WEBVTT METADATA Video-Count: 2 Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=Liq8PXZLsow Video-2: youtube.com/watch?v=VoUNipPl-AM NOTE MEETING SECTIONS: Part 1 (Video ID: Liq8PXZLsow): - 00:00:00: Northport University and City Commission Meeting Introduction - 00:02:26: Public Comment: Parks and Recreation Essential Services - 00:04:02: Public Comment: Funding Dependent Recreation District - 00:04:52: Public Comment: Parks, Social Services, Communications Importance - 00:06:16: Public Comment: Communications and Social Services Safety Net - 00:07:32: Public Comment: Warm Mineral Springs Eco Resort Vision - 00:10:18: Public Comment: County Funding Shouldn't Be a Non-Profit - 00:13:34: Public Comment: Park Security and Essential Social Services - 00:15:15: Parks and Recreation Department Service Delivery Discussion - 00:18:27: Parks and Recreation: Service Delivery and Cost Recovery - 00:26:16: Parks and Recreation: Special Events and Funding Model - 00:29:21: Parks and Recreation: Parks Community Infrastructure Value - 00:34:28: City Manager Summary: Accreditation, Strategic Commitments Negotiable - 01:30:57: Resident Testimonial and Northport Fire Rescue CPR PSA - 01:32:28: Public Works Addresses Drainage Concerns and Illegal Dumping - 01:34:22: New Indoor Play Centers Welcomed by Young Families - 01:36:23: Boundless Adventures at Garden of Five Senses - 01:36:56: Emergency Alert Signup and New Northport Podcast Network - 01:39:23: Aquatics Manager and City Manager at the 'Crib' - 01:41:32: City Manager Performs Opening Checklist at Aquatic Center - 01:42:48: City Council Meeting: Communication Division Service Delivery - 02:10:56: City Council Discussion and Proclamation of Appreciation - 02:25:11: Public Comment: Enhancements to Communication Department - 02:28:47: Public Comment: Falun Dafa and Promoting Truthfulness - 02:31:19: Public Comment: Additional Opportunities for Communication Team - 02:33:50: City Council Meeting: Social Services Details of Delivery - 02:54:35: Public Comment: Thanking St. Vincent de Paul - 02:56:19: Public Comment: Opposition to Funding Greg Stwie Part 2 (Video ID: VoUNipPl-AM): - 00:00:00: Northport Aquatic Center Tour: Lifeguard Training and Water Safety - 00:03:41: Price Boulevard Project Update: Culvert Construction Progress - 00:04:44: City Commission Meeting: Agenda Approval and Introductions - 00:06:58: Public Comment: Recognizing Deputy City Attorney Gullen - 00:08:25: Public Comment: Appreciating City Manager Fletcher's Professionalism - 00:09:10: Public Comment: Celebrating Alice White's Contributions to Northport - 00:12:41: Public Comment: Valerie Olinger Praises Alice's Tree Efforts - 00:14:07: Public Comment: Jonah Morgan Details Alice's Incredible Accomplishments - 00:16:50: Public Comment: Oil Market Manipulation and Local Funding - 00:19:50: Welcoming New City Employees: Public Works and Police - 00:21:10: Key to the City Awarded to Alice White: Celebrating Service - 00:24:44: Alice White's Acceptance: The Story of Coming to Northport - 00:30:31: Plaque Presentation to Phil: Recognizing Mayoral Leadership - 00:30:54: Proclamation: Declaring May 2026 as ALS Awareness Month - 00:35:16: Proclamation: May 11th, National Salvation Army Day - 00:37:26: Proclamation: May 2026, Building Safety Month in Northport - 00:40:21: Proclamation: May 3rd-9th, Hurricane Preparedness Week - 00:44:27: Proclamation: Recognizing National Police Week - 00:47:45: Proclamation: May 2026 is Drowning Prevention Awareness Month - 00:51:53: Guest Speaker: Paul Delo Discusses Drowning Prevention - 00:57:25: Proclamation: May 7th, Michael Gullen Day - 01:03:54: Proclamation: Recognizing Building Safety Month - 01:05:51: Public Comment: Geo Fencing Concerns and HOA Suggestions Part: 1 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:15.360 --------- brought us around, had different [music] speakers. I think they take the prize for the best uh overall display. >> Places that I didn't think I would enjoy as much. Like I didn't think I'd enjoy public works as much as I did. [music] I loved it. And it seemed to me that there were the more questions that were asked. 2 00:00:15.360 --> 00:00:30.800 >> The economic development council. I think that is just a again it all points to uh live, work, and play within our community. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding [music] out there about really how these departments work, how the city really works. [music] And I 3 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:47.600 think by offering a class like this, you get such an exposure to so many different departments and meet so many different people, you can't help but want to be a part of it. If you plan on living here and living [music] amongst the community and understanding the growth and understanding what we need, 4 00:00:47.600 --> 00:01:04.799 definitely join the Northport University. You're going to be >> Good afternoon. Today is Thursday, May 7th, 2026. It's 1 p.m. We're in the city chambers, and I call the city commission special meeting to order. Commissioners present are Commissioner Duval, Commissioner Stokes, Mayor Emerage, Vice 5 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:21.360 Mayor Langden, and Commissioner Pro. There is a quorum present for this meeting. Also present are City Manager Fletcher, City Attorney Fino, City Clerk Fost, Board Specialist Linder, Police Chief Garrison, and Fire Chief Titus are in the back. 6 00:01:21.360 --> 00:01:36.960 I am requesting that all commissioners, public participants, and staff maintain order into decorum throughout this meeting. City commission policy 2021-03 states that attendees shall refrain from 7 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:53.680 engaging in personal attacks, boisterous, immaterial, inflammatory, obscene, profane, or disorderly conduct. Thank you. I'm going to call on Mr. Doyle if he would lead us in the pledge of allegiance today. 8 00:01:53.680 --> 00:02:08.720 >> I pledge algiance >> to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. 9 00:02:08.720 --> 00:02:25.560 >> Thank you sir. Going to request a motion to approve the agenda. >> Move. >> Second. >> Have a motion on the floor made by Commissioner Stoke. Seconded by Vice Mayor Langden to approve the agenda. There's nothing to that. Please vote. 10 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:43.120 That passes 5 to zero. City clerk public [clears throat] comment. >> Mike Adams. Commissioners, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Michael and I'm here as a resident who cares deeply about our parks and recreation department. Parks and recreation are not extras in our 11 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:59.200 community. They are essential services that keep our residents healthy, safe, and connected. Our parks, community centers, and programs give kids a positive place to go after school, support seniors with social, and fitness opportunities, and offer families affordable ways to be active together. These are the very things that make our 12 00:02:59.200 --> 00:03:15.360 city a place where people want to live, work, and invest. Budget cuts to parks and recreation may look like short-term savings, but they create long-term costs. When programs are reduced and facilities are deferred, we see increased wear on our infrastructure, fewer safe outlets for youth, and higher health and public safety costs over 13 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:30.879 time. It is much more expensive to rebuild a weakened system later than it is to maintain a strong one now. Our parks and recreation staff have shown they can do more with less, leveraging grants, partnerships, volunteers, and creative programming to stretch every dollar. Cutting their budget would now 14 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:47.280 cutting their budget now would limit their ability to keep facilities safe, maintain fields and playgrounds, and provide the events and programs that hold our community together. I respectfully urge you to protect and when possible, prioritize funding for parks and recreation. [clears throat] The choices you make in this budget will shape our quality of life for years to 15 00:03:47.280 --> 00:04:02.560 come, especially for our children and our seniors. Please view parks and recreation as the critical infrastructure for health, safety, economic vitality, and community pride. Thank you for your time and for your service to our community. Robin Samente, in reviewing all the presentations 16 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:19.120 provided, my focus will be on parks and recreation. Given the current budget constraints, capital improvements needed, and the uncertainty of legislative actions, I propose that the city seriously consider the creation of a dependent recreation district according to chapter 418 of the Florida statutes. In doing this, it will help 17 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:35.919 the city in providing the necessary and quality service that the parks and recreation division currently provides and help to alleviate the continued strain on to the general fund. It would be funded through non-avalorum assessments, user fees subsidi subsidized through the general fund, revenue, bond, and grants. I would hate 18 00:04:35.919 --> 00:04:52.320 to see services cut from their budget when there is another option that is available to a municipality. Thank you for your consideration. Michelle Moore. I am a 21-year resident of Northport, a graduate of Northport University, and a proud alumni of Leadership Northport. As a local small 19 00:04:52.320 --> 00:05:09.199 business owner, artist and chamber of commerce member, I am commenting today on the critical importance of protecting the budgets for park re parks and recreation, social services, and communications. Regarding parks and recreation, as an artist and business owner, I see firsthand how our parks serve as the galleries and living rooms 20 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:26.000 of our city. Our population has grown over 96,000 and the demand for health and wellness infrastructure has never been higher. Programs like the Northport Paint Posi provide community glue that attracts families and entrepreneurs. Quality parks are directly linked to higher property values. Cutting this 21 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:43.440 budget is a disinvestment in Northport Grand. Regarding social services, these are the foundation of a stable econ economy. We cannot have a thriving community if our seniors and families in transition are left without a safety net. These services prevent the larger, more expensive social costs that occur 22 00:05:43.440 --> 00:06:00.160 when a city fails to support its own. Protecting this budget is a matter of fiscal responsibility. Regarding communications, transparency is the currency of a successful city. To cut this budget now, just as the city is making strides in engagement would be a massive step backwards. You cannot grow a city efficiently if the lines of 23 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:16.629 communications are weakened. Commissioners, I ask you to see these three departments not as expenses, but as essential services that allow our community to remain at home. Please do not cut these budgets. Let's keep Northport moving forward, not sliding back. Thank you, Melissa Tangu. As a concerned 24 00:06:16.629 --> 00:06:31.600 [clears throat] citizen, I respect respectfully ask the city commission to carefully reconsider any proposed budget cuts to our communications and social services departments. These departments play a critical role in the safety, stability, and overall well-being of our community, especially during times of crisis, whether natural disasters or 25 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:46.800 human-caused emergencies. In recent years, particularly following Hurricane Ian, our community has experienced firsthand how essential clear communication and strong social support systems truly are. The communications department ensures residents receive timely, accurate information regarding emergency response, public safety 26 00:06:46.800 --> 00:07:02.240 updates, roads closures, recovery efforts, and available resources. Reducing funding in this area could significantly impact the city's ability to effectively communicate during emergencies leading to confusion, delayed response, and increased risk to residents. Likewise, social services provides vital support to vulnerable 27 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:18.160 members of our community, including seniors, families, individuals facing hardship, and those recovering from disaster related challenges. These services help maintain community morale, public welfare, and long-term recovery. Budget reductions could weaken the support system many residents rely on during difficult times. Strong 28 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:32.960 communities are built not only through infrastructure, but through communication, preparedness, and compassion. I urge you to consider the long-term impact these cuts may have on public safety, emergency response, community trust, and the overall resilience of our city before casting your vote. Thank you for your time and 29 00:07:32.960 --> 00:07:55.120 consideration. In person, I have Debbie Blackwell, followed by Tim Doyle and Joan Morgan. How in the world are you? It's good to see you. It's a beautiful day in Northport. I'm speaking, of course, on Warm Mineral Springs. The last time I was here, I was concerned about lolly 30 00:07:55.120 --> 00:08:10.560 gagging. The culture, conservation, community, and commerce of Northport will all benefit from turning Warm Mineral Springs Park and the 60 acres, the conservation easement, into a polished, manicured eco resort that serves the public like a condai nest 31 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:26.879 destination if you do the work. The grasshopper and the ant. During the springtime, the grasshopper sang and fluted around while the ant diligently prepared for bad weather. When the bad weather arrived, the ant was safe and sound, and the grasshopper was left to deal with chaos, looking to what could 32 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:42.880 occur if property taxes vanished from the state. Let us be confident to the firm establishment of the Springs Wellness Park. There are no shortcuts. Do the work. Be prepared like the ant. And get this money maker open like a 33 00:08:42.880 --> 00:08:59.839 star. Warm Mineral Springs is a money maker. It's open. Open the back 60 acres. Get a spa open and running and an amphitheater. Concerts, star parties, build a nature pavilion, bikey, chicky hut or two. Get it started. Culture, 34 00:08:59.839 --> 00:09:16.800 conservation, community, and commerce are all the baseline things on an eco resort, which it's already making money. It's already making a profit. Let's step forward and and get this mess move cleaned up. There are no shortcuts. Do the work and put people before profits. 35 00:09:16.800 --> 00:09:33.040 conservation to Toronto and Texas don't care about the real Florida. So you don't have to say yes to everything that comes down the pike. Community healthy environments are integral for a healthy community. I I when I compare Northport to Charlotte, Port Charlotte, 36 00:09:33.040 --> 00:09:48.560 I see that we're very safe. We're just very healthy. We have beautiful parks and I don't want to lose that. The healthy environments create a sound population. Commerce, the money to make the and maintain the gem is present. The money is there, you know, just maintain 37 00:09:48.560 --> 00:10:04.399 it, don't give it away. Culture, the stories that that place can tell is amazing. I just love to read about the parks. You go back to the Native Americans, the Spanish concistadors that found the fountain of youth there, right? And [clears throat] the archaeologists, you could have a murder dinner party there, you know, just with 38 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:18.399 all the things that have happened there, just with the archaeologist and the divers. Again, do the work. There are no shortcuts. freed the parks and recreation department to do what they do best because they are dynamic. Thank you. 39 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:39.120 >> Thank you. [cough and clears throat] >> I've bought my two cents. We might not be able to say that much longer in this country. So, I guess I want to kind of start off where I left off at the last meeting because it was corroborated that 40 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:53.839 it [clears throat] was the county that was on that piece of paper. There was a nice young lady who spoke up here on behalf of the nonprofits and tried to explain the difference in nonprofits. I agree with that. I have done a lot of 41 00:10:53.839 --> 00:11:10.399 work with nonprofits, all different kinds. I've sponsored golf events. I don't play golf, but I would go anyway. I would give tickets to people. So, I understand the difference. I don't know how anybody can consider 42 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:27.360 the county of Sarasota a nonprofit. Northport is incorporated. You're not a nonprofit, but you're incorporated. So, I would like to see anything that we 43 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:45.040 give to the county charged at full price. If not, those are the type of people we should make money off. Remember, it's our money anyway. We're send it to them. We're just getting it back in a different way. So, I I would really look at 44 00:11:45.040 --> 00:11:59.839 because I don't know what they are using in town. I don't know what they're being charged. I don't know what they're being charged for the rooms over here. I don't know. That's your department. But I think that there's no way 45 00:11:59.839 --> 00:12:17.279 in H double hockey sticks that they are a nonprofit. I don't I don't see it. So, if we have to make determinations on what nonprofits to help and we only have a limited number of resources, those 46 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:32.720 resources should go to the nonprofits that need it the most, who have the little bit of a funding. Some nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Club, I've supported them. We've given them a ton of money. They were right. They they are 47 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:48.079 in a different tier than some of the other ones. [clears throat] And there's no way anybody could explain to me or I'll even accept that the county is a nonprofit. Do you donate money to the county? 48 00:12:48.079 --> 00:13:02.959 Has any of you ever donated money to the county? I wonder if anybody in this room ever donated money to the county. They probably had to pay a tax bill to send them money. And I don't think I would ever break out my checkbook to make a 49 00:13:02.959 --> 00:13:18.000 donation to the county. And the county to me, I've said this for years and you go back, I've been coming to this room for a long time. Some of you know that, some of you don't. This isn't the first time I brought up the county and not doing anything for us, 50 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:34.320 but it's the truth. So, I would not describe the county as a nonprofit, and I [snorts] would like it removed as a nonprofit. >> Thank you. >> Hi, Joan Morgan. I agree with a lot of the things that were said today, but I 51 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:50.480 know you all agree, you have to agree that our parks are phenomenal. Yesterday, again, voila, a new beginning for the Pine Park. Um, it's phenomenal. Our circle of honor is going to be happening very, very soon. None of us 52 00:13:50.480 --> 00:14:07.680 want to see the parks. And we have the best workers in park and recreation. And let me tell you something. And if every couple months their job is in jeopardy or they think they're going to be fired or they think they're going to be this or that or the other thing, guess what? There are other facilities 53 00:14:07.680 --> 00:14:23.360 that want them because we have got the best. So, we really need to consider the fact that these people want some job security. They want, you know, look at what they do. I mean, there's no one now that can sit back and say the parks 54 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:40.079 don't do it all. And social services the same way. take social services out of Northport. Reduce social services in Northport. And God help us all. Okay? They do it. They're magnificent. And we need them. And I know you're not 55 00:14:40.079 --> 00:14:56.320 against them, but we all have to work together to find that way. I don't care how it is. I don't care what it is, but we all need to find the way to make all of these services good for the people because that's what makes us a city. 56 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:15.519 That's what makes us a community. That's what makes people want to stay here, live here, raise their kids here. We've come a long, long way, folks. And please, let's not slip back. >> Thank you. Going to move on to general 57 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:32.000 business. Item 26-0700. discussion and possible action regarding the parks and recreation department's details of service deliveries. City manager, this is your item. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As [clears throat] I introduce this item, I first want to 58 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:48.959 start by saying that um the commission did not ask for these particular items to be discussed today directly. There are things that I've heard from not only the commission, but the public as well as it relates to some of the services that we provide that are not listed on the Doge list that I provided on March 59 00:15:48.959 --> 00:16:04.000 13th. But they're listed as enhanced services, not core services. If you remember the doage lens, they look at the core services of public safety, which includes fire, rescue, and police as well as public works and utilities. And so, anything outside of that bucket 60 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:20.079 is an enhanced service. And hearing things from the public such as wanting a smaller government or, you know, wanting to reduce our budget, which is what we're doing this year in this year's budget exercise. I thought it was good to have these discussions to make sure that we're on the same page as we 61 00:16:20.079 --> 00:16:35.600 continue to develop those budgets, uh, which has not been easy with what I've asked our leadership to do. But we do want to acknowledge the real economic pressures that residents are feeling. We know that at the grocery store, the gas pump, or even on their tax bills, they feel what's going on in this county, the 62 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:51.680 city, and this country, and they look to us for relief. Um, so today we're going to look at parks and reccks through an outcomes lens and hopefully not an al line item lens. Um, as we evaluate their service level delivery, it states in our 63 00:16:51.680 --> 00:17:06.559 Northport's vision um that an innovative, friendly, engaging, and sustainable community where residents, businesses, and visitors can flourish. And I want to emphasize that word, flourish, not survive or get by. Flourish. and parks and recck is one of the primary delivery mechanisms for 64 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:24.000 making sure that vision comes to life in our people's dailies journeys. It also states in our Northport vision statement that we are to provide exceptional service to our entire community for the continuous enrichment of quality of life through transparency, engagement and respect. Uh note the mission says 65 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:40.559 exceptional service not adequate, not minimal or viable. Parks and Rex is not just meeting that standard. They are one of the most visible departments living it and exceeding it every single day. The adopted strategic plan uh vision plan includes a quality of life pillar that says protect and promote 66 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:56.640 Northport's community wellness and its natural resources, recreational assets, cultural diversity, and heritage. Strategic priority two under that pillar calls for a robust active system of parks and recreation facilities, programs, events, and services that 67 00:17:56.640 --> 00:18:12.720 increase wellness and enrich life experience. What is being considered today is whether to pull back from a priority this commission has adopted and that deserves careful deliberation and discussion for the board to decide what kind of park services the board would like to deliver. I'm now going to turn 68 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:27.600 it over to our parks and recre director, Sandy Funhella, for a short presentation and then I'll close up afterwards. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. [snorts] For the record, Sandy Funheller, parks and recreation director. Uh so we are going to go through our 69 00:18:27.600 --> 00:18:43.600 service delivery um focusing on three areas, cost recovery, special events, and parks. Uh the department supports and operates 30 park and facility sites with one additional site in development which is the circle of honor that will be opening 70 00:18:43.600 --> 00:18:58.640 uh towards the end of the month. This includes four core facilities. The Morgan Family Community Center, the George Mullen Activity Center, the Northport Aquatic Center, and Warm Mineral Springs Park. Uh collectively, these core facilities serve more than 71 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:13.919 620,000 individuals annually. The park system spans over 650 acres and offers a diverse mix of active and passive amenities that serve residents of all ages. The department is also proudly recognized as a nationally accredited 72 00:19:13.919 --> 00:19:31.200 agency, only one of 222 accredited agencies nationwide, representing less than 3% of parks and recreation organizations across the country. And that is important because it shows that our agency is operating um with the highest professional standards. Uh it 73 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:49.120 drives continuous improvement. Um we are constantly reviewing those standards, make sure that we're not only meeting them, we're documenting it, we're showing that we're doing it. Um it strengthens accountability through an outside audit. Uh and it also attracts and retrains staff. 74 00:19:49.120 --> 00:20:03.360 We're going to go over the organizational evolution, performance metrics, cost recovery model, and community benefit. our community benefit benefit framework, special events and our park system and maintenance. 75 00:20:03.360 --> 00:20:20.720 So just to give a big picture of where we started and where we are today. So in 2018 the department was established. It used to be a division under general services and that was established encompassing recreation, park maintenance, aquatics and administration. 76 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:35.760 The former property maintenance division was dissolved at that time and the operations were redistributed to parks and recreation and public works. Then in 2019, the Northport Aquatic Center opened and then Atwater Splash Pad 77 00:20:35.760 --> 00:20:50.960 transitioned to parks and recreation and that eliminated a $46,000 budget impact by coming under parks and recreation where we had staff capable of providing that maintenance and operation. 2021, the city assumed full responsibility for maintenance and 78 00:20:50.960 --> 00:21:06.240 operation of 19 sports fields and courts and two specialty parks following the expiration of the Sarasota County Interlocal agreement. [clears throat] Reservation team and an athletic field crew were added to our team uh to support that transition transition with 79 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:24.080 a partial year cost of 62,000 and 350,500. 2022 um our budget expanded to include almost a million dollars in recurring maintenance cost following that interlocal agreement expiration. Warm middle springs park closed ahead of 80 00:21:24.080 --> 00:21:38.320 Hurricane Ian that year and remain shut due to the storm damage. Uh commission directed termination of the Warminal Springs Park site management agreement and expedited park reopening. The War Mineral [clears throat] Springs Park site management agreement was 81 00:21:38.320 --> 00:21:55.679 terminated in March of 2023. And then we reopened War Middle Springs Park under parks and recreation um in April of 2023 under a hybrid staffing model. So what we're trying to show here is while our budget has increased every year, there 82 00:21:55.679 --> 00:22:12.159 have been um major organizational changes that have been um what pushed that to happen. some performance metrics. Um looking at the [clears throat] national um the industry medium or cost recovery for the 83 00:22:12.159 --> 00:22:28.960 department we are at 51.3%. The industry medium is 27.2 2 residents per total parks and facilities 3,210 uh here in Northport and the median is 2,411 84 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:43.840 acres of parkland per 10,000 residents 5.3 here in Northport 10.2 is the median um FTEES per 10,000 residents we're at 7.9 the median is 8.6 6 uh operating 85 00:22:43.840 --> 00:23:00.640 expenditures per capita $106.82 as compared to $1313 and the revenue per capita 3150 for city of Northport compared to 2863 nationally. The cost recovery model and community 86 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:17.440 benefit for parks and recreation. Um our model is designed to be a balance of financial sustainability with equitable community access. This approach ensures that the programs benefiting the entire community remain affordable or free while services with higher individual 87 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:34.161 benefit recover a greater share of their cost. According to NRPA agency performance review, the typical parks and recreation agency recovers a quarter of its operating expenditures from non-t tax revenue. Again, as I had just mentioned, our cost recovery rate, not 88 00:23:34.161 --> 00:23:50.000 [clears throat] including free events, is 51.3%. [cough] nearly double the national average. This is uh this brings a reduced reliance on the general fund and it delivers high value at low taxpayer cost. 89 00:23:50.000 --> 00:24:05.840 Our cost recovery breakdown uh recreation is at 34.05 and again um I believe we've mentioned this in previous presentations. Recreation is where all of the citywide events live. Aquatics [clears throat] is at 56.82 82 90 00:24:05.840 --> 00:24:20.960 and we look at that seasonally um and want to point out that during our prime season in the summer we're actually at 111.8%. And then Warm Middle Springs Park comes in at 148.97. Administration and park maintenance 91 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:38.159 divisions um do not generate direct revenue. They are support divisions and they are included in that overall department cost recovery. our community benefit framework. Um we have them categorized into tiers um based on a balance of community versus 92 00:24:38.159 --> 00:24:55.039 individual benefit. So tier one that's mostly community benefit, lower fees, higher subsidy. Then you go on up to tier two um more of a community benefit and a moderate subsidy. Next, balanced individual and community benefit. 