to cover >> maybe somebody who's got me to do it and I waited many weeks for someone who's not ready >> to what? cut the vines >> to rip them up. Get them completely unt. >> Yeah, I would say that definitely counts.
>> Got quiet. Need to move out. >> I know. It's my fault. No, you Oh, you did look out. >> I might have. >> Oh, might have. [laughter] >> So, >> we do need to get scientific about it. Have a >> DB meter. >> I don't know. I've had so many observations. I feel like it's
>> Yeah, it's like all the data we generate. >> I know. Good. All right. Good evening everyone. Welcome to Ovito City Council Chambers. If everyone could please rise for the pledge of allegiance. [clears throat] >> I allegiance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please join us in a moment of silence. I would like to call our meeting to order. It is July 20th at around 6:30
p.m. and we have all members of council present. We're going to start off here with our ceremonial items. So, we're going to go on down and I'm going to hand this over to the mayor. and I'll hand it off to Terry >> Martinez. Oh, [laughter]
>> well well a twoc intro though. Uh we have an amazing recreation and parks department that works handinhand with so many organizations around town including the American Cancer Society, Helpful Hands, and all of the the other groups that Terry Martini is going to tell us about now. We've had an amazing golf
tournament. >> Excellent. Thank you all and um thank you for being here. I'm very um proud to say and honored that uh the last 17 years of this golf tournament. I have been here for nine and uh raising funds for not just the American Cancer Society
but for our local charity too. Um helpful hands and we do have some an announcement from the helpful hand side. So if um you don't mind, I'd like to start with our founder, Regina Bear, as well so she can introduce.
So thank you very much. Our partnership has been long um since we started helpful hands and during that time the partnership grew because of our then
president Josh Drazilok. So, uh, he's going to talk a little bit because this is his last public, uh, appearance as a helpful hands board member, Josh.
[applause] Thank you, Regina. Uh, we do have one of our other board members here, Debbie Clayton. Uh, she's been a longtime board member. U, so, like Regina said, this is my last public uh, thing for helpful hands. I have a few uh private matters I have to wrap up for the board. But um
four kids, I was just about ready to say if someone told me when I had kids that it would get busier as they got older, I'd be like, "You lying." But no, it's true. It's true. I got one that just started college. I got one that's going to college in a year, and I got a eighth grader and a third grader. So, yeah, it's uh always uh always crazy at our
house. So, uh but I am happy uh to be here and really happy for our partnership with the city. Um, you know, Terry and I talk a lot and have talked a lot for nine years now. Um, and I I ran
some quick numbers. I think we've given uh almost $200,000 to the uh Drew Bowware Rock Scholarship, right? That's it's that's the official title. Um, so I'm really happy uh to have done that. Obviously, that goes to all of our
supporters of our organization uh and our hardworking board as well. So, we're happy to do that and we're happy to help your golf tournament and um you know, I'm still going to be helping your golf tournament even though I'm not around and other golf tournaments that you're a part of. So, uh I'm not going anywhere,
but um yeah, I'm just happy to be here. Happy to be here. Yeah. You guys want to come up? >> Yes. The most important part. So, on behalf of the city of Ovido and the staff that work so hard for our Relay
for Life um golf tournament, we would like to present helpful hands with $11,000. [applause] [applause] Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. >> You can take this. >> See you in November.
>> Yep. >> Stay up here with me. >> How about that? And then >> congratulations. >> Go raise your kids. >> Thank you. >> Okay, Josh.
>> Thank you. Thank you. >> Okay. And our representative from the American Cancer Society, Susan Shaw, please come up here. [applause] >> Would you like to say a few words first before Okay. Well, first of all, I'll start with thank you to each and every one of you
in this room, Terry, for the many, many years for your partnership, your dedication to execute such a well-run golf tournament. Um, the American Cancer Society puts those dollars to good use, providing free rides to and from cancer
treatment. We provide a um 1-800 cancer helpline that's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not to mention the plethora of research that we do here in the community. So, on behalf of the American Cancer Society, I say thank you and we appreciate your long-term
partnership. [applause] >> All right, so drum roll, please. On behalf of the city of Ovido, we would like to present the American Cancer Society with a check for $22,000. >> [applause] >> Thank you.
Thank you. You could keep [clears throat] it. All right, we are up to our second order of business, which is the approval of the minutes. What is the pleasure of council we approve the minutes for June
15, 2026 regular session? >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Do it. >> Second. >> We got there. Uh, any [laughter] discussion? >> No. >> Okay. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I.
>> All those opposed. The motion carries. We will move on to the public comment section of our meeting. I do have a written request to speak. When I call your name, please come up to the podium and state your name. I have Assad Sadiku.
>> Good evening. Um, I'm Assad Satakov. And can we make sure the the mic is like close to your face? >> Sorry. >> Oh, you're good. Thank you. >> Is this fine? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Okay. Good evening. My name is Assad Satakov and I'm a rising senior at Trinity Preparatory School. I'm a co-founder of Haven Link, a free
platform that connects prospective adoptive families with licensed adoption agencies. The work that brought us that is not the work that brought us here today. However, we are here because November is National Adoption Month. Across Florida, thousands of children
are waiting for permanent families. Yet, many residents who would consider fostering or adopting never take the first step because they do not know where to begin or believe the process is beyond their reach. While adoption and fost foster care are administered at the
state and county level, local governments are uniquely positioned to raise awareness and connect residents with the organizations that can help. In speaking with prospective families, we have consistently encountered a barrier, access to information. Residents who have quietly considered
fostering or adoption often have no clear point of entry. They search online, encounter a confusing mix of websites and agencies that may that may never move forward simply because they are unsure whom to contact or what the process actually involves. This is not a
challenge that the city created, nor is it one that we expect the city to solve. However, there are challenges. These are challenges that um the city can help address through awareness, recognition, and community engagement during National Adoption Month. Accordingly, we
respectfully ask the council to consider three initiatives. First, issue a proclamation recognizing National Adoption Month and honoring the foster and and adoptive families who call a veto home. Public recognition costs little, yet it sends a meaningful
message of apprec appreciation to families who make it an extraordinary commitment to children in need. Second, direct staff to share information about foster care and adoption licensing through the city's existing communication channels during
November, whether through the city newsletter, utility inserts, or social media. Those platforms already re reach residents across a veto and could simply point interested families towards the licensed organizations responsible for the process. Third, consider making a
city facility available at no cost for a singleformational session during national adoption month hosted by licensed agencies that are in our community. The purpose would not be advocacy, but education. Giving residents an opportunity to ask
questions, understand the process, and learn what resources are available from professionals who administer it. These are modest steps that have the potential to help more children find permanent stable homes and more families discover a path that they may never have known
was available. Thank you for your time this evening and for your service to the residents of Avido. >> Thank you. Yeah, >> I do not have any other written requests for public comment section. Is there anyone in the audience that would like to address council at this time? Hearing none, I will close public
comment and we will move on to our consent agenda. What is the pleasure of council? >> I'll make a motion to approve the consent agenda. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. Okay. >> Any discussion? >> No. >> Britain?
