WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=Oq4RHAuRBYQ

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: Oq4RHAuRBYQ):
- 00:18:51: Call to Order, Invocation, Pledge and Roll Call
- 00:20:23: Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes; Public Recognition Introduction
- 00:20:40: Employee of the Month: Bill Hamby from DOC Crew
- 00:22:37: New Town Museum Presentation; History and MOU Overview
- 00:31:55: Public Comment: New Town Museum Q & A (1 of 4)
- 00:32:32: Public Comment: New Town Museum Thank You (2 of 4)
- 00:33:51: Public Comment: New Town Museum Staffing Clarification (3 of 4)
- 00:35:46: New Town Museum MOU Discussion and Direction
- 00:46:00: Public Comment: New Town Museum - Propriety Concerns (4 of 4)
- 00:47:03: Commissioner Discussion and Final Motion on New Town Museum
- 00:50:22: History of Palatka Book Release by Mr. Leonard
- 00:55:50: April Financial Dashboard Report and Summary
- 00:57:56: RCI Water Treatment Plant Update
- 01:03:47: Building City: Community Cleanup Day Report
- 01:06:53: Bartum Frolic Reimbursement Presentation
- 01:09:08: Recognition of Outgoing Staff Member
- 01:12:04: City of Palatka Summer Safety Summit
- 01:12:58: Public Comment: Blue Crab Festival Impressions (1 of 3)
- 01:15:21: Public Comment: Blue Crab Festival Success Summary (2 of 3)
- 01:17:19: Public Comment: Ballfields Discussion and Thank You (3 of 3)
- 01:18:13: Feedback on Blue Crab and Other Public Comments
- 01:21:13: Consent Agenda Approval
- 01:22:19: Release of Lean for 4510 West Madison Street
- 01:36:59: Public Comment: 4510 West Madison - Support Reduction (1 of 2)
- 01:43:05: Public Comment: 4510 West Madison - Realtor Comments (2 of 2)
- 01:44:44: Vote on Release of Lean for 4510 West Madison Street
- 01:45:12: Discussion and Direction Regarding Land Swaps
- 02:17:38: Public Comment: Character of Clay Davis (1 of 1)
- 02:19:22: Interim City Manager Contract Update and Discussion
- 02:40:56: Public Hearing and Vote on Second Reading Amendment
- 02:41:40: Second Reading: Zoning 301 Moody Road; Commissioner Recusal
- 02:46:07: Second Reading: Affordable Housing on Moody Road, Vote
- 02:46:38: Adopt Resolution: Fire Service Assessment, Hear Public
- 02:48:51: Public Comment: Setting Fire Assessment (1 of 1)
- 02:51:25: Commissioner and Legal Comments on Fire Assesment, Vote
- 02:59:17: Commissioner Comments; Meeting Adjournment


Part: 1

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The meeting is about to stop. Please quiet down. Yeah. Okay. Are we ready? >> Okay. Um, welcome to the city of Palaca City Commission meeting. It is May 28th, 2026 and at 6 p.m. And I'm calling this meeting to order beginning with the invocation led by pas by pastor led by

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Commissioner Campbell and the pledge of allegiance led by Commissioner Borham. Please stand if you're able. >> Please join me in prayer. Dear heavenly father God, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your grace. We thank you for your mercy, God. We ask as we go throughout this meeting that you give us the wisdom, the knowledge, and the

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understanding to make sound decisions to move this city forward. We ask that you bless every resident, not only represented in the city, but this county. We pray these prayers and all other prayers in your name. Amen. >> Amen. >> Please join me in the pledgece to the flag of the United States of

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America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Paul, please. >> Commissioner Borum, >> present. >> Commissioner Jones

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>> here. >> Commissioner Campbell >> present. >> Commissioner Davis >> present. >> Car >> present. We have quorum. Thank you. Has everybody had an opportunity to read the minutes from May 14th, 2026? uh commission meeting May 20th, 2026

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workshop minutes May 21st, 2026 special call meeting. >> Motion to approve minutes as printed. >> Second. >> We have a motion and second. All in favor? >> I. Any opposition? Thank you. On to public recognition presentations. Speakers are limited to five minutes. No

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action taken on these items. In the spotlight, employee of the month, Miss Jones. >> Good evening. Madame Mayor and Commissioners, as we continue to recognize our employees for outstanding performance either over a period of time or for a particular month, um we just

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want to continue doing that as well as we're recognizing the people that take the time and um nominate these employees for observing their um performance. And for the month of May, we would like to recognize our DOC crew supervisor, Mr. Bill Hamby.

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uh Harold Bartella City Pl Compliance. Um actually uh code enforcement group we uh nominate Mr. Hamby. Uh the city is a big area. Not all the time can we be there and everywhere and needed. So sometimes we overlook stuff. Stuff gets overlooked. Unfortunately, we call Mr.

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Hamby and his crew. Uh we recently had a area over off of Hudson and West over behind the um the Ark Glance Street that was in well overgrown. It was a two-lane road that you could only get one car down. The trees were overgrown. You

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couldn't see the curbs. Uh we got a hold of public works. They worked great with us and hooked us up with Mr. Ham and his crew. They was out there, I know, for at least two days uh cleaning it up and did an outstanding job. And just wanted to say thank you for the work you do. and we appreciate it. The city is more off

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better off with him running a crew and he's always out there looking making the city look better and here for the city. We appreciate his help and while he does take a take him a picture, >> thank you for tackling that because I have received a couple of calls on that area.

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>> Bamboo. It look like a lot of bamboo. >> Yeah, I saw the pictures. >> Thank you. >> New Town Museum presentation by Mr. Tero Hill. >> Mayor, commissioners, chief manager Just wanted to come before you guys

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today to give you an update. If you recall, the city of Placa received a uh African-American Heritage Grant from the state of Florida in the amount of $690,000 with an additional 310 and 10,000 in ARPA funds, which were initially given um to renovate the

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Jenkins Gymnasium, which was once the North Side Neighborhood Facility Center. Um as a part of that we did a series of events uh including visioning sessions and during the course of those events in the in the community meetings uh it was tasked upon us as citizens to put

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together a steering committee uh to bring forth uh a plan and a memorandum of understanding back to the commission in order to make u the the dream a reality. And so today we stand before

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you as uh Palaka New Town Inc. uh the nonprofit organization that was funded as part of the steering committee uh to make this a reality. And we have members here along with our chair Aubrey Wise Davis. Will y'all please stand for me? So we have been meeting we've been meeting tirelessly for the

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last few years uh to make sure that uh we were able to put forth uh a product that would be something that would be beneficial to the city and the citizens as we began to highlight uh the history which was the purpose of the grant to highlight the history of of our

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community particularly our African-American history which was the focus of the grant that came into play from the state of Florida. Uh Mr. Eddie Cutright who is the community affairs director along with Reno Fails work diligently with us and we definitely appreciate the efforts that the city uh

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has put forth. There have been commissioners who have been present throughout the process and what we have for you today is just a breakdown of of where we are. Uh first the purpose in the scope was to outline collaborations between the city and palaka new town inc uh and to support the operations of new

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town museum and cultural arts center and focus on programming promotion community engagement and museum operations and this includes the compensation termination records insurance compliance and all the other aspects of the contract I've got.

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Additionally uh the responsibilities of PALA New Town Inc. um are going to be the critical pieces. As we started talking about this, I want to outline what thisou does. And we're going to manage the day-to-day operations and staffing. Uh coordinate events, exhibits, educational tours,

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handle fundraising, promotional activities, develop donor and engagement, and maintain donor records, create operational policies, and collaborate with the city community affairs department. And these are all the things that we wanted under direction. Next slide. The city will provide the museum

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facility which is in the Robert H. Jenkins Gymnasium. It's been outlined in a lot of the maps that you guys have seen the presentations that Mr. Cutright did as well that the old locker room areas would be the areas used um for the museum itself and they would be converted over. Uh we would support any

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museum branding and accessibility um from the city side of this cover the the utilities which are already built into this entire project. And then we would provide and then the city will also provide $25,000 in their annual budget in support. And I'll get into that in a second. Next slide. The city would also

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receive 10% of any donations or museum fundraising that comes from Palaka New Town. Uh any restricted grants or processing fees will be excluded from that. Um but those would all be things that would be collaborative throughout the process. additional co-sponsored

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events are allowed by the agreement and whatever profit sharing percentages we wanted to put together with the city, it would be done through mutual understanding and mutual ascent. Uh and then we get back there's at least the $25,000. Now, the beauty of this $25,000

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is far different than what we're getting from any of your other agreements that you have. And I'll go at the end and I'll talk to you about how the $25,000 allocation is different from what you have before. And then you'll receive quarterly financial reports for remittance as required. Next slide. Then

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compensation and financial management. The city funding supports the outlineou. Uh I don't see it as any budget restraint um associated with this because there have been conversation by the commission as a whole to talk about bringing in a part-time allocation to

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deal specifically with the museum in itself. And that's been historically the conversation that's been in place. New town must submit new invoices and activities. The museum related funds should be tracked separately. Uh the city has the right to audit and review at any time and the records must be

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retained for at least seven years according to state law. Next slide. Terms of renewal. This is a 5-year agreement and we put down July 1st as the as the starting point of that agreement. It can start whenever the city wants to start it and it would go, for example, if it started July 1st, it

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would end on June 30th, 2021. It has a renewable term no differently than any of the other agreements that you have in place. Uh and it and the renewals must be in writing. It has to be at least 60 60 days before expiration. Next slide. Termination clauses are same. 60 days

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written notice. If there is any breach of material breaching contract, there's a 30-day cure period and new time must conclude operations in an orderly manner. Final reports and payments are due upon termination. Each party must return property and confidential information. I'd ask for leave to

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continue. Next slide. Insurance and compliance. We have the limits set inside of uh the draft. Those limits can be set as to how the commission wants them to be. Right now, it's set at a a 100300 policy. It can be any it can be larger if the city so is

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inclined to do so. And each part is responsible for their own negligent acts. And sovereign immunity will still apply to the city. Next slide. Intellectual property rights will be owned by the existing owner. New Town will be responsible for exhibit permissions, meaning we would actually be the ones who would go out and get all

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the and get all of the compliance records and all of the permissions for exhibits that are donated to the museum. Uh, the parties must comply with public records requests and open meeting laws. Disputes will be resolved in good faith first and then New Town has a right of first refusal on museum records or

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exhibits if the city so is inclined at any point to stop having the museum in place. Next slide. So, this is where we get into the $25,000. And so, if you remember, the River Center uh was an agreement that the city had uh it started back in 2015. And in that

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agreement, the city agreed to fund an employee when Georgia Pacific created the river center, the St. John's River Center. Uh the city staffed that project, maintained the project, did all the repairs, and there was no revenue component as related to that project.

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Also, if you look at the ship store, the water taxi contract was one where the city maintains the facilities, uh, allocates the funding in place. It was initially 45,000. It's now significantly higher. And again, there's no profit sharing aspect. When you go into the unique phase, you look at the golf course. The golf course's franchise

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agreement is probably the closest thing to what we have here where you have a profit sharing aspect that goes along with this contract. And the city does not staff the actual facility, but the entity that runs it is actually the one that maintains the facility. And so when

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we look at what's in place as relates to the golf course and this, the difference is we are actually doing a major fundraising activity as a means of offsetting whatever the cost are. So if we do if the city decides that the major fundraising activity is going to be a

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gayla for instance and we raise $30,000 at the gayla then if the 25,000 goes to the initial funding of 25,000 to offset any cost that the city has and the remaining 5,000 split 50/50 between the two organizations. There's not an agreement that the city has in place

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with any facility with any operator that does this and that's on top of any additional funding that comes in throughout the year. You also have the ability to continuously do events on a monthly basis or whatever this basis that you decide to do in order to offset any budget um allocations that you may

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have in place. And that's the part that separates us in this agreement from any other. Next slide. Your project leads have been the community affairs director as well as our chair wise Davis. This is governed by Florida law uh and the city of Palacas codes and ordinances and every

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and Putnham County would be the forum. Are there any questions? Does anyone have any questions for Mr. Hill? >> Go ahead. >> Um, assuming all of this moves forward, what is the target start date for the

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museum, what are the steps that have to be put in place? >> The only thing that has to be done next is the buildout. Once the buildout's done, then we're able to move forward. As the buildout is done, the the design of any exhibits that are in place based upon uh what budget allocations are

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projected at this point through the conversations with the past manager. Um we would have those design aspects in place and we could be up and running I would say within the next 90 days if that was where we are. >> Thank you. >> Does anyone else have any questions?

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>> No. Yeah, >> I do have a comment. >> Go ahead. >> I would like to just thank the committee for all the work they've done in putting this together. I know it's been a long time making. This is a great presentation. Um, it definitely answers my questions because my question before

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was what does he ask from for the city and I think you did a good job in presenting that today. So, thank you guys for the hard work you've done to get to this point. Right. And in closing, we we we took the charge the commission gave us. Um we we move forward in creating the entities

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necessary to make this a reality. And I wholeheartedly believe that we are the sole source within this community, within this state that can actually bring forth this product and actually allow Palaca to start to really um bring visitors in to bring to actually educate

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our students and our our citizens and and and create a place where our history is memorialized in ways that it's never been done before. Uh the historic society does a great job with the museum uh at the Bronson Mhullen House, but this is a different creature. Um, and so

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we we think that working collaboratively again with other organizations and entities as well as the school district uh and some of our other partners throughout this area that we can make this a showplace for for the city of PLA. And again, we thank you for the opportunity to partner and to make this a reality.

