one in pocket park pocket park is um is again more for um High School entertain it's for the um uh to um assist with the development of the bands at the middle school give them an opportunity the high schools the colleges uh and that would include bands from outside the area as well but sound like you were saying a business would do the set up and organized so who's going to do that part okay the institution I'm sorry what relative to uh pocket park it would be the applying institution that would uh take care of all of of the um uh details of set up clean up all of that okay so a band could come and apply for this and high the the middle school the high school yes the college yes the chamber so can somebody come from Georgia CMI Miami and get a grant and come perform there or are we leaving it just to either a resident or business owner of the city do we think about that or you got any thoughts on that right the the the um um the Optics would not work well for somebody out of the area um you know so it' be either a business making that application within the city or that's it I guess right or can a resident make it no no this is for B for the businesses in the downtown area I'm sorry this isn't yeah this is for a jazz or concert by from a k through 12 or a college education so those are the two limitations of who they have to be that's right so they have to be a k through 12 or a Educational Institute I like that or they could be chamber or they can be chamber they're in the city yeah all right so next uh the next category is the merchants match um for patrons tour and the idea here is to uh get more bus tours into the downtown area um a this is envisioned that um this award is envisioned that a number of businesses would get together um and they would collectively make the request for the grant um those businesses again collectively would put money in the pot to match um because they should have some skin in the game uh also they have the ability to charge patrons to um um come up with some additional funding um and um you know so the match here would be $1,250 uh three opportunities to secure those Awards a year uh and uh that would be a total of $7,500 for that category where would the tour start from it would start from any destination outside of Eustace so the the example that's most often used is the Villages now will the businesses do they will they are they committed to like staying open later or doing something special when this tour comes through those those are the answer those questions um those are answers we will seek from them when they come to us seeking the opportunity okay so we got to hope that 17 18 businesses in downtown can all agree get two or three at a time yeah so is there going to be a vote on it will they what's your expectation from them if you have somebody say no I don't want that this one wants that how do we keep everybody happy they come to us they form a small group Collective and they come to us so any group of one or two businesses can come to you and say we're a group of these and we want this or do you want it to be a percentage of the people in downtown how how do you do that I mean um the businesses we want businesses to start working together and once we have some success from one small group working together we'll G I think that'll build on itself right I hope so they can't agree on a couple of the recent stuff but I hope they and also the chamber um you know can apply in this category as well so they could have like a special night um well let's say like CCO DEA and they have that okay tonight we're going to have that and then they advertise it and get people to come from afar to and all the business agree they're going to do something special that night is that the concept whether it's uh coupon book or you know stamps or or sip and sunsets something like that right right so okay any questions on the any additional questions on the patron tours okay on the sidewalk uh dining entertainment uh excuse me dining establishment assistance grant um nothing says vibrancy like people Meandering outside sitting at tables sipping um Libations enjoying the weather um and it it just seems like it's a magnet you know if you've got sidewalk uh uh Alfresco dining people want to come and be a part of it so what we would offer uh under this grant program um Grant would be $1,500 uh per year uh or per uh applicant five Awards and uh it would be for fixed nonmovable uh items like uh railing or fixed umbrella stands uh lighting uh brick repair or Hideway counter um but um we could can't make this available for uh dishes or tables or tablecloths because we can't pay use uh money for things that may walk away any questions so I keep picking on uh Chris so Chris has tables outside right now so I'm just thinking can he apply and get this now or or they don't cover tables uh if brick and Barrel wants to put in tables will we cover their tables tabl okay no tables I'd like if you could maybe add some of that detail so they keep everybody happy before they you have to keep saying no might be helpful to you but thank you all right and uh the LA last category is uh customized business training for shop owners um and the shop owners uh businesses in the downtown area um need an opportunity or deserve an opportunity to have access to all of the facets that could support their growth and viability in business we're making an investment uh and to increase the traffic um businesses you know um we have a great asset uh in town at the business incubated the Small Business Development Center is located there uh um the University of Central Florida can develop um customized programs that we can and get the businesses into uh it's customized and confidential where it needs to be um sometimes it's difficult for businesses to ask for the