>> No, I'm good. Thank you. down here. Okay, the clerk could call the vote. >> Counciloman Bterford, >> I. >> Council member, >> I. >> Mayor Slick, >> I. >> Deputy Mayor Tuger, >> I. >> Council member Burden, >> I. >> The motion carries. We'll move on to the
public hearing section of our meeting, item number six. So, we're up to ordinance number 1772, amendments to the code of ordinances. Uh, Mr. Vose, would you read this by title only? >> Thank you, Deputy Mayor. This is ordinance number 1772, an ordinance of the city of Ovito, Florida, amending the
code of ordinances of the city of Ovito, Florida. Specifically, chapter 2, administration, article 3. Chapter 2, administration, article 11. Chapter 22, Environment, Article 4, and Chapter 28, impact fees by public facility, article
one, and providing for conflicts, severability, implementing administrative actions, a savings provision, codification, correction of scriveners errors, and an effective date. >> Thank you, Mr. Cobb. >> Uh, thank you, Deputy Mayor. This was a continued item from your last your last
meeting. I This ordinance does four different sections of the code of ordinances. One involving the public art board, one involving uh the um uh waiverss for special event permits, and then one involving the uh as far as
impact fees and the removing the language that that allowed for indexing of impact fees, [music] which is inconsistent with state statutes. The fourth item dealt with the noise ordinance and providing a um allowing
the allowing an exception to the noise regulations for concrete pores. And so uh those that was the one section that we seem to uh you asked [clears throat] us to come back and pro make another bring back a new language uh regarding
that. And so I'm going to turn it over to Dr. Kaha and let her review that with you. Good evening, mayor, deputy mayor, um council members. Um as Mr. Cod said, uh Cobb said, this is the uh continuence of
the public hearing for ordinance 1772. Um um if we can go over to the next slide. So this is the first one, the public art. We did not have any discussion, so I think we can move forward. Um for the next one um again
this is the fee waiver. There was no discussion last time. Um next slide. So this is the one that we had um some discussion and uh this time we are providing one language to council and I will go over the items that we have some
discussion over. So um this is to allow the concrete pouring the temporary concrete pouring on early hours right exempting the noise ordinance. So um the first um I discussion that we had was that the
initial request uh we would have the applicant submitting a written request at least 10 calendar days prior to the schedule activity. So that is the proposal for the subsequent requests or any additional change in the um the
request then we would have two calendar days for the new one. Next slide please. This one is just um giving the technical justification and the requirements for the re written um
request. Next slide please. This one um um shows about the notification. So you have the initial 10 days to the city notify um two days um the subsequent but also requiring the applicant to notify
the neighboring properties uh around 200 ft of the property that is going to have the the pouring at least 48 hours um before. So this was um um something that uh we discussed last time. And in next
slide please and I think we can move to the last one. And with the um notification, we also requested um the applicant to have the variable message board um in a highly visible location um
20 to be placed 24 hours at least for 24 hours at least 3 days before the schedule uh concrete pour. Um this message board should notify the community upon you know the what is the
date of the the pouring and um and in lie of um the variable message board and this was a suggestion from the mayor last time we allowed to the applicant to go further in the notification so have the ranges at to 1,000 ft if um if they
don't want to provide the the message board. So this was a flexibility. Um the city also commits to um here commits to post um the schedule concrete pouring and any subsequent um
dates uh on the city's website um to also allow more transparency. So this is the proposal from staff um that we are u providing to you. The next slide um shows just the indexation of the impact
fee that we are removing from the code. And with that I conclude I conclude my presentation and I'm ready to answer the questions. >> Thank you. Does anybody have any questions while she's up here? >> Okay. Okay. >> Maybe I'll ask I never know what to ask
here after the motion's made. I'll go ahead >> questions not discussions I guess. >> Okay. Um, so you got 10 days uh before uh commencement, right, to notify >> is they to the city, >> right? >> Yeah.
>> And then you've got to get mail to uh the properties within 200 feet, right? Within 48 hours of commencement. So that's 10 down to eight. And if you've got eight, then you've got some weekend
days in there. Um, have we thought much about Okay, so how long does it take staff to approve it and is there really enough time between um applying 10 days ahead of time, staff approving it and
then stuff going into the mail and then USPS taking, you know, who knows how long to get it there and then 48 hours? um or is the real intent here that they would probably apply for it two weeks ahead of time or three weeks ahead of time because I know uh like we talked
about last time the real mitigating circumstance here is is trying to predict the the weather right so you can't really go too far out perhaps maybe if it's a certain time of year >> so that that's why for the second one we are requesting two days so the initial one is easy right because you you give
some time 10 days is more than enough time for staff to review this is really public works review is just notifying and making sure that they follow the process, right? And then they notify the neighbors. If that day doesn't work, then we already have
um notification allowing them or directing them to check our website. So what we want to do today, we don't have any of those requirements and it still work, right? We wanted to have a process so that that is transparent that we can ask everybody can see you know what is
happening if we have questions right we've notified everybody so I think it's enough 10 days would be enough and then we just need the flexibility to adjust if they [clears throat] need to have you know to change the date of the pouring
>> so do we expect staff to come back within one business day or two business days to approve approve or do they have to approve or is it just a notification? >> It's just a notification to to the city, right? So that we you know >> so they can do this whenever the city
can't tell them no if it's just a notification, right? >> I I I don't think if we have ever said no because usually there is a lot of moving parts, right? We want to facilitate the the >> I'm saying that this didn't exist
before, right? So, we're not creating >> we're not creating a way for them to be unable to comply because they can't get mail out in time or something like that. That's all I want to make sure that has all been taken into account. >> It's they will have the rules now.
Right. So, 10 days is a good time for them to prepare and notify. >> We believe. >> Okay. Right. >> And you're saying it is just a notification to the city. So, they can notify the city and they can send mail on the same day. They don't have to wait or anything. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. >> And it's at least two days. They can
they can send more time to, >> right? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh this is a public hearing. I don't have any written requests to speak. Is there anyone in council that would like to address or anyone in the audience that would like to address council at this time?
Hearing none. And seeing none, I will close public hearing. What is the pleasure of council? >> I move we adopt ordinance number 1772. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? Second. >> Okay. Any discussion? Mayor, >> you can always have your letters ready
the day you file for your permits and you can just hold them in a pile until the magical day when you're ready to put them in the mail. So, I I don't think there's going to be any issue with timing on this. >> Okay. Council member. >> Uh, I'm good. >> Council member Britain. >> Good the second time around.
>> Okay. Council member Brford. >> I'm good. Thank you. >> Okay. I'm good as well, too. Can the clerk call the vote? >> Mayor Slick. I >> council member >> I >> deputy mayor Tukurt >> I council member Bford >> I >> council member Britain >> I
>> the motion carries we will move on to item number seven ordinance number 1774 the city charter amendment about annexation Mr. Mr. Vos, can you read this by title only, please? >> Thank you, Deputy Mayor. This is ordinance number 1774, an ordinance of the city of Ovidito, Florida, proposing
an amendment to the charter of the city of Ovito, Florida. Proposing a charter amendment requiring a supermajority city council vote to approve certain annexations. Providing for a referendum on the proposed charter amendment, providing for the ballot title and ballot summary for such referendum.
Providing for direction to the city clerk in coordination with the semino county supervisor of elections and providing for implementing administrative actions, findings, conflicts, severability, codification, the correction of scriveners scriveners errors and an effective date. >> Thank you, Mr. Vos. Mr. Cobb.