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>> One more question. Go ahead. >> Uh, as I look at the ask up there and you mentioned uh that this is a like unique like a franchise at the air I mean uh the golf course and they do their own staffing. You mentioned about

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staffing and that's one of the ask you have for the city is that included in the 25,000 that you're asking for allocation? >> The 25,000 we're so new town paka new town will staff the museum. We'll coordinate the hours. We'll do all of

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that. The city staff does not have to do anything based upon theou. >> So, so that's included. >> You guys cover that with 25, >> right? It it's all it's all outlined inside of theou. And if and again, theou is a draft. If there are any areas that the commission has any any, you know,

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any other suggestions or modifications to, um, there's definitely opportunity to work on those. >> Go ahead, Commissioner F. Right. So, what I thought I understood was that if you had like a an event that raised raised funds, an example would be say if

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you uh made 30,000 on the special event or whatever, then would that relieve the city of the 25,000 that Okay. I mean, and that's what I that's what I love about the creativity and how y'all put that together, bringing that to this city because that certainly uh adds

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value to to the um the partnership and and the whole plan is that if we maximize efforts in how we market the facility, then the offset in itself will create a revenue producing asset for the city as well as the community as a whole and take away the burden of any

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financial responsibility. Certainly appreciate that that. Thanks, sir. >> Thank you. Anybody else? Thank you, Mr. Hill. >> Next on to the history of Palaca book release. Mr. Lennon, >> I'm sorry. Before we move forward, >> okay, go ahead.

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>> Can I ask Thank you for the presentation, but what are our next steps to review theou and determine if we will move forward with the agreement? I'd like to make sure I understand where we're going from here. Yes, I I have actually already reviewed theou and provided uh feedback that has

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been communicated. >> So it would be if you can send it to all of us that would be great. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead. >> So when you say that you've communicated feedback and have received feedback, I'm not sure what that means.

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>> I have uh commun communicated feedback to our community affairs director, Mr. Eddie Cutright and I believe he's been in communication with uh Mr. Hill. So I I have provided feedback on theou um and happy to >> Yes. >> No, I'm going to wait till you finish

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but then I have a followup >> and happy to forward to the commissioners. >> Okay. So Mr. Hill, I just wanted to understand since you're back at the mic, um you've been in touch with Mr. Cutright to review that feedback. >> I I have I didn't know there was a

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ghostriter. Um what I will say is that um I think that it's incumbent upon the commission uh to either provide a liaison or some direction to staff so that with negotiates because my my response to any communication at this point has been the commission has not

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given anyone responsibility to negotiate and until someone has that responsibility from the commission it makes it difficult to start to address certain aspects of what's in place. So I my my desire is that the commission would either have a liaison uh direct

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the manager or whomever or counsel or whoever it may be to negotiate and bring back a final draft so that the sentiments of the commission are are are given to me um so that we can put this thing together and so that when it comes back to you in final draft form, it has

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all of the desires that the commission has as well as the spirit of what this of what this facility was supposed to be at the time in which it was the grant was brought in place. >> Thank you, >> Commissioner Campbell. >> I don't have to rehash. Um, Attorney Hill actually brought mentioned what I

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was going to make reference to um in the latter part of his uh comment. So, I think it's um becoming of us to come up with how we want to facilitate that component because essentially my thought

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process is theou is a part of the day-to-day operation. However, the financial component is something that the commission would have to vote on in its entirety. So again, I don't want us to overstep our boundaries with regards to theou, which our uh legal has been

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doing, but again, the final number that comes back to us being that it is over that $25,000 threshold, would have to be approved by the commissioner. >> Thank you. >> I I have a suggestion. So, we're in the process of getting an interim in uh in

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city manager and as you said day-to-day operation that would fall under that person's duties and responsibility uh versus having the attorney do double roles. I think that uh it would be incumbent on allowing the city manager

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who already our ex city manager was already involved with this process. >> Yeah. >> Go ahead. This is a contract with a this is a this would be a contract or an agreement with an entity. It's well within the purview of the commission to

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make those decisions or delegate someone to bring that back so that it's ratified by the commission at the end of that process. It it because it's a contract no differently than it was with the ship store. No differently than it was with your dollar with your dollar leases that you approve on a regular basis. All

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those things are tasks that the commission has to be able to ratify. It has to come before the commission. It does the staff cannot engage into this contract without the commission. >> Right. But as a liaison, I would personally I would prefer city

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manager to take that role. So that's just my personal opinion up here. St I mean commission >> commissioner Davidson. So, just feedback and make sure I understand

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what you're saying, Commissioner Jones. While we are in the process of um hiring an interim city manager, we have an acting city manager. So, I I mean, I just want to make sure we're not

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holding up the business of the city until we get through that process if that is what you're recommending. So that's the first thing I want to say. But the second thing I want to say is that I would like to see this move forward expeditiously. We've been

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dealing with this for a while now. So regardless as to whether we identify a commissioner who is a llayisons on or the city attorney um continues with theou at some point

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this has to come as an agenda item for us to vote on and I want to make sure I understand what we need to vote on this is anou that we've agreed upon or at least that the entity has provided feedback back on and that we provided

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feedback on which if I'm understanding correctly, Mr. Hill is suggesting that we have a lay on so that we can get that um ready to bring to a commission for vote and to vote on the $25,000 ask. Am

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I understanding that correctly? Is that what we need to make a decision? Mayor, >> that's my interpretation of everything that was said. So then my question is what do we need to get there? Do we need to appoint someone to to be that lays on

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for the commission or can we get that done with current staff and get it and I hope on the next agenda um the agenda for the next meeting. >> That's a question >> and it seems like a reasonable one and one that we should be able to

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accomplish. It doesn't again as you stated this has been going back back and forth for a while. So, I think we need to come to some consensus and conclusion on this so it can move forward and happen. Um, Commissioner B. >> So, yes, u I'm in um agreement with

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Commissioner Davis as it relates to that. It's already in the pipeline and um there's no sense in the continuous uh u moving it forward and waiting until we get uh uh city manager in place. So my

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recommendation would be to have our current acting interim city manager to be able to u facilitate that and generally if you're going to have that you would have legal involved as it relates to the contract itself. So, um

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he can um our current acting city manager can give direction to the city council, I mean our our current attorney, city attorney to be able to carry that out. And so that's I think what Mr. Hill is asking for and that's

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what I would like to move forward asking that the our acting city manager ask our city attorney to continue to move this thing forward. That would be my request. so that we can move this forward. Let me

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ask uh Attorney Hill just for a point of clarification. Would you desire a commissioner to serve as a point of liaison or are you comfortable with our um legal and acting city manager carrying out the ex the administrative

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component of theou and I say that because if not I am ready to make a motion either way. Um, but I just want to go ahead and kind of get where you stand. Uh, because it wasn't quite it was put there, but I want us to be on the same page. If that is your

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desire and the desire of the committee, let's go ahead and make it known now so that we can go ahead and move forward. >> My desire, I can work with anybody as it relates to this. I think it's a win for the city. Right now, the state of Florida has already identified St. Augustine as the home for the state of

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Florida's Black History Museum. This is the perfect time for us to move forward. I've worked with chief in the past. I've worked with Miss West on the charter review committee. I I can work with whomever. The one thing that I don't want to do is work with staff and the commission have some concerns that need to be addressed inside of what we have

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and we come back here and we spend a bunch of time going over things that we could have had brought to the forefront from the beginning. So, I I would just love to have the commission provide its input to staff and that's what we're going to do. >> You were going to say something was ready to make a motion.

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I'll make a motion that we identify a commissioner that is willing to serve as a liaison with reference to working along with staff um our acting city manager and legal department to facilitate a conversation and dialogue

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to help move uh the creation of the finalization of theou forward so that we can move this project along. Well, I make ahead. >> There's a motion on the floor. >> There's a motion on the floor. Second.

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>> There can be a second for discussion or the second for a vote. >> Is there a second? >> A second. >> Okay. Go ahead, Commissioner Jones. >> I was just going to name one. I was going to say, >> oh, okay. Okay. So, we have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion?

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>> Public comment. >> Okay. All in favor? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm I need you to go to public comment. Is anybody here for public comment on this? >> Come on. Come on, Mr. Kitchens, please. And put on the card after the kitchens for lack of Florida. I think this museum is a splendid idea and

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I hope it it's up and running even before the state of Florida one in St. John's County is. That being said, I think it is perfectly advisable that the commissioner appoint the chief who's the acting city manager as the liaison or the city attorney. Why? Because if you

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have one commissioner as a liaison, the temptation to violate the sunshine law might be there and it might be done accidentally. So I think for the purpose of propriety and to avoid the appearance of maybe undue influence that it would be better to have a staff member as your liaison and not a commissioner. That's

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not saying I don't trust you guys. I like all of you and I trust you. But if you forget to say something to one of the other commissioners and you have a problem. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> And I I do have a question. Oh, I I'm sorry. We at public comment. Let me let you finish. Is >> there anybody else here for public comment?

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>> Seeing no closing public comment. Go ahead. >> This is a general question when we identify a lison from the commission because a lison cannot speak on behalf of the full commission. So I'd like to understand what is the expectation of

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the commissioner who will be identified as a point if this motion passes that would be different from having our staff do it. So in my initial conversation, in my initial dialogue, that's what the recommendation or my statement was

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referencing, but I wanted to again give uh the recommendation that came from the committee the opportunity, but again, I don't see even if it even if there is a commissioner that is the liaison, it still will have to come before the commission in its entirety. Um but I

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wanted to again give uh with respect to the committee and their recommendation was to have a committee I mean a liaison commissioner liaison. So again I was either way prepared to make a motion but after the statement made by

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attorney Hill I went along with that motion but I was prepared to make a motion either way. >> Anybody else? >> Yeah to an Is there an answer to the question? Miss uh mayor, do you have a My question is for a comm the

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commissioner if this passes who gets appointed, what is their responsibility? Because I'm not sure uh if it was me. It's just my opinion. I'm one commissioner and I don't know what benefit or value that provides that would be different if it was a

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non-commissioner who was a lison. I think that's what I'm trying to understand so we don't have any confusion in this process. Um I agree with you and I don't think there's really to be honest any benefit for one of us to be a liaison. I think it makes more sense for the acting in this case

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right now acting city manager and attorney or andor to be the liaison that one of us it's not really going to serve a purpose in my mind. So given the consensus of what has just been communicated as the official person that made the motion I would make the

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recommend motation to withdraw my motion. Are you friendly to it being that you second? >> Yes. I also would like to make a additional motion um that we have staff represented as the liaison for the new

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town Museum uh committee to reference the comm committee. Um and we identified that person. Um I would make the recommendation that uh acting um even in the capacity of acting

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if he was to transition back to um chief that he still be able to serve in the capacity as liaison for the commissioner. >> Second. >> We have a motion and second. Any discussion? Any public comment? Seeing no opposed

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public comment. All in favor? >> I. Any opposition? Thank you. >> That was the original motion made. >> And I I would like the record to state that our goal is to have this prepared

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and on the agenda to vote on for the next commission meeting, please. >> That was June 11th. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> History of PAL palaca book release. Mr. Leonard. Good evening.

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Thank you for the opportunity to be here. Um, I believe we have copies of the book for each of you. Um, the book was produced, I did one previous book on Southwest St. John's County, the Hastings area. My family was

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involved with that >> part of St. John's County. And interestingly enough, through this process of doing this book, I came to the realization that my great-grandfather and his brother came to Palatka in the 1880s and then took went up the Akawaja to Marian County

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where they set up their first farming operation. Uh they also had relatives in San Monteo. So there were connections here that went back went way back to my family's beginnings in the state of Florida. Um, the type of book that I created for Palatka is what's called the

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Images of America series. It's by a company called Arcadia Publishing. It's very image- driven. And the purpose of the book, at least as far as I was concerned, was I have read in some cases multiple times, every book that's been

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written on the history of Palatka, at least the the major story of Palatka and Putnham County. Uh, they're all mentioned in the bibliography of the book. Those books tend to be more scholarly. They they require study to

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get value out of them. And what I really felt the community needed as a contribution to revitalization and and attracting business and visitors to Palatka was you have a wonderful story. Let's put it together in a way that's

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easy for the average person to understand in two hours. whether they're a resident of the community or whether they're a visitor to the community. So that is what this book set out to accomplish. It certainly is not the beall endall. No book can be. Um I say

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at the end of the book that I uh I hope it motivates others to build out the story of the history of this community in this county. But this is my contribution. If you'll give me the next image, please. So I've kind of touched

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on this. My family's been connected to this part of the state of Florida since the 1880s. Um, I've I don't know. I I find that most historians um have roots that go back to the area they're interested in and mine are authentic in

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that respect. Uh Larry Beaton, who I'll mention in a moment, is probably the best known historian in Putinham County and certainly his roots go way back in this in this community and in this county. Um so after I did the book in

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Hastings uh and on Southwest St. John's County and the farming areas and how that was a booming business back in the early part of the 20th century. Knowing how to put one of these books together and knowing that Palatka had such a wonderful story, uh, I thought it was time to put one together. So, I

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approached Larry about doing it. Next image, please. Um, so it's this slide, which is kind of a marketing slide, says it's it's more than a book. It's a storytelling asset that makes preserves palanka's history at a high level. It certainly is

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something that will help everyone understand a lot of very good things that have happened in this community over the last several hundred years. It's another thing when you write a book about the history of this part of the state of Florida, you go way back. Um, you have

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to This Hastings was a relatively easy book. It started with Henry Flaggler uh sending a cousin to build a farm out there. Um but this story goes back to the Native Americans and it it continues ever since then. Um so there's a lot to talk about when you talk about this

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community and I hope it does create new opportunities for tourism, for education of the of the community and have an economic impact. That's the point. This isn't about making money for me. I probably put over a thousand hours into putting this book together. I just hope it helps the Palatka community. Uh, next

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image. I dedicated the book to Larry Beaton. I met Larry at a special event at the Bronson Mullholland House about 10 years ago. Uh, him being a historian and me being very interested in the history of the state of Florida. We

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formed a friendship. Um, frankly, starting about four years ago, I kept trying to get Larry interested in uh writing the book and letting me put together the images and be the administrative guy. But Larry has suffered from ill health all those

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years. And while he had resources and helped me in the course of this book, he was unable to literally do the writing. So, it felt to me if the book was going to happen to take that upon myself, which I did. Um, I have seen Larry many many times, went by and saw him briefly

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today. Um, but I do hope that that this book is a blessing to the community. And last slide. Um, there will be an event at the uh, Lamur Art Center next Wednesday night at 6:00. I'll talk for about 45 minutes or so on

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some of the key images and stories that go with the book. and there'll be a book signing for people that are interested in having their book signed. So, all are welcome. Uh I hope it's a successful event and thank you for giving me this opportunity to introduce the book.