help that they need we can make sure that this is a conf confidential process but at the same time the These funds can be accessed by the Chamber of Commerce uh to provide lessons uh and uh uh information classes on compliance you know here's what you do um you know when you have HR issues you have workers comp issues um you have uh you know data privacy and uh uh just uh state regulatory uh needs you know the chamber can be a good um uh business partner in helping them build the knowledge and some of those everyday issues that you know they may not um um they need a assistance with but n you know but avoid it or don't tend to it until an opportunity is presented to them I have a question yes are the merchants currently taking advantage of any of the opportunities presented um at with the business incubator and mega workplace now are they taking advantage of what's offered there now this is a different cell that I hope will get us there you know this is more um I mean truly customized this this isn't just being a part of a general program for entrepreneurs or for small businesses um if we can say you know this is going to be developed to help you specifically with marketing pricing information inventory control um I think that's what we need to coax them over there and while they're over there uh they build the relationship so they can keep Crossing that bridge as they need to my concern would be would there be okay a customized class but there may be only one Merchant or two Merchants who wants to take advantage of it so are we getting most thing for the bug that way are are we going to try to get them to commit that four or five make a make a class rather than just one business taking advantage of it right I I think that would be uh uh University of U Central Florida's preferred method of uh teaching the classes um are they willing to do that do they get any of this three grand if if that's the way the grant is presented then the answer would be I think you know that's something that they'd have to um you know decide for themselves just just so that you guys know there's about 370 entrepreneurs a month that come over there and take advantage of spdc which is small business they can meet with a certified public accountant bring their whole headache put it in front of a CPA and for free he'll evaluate it all and uh give them some really good feedback so that's what they're getting now they're getting that now one two they're getting 1 Million Cups so when you come to 1 Million Cups you're asking for assistance with a problem so what's your challenges what can we do for you so they put out it could be I don't like my name we changed several names for people we recommended it's a good collaboration of usually 50 to 75 entrepreneurs so they're getting that over there as well of and that's all for free that's what I'm saying that's all for free and and everything so um I think Al is thinking here and I don't want to speak for him but I think he's thinking about hopefully getting like a huge extra event over there where there's a meeting and we bring in somebody to talk about marketing or maybe to talk about um things like that I'm not sure what those are but we got a lot of good things going on there so we don't want to double them but I think through all and I'm just G to say this and I shut up I think through all this we need to give Al the flexibility to make changes to maybe even move some of this 9,000 if he's getting a lot of great requests on other things I feel like we need to give out the flexibility to stay within the 29 but adjust in those numbers if you guys are okay with that we don't need him to come here every time he wants to down on one category a home run you make you make some good points I when we first talked about I thought the total was going to be more yeah the total uh of money in the pot is $50,000 okay um but you know we just wanted to be um look at this more as a pilot project let's push it out there the first year see what works not put all the money on the table but where's the other money going to go it's in the it stays in it stays in the in in the um in the P okay I I think we got to Al our economic guy I think we got to give him some loose Leen leniency there think he does a good job that and could potentially one business apply for all these grants no no not all of them um but you know some multiple some and is is there is there an interval if they apply get approved they have to wait a certain amount of time so they can apply for maybe the next one yeah on the sidewalk Grant that's every two years I mean I think you can understand but once again I agree with commissioner's body there you should we should put some of those details into the okay so they so they know um right so you know so they're not uh you know told no is there an evaluation of if this is working or not you know you let us know or is it maybe keep statistics on attendance and stuff like that all right and and the the word downtown business growth on the top where can you tell me where's the boundaries of the of of your of business where so can a guy on 441 so where's the boundaries is it the central business district or the C and Central business district so put that top there maybe if you can C okay good good well well now the CRA is Big yeah C goes all the way East right yes so they can they can apply is that what we're is that what you're think thinking now they can apply to come do something here or can they do it out there this is say downtown if it's going to if it's going to impact the central business district then yes no I can say when you say CRA the C is Big it goes all the way East well my thing is you know we have the East End that's trying to revitalize revitalized so why don't we allow them to do things since it's CRA too was