>> Uh Mr. Vos is going to provide the presentation. >> Okay. And actually, if we could load up the uh PowerPoint very quickly. Uh, council members, good evening. Uh, as you uh heard at your uh last council meeting, the ordinance before you now on
second reading for its public hearing and for final adoption is an ordinance proposing a charter amendment to go on the ballot uh for the November election that would require a supermajority city council vote for the approval of certain
annexations. In particular, as the uh presentation provides, the ballot summary uh that would be before the voters would be shall the Ovido City Charter be amended to require that any ordinance annexing land lying within the Semino County Charters rural area as it
existed on July 4th, 2026 must be approved by an affirmative vote of at least four of five members of the city council. Uh go to the next slide. This is accompanied by a change to section 2.02 2 of the charter which
concerns annexation. It contains uh similar if not a little bit more technical language uh implementing that exact same requirement. Um go to the next slide. The timetable for uh this
ordinance uh is as indicated on the slide. Uh first reading on the ordinance was uh held on uh July 6th. It's before you tonight for its second reading and for a public hearing. Uh this is uh effectively uh the last goaround the
council would have uh to put uh a charter amendment on the ballot for the November election. Uh the uh deadline that has been given to us by the supervisor of elections is tomorrow. Uh please note that the ballot summary as
it's uh currently uh written, we do already have the Spanish language translation uh for that put together. So, if it is uh your pleasure tonight to approve this ordinance, uh we have all the pieces and parts that we need for the clerk's office to get that to the supervisor's office and it to go on its
way uh to be on the ballot in November. Um that is uh my presentation concerning this matter. I'm glad to answer any questions. >> Thank you. Uh this is a public hearing, so I do have two written requests to speak. If I call your name, please come up to the podium. First up, I have
Rebecca O'Brien. Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Rebecca O'Brien uh and I was a member of the 2026 uh charter review committee. As some of you may recall, I am here to voice my support for ordinance number 1774, the proposed
charter amendment requiring a supermajority to vote to annex land within the seminal county rural boundary. This isn't a new idea for our community. It is not a new idea. In 1991, the county adopted the rural boundary to protect agricultural land
and manage growth responsibly. In 2004, voters made that protection part of the county charter. And in 2024, county voters went even further, requiring a supermajority to remove land from rural protection, passing with roughly 84%
support. That's about as close to consensus as we get in local politics. This amendment simply extends that same standard to our city's own annexation decisions. It doesn't ban growth. It just ensures that any decision to bring
rural land into our city limits reflects real broad agreement among our council, not a narrow 3 to2 split. With growing pressure from Tallahassee to limit local control over land use, I believe Oto should get ahead of that risk right now
while we still can. I ask you to approve the second reading and let the voters decide this November. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next up, I have Mr. David Bear. >> David Bear live at 921 Tuscilla Trail. I'm here individually but also as my capacity as president of the
organization Save Roll Seminal. I second what Miss M O'Brien said. Perfect. Perfect articulation of it. Um I had had a number of notes here and I'll go through them but but yes you know what I had was in large part reflective of what she said which is this is not a proposal
that stops growth. It's not a proposal that stops any annexation from the rural boundary. It makes it so that if the circumstance comes up where that's something where you guys are considering you're really certain about it because this is a super super super majority
issue. 82 84% on two countywide referendums. That's real consensus as much as anybody any issue in today's society gets. And so before this city council does anything or a future version of it, I think it's appropriate
and proper that we put procedural safeguards to make sure that they're really certain that that happens. So the notes I had here was the online commentary is Ovito can't give up the ability to monetize development within the world boundary. That's most of the negative commentary I saw online and
instead of going through my notes I reflected what Miss O'Brien said because that's the point she was making that this doesn't stop any of that. It just makes it so that consideration of doing that is done a little more thoroughly and with a little more consensus than
simply a standard majority. I'll also add that the Winter Springs Charter Commission, which I'm a member of, will be taking this up on Thursday. So, this will be moving forward in Winter Springs simultaneous though on a slightly different timeline than is moving here.
And that's the idea. Winter Springs, Novito are two cities that are addressing the same line. And if both of them can change their structural safeguards in a way that honors the super supermajority opinion on this issue, I think that's
nothing but good. So, thank you. I hope you support this. >> Thank you. I do not have any other written requests. Is there anyone in the audience that would like to address council at this time? Please come on up. Stephen Shank, 112 Boardwalk Avenue, uh, Oto. Uh, I was also on the charter
committee. Um, one of the things we did, I I touch on that for a second, is that we carefully looked at all the issues that we had. Um, there were more issues that we thought to vote on, but we weeded it down to the four that we presented to you because they were the most important because we discussed them
thoroughly and we thought any more that were on would be adding more strain to a vote that people are going to have a hard time looking at on a ballot and starting to have ballot fatigue, etc., and start adding to that. Um, you don't really want to do this because you're
going to tie the hands of future council members. You guys can say no. There's nothing saying you have to accept anything right now. You could right now just go no, no, no, no, no. Five nos. You have that power. Why were you trying to limit future councils? Taking control
means having control. If you take away this, you're giving away control and power. The city, they brought up two votes. I was on council for some of them, if not both of those votes. We were staunchly opposed to any of those
uh incursions that were going on by Winter Springs, mind you, uh that were going on and being per perpetrated by Winter Springs by this. You're responding and jumping at one developer and what he's doing. And I think you're
going down a path that's wrong. This is not It's the county's fight. The the words kept saying county. This is county fight. be a part of that county individually, but we have to look out for what's best for the city and citizens of Ovido. Um,
I think if you, you know, keep going forward with this, supermajority puts the hands of minority really into effect. So, you're letting the minority choose. If that's the case, if you want super I'm totally against supermajorities in almost every case. I I can't think of one that I'd want it,
but you put the minority in charge. That's who has the power is the minority. They're they're the ones that can stop or control things. I just think it's a bad idea. I think uh the city of Viet has stood strong for 25 26 27 years
throughout all of this and you can say no. So why are you stopping the hands and the control that future council may have? Listen, people are against live oak preserve. People are against sanctuary. I'll fight anybody who wants to tell me that some parts of Chiliota are a lot more dense than one house per
acre that both of those are those subdivisions. They're one house per acre. So, we've made good decisions. We are not trying to commercialize. That's never been anybody's that I can say here or previously idea as the city of Ovido.
We look at the what's objectively put in front of us and make the required votes. Sometimes your hands are tied. I understand that. fight the state wholeheartedly, go after their their attacks on home rule, which they are attacking every day, and go after that,
but this is not the answer to do that. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is there anyone else that would like to address council on this topic? Okay, we will close public comment. What is the pleasure of councel? >> I move we adopt ordinance number 1774.
>> We have a motion. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Any discussion, mayor? There are other issues in our charter that require a supermajority vote and I do not perceive any of those uh the two things are keeping our own fire
department and keeping our own police department. I don't I don't perceive either of those as council having tied its own hands. I consider that the residents of Oido chiming in and telling us how they want us to govern and what
threshold they want us to meet before we change the way our city operates. So, I I think we owe it to the residents to give them the opportunity to vote on this even though it did come up a little bit late. Uh the support from from the
charter review members was was overwhelmingly popular. it tracked, you know, about the 80 8020 that the actual amendment did. So, yeah, I don't see any reason why we should not keep moving forward with this.
>> Council member Rock. >> Yeah, I agree. And and what you what you talked about was changing the threshold, right? We're we're not making it impossible to annex land that is behind or was perhaps once behind the rural
boundary if the rural boundary were to change. We're just changing the threshold uh that it takes in order to do that. Um as far as as far as giving minority the control with the with the supermajority requirement, there's there's only one case where it gives
this a minority uh of council members the um the control, right? I mean, if you draw out the truth table, um the only time where a majority would not have the control is in the case of uh a 3-2 vote, right? Uh so in in all of the
other cases or sorry on a 3-2 vote to annex, right? So a 3-2 vote to not annex, the majority still has a control, a 4-1 vote to annex, the majority still has the control, uh etc. Um so I mean, all we're doing is changing the threshold. Um you know, there there are
parallels in in other levels of government, right? You know, the the United States Senate, it takes about 60 votes to do just about anything. Um, so you know, but people do make that argument with the with the Senate, right, that that a minority can control
the uh control the narrative or but uh I think I think that's still I think that's still a good thing here. Uh, one thing that was brought up was that um the assertion uh but perhaps I don't want to put words in anybody's mouth um that this is about one developer. Uh I I
know when this came up last time you one of the things uh Mr. Bford brought up was you know like like what's the rush? Is there something I don't know about or something like that? Well and then two days later or something like that we became aware of this uh situation right