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>> Thank you. >> Questions? Any questions? >> More books to come. Hello everyone. >> Okay, while she has the financial dash dashboard pulled up, we'll be going over that. For the month

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of April, we're 58% into the year. The first um yeah, right there. So, this first page is a summary of all the funds. Overall, we're stable. The items that are highlighted in green are considered stable and yellow would be

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where we're monitoring closely. You can go to the next page. The next page is a list of all the departments within the general fund. For the most part, most departments are within the um healthy range. And the

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items that are um highlighted in yellow, we're monitoring um mainly the other government services department has um liability insurance um that is basically causing the 63.44%

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and then the for um Jenkins Gymnasium, we're aggressively um purchasing capital items to improve the gymnasium. Next page. And the final page, we're listing the U reserves for the general fund,

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utilities, and sanitation. And that concludes my financial report. >> No, excellent job. Thank you. Appreciate it. >> RCI water treatment plant update. Mr. Sean.

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>> Hey, commissioners. Good evening. >> Good evening, >> sir. >> All right, time for half your update on the water plant. We got a lot of things going on. Um, first I'm going to bring up is well number eight is done rehab now. We're waiting on FPL to come in and

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change out a transformer. Um the new transformer will provide the proper electrical current thus lowering the bill for the electricity at the well site. Um and this was a capital project. The GD is still currently being worked on. Filters are in place and all piped

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in. Inside valves are all installed. Just waiting on piping job outside. And this was grant funded. GAC piping is still under construction. Awaiting contractor to come back from another job. They arrive week of July 6 and is scheduled to be completed the

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second week of a second week of August. This is a partial grant and city funded. >> Ska supervisory control and data acquisition. The new system is under construction. Design phase is complete. Components are arriving daily at the plant now. Phase one of the design and

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procurement is scheduled to be completed at the end of September. Phase two, the final phase is scheduled to be completed mid-occtober of 2027. This as well is a capital project. High service pumps one and two, replacement of high service pumps one and two. This includes pumps, motors,

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and VFD cabinets. Components have started arriving daily. Installation is set to begin in June. Installation will only take 2 days. This will provide us with newer components and more cost effective and perform better. It will also provide us with backup pumps and parts for repairs. And this is as well

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grant funded. Ski club. We have met with the ski club and came up with clear lines of communication if and when it is needed. Ski club has be removing all surface lead pellets from the ground at the water plant that had spilled over. Uh

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this they are also doing the cleanup at the city gun range and the ski club. We also have an understanding that there'll be no shooting on lanes one and two towards the water plant moving forward. This was agreed on before. We're just enforcing it to make sure we stick to it. Then this is being all funded by the

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ski club. The cleanup that is not costing us a dollar. Uh water testing, which is a big topic for us. We are still currently meeting and exceeding water quality testing and are in compliance with D, EPA, and SJW.

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We have just finished up our newest round of lead and copper testing. Results will be shared as we get them. TTHMs are still passing. Some of the sites are showing the lowest amounts ever recorded in PALA. One site alone, we went from registering 150 parts per

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billion to one one part per billion. And that is a lot to do with the funds you gave me to redo the aeration towers. That was a big big step. Moving forward, future happenings. Uh Florida Water annual conference is coming up in July.

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A few members of my team and myself will be attending. This conference supplies us with CEU credits for retaining our licenses. It also gives us insights into new regulations and any changes coming down the line. We also get a good look at future technology that can make the water plant run more efficiently, in

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turn, saving us money and time. And the land swap, we have secured the plot of land between the water plant and well 2. This is one of our primary wells. We wanted this land for safety to the public drinking water. A proposed auto restoration garage was set to be built on the site which is in our

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wellhead protection zone and sitting on top of our force mainline that feeds the whole city. This type of business uses a lot of different chemicals, solvents, gas, oil, paints, paint thinner. If there was a spill or an accident, this could have major repercussions on our

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well and our water supply. I believe the safety of our water is the number one priority for myself and our citizens and this is a needed to be done. I understand it has taken away tax dollars, but the safety of our citizens is my priority. In conclusion, the water

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plant is striving to live with the safest quality water we can. We are meeting and exceeding quality standards and are steadfast at dealing with customer concerns. Just over two years ago, I took over the the day-to-day of the water plant. Since then, we have made leaps and bounds of both quality

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and production. I want to thank the commission for supplying me with all the tools necessary to make this happen. and I'm very excited for the future of the Placa drinking water plant. >> Can you just go quickly back and tell us what the initials stand for in two and four? >> Two and four. I apologize about that.

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>> Okay. >> GAC, that's the granular activated carbon filtration system. And four is SCADA. That's the supervisory control and data acquisition. That's the brain of the whole water plant. >> Thank you. That's just parcy in the community. >> Absolutely. No problem.

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>> Clearly. Thank you. Go ahead, Commissioner Campbell. I just want to say to Mr. Shawn, thank you. Um, since taking over, you have aggressively um, addressed all concerns that have come before or come up at the water treatment plant, and you have kept us informed as

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a whole um, of anything, whether it was uh, any uh, things that were going on, the community, speculations or anything, you immediately uh, put those to rest. So again, thank you for your leadership and thank you for making sure that the

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drinking water in Palaka is where it needs to be. >> You're very welcome. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. And might as well stay right there. >> Building city. >> All right. Now, this one's a little more fun. >> All right.

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All right. Community cleanup day. This is part of our PALA team building. This was all volunteers from all our employees getting together, learning to work with other people, switching up departments. What we did this year is we took everybody who volunteered and we

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blended them. Pri previously we separated it by department, sent departments out to do a certain area, and that was great. This year, we intermingled everybody. So, you had to talk and work with people that you've never seen before. You may not even have known their name, but by the time it was

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done, everybody was ecstatic. Everybody got to know everybody. I put a lot of pictures in because it really shows the great time these guys had and the work that was accomplished. This year we had 62 employees volunteer for cleanup. That is an impressive uh increase from last

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year's 22. So, we went way up this year. We were able to form 10 teams to cover multiple areas in the city. Some of those spots were Riverfront Park, Aan Dunham, Booker Park, Creek area, Jenkins Building, Historic

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District South, and Historic District North, Reed City, City Hall to the PD, and the Creek across from Florida furniture store, which I understand was in a rough shape, and now it looks pretty darn good. We removed over 50 bags of trash from these locations, as well as multiple

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tires, tables, you name it, we found it. We also had five outstanding sponsors this year for this event. They were fantastic. I'm going to mention them real quick. Duncan of Palaca supplied breakfast for everybody. Coffee, they were fantastic. Big help for us. Hansen

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Incorporated, another one that supplied a monetary donation. Autologic LLC also provided a monetary and so did Power and Pumps. And we had our community shirts all made by All Things New who in turn actually cut the rate for us because they knew it was a city happening and

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wanted to be involved. So fantastic. Couldn't thank these people enough. And as I said, breakfast and church were provided to all who participated as you can see. And then at once we were done, we all met back at the Jenkins. Thank you, Mr. Eddie, for having us all over

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there. And we supplied lunch for everybody. We had went to donations. We had hamburgers, hot dogs. Everybody got to sit down and cool off. First of all, it was hot out there. Enjoy a good meal. And then everybody went back to work. And that's how the day ended. Moving forward, I will ask during budgeting

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that the commission consider supplying a small budget for the team building, seeing we can't ask the same sponsors over and over every time. And that's the end of my report. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Sean. Thank you to everybody who volunteered. We appreciate it and and appreciate the spirit of

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caring about our city. Mayor, if we could >> go ahead. >> If I could have uh Eddie Cutright come up and uh give a small portion for the brick frolic bartum frolic reimbursement. >> Well, before we talk about that, I want

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to make a note that the donut picture I was not getting donuts. I was just organizing them for everybody else. I want to make sure that's understandable. Now, that was some bad shade was thrown on me right there. So, I want bad shade that was thrown on me. But, uh, I want

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to take opportunity to give y'all the opportunity to hear some of the success from the resolution that y'all put together last year about the special event, annual special event reimbursement program. This is our second opportunity to give money back to the organizations that do events on a regular basis. The first one check went

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to the porch fresh, Mr. Vto Riso Russo. But during that time we was trying to work out the kinks. But this time we have came together and think we have it figured out now. Miss Shante, Miss Pierre. So I wanted to bring Sam up here and let him say a few things and also present the check.

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>> Good. Thank you. Uh yeah this is u this is really wonderful. The the uh the Bartum frolic started uh eight years ago. Actually this is our 10th version of the Bartum Frolic this year. So it's our 10 year anniversary. We have educated through our uh uh education

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program 8,000 second graders in Putham County. Isn't that amazing? Put them out on the river and all of that. And then we have ourh passport to the past thing on the on the riverfront. All of this was created by the city of Pala and Putnham County and uh we really

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appreciate it. It's been an absolute pleasure. This year was the absolute smoothest. Eddie's crew, uh, from Jessica to Courtney and all of the people involved, the police department, everything like that made our life a whole lot easier than it's ever been.

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And I just want to thank y'all for for the cooperation. >> And I actually asked him to be short on his speech, so he tried. You did a good job. >> Thank you very much. >> You can write me up later, but I need

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one more. >> Uh, this is going to be short, but I want to take this opportunity uh to thank somebody, one of my staff member that's leaving and she's in attendance. So, I want to call Miss Sheffield up here, please. Yeah, she's actually want to spend more

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time with her family. So, she's leaving me her last day tomorrow. But I want to take this opportunity to let her know that she's going to be missed. And the job that she brought to that co that special coordinator job that she did for me is outstanding. The groundwork that she has laid is going to be beneficial

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to the next person that comes in and you're going to be missed. But I know you're going to be up there. Don't you cry on me. Uh but here, thank you for being part of the team. I know it was short and sweet, but I just want to thank uh the city and

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everybody. I I truly enjoyed my job. I learned a lot. I met a lot of good people. Um and I'm just glad to be able to be out here to say that the city is doing great things. Everybody want to say something negative, but I know what

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what everybody does from sanitation, finance. I mean I just everybody. So I just say thank you. I I'm still going to be in the town, you know, we just doing some different things. So um but I will miss um being there at Jenkins and and

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everything. I was telling Mr. Krite about the p the first pictures that I had in my phone of the building compared to what it looks like now and even at the Lammer and the Tigman Tilman house. Yeah, I'll be saying wrong. So, I mean,

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you could just see what the city is doing and that's a great thing and we should be proud of our city and our staff and the people that work for the city. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I was going to say this for my commissioner comments, but since um Mr.

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Cutright introduces, I want to say too, job well done. Miss Shana led the city of Palaca summer safety summit that was held on I don't remember the date May

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20th and it started with um James A. Long Elementary School students. I believe there were about 65 kids and I want to say thank you for coordin coordinating that effort. participation

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was by the police department, the fire department, the um state attorney's office, the Florida Department of Transportation. Um there were some lifeguards out there talking about safety, and I know I'm missing people, so I don't want to call,

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but these are the shirts that they gave everyone, and the students were absolutely um >> Oh, I'm supposed to talk about the back even though I wasn't on the agenda. Okay. Um, oh, I know why they're seeing the

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back. Because there were so many partners, um, community partners and sponsors. Um, I'm not going to read them all off, but I mean, there were gosh, oh, it looks like 20 partners. So, this was an amazing partnership with the city

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of Palka and the department. And thank you, Miss Shana. And I hope this is an annual event that we can extend to other schools, guys. It was absolutely amazing. So the only feedback I have is next time make sure you invite our PIO.

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So that's to everyone so that she can get these events. But Miss Shannon, thank you very much. A huge impact and thank you for leaving this program so perhaps you can volunteer in the future to make sure we keep it going. Thank you very much. Oh my god. I'm going to open the floor

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to public comment for items that are not specified on the agenda. If there's anybody here for public comment, you have three minutes and please give your name and city or town of residents. Again, for any items not specified on the agenda and no action will be taken at this time. Is there anybody here for

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public comment? Miss Duke, >> sorry I arrived a little late, so I didn't get my card turned in. Um, I just wanted to say that I did go down to the Blue Crab Festival. I don't like being hot, but I wanted to check out how

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things were. I was so impressed on Saturday with the crowds that came out to participate. And um I didn't get a chance to talk to them, but cars were backed up past Pizza Boys that far back, parking that far

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back to walk down to the riverfront. I was just terribly impressed that we had that kind of crowd on Saturday. And then Sunday after church, I decided I I could walk down a few blocks in the heat and check things out. And I talked to about six or seven vendors. Every one of them

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were so impressed with how professional it had been, how well it had gone, how their sales had been on Saturday, and that even though that they were packed, and they were never stopped in communicating with the people that came, that they um it was marvelous, and that

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they would come back and that they wanted to check on coming to the farmers market, you know, twice a month here in town, that they found out about it while they were here and they planned on seeing and if they couldn't come to those events. So, I thought it came out

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very well. And then when I went to the parade on Monday, um there was a family there that had gone down and listened to the music and said they were terribly impressed with how wonderful the music was and the children's section that was

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set up that it was marvelous. It was the best one they'd ever seen. Thank you. >> Thank you. And speaking of Blue Crab, Miss Good evening, Aaron Hughes, uh, East Palaca. Uh, yes, and thank you so much, Miss Duke. We actually, uh, cross paths

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with each other during the weekend and, uh, she gave those sentiments to our team. Uh, which quite frankly, we have been, uh, showered with a lot of love and support and the success of the event. Uh that was completely all ran by volunteers this weekend. Uh through the

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wind, through the rain um and through the heat, we wounded up um coming out uh everything's in good condition. We're solid. Every single vendor and and band person that we had services with all received their payments. All the merchants downtown are getting a full

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refund on their deposits. Um so we have strived to work with the community. We have Palaca Sunshines Rotary out there uh helping uh serve beers. The GFWC women's club palaca also helped serve a shift. Um and so it was a really great excitement reading all the feedback um

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from our marketing team being comical and having a really great time interviewing a few of members of the commission here. Um and also I wanted to uh commend your city staff. Uh we worked really well with uh Palaka PD uh public works, community affairs, sanitation,

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um and the fire department. Uh they were excellent all the way through. Uh we ending from basically 8 a.m. on Thursday getting all those um barricades and cones set it out for roadblocks, PD securing those roads for safety for us to have a smooth transition and load in.

