Hey, Jeff, do they know to wait? They know to wait. I'm going to stay here by the microphone. But everybody have a seat, please. I
call to order the regular session of the Board of Commissioners. Tuesday, June 24th, 6:30 p.m. Roll call here.
Vice Mayor Eisner here. Commissioner coleus will be running a few minutes behind Commissioner DiDonato. Here. Commissioner Banther here. We're going to have our reflection
tonight by Pastor Patti Hanks of the Unitarian Universalist Church. All rise please. I
invite you to take a breath with me at the end of this very hot and busy day. Holy spirit of life and love. How glad we are
to come together, to pause in our day, to celebrate love and care for one another in our community and in our world. We pray to center ourselves in
love, to affirm that all are sacred and all are loved. May we have peace and hope and light. May this community be blessed.
And each one in it. May it be so. Amen. Amen. After the honor guard, we will do the Pledge of
Allegiance. Honor guard, present the colors. Please stand.
For. Our. I pledge allegiance. I
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Honor. Guard.
Retire. Colors. You can all sit, please.
Okay. Tonight we have two proclamations. The first one is LGBTQ. It's community
recognition month. You know, whenever I have these proclamations to do, I. I try to ponder a little bit on, you know, how I feel and what they
mean. And, you know, as a father, if any of my children had come home and told me they were gay, my concern wouldn't be
that they were gay. My concern would be how they would be treated. You know, the world people are cruel and mean, and
that would be my concern that they would be treated well. You know, ultimately, you know, you get to be my age. And you what
really matters is that you have someone to love and someone that loves you. If you got that,
you're okay. Who is coming up? Jack? And you have a rainbow welcoming committee coming up
to. All right. Thank you, thank you. Wherever you are, wherever
you're comfortable. Whereas our nation was founded on the principle of equality and freedom for all people, and those rights continue to evolve
as society changes and new challenges come to light for many Americans. And whereas the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in
Greenwich Village, New York City, on June 28th, 1969 was a milestone for LGBTQ freedom and change. And whereas for over 50
years, the month of June has been established nationwide as a time to honor those citizens that stood against the discriminatory laws at Stonewall
and elsewhere. And whereas every American should live without fear of prejudice, discrimination, violence and hatred based on race, ethnicity,
religion and gender orientation. And whereas the month of June has become nationally recognized as a time to acknowledge how the
LGBTQ community and individuals have overcome adversity and are contributing to the diversity and the richness of America, American society. And whereas,
the City of Tarpon Springs celebrates and accepts its diverse LGBTQ community and individuals, that includes
people of all races, ethnicities, religions and professions. And whereas the city of Tarpon Springs strives to be a community at large where
everyone is appreciated for our differences and uniquenesses, rather than remaining divided as are many places within our nation. Now. Therefore, I, John
Koulianos, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of Tarpon Springs, do hereby proclaim the month of
June 2025 as Tarpon Springs LGBTQ Community Recognition
Month. Can anybody want to say something? Yeah. Thank you. Mayor. Thank you for this great
honor. I would like to accept this proclamation on behalf of an organization called the Rainbow Welcome Circle at the Unitarian Universalist Church.
If they would just like to say a few words to tell you about this. Yes. The Rainbow Welcome Circle is a social justice arm
of the Unitarian Universalist Church. It was formed two years ago, mainly to support the LGBTQ plus community. We raise money
and participate in a variety of events like Saint Pete's Pride Parade, Gulfport Pride, Pasco, Saint Pete and Dunedin Pride
Family Days, PFLAG and Safety Harbor. Rights for trans and a national march. Trans. We even
have our own Rainbow Fairy, Starfire. We also support the Navigator Scouts at our church, a Scout group for all genders and ages. So thank you Jack and
Tarpon Springs for this pride recognition plaque. We will proudly place it in our social
hall. Wall and at the UU church. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'll get a picture. Yes. Let's
get out of the way of this thing. Here we go. Okay, good.
Thank you. Thank you. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you.
John. All right. Thank you. Well. So this next proclamation
is for all of us. It is the Independence Day proclamation. Chief Jeff Young is going to come up and receive this on behalf of the of the city and
the community. And you know, this. You think about we had the Juneteenth ceremony on Saturday, and now we have this here today.