with the one developer. So I just wanted to say on the record I didn't have any idea about any of that uh ahead of time >> and neither did I like Yeah. I feel like we all need to say that we didn't I think none of us knew. Yeah, >> right. >> It was weird timing. >> It was weird. It It was total
>> totally serendipitous. >> It was It was weird timing and uh not like that developer would have tipped this off probably anyway, but I just wanted to make sure that that that was said. So, this isn't about uh one developer um or any other developer that
that might come up. It's about, you know, setting uh just a higher threshold to do um to do this particular thing. >> Okay. Council member Britain. >> Well, it sure is a coincidence that we didn't know about this until now, but uh
you know, I I think it's too soon. Um Mr. Bear said the city of Winter Springs is going to take this up in their charter review, but they're not going to take it up until 2028. So, why can't we wait till 2027, 2028 and do the same thing? Um it it just
doesn't seem uh like it's it's good timing. Uh, I I want to be able to negotiate and in a hard negotiation if and when the county decides that we need to annex some of this stuff in um and I don't
want to have to go through the the hoops of a super majority to have to do it. So that's my two cents. >> Council member Bford. >> Yeah. So I mean I I agree with what um gentleman Mr. Shank came up here and
says, you know, we're hand handcuffing future councils. If this was to come before us today with what we know, none of us would vote for it. I mean, we give the ability to future councils to make their decisions with what the facts that they have at that time. We don't know
the future. I mean, at this point, we have no idea. I know we had one thing come up this week, and I actually had to ask Mr. Bose to to kind of look into it because I had never heard of it before. Florida Agricultural Enclave. Have you guys heard of that? I had never heard of it. And Mr. Bose,
could you kind of brief us on what you had told me about >> I heard about it this week as well, too. I looked into it. >> Sure. Yeah, I'd be glad to. So, there was uh a law, I think it was originally passed back in 22, amended uh or maybe it's I think it was
22 and just uh just amended here in 2026 uh to expand the definition of what's called an agricultural enclave. All right. uh on its face initially it it really only directly impacts or applies to counties because in the definition it
it applies to uninccorporated land i.e. land not in municipalities. But basically uh uh when you go through a bunch of different criteria, if it checks uh any of those sets of boxes, if a piece of property uh lies in the
unincorporated county and um it checks the boxes in that statute and it's effectively near uh other property that already has entitlements for uh residential uh or is built out as residential, it gives an entitlement
with that county to for that developer to come in and apply to have it deemed an agricultural enclave and then they get greater entitlements for development. Uh I would just offer to you that's kind of a different animal than uh the idea of a piece of property
sitting in the unincorporated county and then annexing into a municipality and then you get the you land use entitlements you get from that municipality kind of two different paths that you can go. I I know with the discussion of this going on and application with the county and so on, discussion of the recently
amended agricultural enclave statute came up. Uh so that's a law that that had a lot of amendments added into it this session that seemed um well uh welldesigned to probably fit
some configurations of property in various places in the state. It would be speculation to figure out, you know, where all those may be without, you know, knowing more. But, um, it is an avenue that that lies for, uh, agricultural property that meets certain criteria to be able to get those
additional entitlements from a county. >> I hope that helps. Just >> it did. It did. So, that was something I didn't know about. And again, I I think we're kind of rushing this whole thing. We had a charter review that kind of went through this. The other thing came up and Mr. Cobb was researching some stuff and he found out that within the
Winter Spring comp plan that they can't annex anything east of the Leyon um street. So they can't even come over that far. So if anything was to happen, it still comes back to us, us to make the decision. So I I just think we're
rushing the process. I think we want to have control of the situation. Um I'm just I'm just not in favor of this. >> Okay. Okay. And then I did have a question on the agriculture enclaves as far as if you did a hypothetical. That doesn't mean they can build to the
maximum density. It's matching was it the areas around it or something like that. So it's more than just like what it would be as rural, but it's it's still like essentially single family homes they're building. >> That's right. It it does it does not give an entitlement to build say, you
know, highdensity high-rise apartments or anything like this. It's it's uh very different than for example the live local act in that respect where you can get to very high densities and so on. It does seem to be more directed to the ability to uh build out uh property to
single family residential standards consistent with uh adjacent property. >> So that's I mean that's kind of what I looked into. So I I agree with things on both sides of this argument right now. Um I'm not a huge fan of supermajorities
in most cases. This is like that's been mentioned something that maybe in the only time in the history of the state of Florida has been voted on by voters in a supermajority fashion. Um but I guess if you look at the risk of this I would
think if all of a sudden this a enclave or whatever loophole that kind of exists because frankly the state government just doesn't like home rule. Um, but if they were to come in and they still can't build commercial, they still can't build apartments, they're building single family homes. I've heard the
argument a lot over the past couple weeks that, you know, well, if they're going to build it without our permission, wouldn't we want the tax base? But then if it if we're going back to single family homes, I think we've proved time and time again that single family homes don't even pay for the infrastructure in front of their own
houses. So, I'm looking at the risk here and even down the road. If it was to develop, not according to us, it still doesn't seem like we'd be missing out on something. It would be more of a tax burden annexing that in. Um, so I personally could not make a good case on
why in this instance a supermajority would be detrimental. Um, does anybody have anything else here? Nope. Okay. Then I will ask the clerk to call the vote. Mayor Slick >> I.
>> Council member Aut >> I. >> Deputy Mayor Tukurt >> I. >> Council member Bterford. >> Nay. >> Council member Britain. >> Nay. >> The motion carries. We do not have any first reading of ordinances. So we are on to our resolution items. Resolution
number 4718-26 the right of way vacate of Old Chiliota Road. Mr. Cobb, I believe you wanted to continue this. >> Uh yes, Deputy Mayor. We would request that the city council pass a motion to continue this to the next meeting, which I believe is August the 3rd. Uh we found
an issue with exhibit 2, which is the utility easement. We need to make some changes to it. So, we'd like to bring it back at the next meeting. >> Okay. Um do we have a motion to continue resolution number 4718-26? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second.
>> Any discussion? >> No. >> Okay. I'll ask the clerk to call a vote. One second. You're fine. I did that quick. >> Mayor Slick >> I. >> Council member Brittain >> I.
>> Council member Bterford >> I. >> Deputy Mayor Tukurt. >> I. >> Council member I >> I. >> All right. So we will continue that on. We will move on to item number 10 which is resolution number 4744-26 establishing the tenative fiscal year
202627 [clears throat] millig rates. Mr. Hi. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. This is a request for city council to establish the fiscal year 2026 27 tenative millage rates and schedule the first public hearing for the FY2627
proposed budget for purposes of public notification under the Florida Truth and Mill known as TRIM statutes. The FY2627 proposed budget is balanced using the recommended OP tentative operating millage rate of 5.6692 6692 mills or
$5.6692 per 1,000 of assessed $1,000 of assessed valuation. The debt service for the 2003 general obligation bond issue will be set at the tenative millage rate of 0.1075 mills or 10.75 cents per $1,000 of
assessed valuation. The total tenative millage rate, the operating millage rate of 5.6692 6692 plus the geo bond millage rate of 0.1075 is 5.7767 mills. The tenative millage rate of
5.6692 mills will result in 24,815,579 in revenue to support the general fund. This will inc this will be an increase of 237 $230,781 over the fiscal year 22526 adopted general fund budget. Setting the
tenative millage rate operating millage rate for the general fund at 5.6692 mills will result in a city-wide tax increase of 0% above the rol rate of 5.6692 mills.
Resolution number 4744-26 establishes a tenative operating millage rate of 5.6692 mills and a tenative general obligation bond debt millage rate of 0.1075 1075 mills for a total millage rate of 5.7767
mills and schedules the first public hearing for the fiscal year 2627 proposed budget for Thursday September 10th 2026 at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers of veto city hall 400 Alexandria Boulevard Florida 32765.
It is recommended that city council adopt resolution number 4744-26. It is also recommended that your motion state the following motion to adopt resolution number 44 4744-26 adopting a tentative operating millage
rate of 5.6692 mills for FY 202627 which results in a citywide tax increase of 0% above the roll back rate of 5.6692 mills adopting a tenative general obligation bond millage rate of 0.1075
1075 mills for fiscal year 2026-27. Adopting a tenative millage rate of 5.6 5.7767 a total millage tenative total millage rate of 5.7767 mills and scheduling the first public
hearing for September 10th 2026 at 6:30 p.m. A veto city hall 400 Alexandria Boulevard 32765. uh the uh what I just read to you councel is provided to you uh under the recommendation section of your of your
staff with your agenda memorandum and uh that is our presentation. >> Thank you. Uh is there a motion to adopt resolution number 4744-26 adopting a tenative operating mill rate of 5.6692 mills for fiscal year 202627
which results in a citywide tax increase of 0.00% above the rolled back rate of 5.6692 6692 mills adopting a tenative general obligation bond millage rate of 0.1075 mills for fiscal year 202627 adopting a tenative total millage rate
of 5.7767 mills and scheduling the first public hearing for September 10th 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Ovito City Hall 400 Alexandria Boulevard Ovito Florida 32765. >> Did we have to public move four? >> No, >> we don't. So I
>> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay, we have a motion and a >> Does it have to >> Who made the motion? >> No, it it you can say so moved. >> Okay, so Council Member Britain made the motion. We have a second by Council Member O. Sure. >> Any discussion? >> Oh, good job balancing the budget.