93 00:24:55.039 --> 00:25:10.240 then considerable individual benefit, a higher cost recovery and then mostly individual that has the highest cost recovery and the reason we do this is to ensure fairness and affordability across demographics. It supports a balance of 94 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:26.720 mix and mix of free lowcost fullcost recovery programs. It aligns with our CAPRPA standards for service quality and it guides our annual program review and fee adjustments. >> [clears throat] >> This is a graphic that shows you that community benefit framework. So at the 95 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:43.279 bottom mostly community benefit things like parks, trails, playgrounds, signature events. Next level would be our youth league reservations, senior center rental, free community programs and events. Above that is our youth and teen programs, our swim lessons, febased 96 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:59.520 community events and programs. Moving up to adult leagues, rentals, fitness classes, camps, and out of school care. And then at the top um mostly individual benefit for private swim lessons or mineral springs park admission the water park admission and any individual 97 00:25:59.520 --> 00:26:16.400 programs that we offer. [cough] [clears throat] Moving on to special events. We have about 33,000 annual attendees that come to the city of Northport for our events. There's 91% of park and recreation agencies that offer special events. It's 98 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:33.200 pretty common and it's one of the top three ways that residents engage with parks and it's a core driver of civic pride, tourism and resident connection. Our signature events, there are from 6 to 12,000 attendees generally. That's our freedom festival, our poinsetta 99 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:50.559 parade and festival and our trick-or- treat at city center. [cough] [clears throat] The funding model is primarily city funded. It's free admission and we have sponsorships that offset expenses. >> [cough] >> We boost tourism and the local economy 100 00:26:50.559 --> 00:27:06.799 and city visibility. Free community events. Those are about 300 to 1500 attendees. That's like the egg hunt, Movies on the Green, Wolfstock funding model is cityfunded and inind support. It's inclusive, accessible 101 00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:22.799 family programming and it builds community. Then we have our feebased community events. Generally 75 to 300 attendees. things like the sweetheart ball, pumpkin plunge, swim with Santa funding model. It's cost recovery through participant fees and there's 102 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:37.039 also sponsorships that will enhance that. The cost recovery um thank you cost recovery while expanding diverse offerings and it supports financial sustainability and program variety. 103 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:51.679 Then we have outreach events 50 to 100 attendees. That's like park RX day, kids to parks day and go green. The funding model is no to low cost. It's often tied to nationally recognized observance 104 00:27:51.679 --> 00:28:09.974 days. Thank you very much. And it's um generally [clears throat] educational, health focused, and it reaches underserved populations. Sorry for you. >> You guys are awesome. [laughter] 105 00:28:12.080 --> 00:28:27.520 >> So, special events. This is a breakdown of our signature events and our free events. Um, what you don't see on here are fee based events because those are recovering their costs in full, all the direct costs. So when you look at our 106 00:28:27.520 --> 00:28:45.840 signature events, Freedom Festival, our attendance um was just over 8,000. The direct cost, the direct expenses for that event, so not including any of the staff, $74,280. Um the actual cost um was $70,597. 107 00:28:45.840 --> 00:29:03.200 So that gives you a cost per attendee of $8.32. So, I I won't go through all of them, but we've broken this down for each of the signature events and the free events so that you can see that cost per attendee. The [clears throat] one that I I will call out is um our concert in the park 108 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:21.200 series where it is showing that the actual was $100. We were able to get a sponsor that paid for that concert in the park series. Otherwise, it would have been closer to that $3,900 cost. park system, our parks, our foundational 109 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:38.559 community infrastructure. Um, we deliver measurable value and cost savings across public health and wellness, safety, environmental resilience, and economic impact. According to research by Trust for Public Lands, every $1 invested in parks can yield up to $4 in economic 110 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:55.520 benefits, including increased property values, public health savings, and environmental services like cleaner air, storm water capture, and urban cooling. >> [cough] >> Some [clears throat] of the key points under health, free accessible spaces, 111 00:29:55.520 --> 00:30:10.799 reduce risk of chronic disease and obesity, longer, lower long-term health costs, well-being, inclusive for all ages, it builds trust and social connection, and it strengthens community safety. It supports crime prevention. It 112 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:26.480 provides positive alternatives to youth and reduces delinquency. When the kids are at our community centers um and engaged in activities, they're not outside doing something else that they shouldn't be. Environmental resilience and stewardship, the tree canopy cooling 113 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:44.080 and heat relief, storm water capture and flood reduction, and protected biodiversity and economic impact, increased visitation, it boosts property values, and it supports tourism, [clears throat] public satisfaction, and trust. According to the Center for 114 00:30:44.080 --> 00:30:59.840 Active Design, people who live near parks are more likely to be satisfied with their local government. In two dozen US communities, those living near popular public parks reported greater satisfaction with their parks and recreation department, 29%. 115 00:30:59.840 --> 00:31:16.559 14% greater sat satisfaction with their police department, and 13% greater satisfaction with their mayor. 90% of US adults consider parks and recreation an important local government service and residents visit park and recreation facilities an average of 22 116 00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:33.360 times per year. According to the Trust for Public Lands, parks can contribute to the strong stronger overall community morale and improve residents perception of their local government, higher satisfaction with public services and leadership. 117 00:31:33.360 --> 00:31:50.880 Park system snapshot 650 acres of parkland. Like I mentioned before, 30 parks and facilities. Um that uh is broken down into three community parks, nine neighborhood parks, 13 special use facilities, one in development, which is a circle of honor, two greenways, one 118 00:31:50.880 --> 00:32:06.640 open space, and two conservation. We've have 850,000 visitors to our parks, 3,527 athletic field reservations, and 3,700 youth that we serve in our parks. Our 119 00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:21.600 park maintenance division maintains and prepares 20 athletic fields um supporting our sports leagues and community um athletic programs. Our staff ensure that the fields are safe aesthetically pleasing uh and they are 120 00:32:21.600 --> 00:32:37.039 prepared for intensive youth sports. Annual field improvements include new sod installation, arration, top dressing and vertic cutting to protect player safety and field playability. In addition to athletic fields, the division provides full maintenance for 121 00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:53.200 30 park sites citywide. Responsibilities [clears throat] include playground safety inspections and repairs, irrigation system maintenance, landscaping and tree services, park amenity repairs, and restroom cleaning. The division also conducts environmental water testing, 122 00:32:53.200 --> 00:33:08.640 administers the city's tribute program for memorial trees and benches, and maintains specialized amenities such as kayak launches and dog friendly areas. Although, as I mentioned before, the park maintenance division does not generate direct revenue, its work is 123 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:26.080 essential to the department's overall revenue capacity. Um, we have all of our youth athletic leads using the the parks. Um, and we also have we have a youth and adult and then we have um all different levels of private leagues that are using it. 124 00:33:26.080 --> 00:33:40.880 So, level of service for park maintenance. Um, I'm not going to go through all these, but I the point of it was to let you know that we do have um different levels of service for the different types of parks and they're different modes and it just kind of says 125 00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:55.760 whether um what the frequency is and what the tasks are that we do there. So, if we were looking to do um any reductions in level of service to the parks, that's where what we would look at. Um, and uh, we could tell you what 126 00:33:55.760 --> 00:34:12.639 that impact was going to be, whether if we're visiting a park once a week or twice a week, what that reduction is, or if we're not going to mow as frequently or um, reduce the trash collection. Those are the kind of things we could look at and um, give you an idea of of 127 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:28.079 what the impact would be to the residents. And with that, I'm going to say thank you. Um, we appreciate being able to share the value and the impact and the importance of the Northport Parks and Recreation Department. Um, highquality parks, 128 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:43.520 programs, and facilities are essential to supporting health and wellness, strengthening community connections, and enhancing the quality of life for our residents. And we appreciate your continued support as we work to maintain and thoughtfully expand our park system. 129 00:34:43.520 --> 00:35:00.400 And with that, I will answer any questions. I have my team here of experts that can also help answer questions. [clears throat] >> Thank you, director. But before they ask their questions, one more final uh piece for you, Mr. Mayor. Uh I do want to point out that the parks and rec 130 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:16.480 department um is exceeding their own city appointed um KPIs. Uh also the strategic plan includes [clears throat] a good government priority to have city departments attain state and national accreditation which uh has been stated earlier that they have done one of only 131 00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:33.280 222 agencies nationwide. Um we set achieving accreditation from the city as a strategic goal and they've achieved it. Uh reducing reducing uh the department now sends a signal that our strategic commitments are negotiable when budgets tighten which is not a good 132 00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:49.200 message. Uh they are anchored to our organizational values including innovation uh their cost recovery model customer service 620,000 plus visit to um facilities 850,000 park visits citywide accountability u department 133 00:35:49.200 --> 00:36:04.240 tracks outcomes against national benchmarks and presents them transparently to this commission. Uh diversity programs span all ages, income levels and abilities ensuring equitable access across the community. Um they also have a share of the general fund 134 00:36:04.240 --> 00:36:19.920 which is modest it's but it's a strong contribution to why people choose to live stay and invest in Northport and a city that reduces our parks programs while growing is sickling it cannot keep pace with its own ambitions. Um there are some trade-offs that I have sort of 135 00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:36.480 contemplated with the team and um it could require a broader conversation about outsourcing some of these current services that we have whether there are services that we provide. We know that when you do that, there's a risk to service quality, responsiveness, and community identity. But also, there's some of the events that we've talked 136 00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:52.160 about where um the city has sort of absorbed them over the years, and it might be time to consider, do we stop doing certain events. Uh some events as was mentioned you could raise the fees for that would allow them to be more cost effective but that could you know 137 00:36:52.160 --> 00:37:07.200 price out some of the working families in our city uh without a lot of uh network or private alternatives uh which could sort of hurt our equity goals in our plan. Um and we've also talked about which we've done in our budget process 138 00:37:07.200 --> 00:37:22.560 is scale back some of the maintenance um which could have consequences on safety or revenue capacity and community appeal that are hard to come back from. In this current year's budget, what we have done since the last time I spoke to you on March 13th is they have done an exercise 139 00:37:22.560 --> 00:37:39.520 where they have provided a budget request that has been reduced by $400,000. And that includes um reductions to the D5 program, um the elimination of a couple of programs like the egg hunt, uh movies on the green, concert in the parks, and rock and roll, rock and run 140 00:37:39.520 --> 00:37:57.119 and roll 5K. Some of the other items have been reduced but still maintained as existing events including the trick-or- treat center event, park amenities, um field amenities, the freedom festival, uh court resurfacing, u reduction of mulch, uh refresh of 141 00:37:57.119 --> 00:38:14.160 landscape beds, contracted trash removal reduction, staff and facility hours reduction and part-time staff reduction. So they have completed the exercise even though their budget is tight to do it. And I think that's what that was the direction we got from the board. And I think that amount that we they have 142 00:38:14.160 --> 00:38:30.720 reduced um is very critical to us making that number. Um but overall these items, they're like invisible threads that hold our community together and they make people want to stay here and invest here and raise families here. And sometimes a city can measure what it costs to maintain a park, but it's not easily to 143 00:38:30.720 --> 00:38:46.640 measure what it can cost if we lose one. So, um, we also might lose resident satisfaction, lower property values, and, uh, erosion of our public pride and trust in the place where people call home. So, thanks for listening today, and we're happy to answer any questions you might have on the direction of how 144 00:38:46.640 --> 00:39:02.079 we continue to fill out parks and rec budget for this year. >> All right, commissioners. But since you brought it up about outsourcing, how much is currently being outsourced at this time? I think the question that you asked me earlier was what part of our facilities maintenance was done in-house 145 00:39:02.079 --> 00:39:18.320 versus out outouse >> and no sure so >> I was asking about park maintenance >> so I can answer that >> you said facilities >> park maintenance >> yes park maintenance sir >> I can answer that so we have um seven sites that are currently outsourced for 146 00:39:18.320 --> 00:39:36.560 mowing um and those are Marius Kirk Marina uh the swailes at Nurmore Park Warin Springs both interior interior and exterior and the environmental park inhouse. We have 22 sites that staff are responsible for. Um and um each year as 147 00:39:36.560 --> 00:39:53.920 part of budget process we look at that annual cost per acre. Um so outsource mowing right now is costing on average about $7,470 annually per acre and in-house it's costing us $4,127. 148 00:39:53.920 --> 00:40:10.079 So in-house right now is much less than outsourcing. Um we did not come forward with um bringing any of those seven sites that are still outsourced inhouse. Um we understood that the direction was no new staff. So we did not propose that 149 00:40:10.079 --> 00:40:27.040 um as an option. >> But what was the total uh you're you're giving me acreage. What's the total that that contracted amount >> is paying in contracted? >> I can have staff pull that that number while we're talking. I'd like to know that number and because if it's a fair 150 00:40:27.040 --> 00:40:43.520 trade and maybe a couple more employees rather than the contractual services, we're employing people and we're keeping it in house, it benefits other families out there as well. >> Yeah. The one thing I will say to that while operationally we absolutely would 151 00:40:43.520 --> 00:40:59.920 cost less for us to do it in house um there is that upfront capital cost that we would need to take care of which you know the the individual is going to need a vehicle, they're going to need a trailer, they're going to need a mower and a utility cart of the big ticket items and then of course all the 152 00:40:59.920 --> 00:41:16.079 different tools that they need. But um onboarding that one groundskeeper position fully loaded um with salary benefits and that initial equipment for a year is about 171,000 153 00:41:16.079 --> 00:41:32.880 >> and it would depend on what we have as inventory for equipment because equipment can be shared. >> You know, not everybody has to have their own personal mower, their own personal truck. They can combine services together. There's ways around that is what I'm getting at for that. completely understand and and that's 154 00:41:32.880 --> 00:41:50.560 what we're doing now. So, it would require some upfront capital cost. >> Another question that I had was on the point set of parade you you [snorts] said the budget was 47,250 and the actual was uh 52,782. Now, 155 00:41:50.560 --> 00:42:06.400 what do we get for sponsorships for those? I know we have two sponsors, >> but yet it was still over budget and we have sponsorships. So what what do the sponsors pay? >> Um well under there's that just changed. Um you all just approved the new 156 00:42:06.400 --> 00:42:22.800 sponsorship policy. So the the sponsorship um revenue will be increasing. But I believe annually we brought in about um somewhere in the mid30,000 in cash contributions and probably double that in the inind 157 00:42:22.800 --> 00:42:38.480 contributions. So um we can provide a breakdown per event. I don't have it right here in front of me, but I'm sure staff can get that. Um, but you're under the old sponsorship program, you're talking about a presenting sponsor was paying only $2,000 to have top billing 158 00:42:38.480 --> 00:42:54.240 for that event. Now, that'll be going up um based on the the direct costs of the event. So, we >> I don't want them to cover the whole cost. Actually, I just wanted to know what the breakdown was. Yeah, it so it was 2,000 before for a presenting um and 159 00:42:54.240 --> 00:43:11.839 now it'll it'll um shift. It could be 4,000, it could be 6,000. It depends on which event it is um the attendees that are come to it, the the amount of expenses associated with it. We have a whole plan for that. Um and then we have different levels that'll come in um in 160 00:43:11.839 --> 00:43:28.800 the tiers um that are cash contributions as well. >> All right. And uh [clears throat] I know you had said that you're working on some of the smaller um events like the movies on the green, the egg hunt, woofstock and stuff like that about 161 00:43:28.800 --> 00:43:45.599 possibly turning them back over to nonprofits or whatever. I'll let you work on that in the future to see what those numbers come out to, but if you're working on it, I'm not going to go on that. But I do have a question. What's the reduction to DeFi? What what are you working on there? I mean, that's a very 162 00:43:45.599 --> 00:44:01.440 important >> nothing that operationally will impact the program. Um, it's actually removing the one-time costs, the the startup costs that we have, which would be removed anyways. Um, but we've also been able to um use the op opioid settlement 163 00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:16.880 funds to fund that program. So now instead of coming out of general fund, it's coming out of opioid settlement funds. >> Okay. And that's fine. I just wanted to make sure that the services for DeFi were not being reduced. >> No, not at all. And to answer your question just on on one of the events, 164 00:44:16.880 --> 00:44:32.880 um the Poinsetta Parade and Festival last year, we brought in $7,000 in cash contributions and then uh I'm not sure how much in kind, but we also had many services provided in kind. >> Yeah, I'm I'm not looking at trying to downgrade any of our, you know, key 165 00:44:32.880 --> 00:44:49.200 events at all. I just wanted to have a breakdown on some of the numbers. And uh my last question, we have basketball leagues in the Morgan Center and Mullen Center. Do they pay for the use of the gymnasium for their leagues? 166 00:44:49.200 --> 00:45:05.520 >> I'm sorry, I didn't hear the full question. >> Basketball leagues at the Morgan and Mullen Center for >> the adult leagues that we run are full cost recovery. >> Okay. >> Um the youth basketball league um has a special rate in the fee schedule um that is highly discounted for that space. 167 00:45:05.520 --> 00:45:22.319 >> I'm fine with that. I just wanted to make sure if it was adults, they can pay to play. That's all I'm saying. So, I appreciate that. >> Sure. And it um I Cheryl Grer, our business manager, has the answer to your question. >> Good afternoon, Commission. For the outsourced mowing, we are at $115,000 168 00:45:22.319 --> 00:45:37.520 combined between park maintenance and War Mineral Springs annually >> for all the correct contract. >> For all the outsourced. >> All right. Thank you. That's what I wanted to know. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. Commissioner Dval. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, 169 00:45:37.520 --> 00:45:58.480 thanks for the update. You mentioned uh that we have 19 sports fieldscourts. Do we have a program? I know I've traveled around the country a little bit and especially on ballparks, football 170 00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:15.280 fields, soccer fields, baseball fields, we'll see signs from businesses advertising. Do we have a program to look for advertisers for any of our sports fields? 171 00:46:15.280 --> 00:46:33.119 >> Uh, currently we do not do that. Um, historically that has been something that the leagues um have done and that's one of their main fundraisers to support um all the volunteer-based leagues. So, if we did start doing that, it would impact our our youth athletic leagues. 172 00:46:33.119 --> 00:46:50.000 >> Okay. Um, also, you know, I liked what I heard when you said that the concert in the park uh was paid for by somebody else basically. Um, and those, you know, I went to that, you know, I went to one of 173 00:46:50.000 --> 00:47:07.359 those myself. Um, and in the winter time, you know, those, it's a community event. people bring their own chairs, you know, show up and and uh to have a program like that, you know, I think 174 00:47:07.359 --> 00:47:23.680 try and get it on some kind of a regular basis, you know, during the winter months, uh in the summertime when it's, you know, 110% humidity and 95. People don't want to sit out there. Um but I think that's an excellent program 175 00:47:23.680 --> 00:47:41.599 and and overall, thank you. Thank you. >> That's it. >> Thank you, sir. Commissioner Pro, >> thank you, Mayor. Thank you for your presentation and all the work you guys do. Really appreciate that. I have a question on a sponsorship thing. On May 176 00:47:41.599 --> 00:48:02.400 5th, we had a resolution 2026-R10 and we voted on it and a motion was made by Vice Mayor Lankton. And then in under the general business, we had a motion that was made by the same um by vice mayor to direct the CM 177 00:48:02.400 --> 00:48:17.520 to explore to direct the city manager to explore event sponsorship opportunities and or sponsorship program to be brought back to the city commission for uh review. None of us caught it. We didn't 178 00:48:17.520 --> 00:48:33.520 catch it. But we do have a policy. Yes, you you all approved a policy, an amended policy that went into effect um when the resolution was approved um that has been added to the city's website. Um and so the policy is the framework for 179 00:48:33.520 --> 00:48:48.480 the sponsorship program. And then we have the um what we call the um our slide deck um that that presents each event and what the opportunities are and what the associated um fee would be for 180 00:48:48.480 --> 00:49:07.200 that contribution to that event. >> So that is correct. So that motion that under the general business 26- agenda item 26-0611, how what impact this would make or is it just going to fall off because 181 00:49:07.200 --> 00:49:23.440 we already have a policy in place. >> So I did talk to the city clerk about that and I believe she was going to bring back an item on the 19th. Yes, it'll be on the May 19th agenda to resend that motion >> to >> to resend the motion that was made to direct the city manager. Yes. >> To cancel that. 182 00:49:23.440 --> 00:49:37.680 >> Yes. >> Okay. I guess none of us we voted and then we we voted again to make a policy where we have a policy already. Maybe it's not well known policy because you're still working out the details. 183 00:49:37.680 --> 00:49:55.520 >> It the policy is posted. Yeah. And it's there there was a policy already. Yes. Um, and we just amended the policy based on the workshop. I think it was a workshop where we came in front of you and told you the things that we were looking to change, time frame, payment windows, um, and the benefits under each 184 00:49:55.520 --> 00:50:13.520 of the different um, levels >> and switching from two sponsors on the parade to one sponsor, >> one event, one sponsor. Yes. >> Okay. Um, just wanted to kind of clarify what did we vote on even though we voted on it. Uh but um my question also on 185 00:50:13.520 --> 00:50:29.599 visitors, how did you track that number of 850,000 visitors? How did you track that? Um sure. Um so I'm going to have um Scott Jawan come down. He's our accreditation coordinator. Um he's also responsible 186 00:50:29.599 --> 00:50:46.000 for all of our um data and our metrics. And we have a um software program that that we have that gives us that information. He can give you a little more information. >> Yes. So, Scott Jawen, accreditation coordinator. We have a contract with a company called City Data AI and we 187 00:50:46.000 --> 00:51:02.720 utilize um cell phone ping um to visitors to our parks. Um so, it's it's a common program. There's a lot of new companies that are doing that now, but it's um we're able to track and it's [clears throat] even be able to go back into history, but as far as people that have cell phones um where they came from 188 00:51:02.720 --> 00:51:18.880 and we we track it that way. We get a report monthly on a dashboard. So, um it's not exact. You know, we don't have someone sitting there counting, but it's as close as we can pretty much get into the industry right now. >> And how much do we pay for that service? Is it the annual contract? 189 00:51:18.880 --> 00:51:34.079 >> Well, we can look it up. >> Yeah, >> it it's a it's under I believe it's under a purchase order, [clears throat] not a contract. >> Oh, okay. >> Okay. >> And I know out of general fund, your budget is 190 00:51:34.079 --> 00:51:49.280 about how much would would it be? >> 8 million. In total, we're about eight little over 8 million. >> 8 percentage >> percentage I% say 8%. >> So that's fairly small, but yet you 191 00:51:49.280 --> 00:52:07.280 provide a lot of services to the city. And would you ask us as far as the budget, what would you want us to do for the next year as far as I know you said or the city manager said cut that, cut the mowing. 