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Um, and even down to the last day where we basically consolidated and opened up roads for the public use as quickly as possible. Uh, so I feel like it was a really great weekend. We didn't have really anything significant to report. So, um, other than a camel getting loose, a kitten getting saved, uh, which

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did get a home before it left. Uh, and then I think, you know, just a lot of fun and I think it was a really great example that no matter what came our way, positive attitudes gave a positive outcome. So, thank you so much for this opportunity and I'd like to let you know that as of today, we turned in the

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application for 2027. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Mr. Alexander. Public comment. >> Can you hear me? Okay. Josh Alexander, 246 Port Comfort Drive. Been a long day. spent five hours with scientists at the water management district this morning and a quick couple hour trip to

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Jacksonville, but uh wanted to make it back for this meeting. Um after speaking with Mr. Cutright this this afternoon, it uh appears that we you guys may be on board for moving forward with my staff and trying to lay the framework for the

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use of some of the ball fields in town. And I wanted to say thank you and make sure that um that that you guys were okay with that. um dispatching my staff and getting something structured so we can work back and forth on that. >> Thank you. We we don't respond until

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afterwards. >> Yes, ma'am. Well, I wanted to say thank you guys. >> Thank you. >> And I'll get something together for you. >> Thank you. Is there anybody else here for public comment if items not specified on the agenda? Seeing none, we'll close public comment. Do we want

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to provide any feedback to any of these comments? >> Go ahead. Getting back to the Blue Crab Festival again, kudos. I know you've heard the wonderful reviews. We also had some opportunities for improvement. I

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just want to encourage you if you would like. Well, first of all, let me just acknowledge that that team put together that festival in a few months. So, let's acknowledge that because I don't know if we remember they got this well after uh

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Memorial Day of last year. So, thank you for doing an excellent job in such a short period of time. Um, hopefully we can get everything approved and get on so we can have a full year to prepare. And I just want to encourage anyone

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since this is volunteer and a community festival. Please volunteer, get on a committee. If you have suggestions, please send them to bluecarrabfestestival.com. They are taking all suggestions. And um, let's make this even better for next

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year. So, I want to say great job. What I heard more than anything walking around the festival is that our city staff was absolutely amazing. So, I want to reiterate what Aaron just said. Um, our fire department, our police

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department, our sanitation department, glowing, glowing, glowing reviews. Um, we did an excellent job in supporting that festival. So, I personally want to say thank you. >> Thank you. Anybody else want to respond? Um, have another response, but I'll press pause, but it it's on um

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>> another topic. >> Yes. >> Anybody else have any input on blue crab or any comments? Okay. No, if I can just offer a suggestion as well. I know that that following Monday and it doesn't necessarily have to be an official event of the blue crab, but in the promoting

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of the blue crab, if we can work with the VFW post um to encourage them to um take part in our Memorial Day uh >> um ceremony and parade that generally takes place. I know that came up as a concern with some of those that are with

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the VFW post. So, if there could be some kind of just a partnership, um doesn't have to be an official day, but just in some of the publications and output, um supporting them in their um outreach to the community since you all have that uh outreach down pad.

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>> Thank you. Anybody else on Blue Crab? Okay. Thank you. Go ahead. >> I'm okay. >> Okay. >> Um and I think to speak to Mr. Alexander's comments, we are relying on Mr. cut right um to work with Mr. Alexander and come up with the final

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product when that is when that's done. So just moving forward. Thank you. On to the consent agenda. Are there any items to be pulled from the consent agenda? No. Nothing. Commissioner Davis. No.

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Commissioner Bar. Commissioner Jones. >> No. >> Commissioner Campbell. No. >> Okay. >> Make a motion. >> Okay. Go ahead. >> I'd like to make a motion to accept the consent agenda as printed. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. All in

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favor? >> I. Any opposition? Thank you. I'm assuming no recess, so I'll keep moving along. Regular business B, release of lean 4510 West Madison Street.

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Mrs. Battella Bravo, the owner is here. Mr. Mr. Agamo. >> Good evening, commissioners. >> Good evening. Good evening. >> Just get my my parents here

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commissioner. This is a request for a a lean reduction for a lean release actually for a property for 4510 West Madison Street. And this is a

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little bit of unusual case. Um I'll see if I can summarize a little bit the circumstances of this request. The property was with u code violation back in 2012 and the accumulated fines

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uh and then the property was sold. The current property owners bought the property in 19 I mean in 2015 uh unaware of the lean that was on the property. The title company did not pull the lean. So this couple, this family

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uh went ahead and bought the property. They improved the property. They remove all the code violation. They brought into compliance to the they spend about $30,000 on on improving the property.

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Now the property want they they want to sell the property because their family is expanding. Um, and that's when they find out that they have a lean unaware. So, uh, the leans that

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accumulated is about almost $40,000. Uh, I'm I'm sorry, $26,000. And the request, uh, they're asking for a reduction in in the in the in the lean in the fines. And based on the guidance

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that we have today, that would amount to about $13,000, which would be a tremendous impact to the family because they rely on that money uh on the sale of the house to buy another house. They had the property has been into in

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compliance with our code ever since they moved into the property in 2015. Um, I think what we're recommending is that we take a look again at the guidelines for releasing or reducing

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leans because it doesn't fit everything. Like I said, this is a little bit unusual. It's a homestead property and to no better than, you know, to no fault on the property owners, they they get

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the property in compliance. They improve the property and now you know they have this situation where they have to pay $13,000. I think that the goal of the city we have achieved what we what is our goal

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which is to bring properties into compliance with our code. So um we are recommended that we take another look of the guidelines uh staff and

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if it is if you ask for my personal um recommendation I would recommend that we just release the lean and not punish this family. With that the applicants are here. I don't know whe the city attorney wants

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to add anything. to it or >> I suggest we hear from the applicant. >> Okay. >> Yes. Come on up. Please give us your name and and city of town and residents for the record. >> Good evening. My name is I do live at

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4510 West Madison Street. Um we did purchase our home in 2015. We were never notified that the property itself had a code lean. Um, we just started a contract with trying to close out our home because we're trying to find a

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bigger home for our family. I'm currently the only one working because I'm trying to do the things right um regarding immigration status with my husband. Um, I'm a mother of five. So, I'm really trying to

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Thank you guys. police to release this le. >> I just got a question. >> Go ahead, Commissioner B. >> on. So when we purchase the property, they go through title searches through a title company.

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>> Yes. And apparently title company did not picked it up and it was not notified that there was a leak. So there is a fault on on the title company obviously. >> Okay. But generally when it goes to a title company there's um

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I think they there's a curing portion as it relates to whenever they if they secured a true title company that should have helped in that regard in in my in what I from what I understand about real estate for the most part. So I'm not

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sure how does that work if it was just found during the sale. So, I'm just trying to get that. >> All I know is that when they did the closing, the the title was clear and there was they didn't show any lean for the property.

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>> Right. So, did they did they purchase it through just was it direct purchase >> that I don't know. >> It's under a warranty. >> Oh, come come up to the um mic, please. >> Um the property was purchased through a warranty deed. This is our first home

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that we purchased um and here in the state of Florida. We weren't aware that this was not a clean title or clean paperwork. >> Right. No, >> my but my question was I mean when you when you when you p did you purchase it

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through a tax lean or did you purchase it through a direct um a direct buy or was it through a bank or how >> uh we p we purchased the property through Michael Simpson which was um to

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my understanding he had paid off the taxes and I guess a direct buy would be the answer. >> So who is Michael Simpson? Um he Michael Simpson is he was unfortunately he has passed away. >> Okay.

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>> Um he would buy and sell properties here in Putham County. Um currently we were in a situation when we first moved here we brought property that we were having some legal issues. So is was his first home purchasing a

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first home um in order to help us. >> Right. Okay. So yeah. So sound like it it wasn't like the normal process where you would go through the title company to make sure that those properties don't have any lings and and those just some of the

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harsh realities in dealing with you know transactions for the property transactions at least cuz seems like a good might have been a seemed like a good deal but you know sometimes those things come with additional things that you may not know of and title companies

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help cure those things. So that's that's just my comment. So I just wanted to how to understand how everything uh how all the transactions acquire I mean was um

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took place whatever. >> So whenever we signed over or signed the paperwork on the paperwork it states that the property is free of any fees or anything owed on the property. That's what our understanding was whenever we

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signed the paperwork. >> Go ahead. >> Which paperwork? Can you be specific? >> Our warranty when they closed on the property was clean title and apparently it wasn't or their understanding was that was

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clean. >> Do you have that paper not including this packet? Uh Mr. I believe so. >> Yes. >> What we did? going to find that that is free and

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>> clear. The reason why I asked that question is >> sure. So this was conveyed to the the applicant back in 2015 via a special warranty deed. They purchased it from a

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Michael Simpson who had purchased it at a taxdeed sale. Nevertheless, um a special warranty deed is just below a warranty deed in terms of warrant title, but it should have been conveyed free

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and clear. This was uh prepared. Doesn't say who prepared. It looks like Michael Simpson prepared it. Um, and I don't see who the closing agent was or the title insurance provider, but basically it

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says that the grtor is lawfully seized of said land in fe simple, which is how you want title conveyed, and that the grtor has good right and lawful authority to sell and convey said land, and hereby warrants the title to said land, and will defend the same against

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the lawful claims of all persons. that it is free of all incumbrances except taxes occurring subsequent to December 31st, 2014. >> Ma'am, >> go ahead. >> So, Mr. Agmo, you said that this is unique a unique situation, but it really

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isn't. It really isn't unique. >> Is that unusual? >> Unusual. Unique. It isn't because we just had this at our last meeting when we told a guy the guy had something similar. >> What I meant commissioner is that it's

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unusual the fact that these people bought this property and the the the >> and good faith would led to believe. That's what I'm saying. And this is a homestead. The the property when the property owners after they bought it, they brought the property to compliance.

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They spend $30,000 which is more than what the lean is. That's what I said. It was unusual. >> But we do we do know that folk buy this unseen property a lot and they come with

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incumbrances on them and when they get ready to sell them, they have to pay the leans to be able to have a free and clear title. um to said property. And to me,

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I guess we got to go back to what we actually have as uh our what we created as far as our rules that we follow. So I don't I mean >> commissioner those are just guidelines

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>> rules per se that have to be doesn't seem to be an obligation you know to but is a guidance that's that follows you know >> yeah but if we're going to hear every every every one of the reduction the lean reductions and the request

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we need to remove some of the processes we have because everybody have the same right to come up here before us and ask the same hardships. Everybody have these hardships. I'm not saying not do it, but we got to find a better way to address these. Um, and I'm I want to say it in

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this meeting. We got to find a better way because everybody have hardships. >> You're right, Commissioner. And that's the reason that staff, you know, with the city attorney, myself, you know, recommending that we take another look at the gang and maybe had a workshop with the board to see how we can move forward in the future.

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>> Yeah, definitely want to help help you guys. Um, but it almost seemed like our hands are tied a little bit. Uh, especially with what we sent the uh the property owner last week, our last meeting out with and I think the

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last last thing we left with, they were going to they want to go to litigation, >> but I think that's different. >> No, it's it's the same thing. >> It's totally different. >> Well, >> totally different circumstances. Go ahead, Commissioner Davis, if you're done. Are you done?

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I I guess so. Mayor, you jumped off. >> Commissioner Davis, you're sure you're done? Okay. >> I want to make sure. >> Go ahead. >> I'm done. >> Um, based on the circumstances presented and the fact that the property has been brought up to code and there are no

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current violations, I move that we re we release the lean at 4510 West Madison Street. >> Second. We have a motion to second. >> Question. >> Question. I'm Go ahead.

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>> So, so my comment um would be um to the city attorney. I know Mr. Gumo, you you mentioned that it was um a guideline, but what we put in But what we put in place was not a guideline.

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It was a policy. From what I from what I understood, Miss our former city manager, former city attorney prior to Mr. Don Holmes helped draft that

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whole thing and it was not a guideline and I think um we had other situations come up before and our city attorney said stated that we could not make uh we we could not go against our own policy

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if my memory served me correct. So is it I'm sure it was a it was not a guideline it was a policy. So that's my recollection. >> So it it is actually a guideline that was adopted by resolution. It's entitled guidelines for code enforcement fines

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lean reductions. >> It's the attachment to the resolution is that's what it's entitled >> guideline. >> Correct. >> Okay. Is there any further discussion? We have a motion and a second.

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any public >> one one last thing. >> Okay. And we want to open Go ahead. Go ahead, Commissioner B. Then we'll open to public with comments. >> So, you know, just going forward, you know, for future situations like this, I know we say it's unusual and different things of that nature. So if we have

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another claim and uh numerous claims forward that people come with a similar situation as such what would be what are we going to continue to go that path that's just I want to just throw that out there on the

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table >> the man said that he was trying to come up with something to revisit to bring >> that's what was just stated yes that Mr. AMO and Attorney West are going to work on some revisions, suggestions, recommendations to bring back to us

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so that in the future we're more there's more clear direction. >> Okay. >> May I just say this and again I I'm going to put it out here, but I'd like to um

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just say that this is from my understanding. If an understanding is different, I'm open to hearing it. But with code violations, the purpose is to remove blight.

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And it's not to raise money for the city. We really want our city to be without blight. The other thing I am concerned I want to make sure we do just keep guidelines because circumstances

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are different and I believe where we agreed is when a an investment company owned a property we looked at it differently. That was my understanding. But I do want to say this. I just hope

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that we can always remember our primary goal here for our city. It's not to put an undue burden on anyone, but it is to remove blight and there is a consequence to people who do not take the

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appropriate action. So, I just want us to keep that in mind. I also believe that circumstances differ for these cases and I think that we do need to consider them on a case-byase basis. Um, and I implore us to be reasonable.