And you think about we've got tureen, who's going to be honored here soon. And this is all that makes Tarpon Springs
special. And it makes our country special. So it's probably appropriate that we're reading this one now. Whereas of all the days of the year, the
primary one for us as a nation is the 4th of July, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And whereas this holiday
commemorates our gained freedoms from which commemoration of all other holidays and observations are made possible. And whereas on this day we renew our
allegiance to the Union, to the principles of self-government, and to the spirit of freedom, which is the source of its strength. Deeply, deeply aware that in many quarters of the
globe this freedom continues to be threatened. And whereas on this day we renew our allegiance to the United States of America, democracy and freedom, and are
grateful we can come together as a community to observe this special day. And whereas on Friday, July 4th, 2025, the city of Tarpon Springs acknowledges
the Independence Day in our beautiful Craig Park with our annual picnic for our residents and visitors as we celebrate our independence. And Whereas, on
Friday, July 4th, 2025, the city of Tarpon Springs will hold its annual fireworks display that is a part of this Independence Day tradition. Now, therefore, I, John Koulianos, by virtue of the
authority vested in me as mayor of the City of Tarpon Springs, do hereby proclaim July 4th,
2025 as Independence Day. Happy 4th of July, everybody. Please
stay safe. Thank you.
Anybody recognize that guy? Papa Smurf over there. Okay. Our next item is the special
presentation. The promotion of assistant Police Chief Terry
Mathis. And this. Will we? Yes. We normally hold these these events at the safety building, but obviously, that wouldn't
have been big enough to hold all the people interested in attending. So. But we're going to handle it the same way the chief is going to do his, his thing and he's going to do the pinning. And then we'll come
back to the Board of Commissioners for comments. And then after our comments, we will then have public comments where people can come up and talk about any of the items that are
proclamations that we read, that they can talk about, or they can talk about any item that is not going to be covered on this
agenda in the city. So, chief, chief. Jeff. Young Tarpon Springs police department. Good evening. Mayor. Commissioners, city leadership, members of the community, and most importantly,
tonight, family, friends and the Tarpon Springs Police Department family. It is my great honor and privilege to formally recognize the promotion of a truly exceptional leader, public
servant, and a man of character. Assistant Chief Terry Mathis. Before I go into my words, I'm going to ask Major Crawford.
Come up and read his bio. Thank you. Chief. Most of you guys know Terry, but I'll give you a little history if you don't know. Terry Mathis has been a lifelong resident of Tarpon Springs and a member of Tarpon
Springs Police Department since April 2008. Prior to his employment with the department, he served five years in the US Army and served two deployments to Iraq. Thank you for your service during Terry to serve
Tarpon Springs Police Department for 17 years, and served various leadership positions in the department. He's earned his bachelor's degree in public policy and administration from Saint Petersburg College, and
his master's degree in public administration from Barry University. Trina also completed Certified Public Manager course through the Florida State University. Recently, Terry just
graduated the prestigious FBI Academy Class 294. Very proud of you, Terry. Terry would like to thank his entire family for being here tonight, especially thank his wife, Destiny, his
daughter Amina, son TJ, and his grandson Kayden. And personally thank you. I'm proud of you and
I'm proud to call you my friend. Although although his promotion became official on April 21st, 2025, while he was attending the
prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico. Tonight we finally get the opportunity to honor that milestone properly with his formal badge pinning here at home, surrounded by the people
who matter most his family, friends, and his brothers and sisters at the police department. I've had the distinct privilege of knowing Terry since he was about ten years old. He came up through
the Cops and Kids program, a vision brought to life by retired chief Mark Lacourse. And even back then, there was something special about training. You could see it in
his eyes and his ears. A quiet strength, a desire to serve, and a deep connection to his community. Over the years, I've watched him grow from a young kid full of potential to a
soldier serving our nation with honor and combat in Iraq, to a committed officer who has risen through every rank with professionalism, humility, and a
servant's heart. Terry has become a pillar in our community, not just because of his uniform, but because of the way he treats people. His leadership is thoughtful. His
decisions are grounded in compassion and fairness, and most importantly, he never forgets where he came from. He is the embodiment of what it
means to be a Tarpon Springs proud and a sponger. And a and a. On a personal note, I'm incredibly proud of you, Terry. Proud to have served alongside
you, proud of the man, the leader, and more importantly, the family man you've become. I'm proud to call you my friend, Assistant Chief Mathis. You're more than deserving of this
honor. You've earned it every step of the way. And we are all better as a department and as a city because of your example tonight, as your badge is pinned. May it serve not just as
a symbol of your rank, but as a reflection of your journey, your sacrifice, your service, and the faith we all have in you and your leadership moving forward.
Please join me in congratulating Assistant Chief Terry Mathis.
It only counts if you draw blood, my man.