192 00:52:07.280 --> 00:52:22.720 Um how would you approach that as far as cuts? Where would you concentrate your cuts? >> So um we we did that exercise. We were asked to cut approximately um 400 >> I can't remember it 193 00:52:22.720 --> 00:52:39.040 >> about 418 I think >> 418 $420,000. Um so what we tried to do is look at it with what can we cut that does not impact the core service that we provide. So things like um uniforms, things like promotional items, um some of our 194 00:52:39.040 --> 00:52:55.839 advertising, we reduced that. We reduced some of the landscaping supplies. So where um the parks may have been remulched on a certain schedule, it might be less than that. Um things that we probably will get um customer feedback that it doesn't look like it 195 00:52:55.839 --> 00:53:12.240 used to. um but it's not it's not um reducing the level so drastically um that we couldn't do our our core services. We also looked at some of our free events, the concert in the park, the movies on the green, the Easter egg 196 00:53:12.240 --> 00:53:29.359 hunt. Um those are things that that serve about 300 or so people. Um and uh we propose that those not be part of the budget. Um, and then some slight reductions to signature events. >> So, Commissioner, the list that I read 197 00:53:29.359 --> 00:53:44.079 when I said they had saved over $400,000 [clears throat] and submitted it, that was the meat of what they have submitted. Their entire list is like 30 to 40 items. It's >> quite a lot. >> Is 5,000. >> That's why I tried to summarize it in 198 00:53:44.079 --> 00:54:02.079 about 15 items to you guys. Um and also I would really wanted and this is me of course to look for efficiencies on um mowing so we can use in-house equipment and the people I know we don't 199 00:54:02.079 --> 00:54:18.319 have to do much in the winter time as much as we have to do in the summertime. Uh yet I think we can save uh significantly by using in-house. Uh, how would you approach that? How 200 00:54:18.319 --> 00:54:35.119 would you tackle that as far as I concur with the mayor what he said not everybody has to have his her own mower? >> Sure. Well, we we can certainly do that analysis. We're already sharing that equipment. So, there there would be a need for some um outlay for capital 201 00:54:35.119 --> 00:54:52.559 equipment. It's there's it it can't possibly be shared across 104 square miles um and be an efficient process. So we could do that analysis. We could we can bring back what it would what we would um need how many we would need to hire to bring those seven sites in um 202 00:54:52.559 --> 00:55:09.680 and what the equipment would be um and what when we would be able to recover that cost. Um we're happy to to provide that analysis >> and also if you can get that number of how much we paying for that tracking service of visitors. And >> so um Cheryl did just provide that. Um 203 00:55:09.680 --> 00:55:26.480 we pay $5,000 annually. Um and they um I believe it tracks 14 um different park sites for us and we can move those around if we need to, but it it kind of creates a um a fence around that area. So it's only collecting the information 204 00:55:26.480 --> 00:55:42.160 within that park. >> Okay. >> Okay. Thank you. [clears throat] >> Yes. Yes, sir. >> Yeah. Miss Sandy, when if when you do do that analysis, um when you're looking at equipment, also look at alternate equipment as well because even driving 205 00:55:42.160 --> 00:55:58.319 here, I've seen one of those huge batwing mowers, not a bush hog, but you guys on public works has them. We had bought them back in the day that'll cover three times the area of just a regular zero turn. So, you know, proper equipment for proper areas. Absolutely. 206 00:55:58.319 --> 00:56:15.040 And you may save some money on that as well, too, when you bring that back. Um, Vice Mayor. >> Um, thank you, Mayor. First, I really want to say for all three of the organizations that we're looking at this afternoon, in my mind, it is never a 207 00:56:15.040 --> 00:56:33.839 question of quality of work or impact. Um, for me, it it's way more a situation of where our city is in its maturity curve. Um and the fact that we have 208 00:56:33.839 --> 00:56:51.359 invested heavily um in all three teams that we're looking at today, but Northport has not yet caught up in terms of its commercial development, which typically helps 209 00:56:51.359 --> 00:57:08.000 offset the costs of delivering these enhanced services. We we'll use that language. So I want to be really clear in my mind it is never a question of a val of the value that these teams bring 210 00:57:08.000 --> 00:57:25.440 to our community. I I I'm blown away all the time particularly with parks and wreck with the thorowness and the quality with which you do your work. So I I just really wanted to say that but we are not 211 00:57:25.440 --> 00:57:43.920 a wealthy community. We don't have the level of commercial development we need to help offset [snorts] the cost of these things. And that's the dilemma. I mean, I would love love love to drive a BMW. [snorts] I drive a Kia 212 00:57:43.920 --> 00:57:59.839 Soul [laughter] because that's what my budget will allow. So, so that's the issue. It It's never in my mind, is it worth doing these things? It's always a how do we 213 00:57:59.839 --> 00:58:17.280 cover the costs of it because um we're also facing an added dilemma. Um our taxable value of our properties is decreasing. Now fortunately with with a lot of the development that's 214 00:58:17.280 --> 00:58:34.640 happening, it's it's sort of in the short term offsetting that. I'm concerned if that trend continues, we might start seeing a crunch on the revenue side as well. The the other aspect of parks that I don't expect the 215 00:58:34.640 --> 00:58:52.559 other two teams to have is as a community we've made investments in some very expensive assets to both build and maintain and I don't see those as part of the 216 00:58:52.559 --> 00:59:09.520 conversation and it it's [clears throat] for me that the hidden cost of parks. And and if we look at Warm Mineral Springs, a million and a half to buy it, $13 million to restore those buildings 217 00:59:09.520 --> 00:59:28.160 and improve the infrastructure. Where is that showing up? When we look at things, I mean, these things are expensive. We're looking at, I think, about $5 million to reline the pool. We have $120 million in capital improvement 218 00:59:28.160 --> 00:59:45.839 programs that are currently unfunded. So these are the things that worry me. Um particularly in light of the fact that in the relatively short time that I've been a commissioner, we've torn down how many buildings? Four buildings 219 00:59:45.839 --> 01:00:01.119 because of deferred maintenance. We haven't maintained them properly. Why? Because we didn't have the money. So this is all about how do we figure out I want to save everything we do in 220 01:00:01.119 --> 01:00:16.480 in parks. It's valuable. I don't question that. But parks is also very expensive to maintain um [clears throat] and and on a capital project as well. So um 221 01:00:16.480 --> 01:00:33.599 that's sort that's sort of my input. Also, what I would suggest if if you haven't done it already, in [cough] some of your models, it was without the staff costs, um, the city of Northport, all municipalities are service organizations 222 01:00:33.599 --> 01:00:50.319 heavily dependent on people and that is a significant part of the cost. So part of the analysis when we look at different programs and we're considering either cutting them or transitioning them to a 223 01:00:50.319 --> 01:01:07.760 nonprofit if if they wish to take it and and run it. Um it it's it's not just how many people are served and what are the incremental costs, but it's also what are the personnel costs to both plan and execute those. So, I want to make sure 224 01:01:07.760 --> 01:01:24.559 that we're looking at that as well because it's a a key part, I think, of the analysis. But this is a great presentation. Um, I I really love what Parks and Wreck does. I I want a community center out on Italy a in the 225 01:01:24.559 --> 01:01:40.160 worst way. I don't know how the heck we're going to pay for it. So, uh, we'll figure it out um at some point. But um I just really felt compelled to share that part of the equation that that we didn't see here today. 226 01:01:40.160 --> 01:01:56.480 >> Thank you, >> city manager. I see you chimed in. >> Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh to the vice mayor's point, uh that CIP portion was not included on this day. My apologies. And what we'll do is I was trying to find it real quick to see how much of the CIP was actually parks, but 227 01:01:56.480 --> 01:02:12.079 I can't find it. But what we'll do is we'll create a separate item like that for CIP so that we can talk about all of that CIP with the city at the same time so you can have that full picture. >> That would be great. Thank you, >> Commissioner Stokes. Thank you, Mayor. 228 01:02:12.079 --> 01:02:28.240 One, [clears throat] thank you, Sandy, for the presentation, the work that went into this. Um, you know, I I don't wish to be redundant. So, I would except to say that, you know, we have seven pillars in this city that hold this city up and 229 01:02:28.240 --> 01:02:44.400 provide essential and whether you want to call them elective or enhanced services. And um all of them are important. All of them are important in order for this city to [cough] be a viable city, in order for it to be an 230 01:02:44.400 --> 01:02:58.799 attractive city, a city that people want to live in. And so, you know, with that in mind, recognizing that we are in a world today where dollars matter, where while we've heard today from public 231 01:02:58.799 --> 01:03:15.760 comment and, you know, from those who are advocating for these three departments, um, how valuable they are. And there is no doubt they add value to our city. Okay. When you start to talk to people about how much are you willing 232 01:03:15.760 --> 01:03:32.480 to pay for them, then things start to get a little cloudy, a little bit shady, a little bit, well, you pay how much more for this? How much would this cost additionally out of my pocket? So, you know, when you look at what we as 233 01:03:32.480 --> 01:03:48.240 electeds have to do here and and I do appreciate you bringing this meeting before us, okay, um because there's been lots of conversation about these three areas of our, you know, services. Um, 234 01:03:48.240 --> 01:04:04.640 and I would have to say that, you know, I do not believe it's our job to sit here and figure out where you should save money or where you shouldn't. You're the subject matter experts that can decide 235 01:04:04.640 --> 01:04:21.359 where we get the best bang for our buck, where making changes have the least impact on services and our public. And I would leave that to you. I think that the direction this body gave staff as we 236 01:04:21.359 --> 01:04:35.920 did our first budget workshop was [snorts] look at 5% cuts departmentally. find us close to $3 million 237 01:04:35.920 --> 01:04:54.559 that could be allocated to support capital improvement projects in the city that are sorely needed without having to raise anybody's taxes or fees. That was the exercise. That was the goal. I believe I heard you sorted have done 238 01:04:54.559 --> 01:05:10.160 that. There's $420 some odd thousand dollars worth of cuts in your proposed budget which we haven't seen yet but which are baked in. So I I don't have a problem with that. You all are doing 239 01:05:10.160 --> 01:05:26.960 what it is we gave you direction to do. Um you know I would challenge you all. We've I've heard people talk about how we could create efficiencies, how we could consolidate, how we could save a 240 01:05:26.960 --> 01:05:44.880 few bucks here, a few bucks there. I would challenge you to find ways to make money, to find ways to take that aquatic center, Mineral Springs, some of the parks, and make money at them, make 241 01:05:44.880 --> 01:06:00.559 profit at them, actually run events, adult events, family events that make money to help defay cost. There's a lot we could do. We need to revisit the utilization of the aquatic center. 242 01:06:00.559 --> 01:06:17.839 I am 1,000% supportive of a municipal pool. I think the aquatic center is fantastic. I said it before I ran for office, while I've been in office. I will continue to say it. For those who are not fortunate enough to have pools and jacuzzi's in their backyards or in 243 01:06:17.839 --> 01:06:32.960 their communities, having this municipal facility is fantastic. And it is beautiful. I when my grandkids come, we take them there. But it loses threearters of a million dollars a year in tax dollars and [snorts] it is 244 01:06:32.960 --> 01:06:48.000 growing that number that that negative is growing every year. So I challenge you all find a way to make money at it. If we have to pass some ordinances or resolutions to allow for certain 245 01:06:48.000 --> 01:07:04.720 amenities for adults, so be it. Let's do it. Let's find ways. I I can't imagine that there wouldn't be people across the city who would want to rent out that facility at certain times in the evenings or on weekends in the evenings to be able to run events or special 246 01:07:04.720 --> 01:07:21.680 events. There's things that go on around the park areas that we could do. I would continue to look and suggest you continue to look at what things our nonprofits and our private organizations out there might be able to pick up to 247 01:07:21.680 --> 01:07:37.599 help defay some cost. You go back 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 years in the city, there really wasn't a lot of private support for a lot of our amenities. So, the city filled some of 248 01:07:37.599 --> 01:07:54.640 those gaps, but there have been programs that have been run by nonprofits that have been absorbed by the city for a variety of reasons. And I I I don't need to really go into the reasons except that to the extent they cost us some money, there may be the opportunity to 249 01:07:54.640 --> 01:08:09.359 outsource some of them back to these outside groups. I think it's worthy of looking at them, reimagining these programs and some of the events that go on. Um, you know, something as simple 250 01:08:09.359 --> 01:08:25.120 as, you know, I don't have any idea how many people actually use the g the weight room, the gym itself at the Morgan Center. Okay. I I don't know how many people do at, you know, 20 a day, 50 a day, a thousand a 251 01:08:25.120 --> 01:08:42.480 day. I I don't have a clue, but I know that it costs us money and that is prime space in the Morgan Center. Yet for [clears throat] $10 a month, you can go to Planet Fitness. There are a plethora of facilities, private facilities that 252 01:08:42.480 --> 01:08:58.159 you can go to. I know that we do some daycare work. Well, a new Boys and Girls girls club's going to, you know, is coming. I mean, it's already here. uh YMCA is going to be built. Continuing to 253 01:08:58.159 --> 01:09:15.279 look at how we can partner with nonprofits and private groups to help move some of the financial burden of providing these services and amenities off the city's books. That's what I would encourage we do. It's a little 254 01:09:15.279 --> 01:09:31.520 here, it's a little there. It's some of the consolidations, it's some of the efficiencies, all those things chipping away. The idea is as we grow as a city, we're going to have greater needs and the costs in dollars go up. We have to continually be looking at how we can 255 01:09:31.520 --> 01:09:47.279 shave those dollars back. Because while we always hear from those people who either strongly advocate or or strongly disagree with the things we do, there's a whole lot of people out there who get up every day and work very very hard to 256 01:09:47.279 --> 01:10:02.480 try to raise their families, pay their bills, and they are seriously frustrated by the fact that every time they turn around, their costs are going up. Everything costs them more. We owe it to them to try to find ways to be as 257 01:10:02.480 --> 01:10:19.840 efficient as we can and and and not to empire build, not to grow our government. If we can possibly find ways to continue to provide these services and amenities by outsourcing them by by finding partners out there who want to 258 01:10:19.840 --> 01:10:34.719 do them, and there are partners out there who want to do some of this stuff, who feel that the city has absorbed some things. So, you know, you all know what those are. You all know what we can work out. It's a mindset more than anything. 259 01:10:34.719 --> 01:10:50.880 We can no longer be a tax and spend city. We can't be. We have to think about what it's going to cost us unless we want to ask everybody or you loan to raise your military 5% a year for the next 5 or 10 years. And if everybody wanted to do that, that would be just 260 01:10:50.880 --> 01:11:08.000 great. But I venture to say if we propose that we would all of a sudden have a full house here meeting after meeting people who are like you want to do what to me I can't afford it. We ask people in referendums to spend a few of their dollars on a variety of things and they 261 01:11:08.000 --> 01:11:22.719 all got shut down. People do not want to spend more of their dollars for government. Yet you heard it today. Don't touch parks. Don't touch social services. Don't touch communications. They are all valuable. They're all integral to our ability to deliver good 262 01:11:22.719 --> 01:11:38.000 government and I agree. But there's a balance and we should always be looking for ways to save and ways to to to add value to what we have. We have a 30 incredible 263 01:11:38.000 --> 01:11:53.360 parks and wreck areas. Let's find ways to make more money at them. Let's find ways to bring in more revenue. I think that's a big way to help chip away at the increased costs that we continue to experience. Other than that, you guys do 264 01:11:53.360 --> 01:12:09.520 a great job. You know, how could anybody not be proud of parks and reccks? People say, "You want to stop development? You want to stop growth, you want to keep people out. when we offer as much as this city does, I think we better expect that for the next 265 01:12:09.520 --> 01:12:27.360 x amount of years, people are going to continue to want to come to this city because it's a great city to be in. So, thank you very much for all you do and thank you for working hard in finding this 420,000 cuz that's really what to me the ask was. So, thanks again. That's 266 01:12:27.360 --> 01:12:43.040 all I got. Mayor, >> city manager. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh yes, and thank you uh Commissioner Stokes regarding their $400,000 cuz they did do what the exercise asked of them. Um we've given information to this board regarding the 267 01:12:43.040 --> 01:12:59.280 aquatic center and raising the prices to what a break even cost would be, not even to make money and this board has said that that price was too high. I don't have that number right in front of me. Are you is it the will of the board to go back and bring that back to you for discussion again about the aquatic center? Perhaps I could just I'll 268 01:12:59.280 --> 01:13:13.920 qualify what I said in case what I said didn't come out the way it was in my head. I'm not looking to raise the fees at the aquatic center. What I'm looking to do is utilize that facility more than it's being utilized. Find ways to make 269 01:13:13.920 --> 01:13:29.840 money. Find groups that want to utilize that space when it's off hours at night. If it means we have to pass some new ordinances and rules to do it, so be it. Um I mean we should >> if we could just address that real quickly. Yes. 270 01:13:29.840 --> 01:13:46.800 >> Um because I I believe we are already utilizing the off hours um and rentals have been increasing there. So I to say that there's time there that that needs to be utilized that's idle. I I don't think that maybe is an accurate >> for the record. Devon Pulis aquatics 271 01:13:46.800 --> 01:14:01.440 manager. So I've been at the aquatic center since we opened the doors day one. Um, we have a 7% increase in rentals and we have rentals all the way from May 13th through May 27th every single day at the aquatic center. So, a lot of factors go into play with this. 272 01:14:01.440 --> 01:14:16.480 Uh, we had a really cold winter. So, our March and April water temperature, the water park is not heated, so that detered a lot of rentals, but when it is open, the the location is being rented. We just approved two more rentals today. So, that is occurring. Um other items 273 01:14:16.480 --> 01:14:32.560 with programs when we talk about that is swimming lessons. So um the commission actually approved an agreement for three years with the Red Cross Centennial program that we are going to be able to offer 200 kids a year swimming lessons for $5 and being reimbursed by the Red 274 01:14:32.560 --> 01:14:48.480 Cross. So that's $24,000 over the next three years that we'll get. So we're already exploring those options. Um, you know, for those I I oversee both Northport Aquatic Center and Warm Mineral Springs and and our our name is out there a lot. So, we do look into those items to increase that utilization. >> Thank you. 275 01:14:48.480 --> 01:15:03.040 >> Appreciate that. That's perfect. The one other thing I'd want to say that I forgot to is one of the public commenters mentioned on a special district for parks and wrecks. I really do. I don't know how my fellow commissioners feel, but I think that's a 276 01:15:03.040 --> 01:15:21.120 a worthwhile investment in time and effort to look into because again, it allows citizens >> to weigh in on what it's costing them for the various services that this city offers. And if the citizens of this city 277 01:15:21.120 --> 01:15:37.679 are willing to pony up for enhanced services, I got no problem with it. What I have a problem with is five of us trying to decide to spend more of the taxpayer dollars without really understanding what the silent majority 278 01:15:37.679 --> 01:15:53.679 in this city wants to do. And that's the problem here. It's always the problem here. We only hear from those that support and oppose. We never hear from all the other people out there. So, it's a hard decision to make. I don't want to see us do with less, but I also don't 279 01:15:53.679 --> 01:16:10.239 want to see us continue to reach into citizens pockets and take more and more money out because at some point they're not going to be able to stay here. And a [clears throat] lot of them have left and a lot of them work in this city for this city government. If you go around and you ask employees in this city, 280 01:16:10.239 --> 01:16:24.800 there's a lot of you who don't live here. I wonder why. Thank you, >> city manager. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We did send a memo to the commission about the special district for parks and reccks uh a 281 01:16:24.800 --> 01:16:41.120 little while ago and I believe that that was going to be an option if the property tax >> uh goes through as one thing that we proposed as something to explore. I don't know how prevalent the special district is in Florida. Um but okay, I do remember correctly. It's not 282 01:16:41.120 --> 01:16:56.320 prevalent at all. And that was the problem. us being first in the state to do as a special district is not something I think we want to uh be. But if you have anything to add to that or Okay, you good? >> No, the the memo if we need to resend 283 01:16:56.320 --> 01:17:13.280 it, but the memo laid out the process and what it would look like, >> right? And one other thing, Mr. Mayor, is um the daycare the daycare conversation about what we do. We provide before and after school care at the Morgan Center. And the bit the 284 01:17:13.280 --> 01:17:33.199 extreme benefit of that service we provide is the proximity to the schools that they service which is the middle school and the high school. If we were to stop doing that, that would have a huge impact on the ability of those parents to let those children 285 01:17:33.199 --> 01:17:47.600 be out of their care until they went to school and came back. But if you would like us to explore something with that, we're happy to bring something back to the board. >> Perhaps we might be able to find some outside group that might be willing to 286 01:17:47.600 --> 01:18:02.560 do it in that facility for us so we don't have to devote resources to it. I'm just saying that it's important that we reimagine everything we do. everything we do because at some point 287 01:18:02.560 --> 01:18:20.080 in time we may find it's a black or white issue. Right now it's not black or white. Do it, don't do it. Cut this service out or don't. It's let's find ways to make it more efficient. Let's find ways to find other partners to help us do it. Who else can do it? How else 288 01:18:20.080 --> 01:18:36.159 can we do it? Those are the things we have to continually be looking at doing. That's what citizens are looking for. They don't think we're efficient. They think we're sloppy. They think we're fat. They think we got all kinds of bloat in our budget. We don't. But there's always things you can do to be 289 01:18:36.159 --> 01:18:52.480 more proactive about how we spend our dollars and how we generate dollars. And that's all I'm looking for. Never stop looking at it. [clears throat] >> So just to add to the the care um the child care discussion um at the Morgan Center, that is really right now a drop 290 01:18:52.480 --> 01:19:08.320 in situation um for um junior high and high school. And um I believe that was that was one of the um uh focus areas when they built the community center was to have something for those kids that someplace 291 01:19:08.320 --> 01:19:23.840 that they could go in the morning and after school so that they were doing something positive and not being out doing something else. Um there is no fee for that and it and if they go through DeFi that's also a a waved fee for that. 292 01:19:23.840 --> 01:19:40.080 Um, if you wanted to switch that, it would be a membership based to get into the community center. I don't recommend that. Um, our summer camps, um, we do charge for. We have full cost recovery on our summer camp and there's money that goes back to the general fund for 293 01:19:40.080 --> 01:19:54.960 it. Um, we just expanded the summer camp, um, with the addition of the room at the Mullen Center. It's already full and it has another weight list. Um and then we do have a budget proposal coming forward >> [clears throat] >> um with with this year's budget to start 294 01:19:54.960 --> 01:20:10.560 um after school care um at the Mullen Center. We were approached by the school district that there is a highly unmet need for school age child care after school. Um so we've put that program together and again that's a full cost recovery with money going back to the 295 01:20:10.560 --> 01:20:27.040 general fund. I got a quick question on that though for the afterchool care at the Mullen Center when you are in negotiations would they be busting the children there and then the parents would pick them up? >> Yeah, we've discussed with the school district that we would have a staff 296 01:20:27.040 --> 01:20:44.159 member um that would um be on the bus that would come to the Mullen Center. Um and so we've worked that cost in to the fee that we would charge um to be able to do that. Um, but there is a a a lot of kids that need that after school. >> I I agree with you and I just want to 297 01:20:44.159 --> 01:21:00.960 make it as, you know, good as possible. Sorry about that, Commissioner Petro, but city manager had to butt in a couple times, so [laughter] >> you got the floor, sir. >> Thank you. Not only city manager, Commissioner Stokes on [snorts] and off. Uh but I would say this 298 01:21:00.960 --> 01:21:17.360 about special district that would be reaching into our citizens pocket creating a special district for the parks and wreck and I'm so against it. Um, [snorts] as far as you know, we we've getting this 299 01:21:17.360 --> 01:21:34.000 tone that, you know, we've suffering and we don't have money and on and on and on and that we need to raise revenue, find more ways to make money. The government is not in business to make money in every department or every division. So I do appreciate your work 300 01:21:34.000 --> 01:21:50.239 and what you do uh as far as parks and reccks department and some of it it's a loss but some of it is a cost recovery over 100%. We saw it on one of the slides that it's where min springs is 301 01:21:50.239 --> 01:22:08.239 over 128%. If I'm I have to go back to the slides but correct me if I'm wrong. we making money even though we bought the thing and it's part of our city and that what attracts people to the city you know and I've heard some you know 302 01:22:08.239 --> 01:22:24.080 some ideas floating maybe we should sell it maybe we should outsource it I think this is what the city is warm springs is part of us part of our city and that brings me to a number of questions that I've kind of forgot to ask but then I 303 01:22:24.080 --> 01:22:41.360 was going to go in the second Where do we stand on those buildings to be updated as far as the construction, remodeling, whatever you want to call it, cuz we could not demolish them. >> So, um, we did get the, um, initial 304 01:22:41.360 --> 01:22:57.360 guaranteed maximum price from the construction manager at risk. Um, it was in excess of the funds that we have. Um, and part of the reason for that is we've used quite a bit of that project money for for other things. One was the the P3 305 01:22:57.360 --> 01:23:14.159 that we went through. There were quite a few substantial costs associated with P3 that came out of that project. Um, we [clears throat] we have we've broken that all down, but we are trying to identify um exactly where that additional funding can come from. We're trying to keep that um so 306 01:23:14.159 --> 01:23:29.600 that it can come forward by the end of June. Um because we we are 100% plans. we are ready to go. Um it's just a matter of that funding gap. >> Okay. And um where do we stand on the conservation 307 01:23:29.600 --> 01:23:45.760 easement? >> That's coming back on the 19th. Uh we have revised the general terms document. Um that that would be kind of the framework for creating a conservation easement. Uh so we'll bring that back on the 19th. If you all agree to the 308 01:23:45.760 --> 01:24:02.639 general terms um in concept, [clears throat] we'll work with the city attorney's office to create the conservation easement which would then come back to commission. Um we have found u we've identified funding um both through the grant that natural resources was able to secure um for the invasive 309 01:24:02.639 --> 01:24:17.440 removal and also [clears throat] the GF coast community foundation has committed money towards that as well as part of the conservation easement. >> Great. >> So that and then um we'll have the parcel maps. there was some discussion about uh the amount of acreage that 310 01:24:17.440 --> 01:24:33.920 should be um retained outside of the conservation easement. So we'll have two options that we'll bring forward for a commission consideration. >> Okay. [clears throat] So we're making progress on conservation easement. Um I'm glad to hear that. Um and also about 311 01:24:33.920 --> 01:24:49.679 you know going back and I want to finish with this. I [clears throat] encountered on our website under the documents and financial annual comprehensive financial reports and the latest I could get 312 01:24:49.679 --> 01:25:06.320 uh was page 25 which is revenue and expense. The latest I could get was 2024. Um, and the net position change, unless it's a typo, 2024, 313 01:25:06.320 --> 01:25:23.679 we're in a profit, if you want to call it profit, I I really don't want to say profit because we as government, we shouldn't be in the profit uh driven model. Um, but we certainly have to operate fiscally responsibly. 