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um this correction of the violation exceeded the amount of the actual um code fees. So again, I just hope we

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can be reasonable and consider these on a case-byase basis, always with the goal of what is best for the city and to not cause an undue harm when it's not needed. and to understand this

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error was not made by anyone who's here today who can take responsibility from it, but in hopes that in the future we can rectify this. Thank you, >> mayor. Just for a point of order, I would like for us to limit the comments as regards to there is a motion on the

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floor and it has been second. Um, some of the commentary that has been made, it can veer the conversation in a different direction. um that should have taken place prior to the motion being made. So, as a point of order, I would like us to limit the conversation with regards to this and move forward with public

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comment and ultimately a vote. >> With that said, I'm opening the floor to public comment on this topic. Come up, Miss Kitchens. >> I'm Li Kitchens of Florida. Uh we didn't have the opportunity to make a public comment before you made the motion. So limiting what we can say is a

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violation of the first amendment of the US Constitution's freedom of speech. That being said, I support you all for reducing the fine. The lady was not aware of it. The title company is at fault. Uh the person that drew up the deed is at fault. She should have been notified of it. Mr. Davis is correct.

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Circumstances do alter things. This is an unusual circumstance. This lady has homestead. Under the Florida Constitution and Florida statutes, the city can basically never foreclose on homestead property for a codes lean. If the lady sells the property and she signs homestead someplace else, the property still can't be foreclosed on.

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If it go if she dies and it goes to an error, the property still can't be forclosed on. So, the chances of you actually getting this lean slim to none. So, please judge this case on its merit is a guideline. You are you as a city commission have the right to make a

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decision based on the case. Please reduce this lady's lean and do the right thing. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is there anybody else here for public comment? Please give us your name and city town of residence. >> Anna Estz um city of Palaka. I am the

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realtor and I build a you know we've known each other for years. I see this happen a lot. Um mainly because it happened to my mom as well. Um people are buying certificate taxes. People don't pay their taxes and they're using

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people with language barrier, taking them to a title company to sign a document that has been created by the owner, not the title company, but the owner. And they go into this title

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company thinking that they're signing, getting it notorized there, assuming everything is clear and done. Next thing you know, these surprises come along. She went to a title company with a warranty deed that was created not by

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the title company, but by this person that can just find a template in Google and then she signs it in a title company. I think title companies need to take that very seriously when they're notorizing documents. And I do agree that it should be t taken case by case

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because every scenario is very different when they're buying these properties. She has five five kids, you know, it's and they've been there since 2015 and they've taken amazing care of that property and it

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hasn't been it wasn't 30,000, they spent 70,000 in that property and anyone can look it up and see it on Zillow. That's all I have to say. >> Thank you. Is there anybody else for public comment? Seeing none, we'll close public comment.

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We have a motion, a second. All in favor? >> I. Any opposition? >> Nay. >> Thank you. Moving forward. Excuse me. Discussion direction. Land swaps. We out of stall.

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>> So, is somebody going to >> I'll go ahead. This uh this item was added uh to the agenda at the request of Commissioner Jones. I paused because I thought Commissioner Jones was going to open up. Well, if I may, generally we have if a commissioner pulls an item or

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adds an item to the agenda, we they are to adhere to or provide the commission with the reason of it being added to the agenda >> and and thank you. And I didn't realize who had added it to the agenda. So that

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is why I did not turn to my colleague. But >> may I mad mayor? Go ahead. >> Well, commission um land swap. the history here. it. I think it was actually brought up by the

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uh city attorney. The ask was how many partals of the city of surplus land did we get rid of in the last I think it was last year and there were

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three that were identified uh land swaps or land uh acquisitions or sales. One was the airport land swap uh transaction involving Mr. Jeff Nations and part of

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uh airport property where we actually have now the correct me if I'm wrong the uh public works building we purchased that from Mr. nations and uh number two was the port consolidated which is next door. The last swap was the uh river

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center and that was involving the blue crab development and it says blue crab development and so as a question mark was there another party involved with that. I'm looking on three page 346

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and uh your packet it's a and but there's nobody else. Uh no, >> it it's referring to item number three, the after the semicolon. >> Okay. And third was the PRC land swap

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involving Teresa Davis. Now the questions I had and we were talking about transparency and making these transparent. Um, there was some conversation about the airport land swap and it being incomplete. I don't know

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how much the rest of the commission knows uh about it. I asked Miss West to actually give an update and I think everybody received the update on that property. Is that correct? By nod

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but nod nod your head if you have if you have any. >> Yes. >> Okay. So bringing us up to speed with that, I had questions I wanted to ask and since sunshine pre prohibits us from talking about it collectively. Um I

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wanted to know was that property engaged in any litigation currently? Um is there any litigation going on with that property currently that we need to know about? >> No.

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>> No. Are there any FAA inquiries about that land swap in our property that's dealing with missing nations uh and the land swap that we did with him? >> I'll defer to either our airport manager

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or our consultant uh from Paso, Matt Singleary. >> Good evening. and you McNair, your airport manager, could you repeat the question, please? >> The question was, were there were there any FAA inquiries in reference to that

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property as as far as u any further investigation? Is there need of boundaries and etc. Okay. So, just for clarity here and to try to avoid confusion,

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>> the reference to the public works land swap. So, that was that authorization was received 2023 September I believe. So, back in the days. Land swap number two is a is a um

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project item that the FAA has a concern with the runway visibility zone. So during our uh annual airfield inspection, which is typically handled by state officials, the FAA came in with

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the state and identified two items. One was the residential of or appearance of RV RVs at the airport and two was looking at the RVZ or runway visibility zone which is essentially a line of

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sight concern. So on our ALP F4 layout plan it's actually referenced as as if we were to do some kind of expansion it would impact those areas. So there is an inquiry by the FAA regarding what are

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they working with on that land swap. >> Okay. And since you brought up expansions, we were actually asking for allocation for airport runway expansions. Will this hinder the

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progress or even possibility of us receiving those fund funding funding period? >> Well, the short answer is yes. However, during the FAA's inspection uh about two and a half, three months ago or so, uh

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the communication they came back with us uh laid out some options to try to get past the concern or the issue. uh since then we have uh under the former city manager responded back

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to the FAA with the option. So they are reviewing that but the short answer is yes. If you do not take these options uh if you do not resolve it uh it will put you in a position to where you going to

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forfeit uh grant eligibility. So that's a sensitivity >> sensitivity also with land swap number two um I'm sorry number one um were there any boundary issues

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understand that >> not to my knowledge >> no boundaries issues so with the visibility with the visibility concerns or questions are We good with >> Yeah. From from my understanding with

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land swap number one, you know, when the FAA from the airport district office generate a cover letter laying out, hey, this is our position and interest in releasing this property. They give you a deed of release, you know, laying out

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what the conditions are, limits, restrictions, those kind of things. Well, that's that's that has already gone through the federal register. Okay. So, so that's good to go. You know, that that's done. Um, you know,

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any land swap release, you know, until you go through that, that's when you're you're clear because it gives the public the comment opportunity on those kind of projects. >> Okay. So, Miss McNair, that So, that land swap is complete. We're done with

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it. >> Number one. >> Yes, sir. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Great. Land swap number two. This goes back to land swap number two. I'm okay with it.

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Land swap number three. That's the most recent land swap that we have. And just recently we were we discovered that it actually um can we get the history on how do we get

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the land swap number three Miss West? It was it first my first question. Was it on our surplus land uh list? Was that listed as surplus land? >> It was not. >> It was not.

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Could you give a little bit of history on? >> Sure. As I detailed in my May 12th um memorandum to our acting city manager as well as the mayor and commissioners, I provided an extensive chronological

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um history of what transpired. On July 15th, um Teresa Davis purchased a parcel of land via warranty deed from the Anna Fertic Foundation. The Anna Fertic Foundation had acquired the parcel at a taxdeed sale in November of 2022 for

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$4,500. Terresa Davis paid 12,500 for the parcel. The parcel was a landlocked piece of property within the city's wellfield. As you heard Mr. um Shawn Bernau reference earlier, um the parcel

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consisted of 38 acres of industrial zone land. Teresa Davis met with city staff in July uh together with her husband Clay Davis to obtain an easement for ingress and egress access to the landlocked parcel.

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City staff was amendable to the easement and requested that Davis draft an agreement. In addition, city staff requested a right of first refusal in the event that Teresa Davis should decide to sell the lot. I drafted a right of first refusal and submitted the

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same to her on July 23rd. She reviewed it and was amendable to the terms due to the sensitive location of the property. In August of last year, city staff, including the city manager, Marcia Cardi, myself, the planning director,

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public works director, the water superintendent, met with Teresa and Clay Davis. And during the meeting, the Davises explained that they had acquired the parcel for their son to build a car repair mechanic machine shop. This use,

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while permissible under the zoning, raised some concerns with our city staff, in particular our water superintendent, given the proximity to the water treatment plant and our wellfield. It is well within our wellfield protection zone. And I provided a

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diagram to show you the parcel in proximity to the water plant and our wellfield protection zone. In addition, um it also sits on one of our water manes as Mr. Shawn explained

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earlier. So, I drafted a restrictive covenant basically limiting the substances that were permissible in the shop and then also allowing for a uh basically a third party inspector to come on site to inspect for any sort of

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contaminant usage. And that transaction was placed on the September 10th city commission agenda for approval. And at that time, given the nature of the restrictive covenants that I had proposed, the Davis's approached the

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city with an option to have us consider a land swap instead. This was a preferable option for the city because it would remove all risk of any sort of contaminants entering our wellfield

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protection zone which in our opinion was of critical importance for the safety, health and welfare of the citizens of Palaca. So we move forward. Um we

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proposed I believe four different potential parcels um that uh the planning director and I had identified that were comparable in value and size. Uh those lots were surplus lots. And I

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believe some of them, but maybe not all of them are identified on our um surplus land list on our website. They included Napoleon Street in North 12th, Ocean Street in North 13th, Olivan North 12,

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Olivan North uh 11th. The first three are zoned residential, but the planning director indicated that the city would sponsor a reszoning application. These options were shared with Terresa Davis. However, in response,

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um, they thanked us for the list of properties, but indicated they were not interested in swapping with any of those because of the residential nature. The last one, I believe, was commercial. Um, and so they had identified a alternative

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parcel along PRC Way that consisted of 28 acres. This was a smaller fraction of a larger 13.85 acre parcel that the city owns along PRC way. And I provided a

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diagram within this memo. The city manager authorized a notice to proceed with surveying that first law on PRC way that Teresa Davis was seeking to swap with the city. And on November 3rd, Teresa Davis provided the legal

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description for the proposed swap property. And that is what our surveyor used when they went out on site to mark the meats and bounds of the property. The property did have um well, I don't I don't know how much further you want me to go. I'm basically

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just reading. >> You don't you don't have to go any further. I just have some follow-up question. >> Okay. And thank you for giving that summary. And I'll tell you my my concerns. My concerns were this

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property wasn't on a surplus plush property list and it was handpicked by Miss Davis who her husband is actually the property appraiser. So how would they know anything about this particular property?

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um as far as to be even considered for a land swap and the amount that the city gave up and what the city actually got as far as the in the land swap because

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as you stated that this property that we actually obtained uh by the well fields was valued at 12,000 well not valued at but we purchased it for 12,500 And I believe the property that we gave

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up was $50,000 for the first $50,000. And now through communication from you as could be sold for over 27, excuse me,

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$375,000 offer on that same piece of property. um the PRC way property and it just concerns me and I wanted this to be bought out in the open because

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there's a disconnect as far as communication when we're talking about acquiring someone acquiring city property and personally I had a problem with

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the city manager city attorney making these deals. Not and because of the fact not because of your expertise because the optics of it and I actually requested some time

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ago that when we do land deals that we get a real estate attorney to do it. Not that you're not capable. However, just like we just talked about this young lady and how those lands deals were done, uh, I would like to have a subject matter expert actually doing those land

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swaps so that the optics wouldn't be questioned. Um, the reason why I brought this up because constituents asking about this and we can't talk about it oneonone, I want to show transparency that really

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we didn't know, but you could clear it up. you and uh everybody else that was involved just as I asked and you did clear it up, but I have those questions about the value of the land. It doesn't seem to be appropriate in that swap and it

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seems as if the city gave up way much more than we gain. That's one and two. Number three, the well fields and them being protected with the covenants that's on

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that piece of property by the wellfield that you guys put on. They really couldn't put they could not put a uh automotive shop on that property because we already kind of put the

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covenants in place to protect it. So, I wanted to know why did we make that swap and if there was a it had to be it seems like some proprietary information that went out

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with that PRC land that was interest to individuals. It could be more than that individual, but it seemed that that individual had uh had knowledge or prior knowledge about that partial and uh

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and that we owned it for number one and that they could get it number two. So, commission, I just wanted to be out. If the commission don't think there or don't feel that there's nothing and that's just the city doing business as usual, that's fine with me. But I I

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wanted it to be out. So may I address the three points that you raised? >> The valuation was based on the Durant and Associates appraisal evaluating um the areas in the Putnham County

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Business Park with M1 zoning. We didn't have for AP zoning which would have been lower because it has limited usage. The price per acre for M1 zoning in the Putnham County Business Park is 40,000

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per acre. And so it was actually in line when you take into effect the externalities of the gopher tortoise habitat on the property and the fact that the zoning

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was restrictive. Second, the restrictive covenants did not out outright prohibit the use of the parcel uh near the water treatment plant as a mechanic shop. They had full

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intention of proceeding with that. It's just we were going to build in these restrictive covenants that would have limited certain contaminants, but we would have still have had to inspect for those contaminants being on site. So

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that was going to impose a burden on city resources to make sure that that actually happened, but it wasn't going to prohibit the actual use of the property because they do have a property right to use that property for the the

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designation the industrial use that it was zoned at. We didn't realize that the city didn't own that. You would have thought given its proximity to the wellfield that someone would have made sure the city owned all the property in that vicinity, but that was not the

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case. And so we were tasked with basically doing the protective measures to protect the city's welfare. Um, as to the knowledge of the Davises um of the property owned by the city, it is public record, but I obviously I

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can't speak to that. That would be a question more appropriate for them. So, you did bring something up that I just want to also uh circle back on and that's the contaminants. When when that when that land swap was brought to the

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commission, it was that it was very important that we actually make this swap because of the possible contaminate incontamination. I asked uh did we have any professional

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that gave us a professional opinion that it actually would if it was actually a automotive shop would it actually contaminate our or potentially contaminate our drinking water? It could

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be that threat. So if so, um was it any documentation from any uh state agency, federal agency? Uh what or was that just a personal opinion of who?