>> So, thanks to staff for all their hard work. >> Council member, >> nothing for me. >> Mayor Slatey, I like the magic of how we're going to be able to do all the same things we did last year with less money. Oh, not less money, the same amount of money. Yeah, the same amount
of money and a lower tax rate. So, this is um a really I think a really solid effort on behalf of all of us and staff to figure out how to bring the budget back under control because there's a lot
of a lot of discussion and a lot of interest in in us kind of keeping things leveled out and I'm glad we're doing it. >> Okay. Council member. No, I'd like to thank obviously uh finance and all the departments for all the hard work. I know it's a it's a lot
of work that goes into this budget every year. So, I appreciate everything that you all do and all the departments that took a hard look at their budgets and uh made some tough decisions. So, appreciate everything there. >> Okay. And I mean, I just agree with what you guys said. So, I'll ask the clerk to call a vote.
>> Council member Britain I. >> Council member, I mayor Slick. I >> Deputy Mayor Tukurt. I council member Butterford. I. >> The motion carries. We will move on to item number 11, resolution number 4745-26,
retirement of certain general government debt. Mr. Cobb, thank you, Deputy Mayor. If you will recall back in your June 29th work session, this was one of the things that we talked about. Uh we have two uh current uh debt debt items uh in
the general fund. One from uh 2012 and one from 2013. And part of us being able to set the tenative millage rate at the roll back rate was the payment of these of the early retirement of this of these two debts. And so tonight, what this
resolution does, it does call for the early payment of these two debts. Uh it's approximately one 1,651,62255. Uh there is a budget amendment included with this resolution. uh because this was full payment of this was not
considered in within the budget and so it's been it will be coming out of two different funds. Uh 1,500593,487 will be will be uh come out of the fund balance and then 58,000 or 7.8% will come out of the uh water sewer fund and
so it's recommended that the city council adopt resolution number 4745-26. >> Thank you Mr. Cobb. What is the pleasure of councel? >> I move we adopt resolution number 4745-26. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. Any
discussion? Mayor Slater. >> Got a quick question for Mr. Boop. If you could come up here real quickly. Now, after these are retired, how much debt will the city of Ovido have uh
acrew against the general fund? There will be no debt left in the general fund after this. The only thing that will be out there is a geo issue and that's not considered a general fund debt. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay.
>> No, I think it's it was a good move. Um and again, appreciate um the finance department coming up with this, you know, this idea that we can pay off this debt to actually kind of roll back our our military. So, I thought it was a smart move and I'm glad we're moving forward with it. Council >> Britain.
Yeah, it's good to not have debt uh especially against a a fund that doesn't have a a revenue stream to pay for it. So, good job staff for for doing this. >> Council member, >> I think this is great. >> I mean, I concur. Um it no, it's a big
deal that tonight we get to roll back our miller rate by 0.2 and also pay off >> have no debt. We're going to have no debt, guys. >> It's a big deal. Things we get excited about up here. So, okay. Can the clerk call the vote? >> Mayor Slick >> I. >> Council member Bterford >> I.
>> Deputy Mayor Tuker >> I. >> Council member Britain >> I. >> Council brought >> I. >> The motion carries. All right. We are debt free in our gofund. Uh we will move on to item number 12. It is a discussion item on the amendment three public
information discussion. Mr. Cobb, can you provide a intro? >> Uh yes. Mr. Kelly is going to provide the staff presentation. >> Mr. Kelly. >> Uh, good evening, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, members of council. Uh, following uh, Florida legislaturator's passage of
committee substitute for House Joint Resolution 1F, uh, council directed staff to prepare a plan. >> Could you talk a little closer, >> council? >> Oh, much better. Thank you. >> Much better. Sorry. Uh council directed staff to prepare a plan to address the reduction, the potential reduction
should uh the constitutional amendment pass. Uh staff's currently formulating uh the plan. Uh but ahead of that, we'd like to um seek uh council's direction on uh conducting public information
forums uh on the potential impacts should it pass. Um we're not here to discuss the plan at this time. Again, it's in uh it's still in formation. Uh council directed it be completed by August and we are still working diligently on that. Um we're here to uh
discuss the the why, when, where, and how to structure uh public outreach on the potential impacts. Next slide, please. Uh so really uh the long and short of uh why to do outreach is to ensure folks
are clearly educated and understand those impacts. Um outreach should uh encompass u both public information one-on-one online and written materials. um current materials we have out there
uh which are on the DIS for you is a corrected flyer uh indicating the the uh most recent uh number of homesteaded properties here in the city and um you know in the future going forward we'll
also focus on um the uh the plan and how it'll affect city services and uh we'll have those again in we'd like to have those in public forum forums uh so that we can answer
questions uh of the public uh clearly and um dispel any rumors or any thoughts uh that are out there that are incorrect and make uh make it happen in a transparent way. Uh next slide please.
Um so the win uh was mentioned. Uh we got uh three key dates that we kind of want to structure uh possible public forums around. Uh September 19th uh is when >> the 19th is when the overseas mail
ballots go out. >> Uh so we'd like to be ahead of that along with the general mail ballot uh send out window of uh September 24th through October 1st. So we think it's important to get out ahead of that and that's why we we're suggesting uh somewhere in the neighborhood of
September 16th 16th so we can be ahead of uh the overseas mail ballots. Not that these folks will be here to see it in person, but they do talk to people and family members and friends that are here in the city. Um the second again uh the rest of the mail ballots that uh
folks here in the city will recommend will sorry request uh will happen again uh September 24th through October 1st. So the supervisor has at that window to send those mail ballots out. Uh so then we we're we are thinking somewhere
around September 30th to do a virtual session. Um that will be in that window when folks will start receiving them and uh be thinking about what's in the on that ballot uh to vote for uh again which will be amendment three. And then
uh October 19th through November 1st is early voting. Two sites here in Ovito as you're aware uh the gym and Aquatic Center and Library. Uh so we'd like to uh discuss uh doing one a little closer to that time frame and also close up to
election day so that folks have the ability uh those that want to uh vote uh there on November um 2nd I believe it is or 4th sorry. Um folks that vote in person will have the
uh um ability to uh hear something there uh at the end of o mid part of October. so they're they're informed as well. Um, right now I know I have two dates up there. Uh, we'd like to steer you towards the 13th. Uh, I think that's a
bit of a better date uh for us and you'll see why when we get to the, uh, where. Uh, so next slide, please. So, uh, we we've done in the past few election cycles uh, public forums here in chambers.
turnout is not always what we'd like. So, we'd like to suggest to council that we go out into the city a little bit more. Uh we're thinking one on the north side at the East Branch Library and that would be the September 16th uh inerson forum. Uh and then uh right in the
middle we do the uh virtual forum if uh council so directs uh around uh September 30th and then uh Riverside Senior Center. And uh sorry about the typo there. Uh I would say October 13th would be the better day there. And we would do it that one specifically
revolving around our senior programming in our senior center. And we'd like to shoot for an afternoon session there because that's when they are typically uh active in that uh facility. >> So next slide, please. Um again, we're we're seeking council's direction as to
how we we engage with the public uh in person and uh where we would uh do so and uh s we've given you our suggestion and are welcome to discussion amongst that and direction to follow. >> Okay. And I I have a question just to
start here. So I know we've talked about making a plan and I'm hoping we will have a plan before all of these. Is that correct? Like I said, council's uh direction, as I understand it, was to have that plan uh presented by August. So, we would not >> so we can hash it out and have it fully
complete before this time. So, we still feel good about that. I mean, we kind of have to, right? Um and then my other question is, are you um I guess you're asking us how to do this. Would the be council doing the forum or staff or a combo or what are we looking at, I guess, as the format for
how we do this? If if we're following um our previous practice like we did for the police y um bond referendums, uh council participated, staff participated, um staff uh is there for council. Uh but if uh we need to change,
obviously we weren't successful in those. Uh so um a combination thereof would would certainly be uh recommended. Uh from our perspective, I think uh that staff is more than capable of of
providing uh the plan. Uh but in the end, uh we we all are um beholden to the taxpayer. So uh us and uh council. So I believe uh we should work in tandem. Obviously council has the power at the end to
direct what the plan is. Um but we are more than willing to uh work together. >> Okay. Um I will open the floor for discussion. >> So um go ahead. >> I guess this is a question for Mr. Voss. Are we allowed to advocate for or
against this uh amendment or do we have to remain neutral? >> So that's an outstanding question. Uh there is uh a law that was passed a number of years ago now and it was amended recently back in 2022. It's uh 106.113
Florida statutes. is part of the campaign finance code actually because the uh primary thing it is directed at. All right, which is why for example holding public forums is a thing you expressly can do is um what that statute
primarily targets is political advertisements sent out to voters about a matter that's going to be on the ballot. Uh and they use political advertisement in the technical sense. Express advocacy one way or the other.