I did it. Thank you. Well, usually when I'm on the dais, they tell me
not to speak, so I'm gonna know I'm not on the dais up to that. Three minutes. Can I borrow some time? No joking. I'd like to start off by thanking, first of
all, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because without him, I wouldn't be anything. And I want to acknowledge God in all things that I do. But then I want to look at the retired city
manager. I would say old, but former police chief Mark licorice, because when I graduated high school, you said you got two options college or the army. And before you hire
me. So I decided to go to combat and then wrong. But I appreciate you and you know how I feel about you. So thank you for everything. And to my current boss, I don't know if I should
thank the city manager or you for having, but. I thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity to help you guide this department with the visions
that we set forward and where we think this place should be in the next few years. So thank you for that opportunity. To my right hand man, Jeff Crawford. My left hand man, John Gibson.
You guys have been a rock for me. There's some decisions we've made and I've needed your guidance and your help on. And you've never failed to give me
your true assessments on where I need to be and how I need to go. So thank you for just being good friends and good colleagues, but more importantly, friends. Now
to my family. Thank you. It is truly somebody. Everybody's had a part in this. I've leaned on a lot of you through the good and
the bad, and I thank God for you because without you, I wouldn't be standing here today. Without you, I wouldn't have the strength to do what I'm doing. My family and my faith means
everything to me. And I thank you all for always being there during the good times. And when they're bad, they're bad. But you guys have always been there to be by my side, and I can't
thank you enough to my colleagues. Roxanne from Pinellas Park is always there when I have everything going on or I need something. And she is
a big, you know, important person in my life as a colleague. And, you know, I was just calling her today asking for advice. And to Lieutenant Davis, retired Saint Pete PD, thank you for always being that
big sister that I needed, but I'm going to wrap it up here quickly. Sorry, but one of the first one of the first things I did as an SRO and I see her walking in and I was like, man.
And she's like, this is how we're going to handle this. I'm like, well, who are you? And she's like, I'm Lieutenant Davis. And I'm like, I got it. And ever since then we've, we've we've forged a bond to the community. This is Tarpon
Springs. The faces that are reflected in this audience is Tarpon Springs. We as a department are better because of you. And whatever we can do to make ourselves better, you let
us know. We are always here to serve you. I'm sure the chief would echo that. Whatever you guys need from us, we will be there for you whenever we can. And I'm looking at a face, a kid
here, he's not a kid, Jeremiah. Jeremiah was one of my first students as a SRO and Jeremiah as a police officer at Tampa PD. We tried we tried to get him
here. Jeremiah, we are hiring to my colleagues. Thank you. My cousin Jay. Thank you. My
family, my wife, my kids, my grandson. Thank you. I just I'm very thrilled and I'm excited about this opportunity that we could all move forward together and make Tarpon a very great
place to be. It already is. But just remember, you're an American by birth, but a sponger
by the grace of God. Thank you. Okay, we're going to go we're going to have commissioner
comments first and then we'll go to the public. I'll start it off. You know, the doorway is getting in here were the size of
the ones on the end. But he's not listening. Hey, taurine, pay attention over here, okay. The door. The door is walking in
here were all the sides of those ones on the end. But we had to expand them because we knew his head was going to be so big. It had to fit in here, you know? So
we now have to go into the FBI. And now he's, you know. But seriously, you know, he is he embodies like he said, he
embodies Tarpon Springs. He is Tarpon Springs. Finest son. He if I can't think of anybody, if I was going to pick somebody to
go represent Tarpon Springs as what it is. It would be him.
There's not a sector of this community that he hasn't bonded with. He knows more Greek than most of the people in Greektown and, and, and don't think you
can call him any names in Greek. He definitely will pick up on them. So, no, he's special. And we're so fortunate to have him. And he's got even bigger things
to do here in our city. I know it. And anyways, I'm really proud of him and I know you all are as well. So Commissioner Banther, yes, thank you,
Assistant Chief Mathis. That will take some getting time to get used to. But I know you're growing up with with with my brother. As you know, you are a true like Tarpon Springs
hometowns, a success story. I mean, I don't I don't I don't think you could write it better. You're a very qualified individual. I don't think you I think you're overly humble as far as your accomplishments go
in your education. And I know that we are lucky to have you. To have you still here in Tarpon Springs. It's my hope that that that that that you stay here and you become our next police
chief. I know we are all very, very proud of you. And it's just, you know, I don't think you can replace having local, native knowledge of our city and
leadership in the police department, that that's something you can't train for. And it goes into the big the bigger picture of tonight with the pride month as well, in the sense that, you know, I've
always been very proud to be from Tarpon. Well, we're we're a traditional community. We are, we are, we are very, very like, you know, diverse. And when, you know, I'm I'm very privileged to raise my daughters here as I
was. And one thing I realized when I left for college in Michigan was how lucky we are to be in a diverse cultural community of all different types of people with like, respect. You don't you don't, you don't,
you don't, you don't. You don't see that very often. And oftentimes when you do, I believe it's manufactured. But here it's authentic and real. So I'm thankful to everyone here
tonight. Thank you. Commissioner DiDonato. Well, I can't say I've known you since ten because I haven't, but I've known you for
a very, very long time. You've always stood out. Emotional Italian. I'm just proud of you. I wasn't born here, but I my
whole adult life has been here. And what an example you are. Truly. Congratulations.