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>> So I don't fool around in mechanic shops very often. So, I actually am going to defer to Shawn Bruno, who um asked actually very pointed questions on the chemicals that the mechanic shop was going to use when we were all meeting in

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the annex. and he had real concerns that he raised at that time that quite frankly would not have raised a flag had he not asked specifically about certain contaminants that were of concern to him and his effort to protect the wells.

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>> Go ahead, please. Contaminants for a restoration shop that are normally found at a restoration shop as I already mentioned before is uh everything from gas to oils to solvent paint thinners and all these are critical contaminants

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with uh FRWA and with D. As you know, one of the things that they can drop is lead and copper and we're in a big issue with lead and copper. Now we've already had this issue of contaminants in our ground. We work through it to clear it up and make it right. Why take the risk

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of another possible contaminant being there? It's on a small part of land that should have been ours anyways. And I believe wholeheartedly like I told you and then the commissioner earlier today that that land swap was needed. Those chemicals are present. We'd have to have

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somebody go in there and mitigate the land all the time just to check it to make sure it was not being, you know, skills happen, things happen. And unfortunately with those chemicals and the things they have in there and if you want a more detailed list I can provide you absolutely I will get that from you

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for D from D uh St. John's water management. I can supply that when you need it. >> When we make these decisions, I would like to have some in writing to actually we're making decisions and um I think we

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kind of prematurely pull the trigger on it personally and I I you're doing a mighty job out at the the water treatment center. But when it come to something like this, I would like us to have the documentation and saying why

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we're making some of these decisions, not because uh I just would like to have the documentation. And again, Sean, when it's it's the optics of this entire swap and as you're saying, gas,

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lead, other oil solvents, you're right. But if if I ask you right now, well, how long would it take for those solvents to get down to our drinking water? Would you be able to answer that? >> It could take as little as six months, could take up to 20 years.

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>> But we won't know until it's >> right. So again, so I would for the sake of when we do these land swaps and I'm through with asking your question. Um, when we do these land swaps, I would

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like to have uh a real estate attorney take us through it and whoever uh I think we had deemed deemed it necessary to have one when we do these swaps and Miss West actually concurred with that uh going forward. Matter of fact, uh I

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think you recommended that we don't do anymore. Is that your recommendation? >> That is correct. Um, given the complexity, determining the equitable valuation between properties, resolving title, access, zoning issues, negotiating the terms and conditions

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unique to each parcel, um, and and codifying that all in one contract with the buyer and seller based upon my experience with these last three transactions. It is my recommendation that the policy of the city should be that we no longer engage in land swaps

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and instead do fe simple straight transactions as a buyer and seller with no further land swaps. That is my recommendation. My advice is legal counsel moving forward. >> Um I agree and I also have mentioned in the past um sorry go ahead commissioner Davis.

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>> Thank you mayor. Um, first of all, I want to thank Commissioner Jones for bringing this situation up tonight. Um, I have now have additional questions regarding this. My first question is, um, how did a parcel of land in a

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protective or restricted well-field area come up for a tax sale? That's my first question. >> It was never owned by the city. It was owned um >> privately. I mean I I I can't speak to that. It was never owned by the city.

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>> So it was privately owned. So if somebody defaulted >> and someone neglected to pay on their their real estate taxes and went for a tax sale and it was bought up by this Anifartic I can pull up the sales records, but it wasn't owned by the city. So if this transaction had not

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occurred, the city still would not know that we didn't own the property near our water manes and in this area. >> Not unless someone brought it to our attention. Correct. >> Okay. My second concern or question I don't know if it's a question yet. Let

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me state it. My concern is based on what I heard Commissioner Jones bring up that I I I want to talk about now the property potentially being worth over $300,000

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available for a sale. That includes our tax um Mr. Clay Davis >> appraiser, >> our property appraiser. Um, I am concerned. That definitely brings up red

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flags to me. Um, I don't know. I just I guess I want to state that for the record. Um, that is a huge concern for me. And then it makes me backtrack to,

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as Commissioner Jones brought up, this whole process of how we even got to this point um of having this transaction transpire and the potential for the future of the land that we did owned that seemed a lot more valuable than

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what or or as valuable as what we gave up because of our water, man, man. Um, but I do want to make a motion when the time is right and I want to bring I want to make a motion regarding land swaps with the city of Palaca and I want

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to give guidance to our city attorney to draft an ordinance that the city of Palaca will not engage in any land swaps but to your recommendation a fee simple buy sale purchase sale whatever that

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looks like and to ensure that we have a a real estate attorney involved in these. Um to mi Commissioner Jones's point, um this is very disturbing. Very disturbing um to me and um

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I just need to put that on the record. >> Do you want to say something, Commissioner Bar? >> Yes. And I I completely concur with both um Commissioner Jones and Commissioner Davis. Um all of these transactions have you know has just just disturbed me from

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all of them from the airport uh land swaps to the river center port consolidated all of these things and I think with the operational audit and they were supposed to be included in in that to see what the city were actually

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getting out of this as it relates to value and I can give you a quick one right now that the city really has lost big time and I don't know how many years it would take from a taxpayer

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perspective to recover from all of these transactions and some of them involve staff. some of them involve staff. And so th those those been my heartburns since since since

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those things started, 2022, 2023, since those things started to today. And so I'm I'm really poised in just waiting until when we get done with this operational audit, how looking at the land transactions and everything else,

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where does that put us? >> Thank you. Um, and I know you want to make a motion. I also have brought up in the past, I think we need to put on our RFP for a real estate agency to handle our um, surplus properties for sale. Again, distancing the staff from that so

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they don't have have to go through this ordeal that we just keep it clean and keep it professional. So, that's another thing I hope we move forward in doing. The last time we had a contract with a real estate agency from an RFP, that's expired, so it's time to do it again.

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Um, thank you. Do you want to make a motion, Commissioner Davis? >> Yes. Um, I move that our attorney drafts an ordinance prohibiting the city from entering into

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any land swap deals and that we move towards a Can you give me the right language, Miss that all real estate transactions moving forward should be in fee fee simple

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conveyances. >> Yes. >> We have a motion >> second >> with a real estate agent. >> Um contracted by the state >> I'm sorry, real estate attorney. Real estate attorney. Thank you. >> Second.

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>> Motion is second. All in favor? I. Any opposition? Thank you. >> It's Julian public com. Is anybody here for public comment? I'm sorry I did that again. It's just one of those nights. I'm so sorry. Is anybody here for public comment on this topic? Come up, Miss

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Kitchens. And I apologize in advance. I should have done that already. >> Florida. 36 years experience as a deed worker working with title companies, real estate lawyers, including the late great Miss Kate Walton. property treasures office formerly in the military's office. Uh the last few years

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I did work with Clay Davis. He was in our field department. After I am retired, he became head of the de department. Uh you can speak from personal knowledge of Mr. Clay Davis is upright, honest, a decent Christian man who would not lie or do anybody, let alone the city. So I just want to speak

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in favor of his good personality and his good uh character. So, uh, I agree with that you all don't need to do more land swaps given the total dis total misunderstanding. You all don't have any understanding of land swaps and real estate property. You said that if you don't, except Miss

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Cory, she's in the business. So, I do think that the wise thing to do is just what you're fixing to do is pass this to have an ordinance uh set up to where no land swaps are done with the city and any sales is done through a real estate attorney. I might add that Miss West is a very uh good real estate attorney. uh

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any regular attorney is a good real estate attorney. Some of them say they specialize in real estate, but all of them have a wonderful background in real estate. So, I support that your motion and I ask you to pass it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Anybody else here for public comment?

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Seeing none, we close public comment. Thank you. Next item on the under regular business, interim city manager contract. I requested this be added. So we have an update in public that we all hear the same information.

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Chief Shaw, >> I'm sorry. Before we get to this item, I I just want to make sure that our discussion of this item is limited to process and not necessarily content because we're in the middle of

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negotiations and I want to ensure that the process happens appropriately. Um >> I would like the record to reflect that as well. Um that was a concern that I had um and I brought it up to our acting

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city manager with regards to some of the responses that we received today via email. I think it would be to the benefit that we do not have a in-depth conversation uh with regards to that um and move forth with a liaison that will

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serve so that we could move the process forward. as far as a detailed update where there is uncertainty or there may be some additional information to be considered from the individual that we are looking to have in that process. I

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would definitely want would not want to move um to have that conversation until we have a more complete document to bring before the commission and move forward. >> I agree. I just wanted a basic overhead and also a discussion about the liaison piece but go ahead. So with that being

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said, uh, mayor and commissioners, you are are on point and that is our request. Our request is that uh discussion be held in regards to you identifying a leaison from uh the board to assist into further uh negotiations

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or conversations with the potential uh candidate as well as uh to uh accept or hear what what we offer as far as outside entity or organization. uh conducting the contract negotiate or contracts build for the city uh in the

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interim city manager. >> So, okay, go ahead. >> And I do have one other item. I believe we talked about making an offer as a 1099 um contractor for this position. And so

432
02:21:35.280 --> 02:21:53.040
I just want to ensure that the contract that we present is indeed a contract that supports that and not our standard employment contract for a city manager and make sure it is appropriate for

433
02:21:53.040 --> 02:22:09.040
where we're moving for towards. >> Yes, Commissioner Davis, we have identified that and that's one of the things we've outlined already. It's not going to be a W2 uh portion for a regular employee. will be a 1099 and that will be uh one of the things we're requesting be included in the the

434
02:22:09.040 --> 02:22:25.280
contract that's built up by the outside uh entity. >> Thank you. And with that discretion, go ahead commission. >> Before you move forward, the liaison being the the one in the past appointed

435
02:22:25.280 --> 02:22:42.160
in the past, I don't think it's a good idea. Let me just tell you um for a commissioner to end up being a liaison because um you're too close to both sides. I mean you it's is

436
02:22:42.160 --> 02:22:57.760
restriction is restrictive being in that role and uh negotiations go bad is really going to be on that person. I'm telling you it's not good. Why? What is the problem or the challenge of

437
02:22:57.760 --> 02:23:12.720
the city acting city manager the attorney in HR? I mean that's three people. What what is the problem of them? Do we not have we not given them enough leeway to make the uh the

438
02:23:12.720 --> 02:23:30.720
decision? And if not what I do recommend that we do put more parameters out there. We we I mean I I know we probably don't want to say it in this meeting, but we this the only place we can say it collectively. We need to It's one issue out there that seem like it's stopping

439
02:23:30.720 --> 02:23:49.680
this from moving forward. Either we going to agree to what the demands are, are we not? It's simple. And >> and I think the intent here is not to get into the substance of this and to

440
02:23:49.680 --> 02:24:04.640
determine whether we were going to choose a liaison from the commission and also the request for a labor an external labor attorney. So that again for the sake of the acting city manager, the

441
02:24:04.640 --> 02:24:21.520
city attorney and HR are all ultimately going to report to this person when they're hired. So to give them honestly a buffer. I think in fairness that's why we're talking about the labor attorney and I'm not I don't have an issue with not having a lay on from this commission as much but I think that it's important

442
02:24:21.520 --> 02:24:36.560
go ahead commissioner camp >> so that we can get to the crooks and crevices of this I think the simple request came as a result from the uh candidate Miss Curry that that was one of her requests is that we actually hold off on the contract and to further

443
02:24:36.560 --> 02:24:50.880
disclo to further notice until she has given us the opportunity or until she had the opportunity to give re written feedback. Um, and I know that we wanted to move rather quickly with regards to allowing

444
02:24:50.880 --> 02:25:06.800
Chief Shaw to become chief once again full-time, but again, just in just in simple that became that was a request of the uh applicant and I don't believe that she has not already began to do some of the work. However, just with

445
02:25:06.800 --> 02:25:23.520
regards to the time frame of the document that was given to her, it wasn't enough notice for her to actually go through and provide feedback to the commission that which will give us one step closer to uh having something holistically that we will be able to go

446
02:25:23.520 --> 02:25:38.960
off of. So, that's just the simple request of the applicant. I mean, the the the candidate. >> Go ahead. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Go. >> I'm sorry. Go ahead, Commissioner Davis. >> Agreed. Looking at the information though in our

447
02:25:38.960 --> 02:25:55.520
packet today, I'm not in agreement with the contract. I just don't think that what we presented is appropriate for what we're trying to do. And I think that's my major drawback. Um I think it needs to be revisited. Whatever that

448
02:25:55.520 --> 02:26:12.240
process should look like, that's number one. Um I don't think it's a I think it's a confusing document. for one, it's confusing to me. And number two, um agreeing with the mayor that our HR

449
02:26:12.240 --> 02:26:29.200
director and our city attorney uh will potentially be meeting with this candidate or whomever is in the um interim city manager role that we do need to get have a labor attorney, you

450
02:26:29.200 --> 02:26:44.080
know, looking at this. I don't think they should be put in a precarious position to negotiate or provide information to a future boss. So that's something we need to look at as well. >> If we may one go ahead

451
02:26:44.080 --> 02:27:01.520
>> if we could in looking at a leaison we would still be able to provide full transparency as we've been doing already to the commission um by bringing it back and letting them know where we are in each step of the phase. So it wouldn't be excluding the the entire commission um and leaving one out. It was just it

452
02:27:01.520 --> 02:27:18.479
would just be providing that buffer for the communication and staff opposed to staff being leading the communication which would be called what could cause issues down the road. >> I mean but essentially at the end of the day this is our hire, >> right? So

453
02:27:18.479 --> 02:27:34.880
again in moving forth I think we getting hung up on things that we don't need to get hung up on. Again it came as the request uh it was twofold request and it was hold the contract for further discussion until I provide feedback and

454
02:27:34.880 --> 02:27:51.600
additionally an adequate notice um to so when it comes back to the commission that we would be available to address any questions that may come up. I don't think that's hard to give and if we want to identify a liaison if we if that's something that we desire to do going

455
02:27:51.600 --> 02:28:08.240
ahead and doing that so that on the back end the work can continue to get done so that we can bring this to a close. >> Okay, Commissioner D I mean yeah Commissioner Jones I'm sorry. >> So with all due respect commission and you just said it it's our hire. So, are

456
02:28:08.240 --> 02:28:23.439
we gonna There's some There's some ask in the in that uh request that you just had. And I don't know if everybody's going to agree with that, but it appears that um that's where we're headed and that's

457
02:28:23.439 --> 02:28:39.200
going along with some of the the perks of the job. And I think that how else can we how else will we be able to address it? >> If not, >> in our last time we gave a time frame of a person to review and get back with us

458
02:28:39.200 --> 02:28:54.960
regarding the contract that was presented to them. Even just now mentioned, there are some qualms with regards to the contract that was presented to the actual candidate. So regardless of the parameters that are

459
02:28:54.960 --> 02:29:10.640
put out there, if we present someone something that potentially is null and void from jump from the entire document, we still find ourselves at square one. So giving the opportunity for staff and whoever that liaison may be to come up

460
02:29:10.640 --> 02:29:28.560
with a more concrete or a more uh um what's the word that I'm looking for? appropriate document for the candidate to bring back to us because right now the parameters say for instance we put something out there that that individual is willing to accept with the numbers

461
02:29:28.560 --> 02:29:45.040
that are being provided of course that person is willingly going to jump up to the parameters that we put up there. So again, giving a more giving the opportunity for that document to be a little bit more solidified prior to us putting additional parameters out there.