covered exactly okay I I missed that so you're saying if if if there's a a restaurant on I just say Bates Avenue why can't they take advantage of some of this on Bates Avenue because it is CRM I think we never thought of it but it I that's why I brought it up we need to know the boundary of it okay and if that's the will of the commission but but but I'd like that if we're trying to revitalize that area okay why not Mr Mayor uh Miss assistant city manager I just wanted to clarify that these are not CRA funds being used that this isn't Economic Development general fund on the wrong time all right okay so then let's go back to the central business district I guess so CB well Central Business yeah okay all right thank you but we may want to think about that in some of the businesses that are over there yes sir that could we could get some use some CRA funding for that yeah so you do you budget some of that if it goes outside the central business district comes out of CRA budget if it's in yeah yeah let's let's do some of that okay okay all right you come before give you other step thank you very much okay any additional questions no than all right thank you thank you sir you're welcome thank sir all right now we're coming up oh I'm sorry oh wait a minute agenda items does the public speak on this I guess no no no sorry sorry ma'am she's on the uh she was thinking because the chamber she's talking on beh of the we we don't have a Public Authority kind of input um during this all right uh now we're coming up to Future agenda and comments um I'll go first if you don't mind well I do okay okay go ahead well actually you know what um speaking of CRA I guess I should have really brought it up at the CRA meeting but I can go ahead and talk about it now so I know a lot of us were at the last Lake Le League of cities meeting where Habitat for Humanity and Daniel stra put on a a really good good presentation about what they do and and this is the reason why you go to these things because I didn't realize that they did rehab as well as new builds and I'd like the I'd like to start the conversation right now that we might consider having habitat run our our cra res uh restoration program just as a conversation the one that the Lake Community actionist yes and and I know you know I know Michael's not here um we can wait and but um I was very impressed on how she handles things and and and our our restoration program is not being utilized like it should be and we actually even put more money into it for this year and I bet most of those people or most of that money hasn't even been earmarked yet so I just want to bring up a conversation and see what everyone thinks about maybe trying to get the most benefit for our CRA dollars and have and have them have them maybe consider consider running it yeah okay go ahead you're on you're on that board you're on that board I'm not opposed to a discussion U yeah I think that we probably look at pros and cons yes so I'm not I'm not opposed to discussion on that I mean I just think it's um you know we want the money to go to the go to the to the citizens and I think we need to find a way to get the most money to them to help them out the most and and I think we should maybe even have another program that's not CIA CRA for people under certain incomes to help with their rehab as well out of the general fund that's just just my thing that's not on the Gateway I imagine they get it anyway right exactly yeah I'm good for discussion okay well we can all right miss Emily I everything that I'm interested in is already scented I'm good George two things um one I know the chamber wanted to talk about one item and um I think either like you to let her make a statement uh it is not about the event but it's about well I'm just going to do it um I'll just do it that's probably the best way we've closed it let's sit down tell her sit down I'm not doing this okay um what what we need to clarify and what I want to clarify is that the use of the mega workplace for any of the events I'm usually home by now so the use of the mega workplace by any events uh that Miss Ras wants to make it clear that the mega workplace will not charge the city for any of these classes or any of the stuff that they do there at all so there would be I think she said for any City Event uh for fostering uh economic growth collaboration and all of that is always free we made this commitment before when we did the UCF vote as a civilian I did so I just want to clarify that oh say I appreciate you bringing that up cuz I did have some reservation about giving you UCF grant money that because we've already given them money to to uh spur their the spur their program so thank you I mean that's that's them if they bring an expert in or an attorney talk about contracts or leases and how to negotiate with your landlord they they got to pay him probably doesn't need to come up over here they need to just accept that if that's what we want to do because I want do do you worry about consist for us or doesn't in that or no there's a it's really on a caseby casee basis now the code enforcement board is an independent body okay so I mean I'm sorry man go so you know it uh that's why I suggested the workshop so that there could be perhaps an understanding of from both sides but ultimately it's a recommendation that's made by the board and then the um commission as an appell it in that component would look at the recommendation so yeah okay then I withraw that I'm fine no no and and and and actually you you were reading my mind because because you I mean because the code of enforcement board makes decisions really B case on case basis as well and so but I mean I understand if we want to make a you know a policy for tax details or give them some direction right but I mean I mean