Commissioner Julius. Assistant chief Mathis, congratulations, sir. I have the privilege of knowing Mr. Mr. Mathis, since I
was in kindergarten, and he was in fourth, fifth grade. And I remember when we were getting ready to lined up for the everyone to get picked up, he could do the best impression of
the WWF superstar Tatanka's dance. If you all remember, he could rock it like no other. And so it's a hometown kid. You know
how I feel about seeing hometown people in the community take that step in leadership and putting on a good example for the youth and assistant chief is a great representation of
everyone in Tarpon Springs and embodies adversity, discipline, community, love and effort for the whole community. And it goes without saying, you know where
we all want you next. But what God's calling, who knows where that is? But we hope the best is yet to come. And
congratulations, sir. Thank you. Vice Mayor Eisner. Thank you mayor. Mr. T, how are you? Well,
how about you? You know, that was one of the shortest speeches I've ever heard you say. But, you know, it all had encouraging words behind it. And as you can
hear, everybody in this room, everybody up here on this dais, we respect you. We respect you like nobody else. Yes, you were born, bred and raised here, but
you didn't have to turn out as fantastic and nice as you have. That was your choice. And I want you to know that you know that I respect you as a brother. We
tease each other, mostly me on you, but that's okay. That's the way it should be. But, you know, this is an honor for me to sit here and to hear other
commissioners who I respect want to put you up on a pedestal and make sure that you are the next chief of police, because you
have the insight, you have the desire, you have that inner fire of being one of the best human beings I know, beside what you
do for a living, you always have something nice to say about everybody regardless. And someday you may make brisket better than I. Ever. But at this
point you're second fiddle to my brisket, so I did also want to compliment Commissioner Banther. He summed this up pretty well this morning. This afternoon,
and what he had to say. You are an honorable person. You come from an honorable family and it's just enjoyable to work with you. And I hope to work with you
for as long as God gives me that strength. So I thank you. And if there's anything I can do to help, you, always ask and you know that. So congratulations and you deserve everything. You
know. I was honored to see you. Even. You know, I saw your smiling face with the chief when you graduated FBI school, and you looked like a cat that
swallowed a canary. You would still like a little kid, so it was very good. Thank you for who
you are. Now, let's let's not chase off our our current chief. I was going to say Guy. He just got to watch, make sure he's not
behind. Became assistant chief. Now we're we're trying to promote him, like, immediately. Like two jumps. You only get one jump. Now we got to keep this guy around. No offense, chief,
you got a lot of things. You still got a lot to learn from him. So anybody that wants to speak, start getting up here, line up, and please come up and
say what you'd like to say. Good evening. Board Anita, protest, 91 Bayshore Drive. I don't want to cry. I'm so proud of him. But one thing you don't know about
him. You may make the best brisket, but he makes the best damn fried pork chops you ever. And his mother taught him well.
Her greens and her beans. I think tarpon should invite Guy Ferrari to come here to taste
our. Star hero's pork chops. And let him cook them down at Dimitri's. And that would be good publicity for Tarpon Springs. Because between him and
his mother, you cannot find better southern food.
Congratulations. Thanks. Debbie McKinney, 1021 Rosemary Lane. I met Turin in 2012. I had a
freshman in high school, and she was part of the band program. So I was dreaming. Turin was so dedicated, not only as the SRO at that high school, but also
with the band program, and he was there for them 100%. I remember even seeing, I don't know if it was a live feed or a recording. I think it was the
following year they went to Macy's and while they were out on the boat, Turin got down on his knee and proposed in front of all the kids. So it was very
exciting. He's also been there for me as a parent of a high schooler. I won't go into all of that, but there was a situation that if it wasn't for Turin, I
wouldn't have gotten through it. Even to this day, he still asks how I'm doing about that, and I'm just so proud to know him.