462
02:29:45.040 --> 02:30:03.600
We do ourselves an injustice based on moving forth and the candidate has substantial questions regarding she even provided us a timeline based on what she has done since receiving the contract, the potential contract. And again, time

463
02:30:03.600 --> 02:30:19.600
is needed. That's all we're asking for. We're not saying that we won't come back and put parameters, but in order for us to move forward, let's provide that additional time. That's what we're asking for. >> So, do you have a time certain? That's my first question. >> Do you have a time certain? And

464
02:30:19.600 --> 02:30:34.800
secondly, when we start talking about the language, if we're reading the same document, I didn't see much negotiating on our side. I'm just being honest. I mean it appears as if uh there was I I

465
02:30:34.800 --> 02:30:51.439
will come for XYZ but where do we chime in and say here's what we're offering. >> Okay. And and for a point of order sake um Commissioner Borum >> I'm sorry Commissioner >> Borum had the floor before you. So yeah

466
02:30:51.439 --> 02:31:06.080
let's go >> Borum. Well, you know, I I don't know if it was offered prior to, but I do think that, you know, we do have a labor attorney that can help us. We got them through the floor legal cities if we want to take the staff can be involved

467
02:31:06.080 --> 02:31:22.000
working with the the labor attorney that we already pay or we we don't we have access to. So, let's utilize that and um to to continue to move this thing forward. I think that's going to help us out tremendously.

468
02:31:22.000 --> 02:31:36.720
Go ahead, Commissioner Davis. >> I want to step back for a minute. I I need to understand process. I'm a process person, and I feel like sometimes we get all over the place and hung up on how to do things. Um, one thing I agree with that we've

469
02:31:36.720 --> 02:31:53.600
said is the city manager, interim or permanent, is the hire of the commission. What I don't understand is that a contract was presented that we did not see. And so I don't understand the steps

470
02:31:53.600 --> 02:32:08.880
in the process and how we got to where we are right now. And and and so what I'm concerned about is that we need to establish an appropriate process that is a best practice through this. you know,

471
02:32:08.880 --> 02:32:26.080
we're where we are because we, in my opinion, we're not following a standard process and we get ourselves caught on the back end. And so, at some point, we get need to stop and course correct. And I think that's what drives a lot of this

472
02:32:26.080 --> 02:32:42.080
conversation. If I had seen this document, I would never have agreed from my vote to allow it to go forward because it's not an appropriate contract. There are things that are

473
02:32:42.080 --> 02:32:58.240
missing. There are items that are not best practices according to the Florida League of Cities standards or the FCC MA. I think my >> you got it. >> Okay. FCCMA.

474
02:32:58.240 --> 02:33:14.399
And there's an opportunity for us to do things the proper way from the beginning. And I rather heir on the side of delaying and doing it right than to try to write a wrong process because it's going to

475
02:33:14.399 --> 02:33:31.200
lead us to the same result. And so that's what my major issue is, which is why I'm really not talking about a timeline. I'm talking about what's been presented that we the commission did not even see or agree to. And now we have a

476
02:33:31.200 --> 02:33:48.720
candidate looking at it to agree. I don't know that we agree with it. I I don't I absolutely don't agree with it now that I've seen it. And um we just need to do better and press pause, get this process written and followed. And

477
02:33:48.720 --> 02:34:04.479
if you're we're not sure and we don't have the expertise in house, we have got to go out to get it. We have access to a labor attorney. we have access to the Florida League of Cities and I made in my motion that we utilize those

478
02:34:04.479 --> 02:34:21.680
resources in this process for both the interim and the permanent search when we get to that point. And so we just need to stop and do things the right way so we can have the best outcome. >> Go ahead, Commissioner Campbell.

479
02:34:21.680 --> 02:34:37.760
Commissioner, >> I do believe in place we have u Mr. white um who kind of came in at a time where we were trying to have this conversation and he's versed in this area. Um so I would trust him um to take

480
02:34:37.760 --> 02:34:53.600
what we have discussed with reference to uh this moving forward and adhere to it and help us move forward. I think the buying of the time allows the outreach to those organizations, but it also

481
02:34:53.600 --> 02:35:10.720
allows us to see the feedback that Miss Curry may provide that will help us. Um, she is has been a part of this uh world for just as long as I've been alive. And so I trust that we have again the right

482
02:35:10.720 --> 02:35:27.200
candidate and I trust that we are going to move forward with regards to a um solid uh process. But again, I believe we are at that point to where we still could move forward um with the process.

483
02:35:27.200 --> 02:35:42.720
So I I wholeheartedly agree with what Commissioner Davis stated. That's why we did not want to iron out any of the details tonight because again what was presented to us in the as the um document that was presented to her I was

484
02:35:42.720 --> 02:35:58.720
not totally in agreement with it as well. So this does give us the opportunity to retract things back and again make sure that this process goes forward in a way that we all um are on one accord from this day is

485
02:35:58.720 --> 02:36:19.520
>> Commissioner Jones. Did you want to say something? >> We're talking we're talking in circles. >> So, >> what's next steps? >> One of one of the things you did say we just hire a HR director. Okay. So, that's what HR do. They they negotiate

486
02:36:19.520 --> 02:36:36.800
the contracts. Okay. So, if we hiring capable people, let them do their job. Now, it's our hire. If we want to push off the conversation, that's one thing. But we have to have a conversation on what we're going to actually offer this candidate and that has to happen

487
02:36:36.800 --> 02:36:54.000
unfortunately um in the public. We got to decide where where we are because it appears to me from this document that there was some things offered and declined and then there was another offer out there not by it was actually

488
02:36:54.000 --> 02:37:11.000
an offer and accepted by our staff but we haven't ratified it. Yeah. I don't know if you guys I mean I don't know any other way but to be transparent up here and we have to talk about it guys. Um because

489
02:37:13.760 --> 02:37:30.640
you I I've heard we're not agreeing with what's presented. 100% I don't agree with what's presented. So we're going to wait until the candidate gets back with us to give us what more. >> That's not what I said. I said that

490
02:37:30.640 --> 02:37:46.160
allows us to see what she has to say, but it then gives our staff the opportunity to exercise the different uh resources that has been established via the motion that was made by Commissioner Davis. I said what she has stated is

491
02:37:46.160 --> 02:38:01.040
only going to give us additional thought process to what can be considered as we negotiate. So, uh that's and I'm gonna say it. That's why I did not want to dive into any spec um any things

492
02:38:01.040 --> 02:38:16.319
specific so that we can the lady is willing and ready. We just need a credible contract. >> Um I I agree with most of the conversation. I also think we have people that are competent both to Mr. White, Miss West, and acting city

493
02:38:16.319 --> 02:38:33.920
manager Chief Shaw. Um but I also respect their need since they're going to report directly to this person to have a little distance. I think we do have to this is this is the negotiation stage. This isn't a final contract. So, I think we need to give them the opportunity to work on that and and

494
02:38:33.920 --> 02:38:49.680
respect them for what they do. I do think though that again that that person that could come from the Florida League of Cities, that labor attorney, I think that's going to be necessary again since they are going to work for this person.

495
02:38:49.680 --> 02:39:06.560
But I time is what the candidate requested and I think we have to honor that to move forward and accomplish this in a positive way. So I didn't there was no motion at this point and this was just supposed to be discussion anyway. But is there anything

496
02:39:06.560 --> 02:39:22.240
else anybody wants to say? >> Just to clarify it sounds like we're moving forward with the process as is. We'll hear back from the can candidate and then we will determine if the contract needs to be updated based

497
02:39:22.240 --> 02:39:37.200
on feedback is what I'm hearing. >> So let me ask >> and our feedback >> and also whether we want to choose a liaison or not. That was again what was brought up by staff and I'm just again that was a point made and also the point was made about a labor attorney moving

498
02:39:37.200 --> 02:39:54.640
forward again to distance and give Miss West space from a future boss in terms of making these type of decisions. Um, go ahead >> at this if it's um acceptable. I want to ask Mr. White, is there any questions or any further clar that you need from this

499
02:39:54.640 --> 02:40:13.120
commission in order to um help move this process forward? >> Thank you for the time. The answer is no. >> We 100% agree that processes processes are in place for improvement. All

500
02:40:13.120 --> 02:40:28.319
process 80% of companies that have issues, it's with the processes. I respect that. I honor that. I understand that. So, as me coming in brand new and fresh, the first thing that you approach are processes. So, here we are in a in a

501
02:40:28.319 --> 02:40:43.840
moment where those things are becoming extremely important and we need to establish that. So, we're prepared to move forward. I think attorney West has has some information as far as uh the attorney that we're looking at to assist us with this process and we're ready to

502
02:40:43.840 --> 02:40:59.920
move forward. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> With that said, no further discussion. >> Thank you. Moving on to public hearings. Second reading request annex amend future land use map and resone 404

503
02:40:59.920 --> 02:41:22.680
mission road and the procel number is 02102600 06300 011 Mr. Aamo >> commissioners the first meeting on this recommend approval and

504
02:41:24.800 --> 02:41:41.280
>> motion to approve. >> Second. >> Have a motion to second. Is there anybody here for public comment on this item? Seeing none close public comment. All in favor? >> I. Any um any naysay? Thank you. On to B, amend future land use map and reszone

505
02:41:41.280 --> 02:41:55.760
301281251201 and 111 North Moody Road. Property IDs number 0210267720 0 01800 0 1 0 0210267720

506
02:41:55.760 --> 02:42:19.200
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0210267720 0 02 1 26772000 03000 0 1 0 02 1 267720 001 1 0 0 0

507
02:42:19.200 --> 02:42:35.520
Mr. Agamo before >> before this is presented Mayor. >> Yes. >> I noticed that on our This mentions Mount Taber. Is that First Baptist Church? >> I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. >> Mount Taber. >> Oh, is that in our packet? I just >> I didn't see it in the packet.

508
02:42:35.520 --> 02:42:50.800
>> Mhm. It does. >> It is in the packet. Oh, yes, it is in the packet. >> The reason I'm bringing it up, I'm a member of that church. I just want to >> Okay. Well, >> I want that on the record for this. Yeah, let's come back to that. Okay, >> let's come back to it. >> Well, I

509
02:42:50.800 --> 02:43:10.399
>> I just want to state that I'm a member of that congregation and I want to make sure there's no >> Oh, >> I just want to make that statement. Thank you. And get clear direction. Commissioner, this is a request table

510
02:43:10.399 --> 02:43:27.760
to amend the line map and map of approximately 9.0 acres located north of Moody Road. The two lines change would be from the city of Palaka commercial which is

511
02:43:27.760 --> 02:43:46.319
designated today to the city of Palaka residential lo and the zoning change from city of Palaka C1 general commercial to city of Palaka R1 single family residential. This item was reviewed by the planning

512
02:43:46.319 --> 02:44:01.840
board on May 5th and they recommended approval to the city commission. Staff have review application in detail is staff report that is part of your package. He needs all the for

513
02:44:01.840 --> 02:44:18.080
amendment as well as staff recommends approval of items. Attorney. Okay. >> In case there are any questions, >> in an abundance of caution, I would like to recuse myself. >> Okay, that's what I was going to is that

514
02:44:18.080 --> 02:44:32.000
and that's what I was going to ask attorney West. Is it necessary for Commissioner Davis to recuse herself as a member of the congregation >> if she's not getting >> if she's not gaining financially? And I don't think it is. That's why I asked. >> But it is at her discretion if she feels

515
02:44:32.000 --> 02:44:47.840
the need. So, but she is allow allowed to partake in the conversation. But it is at her discretion, but ultimately she would have the right um to do so. And I know so because I took several classes with regards to >> that process.

516
02:44:47.840 --> 02:45:03.600
>> That was just um we're on the Mount Tab Church property and um Commissioner Davis has recused herself because she was a member of the congregation. Just to bring you up to speed. Okay. Um do we want to have um the applicant come

517
02:45:03.600 --> 02:45:32.240
up? Is there any questions of the applicant? Absolutely. Go ahead and present. >> Go ahead. >> Come up, Reverend. >> Come up. >> So, Mr. Like would he be uh single

518
02:45:32.240 --> 02:45:52.080
single family homes or would he be uh commercial apartments where they condominiums or whatever residences? >> Okay, great. >> You have any additional questions? >> No, I think that's that's great great

519
02:45:52.080 --> 02:46:08.399
concept with affordable housing that we need in our city in our community. That's great. I just want to know. Mhm. >> Anybody else have any questions? >> No. I'd like to move forth with a motion. >> Okay. Um, let me open up the floor to public comment. Is there anybody here for public comment on this? Okay.

520
02:46:08.399 --> 02:46:23.760
Closing public comment. Motion. >> I move forward that we accept or the ordinance number 20 26 29. >> I second. >> Have a motion second. All in favor? >> I. Any anybody nays? I'm sorry. Spitting

521
02:46:23.760 --> 02:46:39.680
out. Um, no. Okay, we're moving forward. It was unanimous. See, adopt resolution 2026R. You're welcome. Adopt resolution. We're all set. Reverend flag. Thank you. Adopt resolution 2026 R102. Fire service assessment.