this I think this tax de sell could have been just as you know if if our and if we had to go in and like demo the property and our costs were and we didn't recoup our cost uh yeah it could have been a different outcome in my opinion um but if we had no cost besides the daily fines then I mean I think it should be a case by case I agree with the attorney so if there's a if there's a fine like it is and the guy buys the house for whatever he bought it for 95,000 and then he sells it for 350 do you think we should still drop that 13 that's the kind of stuff that that we get faced with and we don't they don't we don't know what to do it's kind of stuck between a rock and a hard spot well our concern shouldn't be how much he makes when he sells the house okay then that's what we should direct them if that's the consensus the commission makes a decision based on the information available at the time and the same thing occurs with the code enforcement board so you know we can't look at future events or anything like that it's just really what's happening at the time just trying to figure out a way if that's what we want to do let's not create this what happen today again let's just let the chief as a director do that if that's what we want but it's Case by case it's Case by case again the code enforcement board is an independent body so even though it's under the police department I'm happy I'm happy it's not the CH no sir nothing all right that's why we got Miranda no comments thank you no comment no okay all right uh Madam attorney I think I said a lot tonight yeah okay all right well thank you going on 9:00 I know we were going to blow right through this you did you jinxed us yeah I um you know as my my my first real City commission um you know I want to thank every everyone you know I think that the dialogue that we've had tonight has been tremendous um I there hasn't been any um uh how do I say we it's been constructive dialogue uh and it's been thought out dialogue and and I appreciate that um for those of you that think that you know we're going to be getting out of here at 6:30 quarter to 7 I think based on the commission and what you heard the last couple of times we've been together that ain't going to happen um uh we have a lot to say we're thinking about a lot and I think we're moving in the right direction uh and I appreciate that uh just wanted to uh let everyone know uh that the uh eustus African-American Heritage committee is having a sassy seniors fashion show uh next next on the on 24th so that's next Friday yeah I believe that's next Friday and on the 18th our parks in W is having the the daddy daughter dance uh so if if you have any granddaughters or uh bring them uh that would be great um when we take an oath uh and we raised our hand uh to be Commissioners to be representatives of the city we take the oath to put the city first when it comes to uh things that we do because we need to realize that no matter what we do if we run over somebody uh if we rob a bank the first thing they're going to say is he was a you that's right city of eustus employee city of Eustace well I'm not going to say mayor because that's me uh but uh that should be foremost in Our Minds when we're dealing with the public uh and with the public please understand that we are City commissioners and we represent the city we don't represent anyone else our main focus is what happens in our city so I think it's important for us sitting here for those of you out there that are city employees sworn and unsworn to realize that your eust to city employees anything that happens while you're in a city vehicle or doing duties as assigned as a city employee the first thing that they hear is city of hustus employee so please consider that when you're making your decisions uh I think that um I think that's all I'll say on that that subject okay any questions um also one of the things that uh I I I forgot is that um there's a comedy show on the 25th of January uh and it is going to be at the Hideway Plaza uh which is the Big Lot Plaza uh the time is is any even cuz I can't see so okay I have a question could we please get commissioner as body another chair yes yes thank you how about just crates do you hear him when he moves around he almost fell the other day go he deserves more yeah you're the only one who cares about me well there are limitations to everything okay um anything else okay all right okay it is I think you trying to stall till 9 o' UM Mr Swanson Chief Swanson okay we won't make it out before 9 but we have the food drive on the 25th and anybody that has any uh food drop it off at Station 22 uh we're undefeated I don't know how many years it is in a row now it doesn't really matter CU we're going to win again but uh it's quite a few yep uh we we've got a pretty good collection going already we've actually got stuff from North barn uh chief for you let us stash some stuff in there so it'll be pretty exciting it's fun if you're around on the on that Saturday come by the station there's a lot of fun things happening well and and just as just as a followup you can give cash too food if you give me cash early I run it to my coupon lady and she doubles the money perfect yeah so uh people have been giving me cash and I actually have a a some in my pocket now I got to give it to her tomorrow so okay yeah how many fires have you had since the new year uh we had I think we had two today um we're we're we're running about I want to I for sure 15 fires so far this year um so far this year so far this year yeah we're we're averaging one or to a day right now and I don't know why there's nothing no reason Rhyme or Reason for it but eaters space eaters uh the the one in us to with space eater all right okay thank you thank you Chief okay the time is 8:40 meeting adjourned