314 01:25:23.679 --> 01:25:39.920 um and change in net position is $43 million. Um so going back to special district um I don't think we should proceed that route because it would be part of the 315 01:25:39.920 --> 01:25:58.080 taxes that would be levy on the people whether they use parks or not they will be paying um and this is just a quality of life they should be left alone. Um the numbers don't lie. Uh so we are in 316 01:25:58.080 --> 01:26:14.800 the profit and um also I do believe that impact fee for parks and recreational is the highest percentage or highest amount. Correct me if I'm wrong. It's it's higher than other departments. So, 317 01:26:14.800 --> 01:26:32.800 we have offset. >> Yeah, I'm not sure compared to other departments, but we do have that impact fee study that that is coming back up um that they're working on right now. Um but again, the impact fees can't be used as you know for operations only for a 318 01:26:32.800 --> 01:26:48.880 project that increases capacity. >> Yes. And that would be additional parks. And [clears throat] thank you for your presentation again. I really value your input all of you. Thank Thank you. >> City clerk, public comment. 319 01:26:48.880 --> 01:27:10.239 >> Timo, >> I support the parks. I think the parks should be there and I think should continue on. Couple comments though. They're doing movies in the park. I got a suggestion. There's this old movie made back in the 50s. It's a black 320 01:27:10.239 --> 01:27:26.400 and white movie and it's a love story. It's called 1984. We should have it in the park to teach the kids. And I don't know if they made a new one. I'm talking to one from the 50s with the black and white. >> Um, 321 01:27:26.400 --> 01:27:43.760 the one thing I did notice on here is I don't know if they're doing yard sales this year, but on the from what I see on here, the yard sales have pretty good attendance. It brought in money and didn't cost anything unless they left it out. And that could be something they could do in several parks is you charge 322 01:27:43.760 --> 01:27:59.679 for the tables, I guess, when people come. So, I figure that's how they get the revenue. So, I don't know if they stopped the community yard sales or not, but looking at this, I would keep doing them, especially if it bought in revenue. Um, the pools, 323 01:27:59.679 --> 01:28:15.679 we are in Florida. At the end of my street, there's a canal. In my neighborhood, people have pools and they are not fenced in. I was a kid once. We need to do swimming lessons for the kids in this 324 01:28:15.679 --> 01:28:31.120 community. Whatever you do with the parks and wreck, we got to make sure that every single person in this community has access to swimming lessons. If you want to charge more from people outside the community, I have no problem 325 01:28:31.120 --> 01:28:46.960 with that. But the people in this community for public safety and the lives of the children, we should have swimming lessons cuz even if a mother tries to teach a kid to swim, might not do it correctly. 326 01:28:46.960 --> 01:29:08.120 That's public safety to me besides park and wreck. So whatever you guys decide to do, I want you to make sure that the swimming lessons don't go anywhere. >> [snorts] >> My brother was run over and killed by a car. 327 01:29:11.520 --> 01:29:35.040 He ran into the street after a ball. [snorts] Wasn't playing at a park. We have to have parks for the kids. That's why I don't like trucks in my street. That's why I live on a street like I am that's not a cutthrough street is I know 328 01:29:35.040 --> 01:29:51.880 it can happen. Parks save lives. Swimming lessons save lives. It's not just about what you guys think it's about. And that's all I'm going to say. 329 01:29:52.480 --> 01:30:09.600 >> That's it. Uh, I know we looking at motions and stuff, but in the discussions that we've had, I don't think there's any direction. I think you all are working on everything and we'll hear more at budget time. So, I think you all have done a very good job in this presentation and making us aware of 330 01:30:09.600 --> 01:30:24.480 where you're going, where we've been, and what we're doing. So, I don't I don't see any need for this board to give you direction. >> And Mr. Mayor, the things that I heard that we'll follow back up with, we will that we said and like you just said, this will be a continuing discussion 331 01:30:24.480 --> 01:30:41.199 throughout the budget as we the numbers become more clear. But the conversation today was very helpful to hear from all of you as we work on some of these things. So, we're not waiting till the first week of June, losing essentially 30 days from now as we keep going forward in the process. So, we appreciate the feedback. >> No, and I appreciate that. They heard 332 01:30:41.199 --> 01:30:57.280 what we're willing to give up or downsize or whatever. So that that gives them a little bit of energy to look at their budget once again. So I think they've got plenty of direction. So >> thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> No problem. >> All right, we're going to take a 10-minute break. We've been here for an hour and a half and then we'll come back 333 01:30:57.280 --> 01:31:14.560 and do the nextly surprised. I would absolutely say do it because you don't know until you know and you can go online and you can read all these things but a lot of it is the experience and sitting across from from 334 01:31:14.560 --> 01:31:31.360 whether it's the the chief of police the chief of fire rescue utilities all these you know administration all these departments are absolutely you want you meet the leaders you can look into their eye and ask pertinent questions that are important to you so you understand of 335 01:31:31.360 --> 01:31:47.960 where they're at where they're going, what are their constraints, and how we can be as residents, try and give them the resources they need to provide the services that we're asking them to provide. >> I'm more in love with Northport than I've ever been. 336 01:31:54.880 --> 01:32:09.520 >> Hey, Brandon, what are you listening to? >> Just listen to my CPR playlist. >> What's on that? >> Staying Alive. I'm Zach and this is Travis from Northport Fire Rescue. And I'm Brandon and this is Brett from the Northport Aquatic Center. 337 01:32:09.520 --> 01:32:28.400 >> Did you know a lot of the songs that you listen to on a daily basis follow the beats of CPR? 100 to 120 beats per minute. >> CPR saves lives. [music] >> Hey, Northport. I'm here with Ryan from 338 01:32:28.400 --> 01:32:44.239 our engineering division in public works and we're in an area that is experiencing some drainage concerns that were brought to us by some residents. So Ryan, what are some things you do when you get onto a scene like this to see what the issue may be? >> First thing we do is we start at the bottom of the system, the outfall, how 339 01:32:44.239 --> 01:32:59.600 it connects into the uh canal. Then we start working our way up. We go through the cross drains, the culverts, the under drains, and we look at every way the water flows downward. And we look for blockages, uh, sumped uh, dirt pile up and even sometimes could potentially 340 01:32:59.600 --> 01:33:17.360 collapsed uh, coverts underneath. And you got to remember, you can't report your uh, water being an issue until we have 72 hours of no rainfall. And let's say it rains on Tuesday and a couple days go by and that second day it rains again, you got to restart your 72 hours. We [music] have to spend time of our 341 01:33:17.360 --> 01:33:33.120 water inside the system in order to clean it and in order to slow it down. Otherwise, we're going to end up washing out our neighbors below us. >> Absolutely. So, tell us about what's happening here. >> Right here, we have a rather large uh blockage inside the system. This is clearly a um illegal dump of some sort, 342 01:33:33.120 --> 01:33:48.719 uh a tree obviously, and this will slow down the water. If we could see on the north side of it, or north as in the upper part of the drainage way, it's full of water. But when we look at our footage from down below, it's dry. So this is a huge point of collecting 343 01:33:48.719 --> 01:34:05.120 water. These systems really fail sometimes with like a a death by a thousand cuts. You get a um a sump here, a collapsed uh covert pipe, a blockage like this, and it slowly adds up. >> That makes sense. So if anybody out there is seeing issues like this or 344 01:34:05.120 --> 01:34:22.560 experiencing it in your neighborhood, you're welcome to report it um through our Northreport system, which is at northportfl.govnorthports /northreports or you can give the public works customer service a call. In Northport, families are finding more 345 01:34:22.560 --> 01:34:38.639 and more places built just for them. We opened um this past June. We are an indoor play center for children ages 0 to 7. We do open play sessions, birthday parties, special events, and classes here at the play center. for me. Um, you 346 01:34:38.639 --> 01:34:54.400 know, being a Northport resident, there was really not a whole lot in Northport for children. Um, besides the local parks, so it was super important for me to have something in the community to be able to offer to families with young children. You want to have that option to be able to still get out of the house 347 01:34:54.400 --> 01:35:11.040 with the kids, get their energy out, and [music] not have to hike all the way up somewhere with traffic. and you can just go to a spot near you and just make those special memories that are close to home. >> Playtime Paradise isn't the only new spot making Playtime local. Do the Beach 348 01:35:11.040 --> 01:35:26.560 is a immersive indoor adventure park. We are primarily an inflatablebased attraction. We have over 14 different ride attractions scattered throughout the park. with growing young families pouring into Northport and growing the city, we just knew there was such a need 349 01:35:26.560 --> 01:35:42.159 for families to have an outlet and some some good entertainment, active entertainment for children. One of our core beliefs as a as a company is encouraging kids to get involved in active and social play, getting them away from their screens and using their imaginations. 350 01:35:42.159 --> 01:35:59.120 >> From slides to inflatables, dance classes, birthday parties, Northport is growing, and so are the options for young families right here at home. The community has welcomed us with open arms. >> We are thrilled to be here. >> It shows families that there's a place for them um to grow as a young family in 351 01:35:59.120 --> 01:36:23.199 Northport. There's a place in Northport that invites you to slow down to see, hear, and feel the world around you. Inside the Garden of Five Senses is Boundless Adventures, a playground where every child can play, no matter their 352 01:36:23.199 --> 01:36:39.920 abilities. Just beyond the playground, the story stroll turns a simple walk into an interactive adventure. Each step reveals a new page or activity sparking imagination, curiosity, and conversation. 353 01:36:39.920 --> 01:36:56.920 It's a walk, a story, and an adventure all in one beautiful setting. The Garden of Five Senses, Boundless Adventures, and The Story Stroll, where every visit is a story waiting to be discovered. 354 01:37:03.840 --> 01:37:34.080 >> While you're watching me run away from this hurricane, you could be signing up for emergency alerts. Sign up at alertsacount.com today. Welcome to the brand new Northport Podcast Network. We're so excited to introduce you to our revamped lineup of 355 01:37:34.080 --> 01:37:49.520 shows created to keep you connected, informed, and inspired about everything happening in our city. [music] >> That's right. With three unique shows under one network, there's something for everyone. >> First up is Northport. Now Madison and I will rotate hosting this fast-paced 356 01:37:49.520 --> 01:38:05.760 news-driven podcast to bring you the latest city updates, event previews, and important information all in one quick listen. >> Think of it as your weekly guide to staying in the know about what's happening in Northport. >> Next, we have Northport Stories. [music] Laura and I will share heartfelt and 357 01:38:05.760 --> 01:38:22.239 inspiring tales from around our community. stories that showcase the people, places, and moments [music] that make our city special. >> And don't worry, Voices of Northport isn't going anywhere. I'll continue bringing you even more personal stories and interviews with residents who shaped our city. And last, but not least, 358 01:38:22.239 --> 01:38:38.648 Northport Living. Cody and I will also rotate hosting this show, [music] which is all about tips, events, and lifestyle ideas to help you make the most of life [music] right here in Northport. Whether you're looking for family-friendly activities, ways to get involved, or helpful home and garden tips, Northport 359 01:38:38.648 --> 01:38:55.119 [music] Living has you covered. With breaking news, heartfelt stories, or practical tips, the Northport Podcast Network is your go-to source for all things Northport. >> Make sure to subscribe to the Northport Podcast Network wherever you listen and join us as we celebrate and connect with 360 01:38:55.119 --> 01:39:23.040 our amazing community. >> Northport Now will be released bi-weekly. >> Northport Stories and Living will be monthly. A schedule will be available on social media and our website. [music] Hello everyone, Devon Pulis here, 361 01:39:23.040 --> 01:39:41.600 aquatics manager. Welcome to my crib. We have fun here at the crib. Programs included. Become a pass member. Play all year long. Payer at the crib. We do have rules. We take all payments here at the crib. Apple Pay, Mastercard, Visa, cash. 362 01:39:41.600 --> 01:40:00.719 You pay right here to enjoy the crib. So, enter through the gate. Childp proof, most adult proof. Shade. What's that? Our newly installed sun shade available for rent all season long. Here 363 01:40:00.719 --> 01:40:17.360 at my crib, you don't have to worry about a place to find a seat. [music] We've added more chairs than ever here at the crib. If you're coming to enjoy the cribs and you got little ones, we got the perfect area for them. Our Pelican playground, newly painted, fresh floor, fresh palm tree. It's looking 364 01:40:17.360 --> 01:40:33.280 clean. Looking for a place to work your upper body? Take a shot at here at our Stingray shuffle. Looking to [music] relax? I got you covered here with our lazy river. Living more on the adventurous side. 365 01:40:33.280 --> 01:40:51.119 Check out the slides right behind me. Newly painted. All offer something individual and unique. Check it out. Check out the main pool kept at a wonderful 84 degrees all year long. 366 01:40:51.119 --> 01:41:09.280 I just want you to have a good time. We have safety covered. Lifeguards [music] here, staff all day, every day when we're open for you to enjoy. Concession is open. Pizza, pretzels, nachos, ice cream. We got it all. 367 01:41:09.280 --> 01:41:32.920 My crib is your crib. Looking forward to seeing you here. >> Duty calls. Hello, my name is Jerome Fletcher, city manager of the city of Northport. I'm at the Northport Aquatic Center. I'm on the job today. Let's go. 368 01:41:45.280 --> 01:42:02.400 Morning Jesse. Good sir. >> Nice to see you. Thanks for having me today. >> Of course. We're going to go through our opening checklist for this morning to make sure that the facility is safe and operational. >> All right. Sounds good. Let me do it. Before anything else, the team walks the 369 01:42:02.400 --> 01:42:18.080 entire area to make sure everything is clean and in good shape. >> Our next part of our task is to make sure that our body of water is one clear. The water must remain clean. We must identify any possible materials that shouldn't be in the water. >> Then it was time to check the surge tanks. 370 01:42:18.080 --> 01:42:33.040 >> As you can see, the glistening of the water down there, right? >> If the water is too deep and you hear a rushing of water, that means that this needs to be filled before we can begin operations for this. >> Okay, >> it's part science, part intuition. At the relax river, Jesse showed me the 371 01:42:33.040 --> 01:42:48.639 digital checklist system, the hydro app. As soon as I click yes on this checklist that let's say the water is clear and I do not identify that the water is cloudy or any sense that yes goes directly to my manager and lets them know that at this exact time I checked that water to make sure it was safe and clear. 372 01:42:48.639 --> 01:43:05.360 >> This technology being used at its best job. >> Now our rotations. >> Moving on to item B26-0701. Discussion and possible action regarding the communications division's details of service delivery. City Manager, this is 373 01:43:05.360 --> 01:43:20.719 your item. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, first I want to open by saying that we understand that the commission is scrutinizing every line of the budget and that's what we need to do and that's the right thing to do in this environment. Um, but the scrutiny of the communications budget requires some context and that's what we 374 01:43:20.719 --> 01:43:37.440 want to provide today. Uh, the question is not whether communication costs money. The question is whether that the city gets more value from this investment that it would from any alternative and the data answers that clearly with a yes. So, we ask that the commission evaluate this division um the way a well-run organization would on 375 01:43:37.440 --> 01:43:53.280 outcomes, on return on investment, and on if it were reduced or eliminated, what would the consequences be? Uh their division is anchored to our city's uh vision and mission statements for the Northport's vision. It says an innovative, friendly, engaging, and sustainable community where residents, 376 01:43:53.280 --> 01:44:09.040 businesses, and visitors can flourish. Every word of that vision statement depends on communication. Engaging requires outreach. Friendly requires a voice. Sustainable requires trust. And you cannot build a flourishing community in silence. Our mission statement says to provide exceptional service for our 377 01:44:09.040 --> 01:44:25.040 entire community for the continuous enrichment of quality of life throughout through transparency, engagement, and respect. Three of those five words in that mission statement, transparency, engagement, and respect are the literal job description of the communications division. Uh this is not a support function. It's a mission delivery 378 01:44:25.040 --> 01:44:41.520 function. Um it is connected to our organizational values. The city values of integrity call for maintaining public trust through honest, transparent, and respectful behavior and communications is the primary mechanism for delivering on that promise every single day. As it relates to customer service, the team 379 01:44:41.520 --> 01:44:58.719 handles 23,000 annual calls and greets 4,000 inerson visitors monthly. Uh they are literally the front door of this city government. Innovation division has built in-house capabilities in multimedia production, drones, cinematography, podcast creation, and 380 01:44:58.719 --> 01:45:16.159 other avenues that allow the city to use them without outsourcing entirely. Uh, diversity through Northport University, uh, newcomer day, HOA outreach, and school visits. Um, they they touch every corner of our community, not just the ones who attend our meetings. The city's 381 01:45:16.159 --> 01:45:32.560 strategic plan uh includes a good government priority to have departments attain state and national credit accreditation and communication has done that which they're going to speak on. Um and the division has also earned state, national and international recognition uh and awards which we're very proud of 382 01:45:32.560 --> 01:45:47.199 from our staff as well. So I'll turn it over to the communications manager, Mr. Jason Barlone to walk us through the presentation and then I'll wrap up after he finishes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Thank you, city manager. Uh good afternoon, commissioners. It's my pleasure to be here and talk to you 383 01:45:47.199 --> 01:46:04.639 about the communications team. Um as you know, we are a strategic centralized team and we're going to talk a lot about that model today. Uh but it is our job to strengthen public trust and I know that's something that's very important to all of you and we do that through strong communications. We also protect 384 01:46:04.639 --> 01:46:20.159 the city's reputation and we ensure consistent and accurate communication across city departments. We serve all those city departments and we try to help them achieve their goals through the work that we do. A little bit about what we're going to talk about today. Again, we're going to take you through the history of um our previous 385 01:46:20.159 --> 01:46:36.400 decentralized model of communications versus the centralized model that we have today and how we got here. We'll dive into the roles and responsibilities of our team. Um despite some popular misconceptions, there are not just 11 or 12 of us posting on Facebook all day. We do other things as well to serve the 386 01:46:36.400 --> 01:46:52.239 city and we're going to talk in depth about that. Um, we'll talk about the benefits that our model provides to the city and to our residents. I will take some time to brag on some of our accomplishments, as the city manager alluded to, that we're very proud of. Uh, and provide some information about the value that we do provide, not only 387 01:46:52.239 --> 01:47:10.239 in terms of um trust and engagement and and meeting our goals, but also fiscal um, you know, value that we actually provide in real dollars. And then talk a little bit about the future and what challenges are ahead for us as a communications team. So, a little bit of history. Um, I 388 01:47:10.239 --> 01:47:27.040 joined the city in August of 2022 and at that time, uh, we were in the middle of the fiscal year 2022 budget. So, that you can see that there on the left that while the communications team itself in name and on our org chart was relatively small at that time, we had a 389 01:47:27.040 --> 01:47:42.960 number of positions and people across the departments in the city who were providing some level of communications or customer service support. And all those people and positions have now transitioned into our current communications team. So you can see on the right there we have still the 390 01:47:42.960 --> 01:47:59.440 communications manager, the public information manager, but some of the positions previously that served specific departments and were embedded within those departments under the title of a community outreach coordinator. They were essentially uh a unicorn, that rare person that could do everything or 391 01:47:59.440 --> 01:48:14.639 was asked to do everything, whether it's providing graphics or social media or outreach or community engagement or design or all the various things that we now provide holistically across the organization. So, we transitioned those positions and over the past few years, 392 01:48:14.639 --> 01:48:30.719 we've redesigned those job titles and made them more specific to focus on very specific areas of expertise that we now provide to all city departments. Um that also includes the customer service team in the customer care call center as uh city manager mentioned the front desk to 393 01:48:30.719 --> 01:48:47.679 the to the city here at city hall. Um those team members previously reported to development services a couple years ago. They now report to communications. Um in that time development services did add one FTE in 2023, one additional customer service rep to staff the 394 01:48:47.679 --> 01:49:03.840 customer care call center. We re um reallocated and reclassified a vacant position to create the marketing and engagement manager position back in 2023 as well. The only position in FTE that communications has added in the time I've been here was the community engagement coordinator. That was in 395 01:49:03.840 --> 01:49:20.960 fiscal year 2024 and that was to meet the very specific needs of our community outreach and engagement. The high level of engagement and the number of um town halls and outreach events that the city was doing. There was a need for that position. And there was also a goal of the city commissions to create a cit 396 01:49:20.960 --> 01:49:40.080 citizens academy. And that position um we will talk more in depth about it, but that position oversees our Northport University, which has been tremendously successful. So again, if you look back at 2022, some of the um challenges that we had with our communications were the messaging 397 01:49:40.080 --> 01:49:54.719 was disjointed across the city departments because we were working in those silos um and didn't have a consistent um cohesive coordinated message and unified voice as a city. There was inconsistency in how our branding was done as a city and we've 398 01:49:54.719 --> 01:50:10.639 done a lot of work as you know to um enhance our brand and refresh our brand. there was inefficiency with duplication of efforts um with multiple people doing multiple things across the city. Not all the departments were getting the same level of support. So while some departments did have a designated 399 01:50:10.639 --> 01:50:27.520 person, others did not and they were not seeing the same level of benefit from communications that they do currently. The customer care call center was still in its infancy in 2022. They had um just redesigned the physical space to create the call center at the front desk. um 400 01:50:27.520 --> 01:50:42.880 and were re-evaluating the processes of how that team would provide customer service to the city. There was a lack of clear reporting and cohesive direction with multiple people working in different departments reporting to multiple departments and we really had a lack of subject 401 01:50:42.880 --> 01:50:59.119 matter expertise and specialization compared to what we do h have now. Um we now have experts who specialize in these different areas of communications and provide that high level of professional service to all the departments here at the city. So we'll go into the roles and 402 01:50:59.119 --> 01:51:15.920 responsibilities and how we are utilizing the the centralized team that we have. Um we'll start with the communications manager and PIO. That's me. I have the pleasure of leading this team and the great privilege of overseeing our city's strategic communications, our media relations. Um and it's my job and our job to protect 403 01:51:15.920 --> 01:51:31.840 the city's reputation. That's really what communications does. Um, I also serve as the lead public information officer during emergencies and as you know through the hurricanes we've experienced in the last few years. That is a critical function of our communications team and we all support the city during those times when we're 404 01:51:31.840 --> 01:51:48.800 activated um in response to an emergency. Some of the other roles we have on the team, the public information manager, that's Madison, who you may know. She develops and coordinates our city's public information strategies. and it's essentially her job to tell the city's story and to inform and educate the 405 01:51:48.800 --> 01:52:04.400 public. We do that through a variety of ways. Some of the stats you'll see sprinkled throughout here. One of those that we're very proud of is the number of news releases and advisories that we've produced, the amount of proactive outreach that we've done to local media to help tell our story. 406 01:52:04.400 --> 01:52:20.000 And that is a supervisory role on our team. The other supervisor is the marketing engagement manager position. Um that's Katia Sutherland. She develops and coordinates all of our marketing and community engagement initiatives. It's her job to showcase our city, to build our brand, and strengthen the 407 01:52:20.000 --> 01:52:36.480 relationships we have in the community. That's also a supervisory role. And together, these two team members and our entire team, we've accomplished over 387 project tasks. Those are all the different deliverables that we design and create and produce for the city departments to help them meet their 408 01:52:36.480 --> 01:52:53.119 needs. Our city's team also includes a design brand specialist, Miss Kelly Diccastro. Kelly provides her technical and creative expertise to all the city departments. She produces materials, everything from newsletters to brochures to 409 01:52:53.119 --> 01:53:08.480 presentations, flyers, um, videos, and graphic produ graphic production. She's very busy. She also has overseen and led our brand refresh project, which you're all aware of, and we're very excited to unveil the new brand official officially next month. It's been a huge undertaking 410 01:53:08.480 --> 01:53:24.480 by Kelly and the rest of the team, but it's her job to establish and maintain consistent brand story, brand standards, and how we are representing our city across all the work that we do. We also have a social media and digital content coordinator. That's Ivy Young. 411 01:53:24.480 --> 01:53:40.880 She implements our digital communication strategy. So, it's her job to compel create compelling social media and website content, not only on social media, but she manages the website. You can see there there are over 900 pages on the website which we have redesigned in the last few years and refreshed. But 412 01:53:40.880 --> 01:53:55.440 it's her job to make sure that that content is up to date, make sure it's accessible for ADA purposes. That's a huge task that she's been taking on uh in the last few months to meet federal guidelines. Um but it's her job to oversee and work with all the city departments to make sure all of their 413 01:53:55.440 --> 01:54:12.800 content uh meets the quality standards and is optimized for accessibility and for reach and for engagement. As you know, social media and the website are two primary ways that our residents interact with us and get their information from us. Um, so we take that job very seriously. 