522
02:46:39.680 --> 02:46:56.080
>> You didn't put 30. >> Hm. Oh, you didn't put I'm sorry, you didn't put three in the motion. >> I'll make a motion that we accept the ordinance 202630 as well. >> I second. >> Motion to second. Any public comment?

523
02:46:56.080 --> 02:47:12.399
With no public comment, we have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I. Any nays? Thank you. Um, >> thank you. >> Thank you. See, adopt resolution 2026R 102, fire service assessment, annual public hearing, an annual consideration

524
02:47:12.399 --> 02:47:27.680
of nonad valorium assessments to partially fund the cost of continual readiness and availability of fire protection services. Miss Pier, >> greetings. This is a um public hearing item. This is a request to approve the necessary annual assessment resolution

525
02:47:27.680 --> 02:47:45.120
adopting the non-advelorum assessment role for the fire service assessment after the city commission listens patiently to public comment at the annual public hearing. It is important to note that if the city commission were not to adopt the fire service assessment

526
02:47:45.120 --> 02:48:00.399
as proposed, it is estimated the city commission would need to raise its property tax millage rate by 3.1 mills to fund the city's fire department or otherwise severely cut money from its overall budget. Revenue certainty associated with the fire services

527
02:48:00.399 --> 02:48:17.439
assessment as currently advertised will greatly assist the commission and staff in finalizing the overall budget work early this summer and will be reflected in the fiscal year 202627 budget by adopting the annual assessment resolution as directed and advertised.

528
02:48:17.439 --> 02:48:32.080
The commission will preserve the most flexible position to accomplish setting its advor millillage at or after the now scheduled budget oriented commission meeting in July. >> Thank you. And Mr. Lawson is here if we

529
02:48:32.080 --> 02:48:50.640
have any questions of him. >> Yeah, I do. >> Okay. Mr. Could you come up please >> and introduce yourself? >> Thank you so much. Mark Lawson, may I suggest that you conduct and listen to the public first and uh allow me to

530
02:48:50.640 --> 02:49:11.760
speak after you've heard them? >> Certainly. Is there anybody here for public comment on this item? Miss Kitchens, come on up. >> Le Kitchens will report. I hope lightning doesn't strike me, but I think I've been remiss on uh researching this. Are you all voting tonight on the fire assessment before the public hearing on

531
02:49:11.760 --> 02:49:28.160
July the 23rd when you set it in the budget? Is that what this is tonight? Are you set are you actually setting the fire assessment fee tonight and increasing it? >> I'll answer that question when the time comes if you'd like. >> Well, I need to know. Okay, I'll make the statement now. If you going to increase it, the answer is no. I'm 100% against it. Leave it as it is or lower

532
02:49:28.160 --> 02:49:43.520
it, but do not increase it. >> Thank you. And uh I would hope that this would come like has been advertised during the July budget meeting on July the 23rd so that the public would be duly notified and that the rest of the public will have their input. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is there anybody else here

533
02:49:43.520 --> 02:50:00.080
for public comment? Seeing none, we'll close public comment. Mr. Lawson, if you could respond to that comment. >> Good evening. Mark Lawson, I serve as your special counsel along with other consultants LLC, Dr. throw away my

534
02:50:00.080 --> 02:50:16.160
insurance. Um, the reason I interrupted, I apologize for doing so, is I didn't want the question to mislead and and cause someone to jump to a conclusion. What you directed a few weeks ago was bring back to us

535
02:50:16.160 --> 02:50:34.240
the necessary information to proceed to adopt the assessment in normal course without 136 138 exemptions. So that later this summer you could lower it if you choose.

536
02:50:34.240 --> 02:50:50.560
when you know how much money you're going to be able to generate with not only this assessment but also the data that the tax collector yields up so you can figure out how to do your budget. So the question I thought was posed are you

537
02:50:50.560 --> 02:51:07.840
raising the assessments tonight? No you are not. What you're doing is you're adopting an assessment resolution tonight that sets those assessments at the same rates that you set 10 plus years ago. What you are doing and you did direct and I helped make sure that

538
02:51:07.840 --> 02:51:23.439
we followed that. I talked to all the appropriate staff members who get concurrence is you took out of the equation what you've done for several years and that is the 50% transition exemption rate where you charge certain

539
02:51:23.439 --> 02:51:39.840
types of properties primarily institutional properties which include churches and other institutional properties that are typically taxexempt. Some are not but they're institutional characterization at only a 50% rate. that costs you $96,000 and change. The

540
02:51:39.840 --> 02:51:56.160
my understanding of the decision was, hey, let's wait before we commit to give away $96,000 until July when we get sort of the roll back information so we can know how to balance our budget. It's hard to do that. Point of fact, your assessment

541
02:51:56.160 --> 02:52:11.680
only funds I don't have the fingers at my fingertips, but it's a percentage of your fire department. The rest is funded with your elorum taxes. And for some of you who were here when you originally did this, this kept you from sliding into financial crisis and helped you build reserves. I need not repeat that

542
02:52:11.680 --> 02:52:28.960
history. So tonight, what you have in front of you is an advertised public hearing. The preliminary rule is on the website. Compliments to Miss Greta Hall for helping get that website cleaned up. I

543
02:52:28.960 --> 02:52:45.439
didn't realize the difficulty. That is an important piece of information where your constituents can go and see the preliminary role. It's been there. It's there. They can look at every potential preliminary assessment. It does show those 136 or 38. I'm sorry, I get

544
02:52:45.439 --> 02:53:01.359
confused with the number uh parcels that had been charged a 50% exemption rate previously at the full rate. It never ceases to amaze me when I do this work that I come to a meeting thinking I'm fully prepared and I'm on

545
02:53:01.359 --> 02:53:17.359
the iPhone calling one of my consultants and saying get me this information. Please remember that your assessment is done to be equitable and proportionate and you have a final judgment. The Supreme Court has said as of late as last December that what you

546
02:53:17.359 --> 02:53:33.680
did was correct and had comp substantial evidence. But on another case said and after you've done that, everything connected there with is forever conclusive. My view is you're on solid legal ground because you have a proportionate and fair assessment.

547
02:53:33.680 --> 02:53:49.200
What occurred to me 30 minutes ago was of those 136 parcels, who gets what? I usually don't care. My job is to make sure that this is dispersed equitably

548
02:53:49.200 --> 02:54:05.520
proportionally based upon two things. A charge per parcel which is everybody matter of size physical characterization otherwise that soops up fixed costs and paying for part of the variable cost of availability of service. Your chief will tell you that's

549
02:54:05.520 --> 02:54:22.399
what you do here is you provide availability of service, not random fire call responses, constant availability of service. It's expensive. That second tier is based upon the improvement value on every parcel. And it's as simple as

550
02:54:22.399 --> 02:54:38.880
just value minus land value done by a third party who's charged with doing that and it's pulled off the Department of Revenue site. There's where your proportionality comes in. The point I want to make to you tonight is your staff did what you were told to do, what they were told to do. You have a

551
02:54:38.880 --> 02:54:54.960
role that's capable of being adopted. It will not allow for the 50% exemption. And what I determined on a phone call and some emails back and forth that of that $96,000, 15 parcels received $56,000 of the benefit. You should know

552
02:54:54.960 --> 02:55:11.279
that fact and that fact should be brought more for the for you all to understand between now and July when you have the full amount of information concerning what your taxes will yield. The point made earlier if you don't do the assessment you get rid of it.

553
02:55:11.279 --> 02:55:27.359
Whatever your millage is last year add 3.1 to that and that's not a pleasant number. I felt important to tell you that. felt it important to tell you that because it occurred to me I try not to get into who's winners and losers. But you need

554
02:55:27.359 --> 02:55:43.520
to know that because you're going to have folks that participate in your community and do great service that are the owners of institutional properties. Remember what an assessment does. It helps pay for a property's benefits

555
02:55:43.520 --> 02:56:00.319
received or burdens relieved. Just as you own a home and you need to pay your fair share, just as Publix owns a building and they need to pay their fair share and both of you have to pay fire insurance or casual insurance, so does an institutional property, whether it's a small storefront church through

556
02:56:00.319 --> 02:56:17.439
their lease or a large larger uh more traditional uh community church. Everybody has costs that have to be paid. So, what I would suggest to you tonight, and I'm happy to answer any questions you have. I like to do that. I enjoy

557
02:56:17.439 --> 02:56:31.840
people. I enjoy your commission in particular. I watched you work tonight. You really worked hard. It's a lot of difficult issues. I want to be able to help you, but the plan is at your direction. Adopt the resolution tonight.

558
02:56:31.840 --> 02:56:48.399
Allow it to to to pass and and and sit for 20 or 30 days. There's a legal reason that's good for that. And then when you have more data this summer and you know how much money you're going to get by estimate of the property appraiser tax collector and what your people can do with the budget, you can

559
02:56:48.399 --> 02:57:05.760
better balance what to do with those assessments by doing what this resolution says to do tonight and that is it takes away the assessments. It charges everybody. You can always change that at that meeting at a later date. You don't need another public hearing to do it. It gives you the most ability to

560
02:57:05.760 --> 02:57:21.680
be flexible. while you deal with your budget and it allows you to address the entirety of how much you can fund with that budget. And to the question just asked, will the rate rates be raised? No. If it is to be raised, there'll need to be another

561
02:57:21.680 --> 02:57:37.680
published hearing with a different rate set. Sorry for so many words, but I hope I've conveyed the circumstance. >> Thank you. Does anybody have any questions on Mr. Lawson? >> No. >> No. >> No. But a con. Go ahead, Commissioner Bar.

562
02:57:37.680 --> 02:57:54.240
>> Yeah, and he's absolutely right about that. And uh what our finance director did mention that if we did not set the current rate to what it is right now or adopt that we would have to add 3.1 mills and

563
02:57:54.240 --> 02:58:11.439
that would put us back higher than we were 2015 at 91478. That would put us at 9.3 mills. And again, we already know you cap at 10. And so you would severely

564
02:58:11.439 --> 02:58:27.520
severely limit your ability to raise any funds for infrastructure, capital improvement, or anything else. And so going back, the fire fee helped us from having to be able to balance our budget

565
02:58:27.520 --> 02:58:45.120
because prior to they only had $400,000 somewhere in that period um to be able to balance I mean for reserves and that's not even two months. So this thing helped us out. We were supposed to back it out over a few years period but we somehow that didn't happen. But we

566
02:58:45.120 --> 02:59:03.040
cannot not approve what we currently have tonight. >> Thank you. Does anybody else have any questions or comments? >> Do we have anybody want to make a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Second.

567
02:59:03.040 --> 02:59:17.760
>> We have a motion in a second. All in favor? >> I. Any opposition? Thank you. >> Nay. >> Nay. We have an A. Okay. Thank you. >> And I'm available to talk to any of you individual if you'd like. I try to perform a good service, but I don't make the policy decisions.

568
02:59:17.760 --> 02:59:33.840
>> Thank you. And thank you for coming out tonight. With that said, any commissioner comments? >> I got some quick >> Go ahead. >> Just to kind of say and get out of here.

569
02:59:33.840 --> 02:59:52.960
Uh I I was out last um Thursday what for the uh the special call meeting or what have you. So, I was uh recognized at the Northeast Florida League of Cities for being one a home room here again once um for the sixth year in a row. So, that's

570
02:59:52.960 --> 03:00:10.000
why my absence was last week. Um the prior uh miss I was at the National League of Cities uh conference and uh I know there's a lot of things that people are uh talking around the city, the county, and the country uh for that fact

571
03:00:10.000 --> 03:00:25.920
about data centers. And so while data centers it may not be on the C's radar, we need to put it on there because a lot of cities and counties are being impacted by these things where data centers are showing up. I mean,

572
03:00:25.920 --> 03:00:43.359
they they're they're coming in, they're getting um approvals, but people don't realize the very very demand that put on your your um your electrical grid as well as your water consumption. Uh those

573
03:00:43.359 --> 03:01:00.560
two things would [ __ ] cities as it relates to that. We've had a number and I I'm going to give you this and let you go. um Fort Me, which we had a former city manager that used to be here, is down there. They're dealing with that very same thing right

574
03:01:00.560 --> 03:01:18.240
now as it relates to uh people approaching them, small communities, targeting our small communities and um providing uh supposedly when they presenting jobs, but those jobs also come with a a hefty cost. So, we have to

575
03:01:18.240 --> 03:01:34.240
do our due diligence in making sure that we provide what our community need. We've already been in a water drop for a period of time. Uh, and um, so we just want to make sure that we step through this whole thing and make sure that we are doing due our due diligence and do

576
03:01:34.240 --> 03:01:50.240
care. >> Thank you. Go ahead, Commissioner Davis. >> Mayor, I I do want to go ahead um, for the city of Palaca Summer Safety Summit. I do want to recognize our sponsors because we did have quite a few. So, if you guys will indulge me, but um the

577
03:01:50.240 --> 03:02:07.200
Douglas Law Firm, Pelaca Athletic League, Community Hands of Hope, the Pilot Club of Palaca, McGibbon Consulting.com, Sheffield Family Properties, Best Party Rental, James A. Long Elementary, Putnham County School District, Palaca

578
03:02:07.200 --> 03:02:23.040
Police Department, City of Palaca Community Affairs, the Palaca Fire Department, Putnham County Aquat, the American Red Cross, the Florida Department of Transportation, Zeta Fibeta Sorority Incorporated, and the class of 76. And I want to say that

579
03:02:23.040 --> 03:02:39.279
because, you know, we we take care of so much business, but we do have a lot of community support. And I just want to thank all of these community partners. Thank you. >> Thank you. Go ahead, Commissioner. >> Just really quick, as an educator, we have um we are now at the point of

580
03:02:39.279 --> 03:02:54.880
graduation and promotion season. So, I want to extend a congratulations to all of the graduates of Putnham County, City of Palaca. We honor them as student of a month on a monthly basis, but from this commission, I wish to wish them a

581
03:02:54.880 --> 03:03:12.279
congratulations on graduation and those that are being promoted to the next grade. and may this next step of life be one of the best steps that you have ever taken. So again, congratulations class of 2026 from prek all the way to college.

582
03:03:12.399 --> 03:03:26.479
>> Is there any other comments? >> All minds are clear. I'd like to adjourn this meeting. >> Okay. Motion to adjourn. >> All mine might not be clear. The liar.