And he's been such an awesome person to everybody I know.
Thank you. Next. One up. Anybody else? I'm sorry. Good evening.
I'm Glen Davis, 519 East Morgan Street, Tarpon Springs. I like to just say that I'm very proud to be able to see this happen,
and I feel everyone in the room knows, but I think it needs to be said that everything that Turin has earned, he worked hard
for it. Nothing has been given to him, and I'm just so proud of him. And I pray that as he continues to move up, that he
will be a role model for other young people, to let them know that there are a lot of opportunities. And, you know, just such a sight high and work
towards your goal. So thank you so much. Thank you. Please everybody line up if you want to
talk please. So no no no no problem. Cornelius Crawford, 5601 Dolores Drive. This is more than about Turin. I'm not a
Tarpon Springs native. I moved here from Miami, found the love of my life and boom here. But I think Crawford was about four years ago. Five years ago, when
I first met him, there was a homeless guy who pulled a knife on a bunch of kids. I did what I can do until they came. Boom. I want to commend you on the force
you put together. Every time I have a communication or dealing with them, they are always on point, always humble. Thank you. Always got that leadership that
you know, communication. Bullet hit. I heard that one this weekend too. Thanks for making
them doors bigger. I'm from Miami where we don't have a relationship with law enforcement, you know what I'm saying? But since I've been
here, when I see the dark blue come, I'm cool, I'm safe. You know, you guys are standard. And that's what he gives. I mean, being a part of the family. When
I came to the family, him and my other nephew is also in the blue. We talk. I need advice, and these are younger people,
way younger than me. And to see them strive and do such great things. There's not an incident that happens in the community, whether he's in uniform or out.
He's going to come and put water on that fire to keep it from flaming. You know, the way he talks to people, the way he deals with people. And gosh, I
tip my hat to how you take care of your family. You know, he loves his family over all. And the band, Tarpon Springs band, but you know, but you guys
couldn't have made a better decision. You got great leadership. We haven't met but a couple of times, but I see I meet you through the people that work under you, you know what
I'm saying? And they all are great. Thank you. Congratulations, I love you. And I got one more comment. Know
somebody say to me, come see me. Come on. Okay. It's on. Okay. My name is Clifford Pitts. I'm a native of Tarpon Springs and
Theresa is my nephew. And I just want to let him know that the family is proud of him for the work he's done. Thanks for the chief here that guided him and all the police and everyone in
the community. Just keep them up, build them up, keep them strong. He know the family is behind him. Love you man. Love
you too all. Hello, Maggie. Miles 433 East Boyer Street to my nephew. Cousin. He called me
Auntie. Cousin. I wrote a poem on Father's Day, and I just want to give you some excerpts from it, because I think it's befitting to you. A boy no more.
But a man is he shoulders erect, as proud as can be, his handshake firm. His talk is fast, his body for it tough. He's built to last through
adversity. He stands come sunshine or rain. He weathers the storm. He endures the pain. His head held high. His confidence is feared. He was
created by God. He knows who he is. I love you, I love you, I
love. That's a great young man, man. My son is in medical school. He
always encouraged my son and he worked for the fire department in South Fort Myers. So he young people see what he achieved. You can do it too. Doesn't matter
what race you are, just work hard for it. He did it. And thank you, chief too. God bless you. I am Cynthia Davis, 626
Spring Lake Circle and retired lieutenant from Saint Pete. The reason why I say that, because that is going to show the connection. So to read. Okay.