414 01:54:12.800 --> 01:54:28.159 We also have a multimedia specialist, Cody Dinarki. His his job to highlight our city programs, initiatives, and events. He does that through highquality [clears throat] professional photography and videography. Everything from creating news packages, public service announcements, the commercials, the um 415 01:54:28.159 --> 01:54:44.880 all the videos that you see during the commission meetings, those are all created for social media for our website. He does internal training videos, live broadcasting, cinematography with drones. He does our podcasting. You can see all the uh accomplishments that he's had there of how busy he is. Um we're very proud of 416 01:54:44.880 --> 01:55:01.840 Cody and the work that he's done. Uh just today he uh received the gold award which we're going to be bringing to you at the next recognition meeting from the Hermes Creative Awards which is an international marketing competition where we compete against five Fortune 500 companies and major brands. Um and 417 01:55:01.840 --> 01:55:17.199 so we're very proud to see Cody's work recognized but he supports all the city departments um with creating the visuals and the audio and and the photography that he does to um showcase and highlight all the work that the city does. And we also have the community 418 01:55:17.199 --> 01:55:33.119 engagement coordinator. You all know Jane Akens, who I mentioned already. Um, it's her job to oversee our community engagement strategy. She builds relationships with our citizens, our businesses, our community partners. Not only does she oversee Northport University, which is, I'm very proud to 419 01:55:33.119 --> 01:55:48.880 say, nationally recognized as one of the leading programs of its kind in the country. Um, we expanded to the NPU teen edition recently. We just had the graduation of that program in its second year and it's very successful. But in addition to all that, she arranges arranges and facilitates all of our town 420 01:55:48.880 --> 01:56:04.320 halls, all of our community input meetings, our budget input meeting. We hope to see you at next week on on May 12th. Um she's at our newcomer days, at our school visits, and all the presentations. She runs our HOA meetings on a monthly basis with all the neighborhood representatives. So, um you 421 01:56:04.320 --> 01:56:20.480 can see there the number of hours that she's committed and we as a city have committed to [clears throat] engaging with our residents in person um in events. And then I mentioned already the customer care call center. Uh Skyler, Jesse, Amanda, and Donna. They are the 422 01:56:20.480 --> 01:56:35.840 powerful team that sits at the front desk and meets uh those thousands of monthly visitors that come in to city hall, but also takes over 23,000 calls annually from them. They serve as our front door. They greet visitors. They greet them uh in person, on the phone, 423 01:56:35.840 --> 01:56:50.560 on through on social media, digitally through email. It's their job to resolve customer issues, address their concerns, and provide information to them, which is critical, and it's a why it makes sense for them to be part of our communications team. We work together to make sure we get the best information to 424 01:56:50.560 --> 01:57:07.599 our residents every day. So again, what are the benefits of being in a centralized communications team in the current model that we're under um that we have instituted here? First and foremost, it's about enhancing public tr trust and transparency. We do that 425 01:57:07.599 --> 01:57:24.400 through timely and accurate information that we provide to the residents about the decisions that they make and the and the things that impact them every day. We provide consistent messaging again across all city departments working in a centralized way. We help them achieve their goals, but we also speak as one 426 01:57:24.400 --> 01:57:40.719 voice as a city and we unify the city's brand. Um, as we interact with the the community, it's our job to build and protect the city's reputation. We show how we we shape how Northport is perceived not only by the residents who live here, but the people who want to live here or want 427 01:57:40.719 --> 01:57:55.920 to come live here, those that want to work here or be employed by the city, businesses that want to open in the city, um, and those that want to invest in our community. We engage the community and that's not just pushing out one-way information, but we allow opportunities for them to 428 01:57:55.920 --> 01:58:12.400 provide two-way feedback to us and engage with us so that you all as leaders and as decision makers can make better decisions based on the sentiment and the feedback that we get from the community. And last, but probably most important, we communicate during a crisis. Um, you know how important it is 429 01:58:12.400 --> 01:58:28.080 that we address misinformation, especially when we're in times of disaster or emergencies. um the rumors that we see on social media and providing the life-saving information before and after a disaster. That is a critical role that we all train for. We take very seriously. We're going to be 430 01:58:28.080 --> 01:58:43.520 doing our hurricane exercise next year uh next month to make sure we're uh uh prepared for the upcoming hurricane season. [clears throat] some of our accomplishments. We just got back from the Florida Municipal Communicators Association conference um 431 01:58:43.520 --> 01:58:59.520 where we achieved the certificate of excellence for the fourth straight year for 2026. That is our state accreditation. It's the first program and only program of its kind for communications professionals at the state level. And we're very proud to say that we've earned that certificate each 432 01:58:59.520 --> 01:59:16.400 four years that the program has been in existence. We are one of only 18 cities and counties in Florida to achieve that honor. It validates that we are keeping up with the best practices in local government that we are using all the tools and resources and technology out there to effectively communicate with 433 01:59:16.400 --> 01:59:33.280 our residents. Um I've mentioned some of the state, national, and now international awards that we're very proud to have received that recognize the work that our team does, [clears throat] whether it's in marketing, communications, community engagement. [snorts] some of our accomplishments uh in the last few years. We've uh re 434 01:59:33.280 --> 01:59:50.080 redesigned the city's brand again, which will launch on June 18th. So, you're all invited and you'll be getting an invitation soon for the unveiling of the new city brand. Um that was a huge undertaking for us to reimagine and refresh the city's brand and how we are represented in the community. We've 435 01:59:50.080 --> 02:00:05.440 developed Northport University in the last few years. We I know we have some of our graduates here and you've met [clears throat] a lot of them and been part of the events and the alumni network that we have now created with over 85 graduates. Those people are advocates for the community. They have 436 02:00:05.440 --> 02:00:22.000 learned about what it takes to run a city and learn our operations. And now they are out in the community amplifying our message, helping educate their friends and neighbors about what the city does and how city government works and the value that we provide to the residents. It is a feeder network for 437 02:00:22.000 --> 02:00:39.040 our advisory boards and now for our commission candidates, for our elected officials who have gone through the program now and may someday sit where you sit. [snorts] We've created the first citywide email newsletter, which we didn't have previously. So again, a critical way that we reach people in today's day and 438 02:00:39.040 --> 02:00:54.480 age. Every every month, twice a month, we send out a newsletter that um reaches them with our news and information. We've created a city annual report for the first time in the last few years. And again, we've supported the emergency operations center through multiple activations starting with hurricane Ian 439 02:00:54.480 --> 02:01:09.360 a month after I started here, which was a great experience. Um but we have provided that information through multiple disasters to help provide a lifeline for people whether it's through our joint information center where we put out information co in a coordinated way or through the emergency call center 440 02:01:09.360 --> 02:01:27.199 which is not only our team but customer service and other staff from different departments who come together to staff that call center to provide a lifeline for people when they need information. So when we talk about some of the value provided, there's different ways we can look at it. But to start in the 441 02:01:27.199 --> 02:01:43.360 industry, we talk about earned media. So um these aren't paid sources, uh but ways that we are proactively getting our story out there through existing media and traditional media. Um there's a value to that. We've done some 442 02:01:43.360 --> 02:01:58.960 estimations and some analysis. And if you look at the um value of having a story on the front page of the newspaper or having a story 30 seconds or a minute appear on the local TV news, there is a value to that. The equivalent of what it 443 02:01:58.960 --> 02:02:14.800 would cost to advertise. And we limited this strictly to the proactive media pitches that we've done. We're on the news a lot. Sometimes it's for good reasons, sometimes it's not. But we spend a lot of time and effort as a team to proactively get our message and our story out there about the programs about 444 02:02:14.800 --> 02:02:30.560 the initiatives that we have. And if you limit it to just to that we've provided more than 1.4 million in value in earned media value from the the media stories that we've had appear in our local and regional media outlets. There's also owned media. So those are the outlets 445 02:02:30.560 --> 02:02:46.960 that you own as an organization and you use to push out information. There's a value to that. So the city website, we average about 150,000 visits per month to the website. The equivalent of that if you were to in the private indust industry create a website and try to 446 02:02:46.960 --> 02:03:01.920 drive traffic to it, there's a value of about almost $37,000 to having that kind of audience and reach to get your message out and get your information out to people. I mentioned email newsletters and if you add up the thousands of subscribers that we have, the 3.1 447 02:03:01.920 --> 02:03:17.440 million impressions that we get and the engagement that we get from people opening those emails and clicking on them, you would pay almost $95,000 in the private industry to [clears throat] build an email subscription list like that and to reach people with your information and to get that kind of 448 02:03:17.440 --> 02:03:34.000 engagement through your marketing and your communications. And then social media. I mentioned it's a huge driver of traffic and ways that people stay connected with us and stay informed through the different pages that we have. Almost 377,000 social media followers. There's a value 449 02:03:34.000 --> 02:03:51.440 of over $75,000. If you were to try to cultivate that kind of audience in a private um industry to um have an audience that you can reach through social media. And then we also went ahead and looked at what would it cost to outsource the 450 02:03:51.440 --> 02:04:08.639 level of service and the amount of work that our team does. So, some of these estimates here, if you look at design and branding, if you were to take the amount of work that Kelly and our team does to create the kind of flyers and graphics and signage and all the design 451 02:04:08.639 --> 02:04:26.880 needs and to also do a rebranding, not in-house, but out outsource it to a private company, you'd be looking at a cost of over $400,000 annually. um to do the kind of community engagement that our team does, to bring in an outside firm to run workshops or 452 02:04:26.880 --> 02:04:43.760 town halls for us or to provide that service or run an academy and um engage with the community, you'd be looking at $364,000 a year to to pay for that same service. to do the kind of multimedia production that our team does, to have someone come 453 02:04:43.760 --> 02:05:00.480 and staff and shoot photos at events and to create videos and the amount of work that our team does, you'd be looking at a cost of again over $450,000 to have someone manage your social media in the private industry and to run your website and do that content. We could 454 02:05:00.480 --> 02:05:17.679 outsource that to a private company. um it would cost us $230,000 a year to pro to produce that kind of content and do that kind of work for us to have on retainer. Some small communities, some other communities do this when there's a crisis or an emergency. They have a PIO. 455 02:05:17.679 --> 02:05:34.239 They have a a private firm on retainer that um handles their crisis communications that handles their press that creates news releases for them on their behalf and provides content and handles their um media relations. You're looking at a cost of over a half a 456 02:05:34.239 --> 02:05:50.239 million dollars to have that level of service from a private firm. And then customer service. If we were to outsource, if we were to have a team uh of people on the phone working in another state or another country and providing customer service for us, we'd be spending $427,000 457 02:05:50.239 --> 02:06:05.360 a year for the same level that our team provides here to the city. You add that up, it's over $2.4 million a year in value uh or in cost that we would be spending for those services. That is far beyond what the fiscal year budget um 458 02:06:05.360 --> 02:06:19.760 for 26 you can see is 1.3 million. That includes our personnel and our operating costs. 90% of our costs are personnel. So we have a very small operating budget but you can see the costs would far exceed that if we were to outsource the 459 02:06:19.760 --> 02:06:37.280 value that we provide as a as a team. So lastly looking ahead um some of the challenges and the things that we are dealing with and trying to prepare for as our city grows and and it's growing rapidly but the communication space is also growing. So when it comes to the 460 02:06:37.280 --> 02:06:54.800 use of AI for our customer service, that is something we're exploring as a way that AI can enhance what we do as a team and provide more efficiencies for our staff and also provide a higher level of customer service to our residents that they expect. Um we are dealing with a 461 02:06:54.800 --> 02:07:09.840 decline of traditional media. I know we're very lucky to still have a local newspaper and to still have regional local TV news stations, but their power and their reach is dwindling. They are dealing with financial challenges like they haven't seen before and they are 462 02:07:09.840 --> 02:07:26.239 stretched more thin than ever. So the reporters that come to cover us are very stretched thin across the entire community and covering other things. Um the TV news stations are consolidating and closing shop. So there are less traditional media options out there in the days of just sending out a press 463 02:07:26.239 --> 02:07:42.000 release to the news and expecting them to tell your story are probably over. They are still valued partners and it's still a big part of what we do. But it's not the only way that people are getting their news. Media is fragmented into smaller groups and channels. You know that people are getting their information from a variety of sources. 464 02:07:42.000 --> 02:07:58.400 Some are good, some are not as good. Um, but they're doing it through social media. They're doing it through podcasts. They're doing it through short form video on YouTube or Tik Tok or whatever platforms might be out there. And these platforms are constantly evolving. So, it's our job as a team to 465 02:07:58.400 --> 02:08:15.199 stay ahead of those trends and to make sure that we're reaching people wherever they want to be reached and wherever we can get our message out to them in multiple ways. And with all those different platforms and the evolution comes the increase in misinformation. And you know that they are using tools 466 02:08:15.199 --> 02:08:31.040 like AI to create deep fakes and people are sewing distrust through these ways of um putting out misinformation or disinformation. It is a constant battle for us to constantly try to educate and keep the residents informed. Um we could 467 02:08:31.040 --> 02:08:48.239 we could spend all day doing social media. Um but it's not the only thing we do. But it is a primary way that we try to inform and educate people um and try to reach them. and we have to do a lot of work as a team to stay ahead of that. So, that's all from me. I'll turn it 468 02:08:48.239 --> 02:09:04.560 back over to the city manager. I want to thank you for your support. Um, as we continue to grow, we know that the importance of communi communications is just going to grow with it. And so, it's our job to help you um meet your vision to connect the citizens of Northport and keep them informed and engaged. So, 469 02:09:04.560 --> 02:09:19.280 thank you very much for your time. >> Thank you, Mr. Balone. And also before I start, let me thank Kim and his team for the presentation of all three of these different areas and how they um pulled them together for your viewing. It's very well laid out, very good with the 470 02:09:19.280 --> 02:09:36.400 data as well as the dialogue. Um but as he said, you know, before 2022, they were a fragmented, inconsistent um division that we intentionally moved away from and the benefits of what they have done has been tremendous. Um, you 471 02:09:36.400 --> 02:09:51.920 know, we're a growing city that if we reduce our communication capacity at this moment, uh, while the landscape is becoming more complex, we could be making a critical mistake that we want to avoid. If residents cannot find accurate information from us, they will find inaccurate information from 472 02:09:51.920 --> 02:10:07.199 somewhere else. And the vacuum does not stay empty. It fills with rumor, misinformation, and eroding trust in local government. This division did take part in the 5% reduction exercise and they had to go into staffing in order to achieve it. And that was not an uncommon 473 02:10:07.199 --> 02:10:23.840 practice for a division or an area that was small and only had a certain amount of operational expenses but was more personnel based which is most of our um our areas. Um this division is 1.37% of the general fund uh costing about $1.3 474 02:10:23.840 --> 02:10:41.360 million. Um, and I have not heard any person say that we overcommunicate or our customer service is done too well. Those are two categories by nature that everyone [clears throat] always says needs improvement just because of how difficult they are, whether they're in the communication division or anywhere else. The only people I've I've heard 475 02:10:41.360 --> 02:10:56.800 say that we communicate too much are the people who don't like what we have to say. Uh, and in that case, then that means our messaging is working and our efforts are hitting them because we are damaging their efforts to cause misinformation. So, I'm going to stop right there. Mr. Mayor, I'll turn it over to you for any questions or 476 02:10:56.800 --> 02:11:16.239 comments that you may have for myself or Mr. Barl. >> Yeah. Can you go back to your first page? >> Yes, sir. >> That you started with. >> Next one. >> Next one. Maybe. No. Up. Backwards. >> Backwards. 477 02:11:16.239 --> 02:11:31.679 >> That one. >> I wanted to give Jesse and Amanda some more screen time. They love the limelight, so they appreciate that. [laughter] >> Well, no, not she's not in the picture. Oh, yes, she is down there. But I've 478 02:11:31.679 --> 02:11:46.560 seen seen Amanda and Jesse because they're truly the front lines downstairs when people come in and they're our first engagement with citizens. And your whole division is awesome. I mean, all of your workers. I'm just wanted to highlight them and pick on them for a 479 02:11:46.560 --> 02:12:03.360 minute. But with this division, it is very valuable to the city, especially when, you know, when Ian came through and that I I just fall back to that and you guys coordinated with John Rawlings and our local radio show and you guys were on 480 02:12:03.360 --> 02:12:20.239 the spot like 24 hours a day as we kept going and that was invaluable to the citizens and um you know I I couldn't appreciate that anymore. I was the mayor at the time and when I would come in, John would be like, "Oh, I need some sugar." It'd be like, "Yes, I know. Take 481 02:12:20.239 --> 02:12:35.679 a break." But y'all put in the effort and it was for the care of the citizens and and that we cannot disregard. You know, and Jerome, he brought this up a little bit too. You know, [snorts] citizens, they scream for transparency. That's what you put out there. You give 482 02:12:35.679 --> 02:12:51.920 whatever we got going on in factual status. if if we didn't have y'all, then we'd have to believe everything we read on Facebook. So, I mean, how devastating would that be? So, I appreciate everything that you all do and I stand 483 02:12:51.920 --> 02:13:07.440 behind your whole division 100% and thank you and everybody out there for everything that you do, even Madison. >> Thank you, >> Vice Mayor. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, I'm just going to 484 02:13:07.440 --> 02:13:24.639 tell a little story. When when I got here in 2014, you really didn't hear much about Northport in the media or on the news and whatever I read wasn't good. Um, the 485 02:13:24.639 --> 02:13:42.079 very first uh article I saw was about a very poor gentleman, certainly mentally challenged, who was arrested by the Northport police running down Ser Boulevard naked. So 486 02:13:42.079 --> 02:13:58.560 that was the kind of coverage that this city got. Inadvertently, we [snorts] allowed the media outlets to define who we were. And that has so fundamentally 487 02:13:58.560 --> 02:14:15.520 changed. If we fast forward to 2026, um, and as you know, I had a career in marketing and marketing communications. And I know in some areas people think it's fluff, but the 488 02:14:15.520 --> 02:14:31.920 impact that you and your team and this sort of centralized strategy, the impact you have had on this community is significant. Again, in the first couple years I was here, if I went outside the city and had a chat 489 02:14:31.920 --> 02:14:48.000 with people and they'd say, "Oh, where do you live?" And I'd say Northport. The noses would wrinkle and the eyebrows would go up and they'd say, "Northport, what are you doing there?" Now, when I have those conversations, it's like, 490 02:14:48.000 --> 02:15:04.000 "Wow, things are really happening in Northport." That kind of change is invaluable. the pride of place, you know, people wanting to live here. Can't calculate 491 02:15:04.000 --> 02:15:20.719 it. Um, and I will challenge one thing you said, Mr. Bartalone. You said that your overarching message is to protect the city's reputation. I give you and your team credit for rebuilding this 492 02:15:20.719 --> 02:15:39.040 city's reputation and the value that has had in supporting our growth particularly our commercial growth. I would like to know from Mr. Nearman, [laughter] how he looks at your team because you so 493 02:15:39.040 --> 02:15:57.199 help our economic development efforts by making us look current and sharp and coordinated and we know what we're doing and we're doing wonderful things. So, um, I just wanted to give you credit for that because really in a very short 494 02:15:57.199 --> 02:16:13.440 period of time, you have totally rebuilt the city's reputation and I for one really appreciate that. Um, two other little stories. Um, I'm sure all of my fellow commissioners will agree with me 495 02:16:13.440 --> 02:16:29.280 when I say usually when we hear from residents of the city, it's a complaint. something's not going well, whatever. [clears throat] I have to say in the past several months from an unsolicited feedback, bumping 496 02:16:29.280 --> 02:16:45.760 into a neighbor when I'm walking, bumping into a neighbor when I'm at Publix, the two things I hear are, "Wow, I came into city hall and and those ladies, this is usually how they say it, those ladies at the front desk, wow, 497 02:16:45.760 --> 02:17:01.439 they welcomed me. I came in feeling kind of cranky and they welcomed me and they helped me get to the right place and it was such a positive experience. And and the other unsolicited feedback I get 498 02:17:01.439 --> 02:17:16.319 routinely is Northport University. In fact, it was last year, three folks were in the city were recognized for something and Jane Atkins was one of them and I made a comment and 499 02:17:16.319 --> 02:17:33.200 I neglected to give Jane a kudo. I got two phone calls. I was reameed out because I neglected you. So, I hope this shout out is helping to correct that just [snorts] a a little bit. So, um, 500 02:17:33.200 --> 02:17:49.599 you know, I I just I don't think people truly appreciate the impact that a well-designed, a talented, forwardthinking communications team can 501 02:17:49.599 --> 02:18:04.080 do for a company or for a city. It is, in my mind, invaluable. So, but but I will say the same thing I said to parks and wreck and and I'll say um to social services when they come up. 502 02:18:04.080 --> 02:18:23.040 Um and and I think uh Commissioner um Commissioner Phil kind of emphasized this. We need to rethink what we do. Um, and if there are things we are doing that consume a lot of staff time that 503 02:18:23.040 --> 02:18:40.639 maybe just aren't getting the play or the results that we're looking for, we have to really not us, you need to really understand that um, and be diligent in really 504 02:18:40.639 --> 02:18:56.960 honing what we're doing and making sure that we're really focusing on those things that have the most beneficial impact for the folks who live here and also for the folks and businesses who might think about coming here. So, thank 505 02:18:56.960 --> 02:19:11.840 you for everything you do. I think you do a great job. >> Thank you. >> And one [clears throat] other thing, too. I mean, there is no way that I could ever be that employee that replies to [laughter] I mean, ask my wife, I 506 02:19:11.840 --> 02:19:31.200 would be fired day one. So, >> Commissioner Dval, >> thank you, Mayor. Uh, first of all, thank you. Secondly, thank you to all of you people [clears throat] in this division. Uh, number one, it was great to hear you 507 02:19:31.200 --> 02:19:48.319 put some names to some of these people and their positions because I see them. Now, in my own defense, there's 900 of you in one of I can't tell you how many times, you know, when I walk through the door, I 508 02:19:48.319 --> 02:20:04.319 can always count on seeing that blonde lady right there. She'll wave at me. [clears throat] [snorts] The first I don't know at least the first year of my being here anywhere I 509 02:20:04.319 --> 02:20:19.840 went I ran into didn't know her name and I gave her I gave her my name you know smiling you know it was at a planting of the tree for the greenest 510 02:20:19.840 --> 02:20:34.399 citizen that somebody said hey that's Jean [laughter] [clears throat] um and I am going to work on that. I am going to get that list of all the people in the division 511 02:20:34.399 --> 02:20:54.680 and what their names are. Um, secondly, I didn't even know we had HOA meetings. I want to be at the next one. Somebody send me an email. Tell me when that is. Uh, third, 512 02:20:55.680 --> 02:21:11.439 emergencies. And I don't know how this can be accomplished. You know, you mentioned, you know, that uh for the emergency operations center, you have some functions, but um 513 02:21:11.439 --> 02:21:29.120 you know, this is kind of out of your out of your control. Um but you know, during the Verizon was gone, you know, Xfinity was gone. Uh but whatever people can come up with as ideas on how 514 02:21:29.120 --> 02:21:43.120 to get emergency information to people. Um the preparedness, you know, all the different, you know, the podcast and the different different information things, you know, those 515 02:21:43.120 --> 02:22:04.800 those are wonderful. Um, I'm really I'm so glad I got the chance to be here for you to list all these things. Um, and again, thank you all. >> Thank you, sir. 516 02:22:04.800 --> 02:22:19.680 >> City clerk. >> Oh, public comment. >> I'm sorry. >> Oh, let's be a little bit quicker. >> Sorry about that. Mayor, we apologize. Commissioner Sto, you go right ahead everybody. Thank you very much. Um, great presentation. I mean, your 517 02:22:19.680 --> 02:22:36.720 department in its entirety is incredibly professional. I've said it all along, no matter and no matter how much we try to communicate and be transparent, there will be those that want more and we will endeavor to give them more because that 518 02:22:36.720 --> 02:22:54.000 is what we do. So, you know, kudos all the way around. your budget is is minimal. I mean, you know, for what you do, you squeeze every buck out as far as I'm concerned. I I know it's at least double if if we were to hire and 519 02:22:54.000 --> 02:23:10.560 outsource this stuff. So, I appreciate it and and the service is invaluable to this city. Um, you're meeting your 5% discount off a budget, so you'll find a way to squeeze that out. And I know it's 520 02:23:10.560 --> 02:23:27.439 labor intensive, so I I feel the pain, but you know, we appreciate your contribution to it. And um you know, it's wonderful to hear everybody's support for [clears throat] our communications department and its value it brings to the city. Um it is the 521 02:23:27.439 --> 02:23:43.760 reason why I voted for it to be a department, not a division. But, you know, I just thought I'd bring that up again. >> Thank you for that. Thank you all for all you do because you do give us a great look and there are those out there 522 02:23:43.760 --> 02:24:00.319 who would love to give us a black eye every chance they get and I appreciate personally appreciate everything you do to make us look good and to message. So thank you very very much Commissioner Pro. 523 02:24:00.319 --> 02:24:18.520 >> Thank you Mayor. Just want to say thank you for all you guys do. Really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. >> And Commissioner Dval. >> Yes. Thank you, Mayor. I forgot one thing. Okay. On social media, you know, 524 02:24:18.880 --> 02:24:36.600 so many times I will read on social media, someone puts out a statement and then there is so much false information put out. And so many times I want to get on here and say, "Hey, wait a minute. This is what's real. 525 02:24:37.120 --> 02:24:54.160 But I don't have enough hours in the day. And if I make one comment, then there's going to be 500 rebutts. And [clears throat] okay, I can't get into that. But if you guys could concentrate on anytime that you see a piece of false 526 02:24:54.160 --> 02:25:11.654 information of just not an argument, but just get the statement out of what is the true. >> Is that including or excluding the city manager? >> What's that? >> That including or excluding the city manager. [laughter] 527 02:25:11.760 --> 02:25:28.479 I told we would have to double their budget. We did approve our staff. >> We can give you the uh Facebook site. Yes, absolutely. >> Thank you. >> If there's nothing else, public comment, city clerk, >> Tim Doyle, followed by Marina. 