All right. They they then broadened it in 2022 to not just include political advertisements, express advocacy, but that is one of its main focuses. The city cannot and the city is not proposing to uh send out mailers saying
no on three, you know, vote no on three or anything like that. That would be clearly out of bounds. All right. um with respect to putting together information uh that is not mailed out to anywhere but um but is uh put together as
handouts that may be placed uh places and so on. the uh statute directs that it should be directed towards providing truthful information, leaning more into that than into advocacy. At these uh at
these um public forums here, my recommendation would not be that staff gets up there and just says vote no on three, vote no on three, vote no on three over and over again. uh the there is no need to hide in the discussion
there that the uh impacts to the city will be real and that the impacts to the city will be negative. We just need to explain that rather than simply uh you know advocate the rallying cry vote no or what have you. One thing to keep in
mind uh with respect to particularly the statute particularly calls out elected officials and says in a good way in this instance um and says the section does not preclude an elected official of the local government from expressing an
opinion on any issue at any time. So you not just as a resident or citizen of the state of Florida or resident of Ovido a as a city council member you could be at uh an event whether it's a city event or otherwise and say you should vote no on
three when it is a city event though the city including city staff's you know signage and thrust and everything should not be vote no on three it should be let us tell you about amendment three and yes what we're going to tell value is negative for the city. So it's a it's a
little bit of a dance. It's it's a little bit of nuance. Uh so we are absolutely allowed to engage in these discussions. There are just things that when we are using and this is the key thing in this statute. Uh when we are using city resources, city money and
other resources like staff time and so on. Uh we can't go down the route that it prohibits of engaging in this express advocacy. So when we're when we're spending city money, you're not going to see city staff pushing the straight vote no on three. You all can because the
statute expressly says so. So we're going to have a little bit of a dance, but no one is going to be under any illusions as to whether or not the story we're telling uh is not a great one for the city coffers. >> That answer your question. >> I do. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So I guess I agree with the whole
hybrid approach. Um, I think, you know, and obviously we're going to hash out what what the plan is, you know, what are you going to use for visuals and stuff. I mean, obviously, first thing they're going to ask is, you know, what are you cutting from from our budgets, you know, and so forth? What are the steps you're taking? I mean, are we
going to have enough by then to really kind of give a an idea of what we're going to do? Well, I think in terms of of we we do have a big big chunk of of funds and and council back in in July,
sorry, June, uh basically gave us a list of not only cuts we can make but the uh additional res revenue sources we can investigate. So I think uh in all of that uh our internal meetings and looking at at ways we can not only
address the cuts uh but the uh additional revenue sources you know we if this does does pass we have to be prepared for it. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I'm just wondering for theseformational services because again, you got one that's going to come up in September. I mean that we have because
that's going to be the first thing they ask is, you know, what is the city doing? And I think it's going to that is going to need to come from the city of what is the city doing? >> Uh that is your direction to us so far as of this time is >> Yeah. And again, some of it some of it
will be a tax shift, you know, that as we talked about digital revenue sources that we have to look at and you know, we just need to show everything that we're we're looking at what what are some of the impacts, you know, and how we're going to how we're going to address it. So, and I guess the only thing so the
virtual one would that be kind of closed? >> Uh, we would set it up like a like a Zoom webinar. >> A Zoom webinar. >> Yes. where uh those who can um are participating or hosting uh I would say any number uh would be the ones >> we have a platform that could hold a lot
of people. I'm not saying it would get a lot of people. >> Uh we do have a zoom subscription that we use uh that works with our uh chambers inhouse uh system that we've uh zoomed various members of council speakers in. Uh and that does have a webinar type feature. >> How many people can you get on here? Do
you know? Uh, I don't know, but it's quite a bit. And I I would I would hope we get that many people we could educate on a on a on a subject, but if you need to know the exact number, I can certainly >> No, no. I'm just want to make sure that we have the platform to do it. If if we got the the amount of people that come out
>> and the subscriptions are variable. >> Yeah. So you can adjust uh from one month at a time without having >> I guess worst case scenario I would say that if we get to a situation like on that virtual one and we find that we couldn't get people on because we were full that we look at doing a second one you know in order to give people the
ability to get on. >> I I I would not see a problem with that but I think we can get as many as we >> and then I'm assuming these going to be recorded and then we'll have them on the website. Um, if we if we go out, it'll be a little uh tougher as far as audio. If we host them in here, as we've done
before, we put them on YouTube. >> Um, that's no problem. But, uh, you know, if we want to to bring the mountain, so to speak, uh, to the folks, we need to >> Well, you can tape the virtual one, right? >> Uh, correct. >> Yeah. So, then we could put that one out there. >> Yes.
>> Yeah, >> that that is uh something we can do. Uh, and that would be we we can also simoc cast it on YouTube as well, uh, through Zoom. Um, so, >> okay. >> Well, and why don't we put the dates back up there, too, while we're on this. >> So, we've got one at the library, a
virtual one in the senior center. Does anybody have any issues with those dates to start with? >> No. >> So, let's let's kind of go. >> And the 13th is is the better date that facility 12th is. Yeah. School is closed anyways. It's I think it's Columbus Day. >> So, 13th is a Tuesday.
September 16th is Wednesday. >> So is I'm good with >> for for whatever it's worth. I don't really want to go to any of these and I don't see the purpose of having something separate from the meetings that we're having right now. We should be inviting the public to come to the meetings that we have where they can learn the substantive stuff and hear the
real and the not contrived what's probably going to come off as propaganda from us. And and I'm a little concerned by some of the words I'm hearing coming out of people's mouths like, "Oh, well, we're going to present a picture that's very negative." And well, it's it's a
the picture is a paradigm shift. Cuz at our June 29th meeting, the consensus, as I understood it, was that that at least three people will not accept a scenario in which we have less money to work with than the year before. that there will be
an effort to create replacement revenue in the form of fees. So I think that's a very easy thing to communicate to say you know if this happens the we have a chart we I I have posted the chart already in social media and there's been
a lot of discussion about it and people can come to these meetings and um may maybe we could do something before one of our regular meetings and let people do back and forth if they feel like they or they're not getting answers or something. I I don't know anybody who feels like there's a lack of information
or a lack of transparency with what we're doing. And I just I I the same as with the charter stuff. I don't think we should hold information sessions about the charter. Let people figure that out on their own. And I don't think we should hold information sessions outside
of authentic meetings like this for for this amendment either. sounds where we're at. I >> I don't I don't know why not. I'm I mean >> just feels like
we do this every other week and you know not very many people come and we appreciate the people that are here of course but uh I mean in general um >> but they could like are they going to come if it's a different let's go >> well I mean they could but are they going to right I mean you can't make
people do what they're not going to do. Um, I like the idea of, you know, it's it's kind of like this, right? I mean, there isn't anything here that isn't in documents that are in the, you know, that David Johnson uh spreadsheet and whatever in in the packet. I mean, all
of this comes from stuff that already exists. But are people going to look at that? I not in my experience, but I think people will I think people will look at this and it's um I think it's really I mean you just go right down the list like how much we spent on police and fire and public works and and all
that kind of stuff, right? Um so I think in the same way that this has value that having these sessions uh can can also have value. I I think there's value in going to where where people are. Um, and I I think those discussions about
revenue replacement and all of that kind of stuff. I mean, you mentioned three members. I don't even know which which member I was um on that particular issue. I because I what I thought we had talked about was that we're going to kind of look at all of the above, right?