He's back there. I first he didn't tell the whole story. This is my son Jeremiah. The first time I met Taryn was in, I believe, 2012 or maybe 2011 when
I had to show up at the school in uniform. And so Taryn was the resource officer. So in speaking to Taryn, because my son is very
likable, so I had to I had to tell Taryn to read. He's supposed to be in class, not hanging out with you, but he was a great help tool for my son because with your
accomplishments, I know that Taryn was a great help. But the thing is this with Taryn and I, I remember if it was 2008, I didn't know that he was hired in 2008. But Taryn start
questioning his leadership skills. And that's when I met this young man and I started mentoring him, because I know it's tough to take that jump or
leap into to leadership, and I'm so glad to read that you stop questioning and start taking action, because you certainly deserve it. And so does Tarpon
Springs. I've been here for 20 years. I love Tarpon Springs, chief. We've met. I wouldn't trade it for the world. But I tell you what, Taryn, as much as you think I've been a help to
you, you've been a treasure to me and my family. So I thank you. Thank you. My name is
Jeremiah, and this is. Wow. Definitely a full circle moment for me, chief. Yeah. I met Taryn when I was at when I was at Tarpon. And I'll never forget
there was an incident that happened, and I remember feeling
like I had no one. At the time. Yeah. And I remember, like, you know, you had to go to the Sro's office and I was like, oh my
gosh, my mom was a cop. I'm done. And I remember sitting in there and I remember just when I began to speak to him, it was almost like you would forget
that he's a cop. There was a humanness, an intimacy, a humbleness, a yearning to get to know you as a person, to be able to deal with what you're dealing
with. And from that moment forward, it almost felt like I had someone in my corner that I could trust as a student. You know, you see the SROs and you,
you want to run from them. But I remember when I would see Taryn, I would just gravitate to him and I would just he made it so easy to build a relationship
between, you know, kids and cops. And I remember, like, time after time, I would go into his office and then the bell would ring and I would be late and I'd be like, hey, you want to write
me a pass, please, sir? But those were just the small moments. And even growing up and being out of high school and my own decisions, dumb decisions that I made, Taryn would set me straight. You know, he was he
was very impactful in the reason that I'm an Air Force veteran and even more impactful, even more personal. His interactions, getting to know him as a person and seeing how he wore the
uniform is why I'm an officer today, so I can tell you as an officer, even when you're not at that same department. Sir, you are an example to us and I'll even say it and be real with
you. You are an example to us black officers. You are a leader. We love you. We respect you. And I can't tell you enough how humbled I am to have known you and to carry my badge the
way I carry it. Because you carry it the way you carry it. And. Anyone else. One last
thing. I'm sorry. Oh, my God, I just I did not before I leave and I'll hear it tomorrow, I promise you. But my wife and my son and my daughter and my mom.
Can y'all stand up so they can see who you are? And. I made up
for it this time. Chief, again, thank you. The funny story to this is, I was in Quantico, and I shot a video to do a thing,
and the chief calls. Or was it Gibson? They go. Was it you? Kroft. They go, dude, you didn't think your wife in your video? I was like, oh, no. So I want to make sure that we got it done today. And then again, mayor,
thank you for allowing this time. This is incredible. And I have to say, like my aunt's an educator, retired. I think I just had that moment, like on
step where you actually felt like with Jeremiah, you did something, you improved a life.
Yeah. That that. Yeah. That's it. That's that's worth it. I hope God gives me a long life to live. Amen. But if I got one.
Yeah, if we got one. Amen, I got it. Amen. Thank you. It's been
positive. Appeared to lack is 514 Ashland Avenue. Listening to all the personal stories. And it
gives me thoughts of sort of a philosophy of life. You throw a pebble into the water and it creates ripples and it goes out,
and then it has actions on other people. So thank you, Mark, for the vision to set up cops and kids that brought into the fold, that brought Jeremiah into the
fold and made their light. Be the ripples that go forward to bring forth other people into
this world. So we have more character integrity. As Taryn has shown. So now I'm going to
go to my reading for this evening. Some of you may not be aware, but every meeting I pick a passage to read. And this
passage, the way I pick it is I go to the prophets to see what they've said about things that could be relevant to our current time. So this is Jeremiah four.
This chapter is called disaster from the North. And I'm going to start at 11. At that time, this people in Jerusalem will be told
a scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse a wind too strong, for that comes from me.
Now I pronounce my judgment against them. Look! He advances like the clouds. His chariots come like a whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us! We are ruined! Oh, Jerusalem! Washed the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts? A voice is announcing
from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim. Tell this to the nations. Proclaim it to Jerusalem. A besieging army is coming from a distant land,
raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. They surround her like men guarding a field. But she has rebelled against me, declares the Lord. Your own
conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is, how it pierces to the heart. Oh my anguish, my anguish. I writhe
in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart. My heart pounds within me I cannot keep silent. For I heard the sound of the trumpet. I have heard the battle cry.
Disaster follows disaster. The whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed. My shelter. In a moment. How long must I see the battle
standard. And hear the sound of trumpet? So just a little bit of brief history to put people's minds back into perspective.