528 02:25:28.479 --> 02:25:45.920 >> Thank you, sir. >> I actually would like to see this enhanced. And how I would like it to see enhanced, I have called Rick Scott's office and asked for money for this town. And that money should go to that department. And 529 02:25:45.920 --> 02:26:02.560 it's for air raid sirens. Now, if the air raid sirens does a couple things. If we ever do get struck by drones or missiles, it can warn us. If a Somali is coming, you can have a different tone for the tsunami. If you have a hurricane, you can have a 530 02:26:02.560 --> 02:26:19.040 different tone for a hurricane. If there's a wildfire, you can have a different tone for a wildfire. These This is a multi-use system. if there's a, you know, all kinds of things you could use this for. And they usually have battery backups. So, if your electricity goes out or 531 02:26:19.040 --> 02:26:35.120 something like that, they'll have a little solar panel and the thing will still go off. So, if you're missing the internet and you're missing this stuff, you will hear that air raid siren. So, I I hope that Rick Scott I hope he's listening because I called his office 532 02:26:35.120 --> 02:26:50.160 and told him I would be talking today about this. So, hopefully he's listening. And then that $ 1.5 trillion budget he wants to spend on the military will send some money to this lovely department to help enhance their ability 533 02:26:50.160 --> 02:27:06.960 to communicate with me who does not carry their phone all the time, who does not go on a computer. So [snorts] Rick Scott, we need the money. They need the money. Let's enhance the project and let's get going. All right, couple other things on this topic. I don't know if 534 02:27:06.960 --> 02:27:22.000 you guys seen on the news, but New Mexico, Facebook might be pulling out of New Mexico and Instagram and all those things cuz they passed finally passed some laws that match the United States Constitution 535 02:27:22.000 --> 02:27:38.240 that they can't do certain things and they will not adapt to the laws. So, they're going to pull out of the state entirely. I don't know how that's going to affect this apartment. So, I'm just bringing that up. You might have to look into things on that. That's 536 02:27:38.240 --> 02:27:56.960 not a dig on them. That's just reality. Now, crisis management, I've had to deal with crisis management that they're talking about. One of our restaurants in Boston one time, some guy got out of jail. He showed up at one of our restaurants, put a rat inside his 537 02:27:56.960 --> 02:28:13.760 food, called Fox News, called an ambulance. She was taken out of the place in an ambulance at Fox News in Boston broadcasted all over the there's a I'm not going to say the business or anything there's a rat in 538 02:28:13.760 --> 02:28:30.560 the burger never happened sales dropped 80% people lost hours it took us months to get the reputation back that's what they're doing trying to get your reputation back it's a hard job and once something goes out they need resources 539 02:28:30.560 --> 02:28:49.600 keep Keep going. That's all I'll say. >> Marina. >> Uh, hello everybody. Hello dear mayor and dear commissioners. I'm Marina Richitzki and I'm one of that quiet portion what I believe you mentioned 540 02:28:49.600 --> 02:29:04.319 today. It's probably will be only time for me to appear here. Uh, yesterday I sent commissioners an email about Fallon Dafa. The Fallon Dafa uh day is upcoming. Some of you may heard about 541 02:29:04.319 --> 02:29:19.600 Fallonafa, some may not. But we are here practitioners of Fallon Dafa. I'm actually in Northport for a little over a year, but it's a lot of different I mean practitioners here staying for longer already practicing any parks. 542 02:29:19.600 --> 02:29:37.280 It's a quiet meditation. We have uh five exercises. four of them sending one is a sitting medication and also it's a philosophy it's a truthfulness compassion and tolerance this is what we are practicing it's absolutely free we 543 02:29:37.280 --> 02:29:54.160 all volunteers you can go on a website and anybody can start practicing on your own house in a park anywhere [snorts] so uh today I already approached a city director and I will be meeting with 544 02:29:54.160 --> 02:30:11.040 Shelby And hopefully we will be doing free class uh and we are keep doing it in the parks anyway. But this is just to introduce maybe we can introduce it to the city employee to the educators. I'm educator myself. I was in IT for 30 545 02:30:11.040 --> 02:30:28.800 years. Uh I love all of my professions. All my hats what I wear and I I really would like to share what I learn. It's what educator is right. Yes. So uh I believe it will be very beneficial for city employee, first responders and 546 02:30:28.800 --> 02:30:44.800 educators because it's how we are then we can share and I do want to thank you for that atmosphere because this atmosphere and I really know what atmosphere is. You are guys doing great 547 02:30:44.800 --> 02:31:01.439 feeling being a Florida now I feel different. I feel American on a different level being American for 34 years. I'm from Ukraine originally. So I don't think I need to say more. And yeah, this yeah, just a few flyers for 548 02:31:01.439 --> 02:31:21.520 you to take a look at. Thank you very much for everything. I appreciate it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hi everyone. Um there might be some additional opportunities for the communications team to um maybe add to 549 02:31:21.520 --> 02:31:37.359 what they're doing. Um in addition to sending a press release with photos, um the Sun newspaper has briefs um and those go in um anytime that um space is available. They also have a go section 550 02:31:37.359 --> 02:31:53.120 which would um they could advertise for free um events like the parade or the Santa plunge. The Englewood Review will take big Northport events and put them in because they want their community to 551 02:31:53.120 --> 02:32:08.560 go have fun in our community. Um, also the city of Northport's a chamber member, but um I did a quick look and there's nothing under job postings. Um, the city could use the chamber's website 552 02:32:08.560 --> 02:32:24.640 to add jobs, to add um advisory board vacancies and um upcoming activities for the city. Um, another thing is that the city now has a youth advisory board. those kids uh could probably work with 553 02:32:24.640 --> 02:32:41.439 the communications team in a way that brings magic to um some of the videos that are being done because it gives that, you know, 15year-old uh uh aspect to it. Plus, it's a neat way to um 554 02:32:41.439 --> 02:32:58.560 promote community engagement with the kids that it's a way for them to also get community service hours. Also in the city of Venice, what they do is their communications person. Uh she allows advertising of community events like the 555 02:32:58.560 --> 02:33:16.319 Sharks Teeth Festival, which is not run by the city um in a great big downtown um contingent and they put them on the city's Facebook and sometimes on the website because it's all economic development. It's all partnerships with 556 02:33:16.319 --> 02:33:34.240 the nonprofits and we do have a program that'll help do that, but it's it's always like a, you know, 10 pages of paperwork. If there's a way to streamline that and that the nonprofits can, you know, say, "Hey, we have a pet expo coming up. We have um different 557 02:33:34.240 --> 02:33:50.560 events coming up," that would be wonderful because we know they're not just going to our event. They're stopping for gas. They're they're stopping at a restaurant. and it's just a neat way that we can crosspromote um each other, work together. Thank you. 558 02:33:50.560 --> 02:34:10.160 >> Thank you. >> All right, moving on to item C 26-0702, discussion and possible action regarding the social services divisions details of service delivery. City manager, this is your item. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh and the last of 559 02:34:10.160 --> 02:34:26.479 our three topics today that commission will be hearing social services may be the one where the stakes of getting the decision wrong are most personal and most immediate. We're talking about real customers whether customers real residents whether they're seniors, families, children who have possibly 560 02:34:26.479 --> 02:34:42.560 nowhere else to go. So this is not a conversation about whether the city should solve every social problem. It's more of a conversation about whether we should remain the last line of support when every other door hasn't been closed um on someone already. And more importantly, before we get to the details, the direct financial assistance 561 02:34:42.560 --> 02:34:58.560 this division provides does not come from the general fund. So there is no taxpayer burden for the dollars that go directly to the residents. Uh what the general fund supports is the staff and infrastructure that makes it all work. Um it is also they are also aligned with our vision of innovative, friendly, 562 02:34:58.560 --> 02:35:14.160 engaging and sustainable community where residents, businesses and visitors flourish. Uh the word flourish is aspirational but flourishing is not possible for a family that cannot pay rent, a senior who cannot navigate a 35 mile trip to the DCF office or a child going to school without proper clothing. 563 02:35:14.160 --> 02:35:30.240 Social services is what makes the vision reasonable for our most vulnerable residents. uh as it relates to our mission to provide exceptional service to our entire community for the continuous enrichment of quality of life through transparency, engagement and respect. The word entire community works 564 02:35:30.240 --> 02:35:47.200 entire community stand out. Um our mission is not to serve residents who are already stable and self-sufficient. It is to serve everyone and this division exists precisely to make the word entire mean something. They are also connected connected to our quality of life strategic pillar. Um they one of 565 02:35:47.200 --> 02:36:02.640 its core priorities is to encourage access to health care, social and emotional well-being for all ages and this division is the primary city mechanism for delivering on that priority. They also connected to our organizational values but I will turn it over now to our social services manager 566 02:36:02.640 --> 02:36:19.600 Janet Cillo to lead us through the presentation. Thank you m >> Thank you. Good afternoon everyone. Janet Curio, social services manager for the record. Always a pleasure to come um speak with you. Um, first off, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity uh to provide an 567 02:36:19.600 --> 02:36:36.479 overview of the social services division. Today's presentation is intended to highlight the division's role within the city of Northport, the services we provide to residents, and the ways we collaborate with community partners to strengthen and address community gaps. Our approach is not 568 02:36:36.479 --> 02:36:55.920 intended to replace or duplicate the work of local nonprofits and partner agencies, but rather to support, complement, and help connect residents to available community resources and services. So before we get to specific programs and services, I wanted to begin with the 569 02:36:55.920 --> 02:37:12.560 brief synopsis of the social services division, its history, purpose, and impact within the city. Since 1980, when I was born, by the way, the division has served as a central hub for community support, resource navigation, and short-term financial assistance for 570 02:37:12.560 --> 02:37:29.760 residents experiencing hardships. Our division was created to fill critical service gaps because resources were limited or unavailable in our area. In our presentation, we'll walk through our core functions, partnerships, community impact facilities, and the different 571 02:37:29.760 --> 02:37:48.160 ways residents access services through our division. So, shortly coming on after coming on board, I was asked to revise the division's mission statement to better reflect the work and services we provide today, particularly around 572 02:37:48.160 --> 02:38:03.040 accessibility, resource navigation, and community support. Our mission today still reflects exactly that. To ensure the availability, awareness, accessibility of programs and resources in the community and to assist families and individuals while improving their 573 02:38:03.040 --> 02:38:19.760 overall quality of life. As you can see, our division is currently part of the city manager's office and we currently report to city manager Fletcher. City manager Fletcher, I just wanted to say thank you for your guidance, your support. Um, since you've been my supervisor for four years, I've appreciated the partnership. So, thank 574 02:38:19.760 --> 02:38:36.080 you. Um, our team is small but mighty. I always say that. Uh, together, our sixperson team serves a community of more than 96,000 residents while managing direct services, partnerships, facilities, community events, and daily operations. 575 02:38:36.080 --> 02:38:52.160 Um, right now, I'd like to take a a moment to highlight each of my staff members and their tenure here. Um, Aaron Elenheimer is our business operations coordinator. She's been with the city for eight years. Uh, Carol Estrada is our program administrator. She's been with the city for three. Uh, Manurva 576 02:38:52.160 --> 02:39:07.439 Ortiz Jimenez, which is our client services specialist one. She's been with the city for two. Lead Rodriguez is our client services specialist 2, and she's been with the city for um, uh, 5 years. And then we have Nicole uh, Benadel, 577 02:39:07.439 --> 02:39:24.560 staff assistant 3, and she's been with the city for two years, and of course, yours truly, 10 years. Um, I'm extremely proud of my team. um their ability to remain adaptable res uh resident focused and service driven in a high demand environment is in my opinion um amazing 578 02:39:24.560 --> 02:39:39.840 because I wouldn't be able to do this job without them. So I want to give them a shout out. So now let's talk about um key functions and services kind of like um our core services. Um so I always say if you were to ask me like what's your elevator 579 02:39:39.840 --> 02:39:56.720 speech? I I I kind of um touch base on these six core functions. So, let's talk about financial assistance to help with rent, mortgage, and utilities. This is our bread and butter. This is what we do on the daily. Um how we service our clients on the daily. So, we currently submit one of the highest volumes of 580 02:39:56.720 --> 02:40:12.880 applications to our funding agencies while also remaining one of the only local providers offering in-person appointments so residents do not have to travel outside of Northport for assistance. for our community re resource liaison. I pride myself on this and my staff does 581 02:40:12.880 --> 02:40:30.560 as well because we often receive complex and unconventional requests. So, we pride ourselves in helping residents navigate challenges by identifying solutions and then connecting them to appropriate resources. We get calls such as human trafficking, life after incarceration, potential scams to our 582 02:40:30.560 --> 02:40:47.040 senior populations, and everything in between of assistance, or I'm getting kicked out and I need I need help. Um, our skills for life workshops. These workshops are designed to support career development, life skills, personal growth for teens, adults, and seniors within our community. Uh, we partner 583 02:40:47.040 --> 02:41:02.560 with local banking institutions, nonprofits, and businesses. Our community clothing closet began as a partnership with our local Kowanas Club and was later fully absorbed by the division after the organization lost its location following Hurricane Ian. We do continue to refer to them and vice 584 02:41:02.560 --> 02:41:19.040 versa. Our MPsquare program was created to help bridge uh gaps by supporting uh local nonprofit agencies and assisting them in their mission. Um agencies apply for a mission support item up to $2,000. 585 02:41:19.040 --> 02:41:35.439 So DCF, I really want to touch on DCF because th this is taking the majority of our time and our service to our community. So in early 2019, DCF informed us that they were closing their Northport location along with some surrounding um offices. They informed us that they were closing because a lot of 586 02:41:35.439 --> 02:41:50.240 their in-person visits were just ID verifications or supplemental um uh uh documents that they had to upload documents. So they said you know oh everybody can do it in a digital format and they can fax their IDs or fax their 587 02:41:50.240 --> 02:42:08.479 forms. Okay. So um at that time we were a self-service um um partner site where clients could come in they would use the desktop in our lobby and they would do it themselves self serve. So um 588 02:42:08.479 --> 02:42:24.080 so when the DCF office closed in May, we applied to become a full service site to allow us to do more than that because what we had noticed is that our elderly population, some don't own smartphones, some don't know how to navigate the website, some don't know how to upload 589 02:42:24.080 --> 02:42:39.760 the documents. So they need someone to do that for them. they need an actual physical person to help them navigate the application um upload the documents and show the verification. [sighs] So um so we we we changed it and we applied to 590 02:42:39.760 --> 02:42:54.800 be a full service site and we were approved. We brought that before you. You guys approved it and now we've been part we've been functioning as a full service site. So I can assure you that only 1% of our DCF clients come in for 591 02:42:54.800 --> 02:43:11.120 the ID verification and upload uploading of documents. Everyone else that comes in is application assistants, application themselves or um a uh case inquiry. So they want to know what's happening with their case. They want to know what document they missed. They 592 02:43:11.120 --> 02:43:25.760 want to know what can they do to get their their case approved. So I I really want to say we serve Northport residents by improving access to services that may not otherwise be available. Where services already exist, we adjust. Where 593 02:43:25.760 --> 02:43:45.520 gaps occur, we step in. So on our direct services and administrative support, our division operates through a two-part service model. Half of it being direct services and the other half being administrative support. So, just to give you a little bit of information on what we do on the 594 02:43:45.520 --> 02:44:01.040 daily, um, in fiscal year 2425, our client services specialists provided direct services for financial assistance. They pre-screened 817 clients, completed 202 financial applications. Out of those clients helped, the average moving cost is 595 02:44:01.040 --> 02:44:19.760 $4,21.72. The average monthly rent for those financial assistance um clients is $1,72329. On the other side, the administrative support in fiscal year 2425 um they provided 8,874 596 02:44:19.760 --> 02:44:37.560 I'm sorry, 8,784 information requests. Um they provided support to our family service and community um education center tenants um responsible for the procurement and the budget development and they serve 252 children through the children's community clothing closet program. 597 02:44:38.000 --> 02:44:55.120 So really we exist for a few reasons. The digital only systems in exclude vulnerable populations. So either you have to be techsavvy or have a smartphone. And we have noticed that a lot of our clients do not have either of those items. The local in-person 598 02:44:55.120 --> 02:45:10.880 services are limited or non-existence. Agencies have either lost their locations due to natural disasters or others have a longer process to get the financial assistance to our residents um slower than what we do. Um the state offices have been reduced or 599 02:45:10.880 --> 02:45:28.319 centralized. you know, closure of state offices within Northport have created this and then the nonprofits cannot absorb all intake or navigation functions. It really does take all of us. It's not you do this and we do this. It those two lanes always intertwine and 600 02:45:28.319 --> 02:45:45.760 we'll speak on that in in some upcoming um uh slides. So, as city manager Fletcher touched on this, this is my favorite slide to talk about because a lot of people don't understand that the funding that goes directly to our residents does not come 601 02:45:45.760 --> 02:46:03.319 from us. It comes from external sources such as the United Way of South Sarasota County, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Season of Sharing, a lot of people know it as SOS and our St. Vincent Paul um funding. Through these partnerships, we have expended $172,69.18. 602 02:46:04.160 --> 02:46:22.399 As city manager Fletcher mentioned, direct assistance does not come from the general fund and there is no taxpayer burden. So, let's dive into our community events. Most of you know that we um have a few community events throughout the year. Um our community events are about 603 02:46:22.399 --> 02:46:37.760 filling gaps, not duplicating services. is our community baby shower and preschool expo. We fill gaps in early childhood access by connecting new and expecting parents to critical resources. We leverage donations and partners with our local Kuanas Club of Northport to provide essential items. The division 604 02:46:37.760 --> 02:46:54.640 serves as central coordinator ensuring equitable access and outreach. Our back to school resource fair, now the supply squad, focuses on students with identified needs through school-based partnerships. Addresses unmet needs that impact attendance, confidence, and performance. reduces stigmas by 605 02:46:54.640 --> 02:47:11.760 normalizing support through coordinated school outreach. I really want to touch on this because we re-evaluated and redesigned this event to reduce duplication of services and to be fiscally responsible. And that's something that we do when we when we look at our division. We see what type 606 02:47:11.760 --> 02:47:28.640 of impact does it have and if there is a duplication in the community because if there is then we don't need to be doing that. then we need to allow those individuals to do that and either remove that funding or revise that funding to better me meet the need. Um for our home 607 02:47:28.640 --> 02:47:43.760 for the holidays, we support vulnerable families and seniors during high need holiday season. Direct connection model, so we have direct donorto family that reduces administrative burden and increases impact. And then our partnership-driven approach ensures no duplication of services and supports our 608 02:47:43.760 --> 02:47:59.120 nonprofits. Uh, the family service center opened in 2008. The FSE houses the social services division along with 10 community agencies and provides a one-stop location where residents connect with local nonprofits, government agencies, 609 02:47:59.120 --> 02:48:14.080 and essential community resources. The FSE is a bridge for residents to access nonprofit and state um, uh, resources. I really like to um, highlight that we do have a really diverse group at the FSC. 610 02:48:14.080 --> 02:48:30.080 If you notice, we serve um kids through um the Sarasota County WHIC program. We serve teens through Big Brothers Big Sisters. We serve the health and mental health aspects with CenterPlace Health um Empath uh Spark and then we serve um 611 02:48:30.080 --> 02:48:46.319 as well as um seniors and families and individuals. So, this is a this is a very diverse diverse group. Um we host monthly inter agency uh meetings every month at the FSC and this is where we connect um our agencies with other 612 02:48:46.319 --> 02:49:03.760 agencies amongst ourselves as well. Um but it's a great way to highlight um our nonprofits and and certain agencies that are providing services to Northport residents. So the community education center um operating since the 1970s, the CC 613 02:49:03.760 --> 02:49:20.319 currently houses a senior and awakened church outreach centers. Um, I really like this slide because it's im it's it has a graph on the impact that Awakened Church has on Northport residents. So, remember when I talked about this their lane and our lane and how they intertwine? This is a perfect example of 614 02:49:20.319 --> 02:49:36.080 that. The building is our building. It's a public facility, but it houses Awaken Church that since October of 2025 to March of 2026 has served 80,253 households um with uh food insecurity. 615 02:49:36.080 --> 02:49:50.720 So, I wanted to highlight that to show you um that it takes both of us. So, accessing services, just to recap on that, the closest DCF office is located 35 miles away, as city manager Fletcher mentioned. So, anyone that actually 616 02:49:50.720 --> 02:50:06.880 wants to see a person and talk to a DCF employee would have to drive 35 miles. Um we are the only location in Northport that actually can do the case inquiries, help you apply um for the application and um fax all the documents that you 617 02:50:06.880 --> 02:50:22.720 may need. The closest Inerson financial assistance agency is approximately 10 miles away and that would be like our Venice um Venice uh um I'm sorry um Salvation Army or Laurel Ncomomas Agency to apply for financial assistance. Our 618 02:50:22.720 --> 02:50:37.200 limited public transportation options further restrict access to services. In-person support remains essential for clients navigating complex systems and applications. As I've mentioned before, especially with our elderly population or our population that does not have um 619 02:50:37.200 --> 02:50:53.760 digital access. Um just some quick stats, 17% of clients are seniors, 28% of clients are unable to travel outside of the city of Northport for services, and 36% of clients meet CDBG income guidelines, which is low to moderate income. 620 02:50:53.920 --> 02:51:10.960 And with that, I'd like to thank you, my team, and I thank you um for the opportunity to share the value, impact, and strategic importance of Northport Social Services Division. As our city continues to grow, providing support, resources, and access is essential um and remains critical to strengthening 621 02:51:10.960 --> 02:51:27.520 stability, promoting self-sufficiency, and enhancing the quality of life for our residents. We appreciate your continued support as we work to connect individuals and families with the assistance they need and to serve our community with compassion and care. So, thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, ma'am. 622 02:51:27.520 --> 02:51:42.479 >> Two points, Mr. Mayor. Um, as you consider the the main one is I think we all think of how the county model helps the city of Northport as it relates to money that funnels down to South County. uh we have not been able to get an accurate amount of that uh figure, but 623 02:51:42.479 --> 02:51:59.520 we do believe it exists, but we can't get it from the county. So, we're going to keep trying because we believe that if they're giving money to the nonprofits and the nonprofits are distributing it, then they should be able to tell us how much money is coming to the city of Northport. I think that's a compliance issue. I don't think it should be hard to find, but yet we've 624 02:51:59.520 --> 02:52:14.640 had a very hard time of getting it. And then the most recent information we did get because they completed it because um Miss Cillo asked for it just doesn't seem to give us reliable information to pass along to you. Uh and the other part of what they do of course are the events that they provide and if there's any 625 02:52:14.640 --> 02:52:29.680 feedback on those events as they've evolved under the social services umbrella then we're happy to discuss those as well. So thank you Mr. Spir. >> Um do you think you would have that information come budget talks? Possibly. I mean I mean you could say no, we still haven't gotten it by then, but I mean 626 02:52:29.680 --> 02:52:46.080 you will continue to work on it and possibly bring it back during budget talks. >> I think my plan is to elevate it outside of uh Janet's hands because she tried as hard as she can and I'm going to try to get that if it exists. There's no way it should not exist. That's my point, right? It has to exist somewhere. But 627 02:52:46.080 --> 02:53:01.840 yes, I to answer your question, yes, I'll keep trying. >> All right, commissioners. Uh anything because we got to keep it brief. We got another meeting coming up in a few minutes. And if we do have anything going on that you have in-depth questions on, we can also do that at budget meetings or throughout your 628 02:53:01.840 --> 02:53:18.479 one-on- ones with the city manager. And you can request Janet to be there as as well if you have very pertinent questions. Other than that, I think he did a fabulous job with your presentation. I don't think everybody knew everything that you do and what you 629 02:53:18.479 --> 02:53:34.160 have accomplished going forward. this breakdown sort [clears throat] of explained a lot of the things that you do do and what you do to help our citizens, which is our concern as well. So, >> Mr. Mayor, oh, sorry. Um, just one more 630 02:53:34.160 --> 02:53:48.800 thing back to pick back on what you just said. One of the goals for all three of these presentations is also to give you the information so that we can defend publicly when people ask those questions. Now, you have it sort of condensed in a presentable format so that they can understand what you just 631 02:53:48.800 --> 02:54:05.120 said. Okay. Vice Mayor, [clears throat] >> one Thank you, Mayor. One very quick question, and it is a little bit off topic. What's the condition of your building? >> Which one? >> The physical condition of the building 632 02:54:05.120 --> 02:54:20.640 >> of which one? The family service center or the community education center? >> I consider that the FSD to be in good condition. And I might have to have more of a facility speak a public works director to speak on that, but um it was 633 02:54:20.640 --> 02:54:35.920 built in 2008. It has received repairs as necessary and applicable. Um and we've made some improvements. Um public works has made some improvements um as far as you know, new carpet, new painting, and um getting it up to date. >> Great. Thank you for that. And thank you 634 02:54:35.920 --> 02:54:57.279 for the presentation. And mayor, I was one of those. I was not aware of everything >> correct >> that you did. So, I really appreciate that. >> You're very welcome. >> All right, city clerk, public comment. >> I guess I want to publicly thank Vincent to Paul for donating the money to the 635 02:54:57.279 --> 02:55:14.880 citizens of this town. I had dealings with them up north and they are a good organization. So, it's good to see them down here, too. I will tell you to make this quick that uh their services may soon have an uptick in clients because 636 02:55:14.880 --> 02:55:36.160 of the problems in the economy. So whatever you guys do, they need to stay where they are and I thank the nonprofit the other nonprofits for giving the money. Anyone else? >> All right. um for you J. Can I is it 637 02:55:36.160 --> 02:55:52.800 possible for me to have the floor for one minute? Go ahead. All right. Uh this one of the reasons why, you know, I I personally find it a problem to have meetings like this in in advance of an already scheduled 638 02:55:52.800 --> 02:56:08.640 meeting. Okay, I appreciate and everybody's concerned about their own personal time, but the reality is that this conversation didn't get fully vetted and um this one department, you know, nobody really had a chance to weigh in on. So, you know, I 639 02:56:08.640 --> 02:56:25.760 would appreciate in the future if we scheduled these meetings at a different time or on a different day so that they don't run into another or a pres-scheduled meeting where a lot of people are coming. So, that's all. Thank you, mayor. City manager. >> Yes. 640 02:56:25.760 --> 02:56:40.319 >> Mr. Stokes, we had 3 hours before this meeting. We're happy to bring this item back for discussion. So, if you want to have it publicly, but 3 hours is enough time for us to make progress on topics. And I think we did that today. 