um that there's I mean certainly we need to be able to fund the things that that that we have here and there's multiple ways to do it and and we're going to look at a bunch of them. Um but one thing I'd like to say about this um I'm not thrilled about
the library location that community room in the library is I don't know the lighting's terrible and there aren't any windows and you know if you think if you Yeah. small Yeah. I think about, you know, having it at a place that people are going to want to come to. Um, I feel like the cultural center would make a
much better uh place. Now, I mean, it is a little farther south. I mean, I know you had said having it in the north part of town was was of value. Um, I I don't disagree uh with that, but uh I think yeah, kind of balancing those kind of things out, you know, I I would rather
have it in the cultural center if uh if the others uh think so, but >> we'd have to check the dates um to see. Uh >> I was also going to mention that too. I do think that because I assume it' be the small breakout room when you walk in on the left. >> Yeah. And uh >> cuz that fits like max like 40 people,
right? from what they have informed us is that it will hold 80. >> I can't imagine how >> that's that's what they've told us. >> Think so. [laughter] >> So, a couple things I guess from from my point of view is I I do not think this
should be something where we go in and say you should vote this way or that way. And I think we all agreed on that. Um, we had a work session where, you know, I brought up there's a lot of things going around the internet and the one way to not fearmonger is to make up a decision together because none of us make a decision by ourselves. So, that's
why I asked if we would have the plan from the city done before these meetings. So, it sounds like we're going to get staff's proposal in September. We have that whole month to kind of hash it out publicly in meetings. Like, you're right. And so I would expect us to have something like this but with if this
passes this is what the city would do and then residents can come to this meeting and learn about that from us like this is what our plan is that we've all agreed to so you know exactly what you're doing with your vote. Um I do think it can be very informational just like this sheet. I also have I think
it's a great idea to go out and meet people where they are. Um we don't get a lot of people in these meetings. There is a lot of talk online. And I think if we can get out there, even if it's just these three times, and they can learn a little bit more about, hey, what does the city actually spend this on? If I vote yes and this passes, what does it
do? I do I don't think that's really influencing a vote. I think it's putting all the cards on the table to see how their vote affects their local city. So, I do see a benefit of doing this. Um, as far as the dates, I'm good with them. The middle one, that's a virtual forum. I just worry that if we're all online
and kind of passing the mic back and forth that maybe we come in person and do it um and sit together while people chime in online or something like that. Um or we kind of have to figure out ahead of time how we kind of like pass the mic between us if that makes sense.
Um but we can hash that out I assume. >> Uh yes, Deputy Mayor. Couple of ideas off the bat is is one um it's done either from an office or a separate location than here. um as typical to a virtual meeting, people all across the
country do it and and participate in these types of webinars. Um there's also, you know, with our new chambers, with the new system upgrades we've done, um we we may be able to turn this into a hybrid forum where folks can ask questions on the side TVs or things like that. Um but that would take a little
more um um testing just to just, you know, proof of concept type stuff. Sure. Um but uh we believe it can work is you know it's still new to us. We we've been successful zooming folks in. Uh which is great. Uh so
>> I'm sure we can figure out a way. I just want I'm just like thinking if we're all at our own computers at at home it might be a little hard but we can figure that out. >> I'm noticing that September 16th and 30th are both uh Wednesdays. Back in the day we would call that church day. Uh, I think we should attempt to have at least
one on a weekend if if there is a movement to do some if we're trying to reach people where they are on a work night is probably not the best time and Wednesday is probably one of the busiest days. So, if we could shift one of those, that'd be great. Maybe the virtual is
the one that we do on the weekend. I I don't know. >> I mean, that does make sense that they're both the same night. >> Patrick, I have one one suggestion maybe. >> Sorry. for the uh Riverside Park. Maybe uh consider having that at as a lunchtime or an early afternoon event. I
think you'll get a lot more people if you do that. >> That that is what we considered. Um most of the programming there is active during the daytime. >> Y >> uh late morning, uh I think is is what we talked about with the folks there. >> Um 11 a.m. >> They've got a pretty full schedule, but
I I would think you'd get a lot more people there rather than an evening event. >> Agreed, sir. Yeah. especially um with our senior population and >> u utilizing that facility that's um going gang busters from all I've heard. >> Okay. So, we're all good with the 13th,
not the 12th. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. And then everybody's good with the afternoon for the senior center one. >> And then we're going to keep the other one on a >> So, then we have the 16th and 30th. Did Did we want to move one of those so it's a different day so there's not two Wednesdays? I think that's >> I don't have a preference either one.
>> Okay. I'm I'm okay with whatever day. I think I mean >> I think it's a good idea to have a different day of the week because it might get the same conflict. I think that makes sense. >> Uh I don't know if you want to look into opt maybe that's did you guys want to keep it at the library and move to the cultural center because maybe that's we
just go off what's available at the cultural center if we want >> if there's questions about the the the actual venue. >> Um you know I really hope we would get 80 people. That would be great. That would be wonderful engagement. Um but please allow us to investigate. Uh okay.
And um just to the date for the cultural center and u another possible forum for that. >> We're just in here like maybe the September 20 or Yeah, September 26 is a Saturday. Do it here. We we've got no conflict. It's free. Or are we trying not to have it here for some reason?
>> Well, that's what he said. >> But why? >> Because people don't like coming here. >> Our normal meetings are here. So they're kind of >> So they're like they're not coming anyway. Like so we're going to trick them into liking to think about it because there's going to be windows. >> Well, it's not tricking. It's it's trying to [laughter] come to >> Well, yeah. Like we're having a totally
separate meeting where they're only going to talk about the one thing. So maybe maybe people will come to only talk about the one thing. >> So nicer, let's get back on here. So I'll let you look into potential options with the venue on the first one. And if that changes the date, >> I guess let us know and we can talk about it.
>> Okay. >> But it sounds like everybody's good with doing this if I am correct. Yep. We do have consensus here. Is there anything else you need from us? >> Do we have to come? Like I'm I'm still not sure that I want to say for sure that I'll come to them, but like that's okay. Everybody else can come.
>> I don't think you have to come to anything you want to come to. >> So, all right. Good. >> So, just so I'm clear. >> Yep. [laughter] Go for it. >> Uh we will investigate a early September, second week of September. Uh
>> not Wednesday. >> Not Wednesday. >> Yep. Uh the virtual continue on the 30th. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> And the 30th or the 12th? >> And the 13th at Riverside during the day. >> Yes. >> Yes. Council member, what's up? Why
don't you want to come? >> I do not want to participate in anything that may come off as propaganda. >> Well, should we make it a way that's not prop? >> We already have consensus. >> Yeah, there's consensus. It's happening. So, if once it comes out, if it doesn't seem like propaganda, then maybe I'll
>> All right, we're moving on with it. >> Okay, >> thank you. Are you good? >> Yes, Deputy Mayor. Thank you. >> I appreciate it. We're going to move on to the city manager's report. >> Have no report. Deputy mayor. >> City attorney's report. >> I have nothing to report. Deputy Mayor, >> Council Member Britain,
>> two quick items. Um, first one is we uh swore in four firefighters on uh on uh last Friday. Um, one of them was uh Kayla Mullen. I think she's our first female firefighter.
>> First one in seven years. >> Okay. Okay. I got a lot of questions on that on on what she had to go through to get to that status of training wise. You want to give us a little update on that? I know the video showed a lot of what they did. That kind of impressed me, but
I couldn't I couldn't figure out all the stuff they were doing. a lot [clears throat] of climbing and crawling and >> sure the the uh orientation outside of their minimum standard for firefighting that they get at like Seminal State College and and this and that is basically to kind of teach them the
ovito and seminal county way. Um they do search and rescue, they do um vent search which is um like entering through windows, things like that in houses, ladder control, um hose line um hose loads. Um, they learn our equipment and
just basic familiarization of of how OVTO operates as a fire department. >> Okay. >> And and they all did phenomenal. >> Well, welcome all four of them. Welcome aboard. >> Absolutely. >> Appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Uh, the other thing I'm kind of embarrassed, Mr. Boop, I know you wanted to leave early.