2015 ten years ago, President Obama and the United Nations, in the European Union and other countries came together and formed the JCPoA, the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran agreed to it. Everybody agreed to it. Iran became began following it. We began releasing
sanctions. Everything was going fine. 2016 A new election comes in. If you remember, one of the first things was Muslim ban. And then we also heard bomb Iran,
Iran bomb, bomb, bomb Iran. And then in 2018, what happens? That current president broke off from the JCPoA, giving Iran courage
to proceed with their actions. And now we have that same president trying to recreate the JCPoA that he destroyed. So that is why I picked this passage,
because sometimes one's actions create repercussions in the fallout. Thank you. To Zeb
Atkinson. 621 where do I live? 621 East Orange Street. I just wanted to say thank you all for coming to Juneteenth. We're working on next year's. We got
it up to two days so far, so it's not going to be trying to cram it all into one day. We're going to try and spread it out over two days. I know I didn't see everybody there. I know I saw Chief Young, the fire chief,
and you know, I didn't see all the commissioners. But thank you all for coming and I look forward to seeing you again next year. You okay? That concludes
public comments. We will go to the consent agenda items before I get go there. Let's we are deferring if you have your
agenda with you. We are deferring item number 17. So let me read the. I'll wait till
everybody okay I do have one. Oh I'm sorry okay. We have one. We have one letter to be read into the record. Go ahead. This is from Joanne Reach, 1013 Teal
Point, Tarpon Springs. Thank you, Tarpon Springs, for doing this proclamation on LGBTQ. I am sorry that I am not able to be present to say something in
person. As a member of the LGBTQ community and a volunteer for the City of Tarpon Springs, I just wanted to go on record to say thank you and please know how meaningful it is. Far too
many of my community live in fear and experience hatred towards them and their family. I also want to go on record to thank Chief Young and the police force for protecting all citizens of Tarpon Springs
regardless of their race, religion or sexual orientation, and having an open door to hearing concerns. On a final note, let me share that you
should consider inviting Irene Young, famous photographer who grew up in Tarpon Springs until the age of 15, to exhibit some of her work or be given a key to
the city while she is still alive. You can take a look at her recent book, photography. Something About the Women five
Decades of Seen by Irene Young. Thank you. Thank you. Let me read the consent agenda items four through ten. Number four
Attorney's fees, Attorney's fees. Eunice Salzman, PA invoices number five satisfaction release of leans.
Number six authorization of back patio installation at Craig Park Recreation Center. Number seven, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services, amendment number eight, reject all bids for file number 25 0143. Aeration basin
cleaning and Debris Removal Services. Number nine. Increase file number 2401 66 Motorola
radio Equipment and Maintenance. And number ten increase file number 25 0091. Electrical services is. Does any
commissioner wish to pull any of these items? No. Okay, then I have a roll call on the motion. Motion? So moved second. Okay.
Can I have roll call? Commissioner? Yes, Commissioner. DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner. Coolio's. Yes. Vice mayor Eisner. Yes. Pulley. Yes. Irene.
Is your microphone on? It is. I'll try to move it closer. All right. Okay. Let's continue to the business items. Number 11 is
award file number 25 0171 purchase of police department vehicles. Chief young. He's
aware. Thank you. Mayor, commissioners. Chief young police department. What I'm bringing before you today, I'm looking to expand out of the police impact fee. So this would
not be anything on the budget itself, but out of impact fee money that's already within my account. I'm looking over the last few years since I became chief. You're gracious enough to
give me a four new police officer positions, which we've filled in since that time period. However, we never increased our fleet numbers. So the fleet number, I'm just
looking to add four vehicles here outside the budget process and buying them through the impact fee so I can get my fleet up to where it needs to be to keep the retaining of the spare
vehicles out of the number, where when they go down and stuff, officers will have reliable vehicles available to them. Another portion on here that I'm looking for is to purchase a marine unit. You
know, we have some of the most coastline in the in Pinellas County between the Anclote River, the bayous and the Gulf of Mexico. We've been before this board, council, and many
people have, you'll hear complaining about boaters on on the river. We do work great with FWC, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Coast Guard, and everybody else, but it also means something to have your own
marine unit here as well. So I'm looking to purchase looking for your your approval to go to bid to purchase a vessel. We're looking at a probably something
like a 25 foot flat deck boat with a 300 motor trailer. And for now, we'll trailer it and stuff. In the future, I would like to get some place down on the water in the Marina and stuff, but for right now, since
this is something that we're trying to initiate, I would have the officers that were identifying to be part of a marine unit. They'll be able to launch it. We'll either launch at Craig Park or Sunset Beach and be able to get out pretty
quickly in those areas if the resources needed out there, but we're looking to approximately $130,000 for that. So looking for the board's approval on that. And then something that we could bring forward and
definitely would help with all those issues that you see around Sunset Beach and stuff and having our presence there so they can ask, answer any questions. Thank you. Let's go
to questions. I'll start off. So just to reiterate what you said, these all these vehicles and the boat are all you have the funds
for those outside of the general budget. Correct. And the police impact fees. Okay. Commissioner, do you have any questions? I just want to say thank. Thank you, chief, for being receptive
of our need for a marine unit. I think it's a long time coming. And I also believe that, you know, you saw the water rescues that when, when we got the
fireboat about ten years ago that that saved this. This is going to further help, help, help, help save lives. We have some of the most coastline of any city in Pinellas County. So we definitely need our law
enforcement. You know, you know, you know, presence out there. And so I think that this this is a great, a great thing. And I'm very happy that we can use the impact funds for it. Thank you.