641 02:56:40.319 --> 02:57:02.720 >> All right. So, general public comment >> today in the mail, I [snorts] got another flyer for the internet company that my taxes paid for. I don't know why I keep getting mail 642 02:57:02.720 --> 02:57:19.600 from a company that I don't want to do business with that Greg Stwie and Rick Scott funded to be in this town and won't help the funding of anything else in town, like the police station, like the recck department, like this past 643 02:57:19.600 --> 02:57:35.359 department. So, I'm calling on these people in Congress, in the Senate to help the city out publicly. I told them on the phone I would do this. I don't know if they contacted you guys at all on any of these issues we have or any of 644 02:57:35.359 --> 02:57:51.120 the funding, but if they hadn't, then they're not doing their job. They might not want to talk to me. Hey, I'm good with that. You guys are the bosses in town. But I also think you guys should pick up the phone and call them and try to solicit some funds for some of these 645 02:57:51.120 --> 02:58:06.640 things we're trying to do. And again, I'm going back to the recck department. Some of that's not only, you know, mental, physical health. It's actually public safety, like the swimming and the parks. It takes the kids off the 646 02:58:06.640 --> 02:58:23.040 streets. It takes the kids from the woods drinking and smoking behind the thing. It helps the police department. So, a lot of this stuff isn't just the way you guys or people present it. They don't see the other issues on it. And I know when I was a kid, some of my best 647 02:58:23.040 --> 02:58:40.000 memories were at the park and wreck. You know, a lot of people in their lives have memories that they fall back on, they can look at and feel good about. A lot of them are when you're a kid. And that's because you don't have the stress of an adult. You don't have all the 648 02:58:40.000 --> 02:58:55.040 other things you have to deal with. And some of the best memories of people are in their childhood. And we got to make that possible. If they have good memories of a childhood and they grow up right, they're going to have a better adult life and they'll do a better job 649 02:58:55.040 --> 02:59:10.800 with their kids and anybody else they come in contact with. So, I'm in full support of the park and recck department. I don't think it should be cut. And you know, whatever happens with the taxes happens. There's nothing we can do. There's other thing these 650 02:59:10.800 --> 02:59:26.479 politicians can do to bring money to this town. They don't have to send it to the Ukraine. They don't have to send it to the Middle East. They don't have to send it to Europe. They don't have to send it to South Africa. They can send it here. And that's what we got to do. We got to keep the money in this country 651 02:59:26.479 --> 02:59:42.880 and get our politicians to keep the money in this country and stop spending it overseas. And I'll leave it at that. >> That's all. >> Thank you. It's 3:58. I adjourn this meeting. We have evolved to having our lifeguards 652 02:59:42.880 --> 02:59:58.720 into a more of a roving position. >> With the competition pool, we still maintain the chairs for the height eligibility. >> Um, but here we have to have a minimum of five lifeguards just to run this body of water. >> Wow. And we actually have a lifeguard 653 02:59:58.720 --> 03:00:01.840 positioned in our catch. Part: 2 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:15.839 It's a very long process, but it makes sure that the water stays the clear as possible. >> Then Jesse taught me about the zones. >> It helps maintain that their body of water is theirs to protect anybody that's in their zone. >> So lifeguard Brandon right now is actually scanning red one zone. So red 2 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:32.800 one zone is here. any part of this body of water that reaches let's say all the way from those stairs to the bulkhead and to the side of the corner. This entire zone is his right now to make sure that they are staying healthy and hydrated. We do have a 30 minute a 3 00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:48.960 rotation here for all of our lifeguards and lifeguards are not meant to bypass more than one hour of continuous lifeguarding. So after every hour, the lifeguards must take either a visual break or an actual break. >> After Jesse's walkthrough, I met up with 4 00:00:48.960 --> 00:01:04.000 Matt, one of the pool technicians responsible for keeping the water clean and safe every single day. He started by showing me how they test the water across the park. Got comp pool, lazy river, kids pool. >> Each sample is dropped into small disc and loaded into a device and in just 5 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:25.840 seconds it gives a full readout on the pool's chemistry. And before this little machine was created, this was a more of a manual >> container and drop them in like a certain amount and basically it'll calculate from there um what your pH and 6 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:46.640 chlorine is. >> And this is the daily task. >> Yeah, this is what we do at the start of every day >> inside the We're not running everything in the moment. It'll drop it down a couple inches. >> Next, he showed me the daily checklist for the part. 7 00:01:46.640 --> 00:02:04.399 >> Then we have our chemical data sheets. So, basically just making sure like that our comp pool, lazy river, kids pool are all where they need to be. Anywhere between two parts per million or 10 parts. And then pH is somewhere between 7.2 and 7.8 eight for a healthy pool. 8 00:02:04.399 --> 00:02:21.840 >> There you go. >> Then came the back washing and wasting process. Flushing the filters to keep the water flowing freely or removing excess water from the system to keep the water levels balanced. >> And then it'll start coming out in this pit. >> So this this whole pit will fill in 9 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:38.599 about 3 minutes. >> Really? Over there? >> Yep. >> Next, we changed out one of the strainer baskets which help catch large debris before it can reach the pumps. I'll tra you that one. Thank you. Then new one goes in just like that. And we 10 00:02:38.720 --> 00:02:54.720 >> Before joining the team in Northport, Matt worked as a lifeguard in Charlotte County under Trish Sturgis, our assistant director of parks and recreation. >> So I've known Trish a very long time. So that definitely was one of the influences of wanting to come work at the aquatic center. Had me go out for an 11 00:02:54.720 --> 00:03:10.720 AFO course recently, which is aquatic facility operator course. basically anything and everything relating to a facility like water chemistry, safety rules, that this and that. So, I went there. I just passed that class. So, 12 00:03:10.720 --> 00:03:26.879 it's a little little bit of knowledge under my belt. It was definitely useful. >> Well, Matt, we're we're grateful for your time and your experience and all you put into your career here and congratulations on your certification and you do amazing job, sir. >> Thank you for joining me today at the Northport Aquatic Center. It's a great 13 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:41.760 facility. I want to thank director Sandy Funheller, assistant director Trish Sturgis. I have learned so much amazing things today. I would like to say that the technical expertise that goes to keep the water safe as well as the people safe is an amazing combination. See you on the next job. Thanks for 14 00:03:41.760 --> 00:04:04.000 being here. Hey, city of Northport. My name is Sandra Budro. I am with AECOM and I'm representing the city of Northport on this glorious Price Boulevard project. We are here on Price Boulevard at the Blue Ridge Waterway in which we are 15 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:20.160 building the box culvert. Um, as we've talked in the past, we're doing a double barrel box culvert here and we are currently pouring the second wall of the structure. That wall's got to cure. The concrete has to cure and then we can strip form. So, it does take some time 16 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:38.040 for the walls to cure and then for us to start building the top. After that, we're going to build uh the earthwork and then the roadway. So, at this point, we are currently early on in the process. If you want further updates, you're going to go to the Price Boulevard web page. 17 00:04:44.479 --> 00:05:28.560 Pop. Good afternoon. Today is Thursday, May 7th, 2026. It's 400 p.m. We are in the city chambers, and I call the city commission regular meeting to order. Commissioners present are Commissioner Duval, Commissioner Stokes, Mayor Emer, 18 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:44.960 Vice Mayor Langden, and Commissioner Pro. There is a quorum present for this meeting. Also present are city manager Fletcher, city attorney Fawino, city clerk Fost, board specialist Linder, police chief Garrison, and fire chief Titus. 19 00:05:44.960 --> 00:06:00.240 I am requesting that all commissioners, public participants, and staff maintain order into decorum throughout this meeting. City Commission policy 2021-03 states that attendees shall refrain from 20 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:14.880 engaging in personal attacks, boisterous, immaterial, inflammatory, obscene, profane, or disorderly conduct. Thank you. I'm going to call on a friend of mine that I haven't seen in a long time, Mr. Paul Dlo. Would you lead us in 21 00:06:14.880 --> 00:06:36.880 the pledge, please, sir? 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. 22 00:06:36.880 --> 00:06:55.319 >> Thank you, sir. Need a motion to approve the agenda. >> So moved. >> Have a motion on the floor made by the vice mayor to approve the agenda. Do I have a second? Seconded by Commissioner Stokes. Anything to that? Please vote. 23 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:18.479 That passes 5 to zero. City clerk. Public comment. Dedicated employee. I just wanted to take a moment to recognize the man of the hour, the legend himself, Deputy City Attorney Michael Gullen. For the last 8 and 1/2 years, he has dedicated himself to this 24 00:07:18.479 --> 00:07:34.639 city with passion, commitment, and an impressive ability to tell a dad joke at exactly the wrong moment. Truly a rare talent, he has led through challenges, celebrations, long meetings, and probably at least a few emails that could have been meetings. And through it all, he has brought humor, heart, and authenticity 25 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:50.240 to the people around him. Whether he was making us laugh intentionally or just completely failing to read the room, he always made work memorable. They say every great organization has someone who leaves a lasting mark. In this case, some of those marks were strategic leadership, some were community 26 00:07:50.240 --> 00:08:05.759 accomplishments, and some were just awkward silences after a joke landed a little too confidently. But in all all seriousness, his impact on this city has been real and meaningful. He has worked hard, cared deeply, and built relationships that will last long after today. So today, it feels only fitting 27 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:25.919 that we recognize the man, the myth, the proclamation worthy legend himself. Congratulations, Michael. The city is better because of your service. Only an attorney could afford having that written for him. >> Northport employee, I fully agree with the comments made by my colleague 28 00:08:25.919 --> 00:08:41.120 regarding city manager Fletcher. Since stepping into the role and navigating the complex situation he inherited, he has brought unwavering professionalism to our city. For too long, progress was hindered by past leadership more focused on internal politics than on city growth. This resulted in critical 29 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:56.160 capital improvement projects being sidelined, leaving us in the position of playing catch-up today. It is time to let the city manager oversee day-to-day operations and allow our staff to do the jobs they were hired to perform. The commission should focus on highlevel strategy and moving the city towards 30 00:08:56.160 --> 00:09:10.160 full its full potential rather than micromanaging departmental equipment and logistics like Commissioner Petro wanting to know how many lawnmowers the parks and recreation needs. In person, we have Jill Luke, followed by Valerie 31 00:09:10.160 --> 00:09:32.800 Olinger and Jonah Morgan. I am thrilled to death to be here today and to witness what is going to happen. Alice White deserves so much. She, this lady came to our city 18 years before I 32 00:09:32.800 --> 00:09:50.240 did. And I didn't really know all the stuff that she did in those 18 years, but I think I've got three or four pages of what she did do. But when when I came in, I knew there was this uh trees being 33 00:09:50.240 --> 00:10:06.320 planted along Salford. I knew there was a tree memory lane on 41. I knew there was always a tree uh expo type of thing. I knew there was kids that were going and learning about trees and all these 34 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:22.480 things. And I knew the tree lady was behind it all. But then running Patriot, I opened some of my units to nonprofits. She came in for Tour Day Northport 35 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:38.320 all herself doing these things. She stored stuff in that unit. Bicycles were stored in that unit so that she could market the tour day Northport. She had hundreds of people coming in would go out and make the trail of where these 36 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:56.399 bicycles would go. One of my I mean there are so many memories of Alice that I just cherish. One of them was at one of the tree fairs that she had and I wanted to take a picture of her. So, what did she do but hug a tree? 37 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:13.440 Love that picture. Love that picture. When she finished teaching, I mean, she's a mom plus mom plus mom plus mom when it comes to her son. So, she's got a lot of things that she has done with the children, including the teaching. 38 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:29.279 But when she was finished with the teaching, she still wanted to give of herself publicly. and she ran for office, became a commissioner, but boy, she did not want to be mayor. 39 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:45.519 I don't think I could do that. City manager, we talked to her quite a bit, didn't we? Trying to talk her into It's okay. You don't have to be perfect. You just go through. So, I'm glad you decided that yes, you served as well. 40 00:11:45.519 --> 00:12:02.640 She's a strong woman. I was so impressed. oftent time on the the deis that she would stand strong to her conviction because she felt it was the right thing. That is what they're to do is to stand for the right 41 00:12:02.640 --> 00:12:20.480 thing. Follow the rules. Stand for what's right for the most people within the city to the city's future. She was probably a little apprehensive about me to start with because I was a businesswoman and she was a tree lady, 42 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:38.279 but we got along great. She learned, she adjusted, she accepted, we came up with everything for the tree ordinance and you guys are doing an excellent job taking care of it. >> Love you, Alice. >> Valerie Olinger. 43 00:12:41.040 --> 00:12:58.800 Well, boy, Jill has said everything I was going to say except except um I joined People for Trees um about 6 months after Alice first formed it. And since then, um I've worked with 44 00:12:58.800 --> 00:13:14.720 her in so many of the projects that we've worked on. Uh and I don't think Ryan Peer's here today, is he? um he was one of the first people within the city that I got to know and uh was a tremendous help to us on many of our 45 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:31.839 projects. And I think so many people don't realize when they look at some of the tree uh tree work that we've done in the past, they have no clue. Most people don't even notice that it's there except when one of the trees dies and then they 46 00:13:31.839 --> 00:13:47.279 call up and gripe and say, "Oh, this damn tree in front of my house has died. will you please come and take it out? Well, that's because they haven't been watching it when they're supposed to at the beginning. Anyway, Alice is a wonderful woman. I love her dearly. We've done a lot of great things 47 00:13:47.279 --> 00:14:07.360 together and I wish her continued success and I will continue to work with her as long as my 92year-old bones will let me do that. >> Thank you, >> J Morgan. And then Tim Doyle. Hi, Joan Morgan. Well, they've covered 48 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:22.800 the trees. Okay. But, uh, Alice didn't have to be a commissioner or a mayor to get this award. All the stuff she did before then. She already had it made and uh, but it's just phenomenal all the things she did. U being a teacher. I 49 00:14:22.800 --> 00:14:39.519 cannot imagine how she did the tour of the Northport and was teaching and doing it all at the same time. That is ridicul. That's insane. That's insane. An environmentalist and the tree sales and how much people got trees for the the ridiculously low 50 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:56.240 price. The Underground Railroad that she does over at the Shannon Stab Center and all that kind of stuff. And again, that teacher and and really just a phenomenal program and everybody needs to know that uh singing guitar and doing all of that 51 00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:12.639 stuff. Mommy and Me, another program that she was very involved with. um and writing books about Jake and uh everything else. I mean just just phenomenal. And of course the pies. Of course the pies. Okay. But um 52 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:29.440 actually Alice and I to begin with when I first heard of her, she was going to be competition. >> That's right. Yeah. She was the one. Okay. She wanted to take the old Northport mall and turn it into a daycare. And Ed and I were just about to build the daycare on Biscane uh 53 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:44.000 Northport Learning Center and Daycare, which as teachers was way out of our comfort area, way out of our budget. We were dying and she was going to compete against us and it was going to be bad, but it didn't go through and we did 54 00:15:44.000 --> 00:16:02.079 manage and um it was unbelievable. Another story that a lot of you don't know is October uh 2000 uh Alice White and I were in Fort Lauderdale and Alice was be being named uh teacher of the year by the Florida state and it was 55 00:16:02.079 --> 00:16:17.279 just magnificent. She deserves it so much. Um she has done so much. The variety of things that she does is just outstanding. I mean what isn't she involved in? That's the easier way. Um, 56 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:33.040 she is a visionary. She's a hero. She's not done. She's not done. I don't know what her next Who knows? Maybe she'll be up there flying with Jake uh and piloting the plane. You never know. Don't say no. Don't say no. But anyway, 57 00:16:33.040 --> 00:16:50.880 she's magnificent. She's marvelous. She has deserved this for a long time. And uh very glad to see her get this recognition. >> Thank you. Oh, I guess I should say congratulation everybody who's got this stuff before I 58 00:16:50.880 --> 00:17:06.880 go online. So, congratulations. Now, I'm going to give my two cents. I don't know if you guys seen the manipulation in the markets lately with the oil market and the price of gas and stuff, but there is manipulation. 59 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:24.720 Part of the manipulation is Trump let go 172 million g barrels of oil to be released from the national strategic reserve. 172 million. How much money is that on the open market right now and they 60 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:39.760 didn't pay much for some of that oil. So, I'm calling on Rick Scott and Greg Stwie to send some of that money they're making off that oil they're selling to Europe is they're not selling it to us. Trump asked all the tankers to come here 61 00:17:39.760 --> 00:17:55.760 to fill up from our national strategic reserve to take the oil back to Europe. So, if we're going to give up our oil supplies to Europe out of the strategic reserves, which I think is totally 62 00:17:55.760 --> 00:18:12.640 ludicrous, but these politicians are letting it happen, I expect some of that money to come to Northport to pay for that air raid siren I want or to the road that some of you guys want to 72. 63 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:30.160 they can call it I don't know 875 and make it part of the internet uh interstate system and the reason why I put the eight there because if you don't know even numbers go east and west and north numbers go odd 64 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:45.200 so that would be the proper terminology to it now these politicians said they went to war for all this and they'd said on the news an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper is going to end this war. 65 00:18:45.200 --> 00:19:01.360 I got it right here. They need me to fill it out. And if if the war is over, they took away my penny to pay for it, right? That means they don't need a $ 1.5 trillion budget for the military. 66 00:19:01.360 --> 00:19:17.360 And I have someone in the military who's a ranger. I don't want his pay cut or anything hurt to him. But we don't need to add all that money if we don't have the things we need in this country. And if they're going to sell our oil to Europe after their mistake in the Middle 67 00:19:17.360 --> 00:19:34.480 East, then the people of this country should get that money and that should pay for infrastructure in this country. Is what you don't understand with all these wars. We're paying for we pay for Ukraine's government to run. We paid their pensions. We're paying for roads 68 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:50.960 to be built and all this overseas. That money should stay here. Rick Scott, when are you going to come home and give us some money and give us back our pennies? >> That's all there. >> Thank you. Moving on to the welcoming of 69 00:19:50.960 --> 00:20:11.039 new employees. City manager, this is your item. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I will invite our human resources director, Christine McDade Town, to announce the newest employees for North. Thank you, sir. >> Hello, everyone. For the record, Christine McDade, it's my honor to 70 00:20:11.039 --> 00:20:28.159 welcome some of our newest team members. If you'll please stand when I call your name. We have Daniel Pedish from Solid Waste, uh, who is rather a solid waste laborer from public works. Also from public works, we have Mark 71 00:20:28.159 --> 00:20:48.799 Omar, equipment operator 2. Daniel Nmelllli, equipment operator 2 as well and Matthew Williams, equipment operator three. And today it's just a small group. We have from the police department. We also 72 00:20:48.799 --> 00:21:10.799 have Joseph Eman, police officer. Joseph welcome and also Paul Freeman, police officer. So on behalf of the city, we welcome all of you and wish you the best of luck. Thank you. >> All right, we're going to head down and 73 00:21:10.799 --> 00:22:08.520 do our proclamations. I want one of those. It's really an honor for me to be the one to bestow this key to the city on Alice White. Come on down, Alice. >> Watch your steps. 74 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:29.360 I first met Alice White in 2019. Um, I was running to become a commissioner for this city. Um, and I was pretty well connected with the business community, but I really didn't 75 00:22:29.360 --> 00:22:45.520 know anybody else. So, I talked with the people I knew and said, "Who are some of the leaders in the community that I should speak with in order to get a different point of view on what's going 76 00:22:45.520 --> 00:23:02.320 on and what needs to be done?" So, my very first stop was to meet Alice White. I went to her home, sat in her kitchen while she was baking pies. It was nice and roasty toasty in her home. Um, and 77 00:23:02.320 --> 00:23:20.240 for two hours we talked about Northport and she shared with me the love she had for this city and her deep commitment to this city's success. Um, my other immediate exposure to Alice, of course, 78 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:34.720 I found out then that she was the tree lady. Everyone knows her as the tree lady. But then I learned about to deoport and I had the privilege of volunteering very early in the morning. We would show 79 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:52.240 up and again her motivation for the tour to Northport was to show off her city. She was so proud. It was all about promoting the city and what a great place it was to live, work, and play. So 80 00:23:52.240 --> 00:24:09.200 I I know she's done so much more than that, but those are the things that really touched me personally. Um, and in those two hours, she tried to sort of reset this financially obsessed person 81 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:27.919 who was running for city commission to make me more aware of and sensitive to some of the other needs of the city. And so any failures of her to do that are not her responsibility. It's my own. But um on that note, thank 82 00:24:27.919 --> 00:24:44.320 you to all the public commenters who did I think a pretty good job of shaming you on all the things you've done for the city. So it's an honor and a privilege for me, Alice White, to bestow this key to the city on you. It is so welld deserved. 83 00:24:44.320 --> 00:25:10.320 >> Well, thank you. And I suspect you like to say a word. >> Are you ready, city manager? >> Yes, ma'am. But I I heard there's time constraints here. But yeah, I'm gonna say you >> those who know me know I'm not comfortable in making I I don't make big 84 00:25:10.320 --> 00:25:26.640 speeches anyway. But um I wanted to thank Joe Luke for being the instigator in this and of course Commissioner Langden for bringing this forward um having the courage to bring this forward now. Um because it's quite an honor to be given the key to a city that yes I've 85 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:43.679 called home for 35 years. Um, I I wanted to I think I should share how I came to find Northport because um 35 years ago, people didn't even know Northport really existed. I came to Florida and and uh 86 00:25:43.679 --> 00:25:59.360 moved to Sarasota and I started I was teaching of course in New Jersey. Yes, I have to disclaim that's where I was from. Okay. But when I was waiting for a teaching job to open, uh I had to find some work in the summer. So I worked for 87 00:25:59.360 --> 00:26:15.919 mosquito control. Yes. So it's the little mosquito that brought me to Northport uh because I would be teamed with techs during the day to check the traps and do all that. And uh the two female techs I I realized they had the 88 00:26:15.919 --> 00:26:33.840 worst uh places that they were in charge of. One was Englewood and one was Northport because there was always mosquito uh complaints. And when I came to Northport on during one of those times, I said, "This is where I want to live. This is real Florida. It's Pine 89 00:26:33.840 --> 00:26:50.080 Flatwoods, Palmettos, Sable Palms. So, this is where I want to live." So, that's how I I ended up um in Northport. But like I said, when I went would go and tell people in Sarasota, uh, I'm going to build a house in Northport, and they say, "Where is that again? Where is 90 00:26:50.080 --> 00:27:07.279 that?" We don't have to say that anymore. Uh, my son Jake. Yes, I talk about him all the time. Thank you, Jill, for bringing him up. She knows how how much I will never pass up an opportunity to talk about him. He was born and raised here. Yes. Not literally born 91 00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:23.840 here, but we know that's going to change. And I look forward to the first first person baby that's born in that new hospital who can actually say I was born in Northport. So, um looking forward to that. Um, Jake would be here 92 00:27:23.840 --> 00:27:39.360 today, but as as Jill said, he's he flies a a charter jet and he's on two week rotations and I couldn't persuade him to to give that up for for to come here. But I said, "You can watch it on you can watch the meeting later." And he 93 00:27:39.360 --> 00:27:55.440 goes, "Okay, Mom. I I'll see if I can catch it." Yeah. Uh, but what this really this key encompasses to me is what I've been involved in. It was mentioned mommy and and me. But when I first moved here there, nobody knew I was here and I didn't know anything 94 00:27:55.440 --> 00:28:11.279 about Northport really because I I was living in Sarasota. I taught at Port Charlotte High School. So I bypassed the city all the time. So when I finally closed on my house, I had no idea what was here. And I said, "This place could use a welcome wagon." So I started 95 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:26.480 welcome to Northport where at once a month I knocked on 50 doors cold knocks because they didn't know I was coming and welcome people to town. Um and uh this was back in 1992 96 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:41.760 okay which was long either further back than some of you are old probably um before internet. So, I was using a paper map rotary phone to call uh the builders and um uh realators to just to find out 97 00:28:41.760 --> 00:28:58.320 who they closed on. Yes, Mommy and Me came about because when Jake turned two, there was nothing here for kids. Imagine that. So, uh I started Mommy and Me every Saturday. And through those two two activities, I developed some lifelong friendships. In fact, uh Tony 98 00:28:58.320 --> 00:29:15.039 and Ronda Castitis that some of you may know, I welcome them to town and I still know them to this day. Um and yes, People for Trees started in um 1997. And yes, I stole ideas from other places. For example, Sarasota County had 99 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:32.399 a tree fair. So, I came home and I said, "Northport needs a tree fair." And that's how that started. I took part in the first tour to parks uh bike ride the for the legacy trail and I said Northport needs its own bike tour. So I 100 00:29:32.399 --> 00:29:49.679 started the tour to Northport um as and as commissioner said that was to showcase the beauty of our city. People only knew uh Northport what was along 41. They didn't know anything about Northport until they took that bike ride and it was great. Um and of course yes 101 00:29:49.679 --> 00:30:04.480 all the trees that have been planted it was been mentioned that people don't even know that people for trees and volunteers um planted those trees. So other than my son of course who is the my biggest legacy that I'm going to 102 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:22.039 leave it's those um trees that you'll continue to enjoy for for many generations to come. So again I thank you for this honor. Thank you for bringing it forward and thank you for the five to zero vote too. 103 00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:54.000 They pay me for that. >> Over this way so we can get it nice and steel. >> Three, two, one. One more. Three, two, one. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Elaine. This was the crazy lady that 104 00:30:54.000 --> 00:31:15.360 welcomed us to town. I remember Ela from the opportunity, right? Elaine. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Over here, Ellis. >> And I want to get a hug, too. >> Yes. >> Thank you so much. You're welcome. You deserve it. >> Say hi to Jake for 105 00:31:15.360 --> 00:31:37.600 >> I will. >> All right. Well, this is a little overdue, but >> everything's worth the wait, huh, Phil? Come on over here. >> I'm going to present you with this plaque in recognition of your 106 00:31:37.600 --> 00:31:53.760 exceptional Oh, they spelled that wrong. No. Leadership and dedicated service as mayor, city of Northport, 2024 to 2025. You did a fabulous job and you reached out. You had your town halls. You were very, very accessible to the citizens. 107 00:31:53.760 --> 00:32:19.720 You did a great job. Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much, mayor. Appreciate it very much. It is always an honor to serve this city. It was really an honor to be mayor and um I thank you very much for the recognition. >> Thank you. 108 00:32:20.159 --> 00:33:09.200 Two, one more. Three, two, >> you haven't done anything yet. Should you give me one big words? >> All right. Do we have anybody here from uh for ALS awareness month? 109 00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:27.919 Anybody who's going to come down? All right. Whereas amotrophic lateral sclerosis also commonly known as lugeric's disease is a progressive fatal neurodeenerative disease which in a 110 00:33:27.919 --> 00:33:44.159 person's brain loses connection with their muscles slowly reducing a person's ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe. And whereas thousands of new ALS cases are reported every year and estimates show that every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS 111 00:33:44.159 --> 00:34:01.120 and someone passes away from ALS. And whereas on average patients diagnosed with ALS survive only 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis. And whereas the exact cause of ALS is unknown, there is no known cure for ALS. Whereas people 112 00:34:01.120 --> 00:34:16.720 who have served in the military are more likely to develop ALS and die from the disease than those with no history of military service. And whereas securing access to new therapies, durable medical equipment, and communication technologies is of vital importance to 113 00:34:16.720 --> 00:34:33.760 people living with ALS. Whereas clinical trials pay a play a pivotal pivotal role in evaluating new treatments, enhancing quality of life and fostering fostering assistant to technologies for those living with ALS. Whereas ALS Association 114 00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:50.000 is the largest philanthropic funer of ALS research globally and has committed more than 154 million to support more than 550 projects across the United States and 18 other countries. Whereas ALS Association is committed to 115 00:34:50.000 --> 00:35:06.000 making ALS livable and cure it for everyone everywhere. And whereas a maltrophic lateral sclerosis awareness month provides an opportunity to increase public awareness of the dire circumstances of people living with ALS acknowledge the terrible impact this 116 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:23.480 disease has on those individuals and their families and support research to eradicate this disease. Now therefore, we the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as ALS awareness month. 117 00:35:32.160 --> 00:35:52.160 Do we have anybody from Salvation Army? Whereas the Salvation Army has been serving the people of Sarasota County for 99 years physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And whereas the Salvation Army is present wherever needs are greatest, especially 118 00:35:52.160 --> 00:36:07.839 during times of crisis where vulnerable citizens are more at risk of becoming homeless, food insecure, addicted, or spiritually tired. And whereas the Salvation Army invites the people of Northport to show love to the neighbors 119 00:36:07.839 --> 00:36:24.240 and help the organization continue to provide life-changing aid to those who need it it most. And whereas it is fitting and proper during National Salvation Army Day to recognize the tremendous impact of philanthropy, 120 00:36:24.240 --> 00:36:39.359 volunteerism, and community service in the city of Northport. And whereas the NE uh National Salvation Army Day is an opportunity to encourage citizens to serve their neighbors in need alongside 121 00:36:39.359 --> 00:36:54.320 the Salvation Army with a resources and time. Now therefore, we the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby proclaim May 11th, 2026 as National Salvation Army Day and 122 00:36:54.320 --> 00:37:26.320 encourage all citizens to join together to give back to the community in any way that is personally meaningful. Whereas the city of Northport is committed to recognizing that our growth and strength depends on the safety and 123 00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:44.079 essential role our homes, buildings, and infrastructure play both in everyday life and when disasters strike. And whereas our confidence in the resilience of these buildings that make up our community is achieved through the devotion of vigilant guardians, building 124 00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:59.839 safety and fire prevention officials, architects, engineers, builders, trades people, design professionals, laborers, plumbers, and others in the construction industry who work year round to ensure 125 00:37:59.839 --> 00:38:15.839 the safe construction of buildings. And whereas these guardians are dedicated members of the International Code Council, a nonprofit that brings together local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal officials who are 126 00:38:15.839 --> 00:38:32.160 experts in the build built environment to create and implement the highest quality codes and standards to protect us in the buildings where we live, learn, work, and play. And whereas these modern building codes and standards 127 00:38:32.160 --> 00:38:47.920 include safeguards to protect the public from hazards such as hurricanes, snowstorms, tornadoes, wild landfires, floods, and earthquakes. And whereas building safety month is sponsored by the International 128 00:38:47.920 --> 00:39:04.400 Code Council to remind the public about the critical role of our community's large unknown protectors of public safety. our code officials who assure us of safe, sustainable, and affordable buildings that are essential to our 129 00:39:04.400 --> 00:39:20.079 prosperity. And whereas built to last, the theme for building safety month 2026, encourages us all to get involved and raise awareness about building safety on 130 00:39:20.079 --> 00:39:36.400 a personal, local, and global scale. And whereas each year in observance of building safety month, people all over the world are asked to consider the commitment to improve building safety, 131 00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:52.480 resilience, and economic investment at home and in the community. and to acknowledge the essential service provided to all of us by local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal building safety and fire prevention 132 00:39:52.480 --> 00:40:17.960 departments in protecting lives and property. Now, therefore, we, the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as building safety month. to take your picture. 133 00:40:21.040 --> 00:40:41.680 >> I don't think we >> No picture. >> Where is our emergency management team? I think I saw Miss Allesio come in just in time. Madam uh let me start with the proclamation as she's coming down. 134 00:40:41.680 --> 00:40:57.200 Whereas natural hurricane preparedness week is May 3rd through May 9th 2026. And whereas hurricanes continue to pose a the a serious threat to the residents and businesses of the city of Northport, 135 00:40:57.200 --> 00:41:13.839 Florida with heavy winds, storm surge, cor torrential rains, inland flooding and tornadoes. And whereas hurricane preparedness becomes more complex as the city continues to grow. And whereas it 136 00:41:13.839 --> 00:41:29.440 is important that all residents and businesses of the city of Northport, Florida be aware of the dangers hurricanes present and remain vigilant to lessen the loss of life and minimize property damage. Whereas people should 137 00:41:29.440 --> 00:41:47.520 maintain 7day emergency supply kits, have a battery powered radio, know their evacuation levels, roots, and the locations of official evacuation centers, and comply with local authorities when asked to evacuate. And 138 00:41:47.520 --> 00:42:04.319 whereas the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the National Hurricane Center are urging all citizens to prepare for hurricanes and to educate themselves on hurricane preparedness and safety strategies. Now therefore, we the 139 00:42:04.319 --> 00:42:27.680 city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby proclaim May 3rd through May 9th, 2026 as Hurricane Preparedness Week. Yes, please. >> Got to raise this up a little bit. 140 00:42:27.680 --> 00:42:43.680 >> Big difference. >> All right. Thank you, commission, for recognizing the importance of hurricane preparedness. Today marks uh 25 days until June 1st, which is the beginning of hurricane season. Uh resilience starts with our communities. It starts 141 00:42:43.680 --> 00:42:58.720 with our individuals, our residents, and their families. And it's important to start now with preparedness. We don't need to wait until we're in a hurricane cone. It's important to be prepared um right now. So, regardless of the seasonal outlook, we want everyone to take hurricane 142 00:42:58.720 --> 00:43:15.280 preparedness seriously. Doesn't matter if it's a below average season, above average season. We like to say in emergency management that it just takes one storm. And unfortunately, we saw that in 2022 with Hurricane Ian. I can stand up here all day and talk about hurricane preparedness. Don't worry, I'm not. Uh, but I do want to do a quick 143 00:43:15.280 --> 00:43:31.839 reminders. Couple few reminders. Uh, first is to understand your risk. So, know what your evacuation level is. Know your flood zone. Know that those are two different things. U build or refresh your disaster supply kit and sign up for emergency alerts at alerts county.com or 144 00:43:31.839 --> 00:43:47.200 on northportfl.gov/alerts and understand the National Hurricane Center products like watches and warnings. The city of Northport is proud to be a storm ready community. We're working around the clock to make sure that the city's prepared and if we do have to activate our EOC that we're 145 00:43:47.200 --> 00:44:27.319 there and able to respond and recover for our community. Thank you everyone and um stay safe out there. One more two. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you for everything you do. 146 00:44:27.359 --> 00:45:01.680 >> Thank you. >> Thanks for your essay. How do you do the police? Good. >> Okay. Talking National Police Week here. We have any policemen in the audience? >> Guess we'll just take these two. Yeah, 147 00:45:01.680 --> 00:45:18.880 that works got gated out here. Whereas the Congress and President of the United States have designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as police. And whereas the members 148 00:45:18.880 --> 00:45:34.880 of the law enforcement agency of the city of Northport play an essential role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Northport. And whereas it is important that all citizens know and understand the problems, duties, and responsibilities of their police department and that 149 00:45:34.880 --> 00:45:50.480 members of our police department recognize their duty to serve the people by safeguarding life and property by protecting them against violence or disorder and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression or intimidation. And whereas 150 00:45:50.480 --> 00:46:04.480 the Police Department of Northport has grown to be a modern and scientific law enforcement agency which unceasingly provides a vital public service. Now therefore, we the city commission the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby 151 00:46:04.480 --> 00:46:29.200 proclaim May 10th through May 16th, 2026 as National Police Week. On behalf of the men and women of the Northport Police Department, I want to appreciate or thank the commission and the uh community for for recognizing um our law enforcement officers who gave uh 152 00:46:29.200 --> 00:46:44.720 the ultimate sacrifice. It's important that uh we reflect on this yearly uh because there's been a lot of families and departments that have changed over the years because of their loss. Um, just like our brothers and sisters with the fire department, it's something that 153 00:46:44.720 --> 00:47:02.680 after 34 years of on this job, you know, there's always those names, those stories that go with this. And uh, I just want to thank everybody for taking this week to uh, remember and and recognize our our lost ones. So, thank you. 154 00:47:09.760 --> 00:47:45.040 Three, two, one. One more. Three, two, one. Awesome. Thank you. >> Devon, are you going to bring our special guest down, sir? recognize me yet? >> Of course. 155 00:47:45.040 --> 00:48:00.560 Good to see you. >> Mama's out there somewhere. She'll give you a picture in a little bit. Oh, we got a good crew here. All right. All right. Whereas the parks and recreation department, including the 156 00:48:00.560 --> 00:48:16.560 Northport Aquatic Center, is committed to increasing community awareness about the dangers of drowning and providing essential water safety education throughout the city of Northport. And whereas learn to swim, float for life 157 00:48:16.560 --> 00:48:31.359 and other water safety programs are vitally important to reducing drowning incidents, ensuring that all residents have access to critical water safety skills and instruction. And whereas 158 00:48:31.359 --> 00:48:48.400 Manda Swim safe water instruction matters offered through parks and recreation in conjunction with Sarasota County Schools and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation provides free swimming lessons for all Northport second graders to build life-saving 159 00:48:48.400 --> 00:49:06.079 skills at an early age. And whereas youth scholarships provided through local partners and community supporters help ensure that children and teens have equitable access to swim instruction and water safety education regardless of 160 00:49:06.079 --> 00:49:21.599 financial circumstances. And whereas the American Red Cross Centennial program further removes financial barriers and expands access to swim instructions for families. And whereas drowning remains the leading 161 00:49:21.599 --> 00:49:36.880 cause of death in Florida for children under the age of four with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that 11 children drown every day in the United States. Whereas the Florida Department of Health 162 00:49:36.880 --> 00:49:53.280 reported 105 fatal drownings of children under the age of 18 in 2024, the second highest number of drownings deaths since 2006, along with 348 163 00:49:53.280 --> 00:50:10.880 fatal drownings among adults. And whereas May is recognized nationwide as National Drowning Prevention Awareness Month by the National Drowning Prevention Association. And whereas the city of Northport reaffirms its commitment to drowning 164 00:50:10.880 --> 00:50:26.000 prevention through comprehensive water safety outreach and education. Now therefore, we, the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as drowning 165 00:50:26.000 --> 00:50:48.160 prevention awareness month. Just get that positioned up there. Uh, so Devon Pulis, aquatics manager. Uh, this Saturday we actually have our Mayday drowning prevention expo. It's a free day open to Northport residents. We'll have our friends from Northport Fire Rescue, the police department, uh 166 00:50:48.160 --> 00:51:04.880 Jessica Children's Drowning, the Kuanas Club, many other vendors there to share with you the opportunities that are out there to take swimming lessons. Um I will tell you this aquatics team before I turn over our guest, uh we have one of the most um advanced certificationwise aquatics teams in this area. Uh Katie 167 00:51:04.880 --> 00:51:20.640 Meyer, our aquatic supervisor, uh has is a water safety instructor trainer. There's only six of those in the state of Florida. So, what that allows us to do is certify our own swim instructors in house versus paying a cost of $400 to get somebody certified every single time 168 00:51:20.640 --> 00:51:38.000 there. So, we are very fortunate. Um, you give us a platform. You give us the opportunity. We're going to talk about drowning prevention because it's important. The Centennial program is through the Red Cross. If you're here earlier, we talked about it. We have the opportunity to provide 200 kids in the community swimming lessons for only $5. 169 00:51:38.000 --> 00:51:53.920 So, um, if you're in the community watching and your child attends a title one school, um, you just need to stop by the aquatic center, show us proof that your child goes to that school, and we can get you registered into that program. It's now my honor to welcome Paul Dlo here from Just Against Children's Drowning Foundation to speak 170 00:51:53.920 --> 00:52:14.400 to us a little bit more. >> Thanks. 7,000 kids have been uh trained at the aquatic center since 2018. Um that's a lot of kids, a lot of good work. Um that was a long proclamation 171 00:52:14.400 --> 00:52:30.559 that you read. Um a lot goes in that. Um I told myself I wasn't going to cry up here in front of everybody. Um I probably got the worst phone call any parent, any dad could get. You know, I got a phone call that my twin boys uh were found face down in a backyard 172 00:52:30.559 --> 00:52:47.760 swimming pool when they were 13 months old. And um I I wish everybody here could have saw how I was with my twin boys. I was just My twin boys were actually born on my oldest son's birthday, 19th birthday. 173 00:52:47.760 --> 00:53:02.960 They all had the same birthday. I don't think I could do that again, you know. Um, I'll tell you, I was so ready for them. Um, my kids had bank accounts already at 13 months old. Um, I was always one of 174 00:53:02.960 --> 00:53:17.200 those dads that was visible, active, and available with my oldest son, and I was just going to do all that all over again times two, you know. Um, I was usually Coach Paul. I managed the team. I coached the all-star team. I did the 175 00:53:17.200 --> 00:53:34.559 soccer team, the football team. And I just wanted to do all that with my twin boys. You know, one was going to be a pitcher, the other one was going to be a catcher, you know, one was going to be a quarterback, the other one was going to be a wide receiver. And um I'll never 176 00:53:34.559 --> 00:53:50.240 forget getting that phone call. I've never been hit so hard in my life, you know. Um I became suicidal. I became homicidal. I'm happy to report I'm no longer there, you know. Um, it's been a long road. Um, 177 00:53:50.240 --> 00:54:08.000 these wobbly legs have come really far. And I know it's I I know it's from giving back to the community. I know it's from helping others. You know, there's something to be said about helping other people. You actually help yourself and doing so. Um, I miss my boys every day. I've been here 25 years. 178 00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:23.520 Originally from the Boston area and u we had a swimming pool in our first house. When we came down here, we knew nothing. I mean, back then, nobody was talking about drowning prevention and water safety. You know, it's talked about a lot more today. And I hope it's a conversation that we never stopped 179 00:54:23.520 --> 00:54:41.440 talking about. I keep track of the numbers every year. Last year, we had 120 drownings. That's kids that are coming back. Um, you know, that's 120 moms, dads, uh, 240 grandparents. you 180 00:54:41.440 --> 00:54:56.880 know, it affects the family in a big way, you know, and it's it's like a you know, grief is like like, you know, grief is like it's got the key to my heart and it comes and goes whenever it pleases, right? It's just and it's like a ripple effect, you know. 181 00:54:56.880 --> 00:55:15.680 Um I I have to talk about this and I know it's uncomfortable, but my I feel like I'm a daddy on a mission. I feel like my boys gave me a job and and that job is to hopefully help other families not go through what we went through. We've already had 30 drownings 182 00:55:15.680 --> 00:55:32.079 this year in the state of Florida. Um when my boys drowned, there was no safety fence around the swimming pool. Didn't happen at my house. It happened at the grandparents house. Today I've sold out to the safety fence. I believe every swimming pool should have a safety fence, a temporary safety 183 00:55:32.079 --> 00:55:48.720 fence around the pool. Um, we're all about, you know, uh, swim lessons. Uh, we believe in, you know, as soon as a child can crawl, they should learn how to swim. We believe in CPR. We believe that, you know, even bad CPR saves lives. So, so important. And of course, active adult 184 00:55:48.720 --> 00:56:04.880 supervision is so important. Um, it's an honor to be here. It was really nice to be able to lead everybody in the pledge of allegiance. Um, I'm glad I was able to get through this. Um, I want to say, um, I during the break I was listening to the chatter and and and the 185 00:56:04.880 --> 00:56:22.480 conversations with the young adults and I went right to my twin boys. How could I not, you know, they would have been 17 years old, you know? Um, and uh, I wanted to watch the girls chase them 186 00:56:22.480 --> 00:56:56.839 around, you know what I mean? I just I just I wanted, you know, I just wanted to be a part of all that. And I never thought I was going to lose that to a drowning, but uh thanks for having me here. Appreciate it. All right. Three, two, one. 187 00:56:57.599 --> 00:57:25.920 One more. Three, two, one. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Awesome. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. You're great. I love it. >> Thank you. 188 00:57:25.920 --> 00:58:19.760 Okay. >> All right, that's it. We're done. Mr. Fino, could you come down here real quick? >> I mean, real quick. Are you okay? >> What are we doing? We're trying to 189 00:58:19.760 --> 00:59:10.720 figure this out. There was no proclamation award. >> I don't know who has the award. Mr. Pino, go ahead. >> We're on a pause. >> Come on. >> Okay. 190 00:59:10.720 --> 00:59:27.920 Now, whereas Michael Goolan was hired by the city of Northport on October 31st, 2017 and promoted to deputy city attorney in 2022. And whereas Mr. Goolan was willing to accept the responsibility of serving the 191 00:59:27.920 --> 00:59:45.839 commission, the city, and the citizens when he accepted the position of intram city attorney on September 26, 2024 through October 15, 2025. And whereas Mr. Goolan worked diligently to ensure continued delivery of accurate 192 00:59:45.839 --> 01:00:01.520 and relevant legal advice to the city. And whereas during this time, Michael Goolan oversaw legal review on many key projects, including continued work on Hurricane and Hurricane Milton recovery, referendum for two city charter 193 01:00:01.520 --> 01:00:17.119 amendments, and three bond referendums, legal drafting and finalization of the Price Boulevard construction contract, restatement and amendment to the Wellen Park post annexation agreement and transfer of related real property 194 01:00:17.119 --> 01:00:31.680 economic development incentives including ad valorum exemptions, impact fee deferrals and waiverss and the use of economic development funds. Now therefore, we the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby 195 01:00:31.680 --> 01:00:55.760 proclaim May 7th, 2026 as Michael Day. >> For those of you who have stuck around, thank you so much commissioners. Thank you so much for this. I appreciate it. I want to say just very quickly, I know we want to we want to go enjoy my day. Um that um when I started working here, we 196 01:00:55.760 --> 01:01:11.599 had three employees in the city attorney's office. And I think those three attorney those three employees, two attorneys would be so very impressed with the team we've built now. And that that um have helped me get to this point. uh through that time as interimm, 197 01:01:11.599 --> 01:01:27.359 I couldn't have done it without them, even half as much as what what we were able to accomplish as a team. Uh and just as impressive was the team I had at home. Um they helped me every day get here and and s be successful uh and help the city be successful. And I appreciate 198 01:01:27.359 --> 01:01:58.680 them. I appreciate you and everybody. And thank you all so much. While we're waiting, let's get one. >> Three, two, one. One more. >> Go ahead. >> Now, yes. All right. 199 01:02:00.400 --> 01:02:41.119 Three, two, one. One more. Three, two, one. Love it. Thank you so much. >> And one last thing, Michael, since it's after 5 day off. He survived the commission is what he 200 01:02:41.119 --> 01:03:54.280 did. It's your fault. >> We're done. Okay, >> here. >> No, let me get I was going to say I'll get the No, 201 01:03:54.319 --> 01:04:18.240 >> we're not. >> Normally we call people. >> Thank you. >> That's good. >> Yes, sir. That's good. That's good. >> Thank you. >> Good afternoon. Finally, we I got up here. All right. Uh it's a privilege to 202 01:04:18.240 --> 01:04:35.119 uh accept this proclamation. I want to u uh send my appreciation to the commission as well as the u honorable mayor for the proclamation and identifica identifying that we have a building safety month. Uh, I'd like to 203 01:04:35.119 --> 01:04:52.240 thank all the administrative staff as well as the inspectors uh and the uh uh the fire marshall's office for working in partnership with me so we continue to make uh all the buildings within the city safe uh uh new construction as well 204 01:04:52.240 --> 01:05:51.440 as existing construction. All right. Thank you very much. One more. Three, two, one. >> Good night. City clerk public comment. >> I still have my two cents. >> We're going to give you change one of 205 01:05:51.440 --> 01:06:08.799 these days. Um, >> I missed something earlier because I was upset and I wanted to say something, but I, you know, I couldn't go there. >> On the one of the presentations, you guys bought up geo fencing and using geo 206 01:06:08.799 --> 01:06:25.200 fencing to figure out who goes places. So, you're paying $5,000 a year to a tech company to spy on people's cell phones. I'm 1 million% against that. To me, that's a violation of the Constitution 207 01:06:25.200 --> 01:06:40.799 of the United States of America. I have trust in the employees of the uh city of Northport to go to one of their locations or one of the events and they can make the determination whether that event is good or not for the city by the 208 01:06:40.799 --> 01:06:55.359 number of people being there. A geoence paying five grand to a tech company for a geo fence is wrong. But that to me that's the only way they can figure out they're looking at everybody's cell phones. 209 01:06:55.359 --> 01:07:13.280 So I'm totally against that. And the other thing on that you guys bought up AI. AI is going to be the death of our civilization. When people call up companies and they replace people with AI and they can't 210 01:07:13.280 --> 01:07:31.520 get a real person, they get upset and the computer won't give you a real person. So, I don't know what you guys mean by AI, how you're going to put it in those departments, but to me, it it goes in the garbage can and keep your employees. 211 01:07:31.520 --> 01:07:47.280 Totally my perspective. Okay. I rather see the employee than some stupid computer when I tell them a hundred times I want to talk to a person and they just keep going and going and going. All right. And then the other thing is 212 01:07:47.280 --> 01:08:06.000 you guys brought up uh HOAs. Some people in the public feel we already live in an HOA with all the codes in this city. So I have uh some suggestions to update the codes. Number one, the federal government passed a law 213 01:08:06.000 --> 01:08:21.520 that requires a car to have a listening device and a camera pointed at you all the time in your car starting in 19 uh 2027. I feel you should pass a local ordinance 214 01:08:21.520 --> 01:08:36.719 that outlaws any tech company, any car company, any private organization, anything out there from recording and taping in someone's car in the city limits of Northport. No computer, no company has a right to 215 01:08:36.719 --> 01:08:53.679 steal my car and record me. So, we have to update our laws. If the federal government won't do it, Rick Scott, you won't do it, then you guys should p pass a local ordinance against it. Thank you. >> Thank you. That it 216 01:08:53.679 --> 01:08:57.880 508, I adjourn this meeting.