>> Uh, I wish you would have. I would have I would have read the uh press report, but you want to come up and tell us about the the Moody uh rating that we just received? Sure. I don't have the uh press report in front of me, but uh basically we
received uh two upgrades um last Friday. The first upgrade was the city of Ovido uh by itself was upgraded from an AA2 to an AA1, which is just one notch below AAA. Now, we hoped and we thought just by the
matrix that we were looking at that we were going to get a AAA rating, but I think because of all the uh legislation amendment three that's out there in the state of Florida right now, they're taking a very precautionary look and Moody's is the toughest rating agency that's out there. They're they're very very conservative.
The second upgrade we got was over in the utilities where we went from an AA3 to an AA2. And the last time we went through the rating uh status with Moody's was back in the 2020 bond issue and I felt I had a discussion with them
that they were rating us too low at the AA3 level and they said well based on the matrix that we currently have in play what you're going through right now you're expanding your facilities this that and the other doing a lot of construction whatever um we feel that the AA3 is is warranted but AA2 is a
very solid rating. It's two ratings below the AAA rating, which is rock solid. Uh whenever we go forward to issue debt in the future, basically what's going to happen is it's going to put us in a very favorable position. So if we go out to do an a public offering
to a bunch of banks, the banks are going to um look at us very favorably because of our high ratings. But in addition to that, if we go out to the bond market and we go through an underwriting uh presentation or underwriting um sale, uh the underwriters will have a very easy
time selling us to the institutional investors because of our high rating. So they'll sell us in chunks 2550 depending upon what the purchasers um uh uh investment policies are. So again, this is a very good thing for team OVO. We
all participate in this. We've been doing this for the last several years and improving our financial statements. This is a great report card for us and it's a great um uh uh it's a great signal, if you will, of our financial health. And so it's just um just a very
good thing for us all. Good job. >> Great work for all of us. It's not just the finance department. It's great work for all of us. >> The directors, the budget process, the financial reporting that we do and we issue every year the audits, it all comes together to create this kind of a result. And so, um, it's a great great
result for Team Oto, but thank you. >> Good job. Great. Great job. That's all I have. >> Okay. Uh, I'm up next. Uh, I saw we were circulating on the internet the arts in the chambers and getting people to sign up for that. So, if we could all share that on our own, too. So, I love that we have that on our website that we can
share that around and kind of change the artwork in here. Although, I do love our chickens up here. Um, I do want to get another shout out to our parks and rec team as well for what we do. every year we come in here and we stand here and take a photo, but that money really does make a difference um to the American Cancer Society and Helpful Hands, too.
So, I think it's pretty incredible. Our our staff has a part in helping raise that funds as well, too. Um that's really all I have today. So, I will pass it off to Mayor Slidic. Want to give a shout out first off to Elton Hogan, a Novito resident who is recognized as the
Simol County Veteran of the Year. Usually we've got somebody here for the American Legion uh who could help give us an extra little cheer, but he has been instrumental in helping the post uh expand the footprint because so many people are served there every single
Wednesday that uh without the doors open, they may violate the fire code. So, they are never doing it. I will I will vouch when I go there that there's always people sitting outside to make sure that there's room for everybody. Um, but they're hoping to someday have
room inside. Um, also wanted to invite anybody who wants to come to ethics training on Wednesday. Mr. Vos is going to be uh right here in this chamber. It's right here, right? In here. Is it in here? I hope it's in here. So, we can have anybody who wants to come. No, not
here. Where is it? >> River or cultural center. Right. Oh, cultural center. >> Cultural center because people don't want to come here because it's not as pretty as the cultural center. Well, now nobody has an excuse. You should all come to the cultural center and do a 4hour ethics training. So, all of us
every single year do a 4hour training on public records law, sunshine law, uh how to handle finances, all of the things that sometimes, you know, get batted around about how people are not acting right. Well, we get a refresher for us every single time. And if you happen to
be an attorney, and I know there's more than one of us in this room, uh you can actually get 4 hours of continuing legal education specifically in ethics. So, it helps you meet your requirement. It's a great thing. Um the other thing I wanted to make sure we we talk about is the
guys who were speaking at the the beginning, uh hopefully we can we've got some contact information for them. um we may not be able to as a city, you know, post resources for adoption or push any particular point of view from our social
media, but um I I think that was a really cool thing that they came and they recognized that we do have at our fingertips all of these resources and individually the five of us have some resources at our fingertips, too. So, um, I'm going to, if nobody objects to
it, reach out to these guys and use a platform that the little bit of megaphone I've got from social media that is not city controlled by all those policies and and just let people know how they can connect with some of these resources because they they make a a very good
point on that. And that's all I got. Council member Rup. >> Yeah. Ethics training on Wednesday. To quote one staff member, I hope I don't learn anything. [laughter] >> Um that's all I got.
>> Okay. Council member Bford. >> Yes. So again, I I agree with you on Relay for Life. That's a great event. Um we've been doing that obviously what was it 19 years? >> 17. That is amazing. And then the fact that we're able to contribute back to
the community like that, you know, I think it's phenomenal. So hopefully we'll continue to do that, you know, going forward. Uh, one of the things we had on the consent agenda was approving the Mitchell Hammock corridor safety improvement area. I know that was a big one for Mr. Wyatt to push out there. Um,
so I think that's going to be a great thing for that area, actually increasing the lights out there to sidewalk, uh, a median. Um, was anything else I was missing there? That's pretty much it, right? Yep. >> Storm water. >> Storm water. >> Yep. Storm water.
>> I felt bad you were sitting in that chair so long. I wanted you to get up, get some exercise. >> He needs a yoga ball back there. >> Not to correct you, but the uh the lights were actually approved at the last council meeting. >> Okay. >> So, this project is basically access management. So, it's going to take
Mitchell Hammock basically from 426 to Norma and widen it a few feet to the north um to basically create a concrete median basically from Westwood Square to Norma. You'll have a concrete median which will now make real turn lanes out
there, make it much safer. And then we're also going to include a 8ft asphalt trail basically from Norma where the sidewalk ends all the way down to where it picks up down at the mobile station. That's great. >> It's it's it's not just vehicle
vehicular traffic, it's also pedestrian improvements as well. >> No, I think it's both. And to this day that when you first told me about the suicide lane and it just sticks in my head every time I'm out there that that middle lane that that we can put some kind of safety thing in there, >> those yellow stakes, those ballers will
go away with this. >> Yeah. So, >> yeah. Yeah, it's good. No, again, I think it was a great move. So, I'm glad that we uh we passed that tonight. >> Thank you. Thank you, sir. for firefighters. That was awesome as well. Um I also agree with the uh if we
could do a national adoption month for the month of November. I mean I know whether it's a proclamation or declaration, you know, I think that was a great idea that we could probably do that. And then the last thing again is um again as we go back on the uh the annexation and I don't have a problem in
the world the rural boundary. I think it's a great it was just my opinion was just handcuffing future um uh councils. You're not knowing what you know what may be at stake there. So I know it's going to get out there have the voters have an opportunity for it. I think I think it's great. Again we want to
protect the rural boundary. I know all of us would do that up here. Again with my decision why I was doing it is just that I think we're handcuffing future uh councils and I just I think it's a challenge but we'll get it out there and uh we'll move on. So I think it's uh it was a good meeting tonight. Okay,
there's any uh future meeting dates. We have Monday, July 27th at 5:30 p.m. we have a work session. We do not have a work session, so we will not be meeting on July 27th. On August 3rd, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. we have a regular session. And August 17th at 6:30 p.m., we have a
regular session as well. Is there anything else for the good of the order? >> Yeah, I hope my comment landed properly. I hope I don't learn anything. I mean, I hope I learned it all last year. >> I knew what you meant. >> Yeah. Okay. [laughter] Anybody watching? >> I'll stop. Maybe I won't make jokes in the future.
>> It is 8:00 p.m. and this meeting is ajourned.