Commissioner De Donato. I would just echo that. It's a long time coming and I thank you for the job you and your department do. Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner. Cool. Yes, yes,
chief. And there's no way to consider even, like the fire department or the police department possibly sharing the boat we have now that that boat that they have there wouldn't be able to get us into the areas for draft and stuff because, you
know, that has a large apparatus on it for fire extinguishing. And I think to Commissioner Panthers point, I know that. And Scott, you could probably speak more to the point of it. That was a vital resource that they
needed to put out a large vessel fire during that time. So if we're out there, we're using it for police operations and they're trying to get to an emergency themselves with a fire
apparatus on board, it's going to delay their response time. So, you know, in theory, it sounds great to have a shared resource, but they're there for a reason. When they need them, they need it. And when we need
it, we need it. So that's the separation would be good. And plus what we're looking for is a shallower draft to go into low areas to where we can go and patrol up in tighter areas. Yes, sir. The impact fees for the
police, what does that usually cover or pay for? That's a Ron Herring question for because it's a finance. Calculation
thing Ron is asking. So what we can use the police impact fee for the funds. Yeah. Good evening. Ron Herring, finance director. Yes. It's basically for new capital growth. But in
the state statutes you can also use it for public safety vehicles with a life span of five years. Okay, okay. My only suggestion I'd like to think
what you think about it is. Or what is the cost of, like, a police sedan? And the only reason why I say that. Police. What, sir? Like a car, a sedan. Like, just out of curiosity, I don't know if I'd get support
for the board, but maybe three SUVs and one sedan, just, you know, the one thing that we're learning, like. Like me, I drive, I drive a Toyota Camry hybrid. Right? But I'm not out there during the hurricane. I'm
not out there going, trying to get to your house when there's two feet of water. Our tahoes will get there. Okay, so you know, I'm looking at it from a safety perspective and how we
can best serve the citizens. You know, we were looking at hybrids for a little while. We pulled those off the shelf because they were taking four years to get get them to us, you know, so we
always look for that. But the amount of equipment that our officers are required to carry out on patrol, a small sedan won't cut it. That's a good point. And I'm just trying to
look at and I appreciate that. But I just want to be very candid with everybody. If, you know, come take a look at what our guys carry and what they're prepared to deal with. You know, I was out today because Major
Crawford and Major Gibson were doing some training with officers at one of the local schools today and doing felony traffic stops and room clearings and stuff like that, because we're training all the time. But
it's everything that they're carrying and they're ready for anything. You're right, there's a lot of accessories and equipment that probably the trunk of the sedans couldn't fit. So I got my answer, so got
my questions answered. We're good. Thank you. Good, good questions, vice mayor. Thank you. Mayor. Will this be a unmarked boat? No. Working on
the graphics of that now. So where would the insignia be? Would it be on the side? Are you going to have a bit of a I mean, I know on the water you have a blue light. So would that be a
blue light. So they'll be a police package on the boat. You know, red, yellow blue lights, sirens. We'll have radio communications on there, other equipment. And then the police markings would be on the side of
the vessel. Okay. I was very curious on that because with that in mind, 130,000 with the trailer is probably very inexpensive. I'll just tell you
that for that kind of package. Right. So this will this be able to be protected and covered because we have the issue, I'm sure you know, that I've been dealing with the fire chief on
the other. Yes. And that's something that, you know, Scott and I have talked about that a few times. You know, one of my marine officers that does this, you know, we'll we'll work with
them. We will get a cover for it for now because we'll keep it probably in one of our back sheds in the back area. And then if, if and when we get davits
built with a lift down at the Marina, then we would also be looking for some type of shade covering. Okay, so it'd be a
single a single engine, 300 horse boat, our poles, things of that sort. When we come up along, we can safely board vessels or if we got to rescue
people, it will have doors on it for and a platform on the front and back. I believe it's on both ends of it. Correct. Just the back. The platform for divers and such. It sounds like a great
idea. I mean, I'm just asking, you know, these are things I just don't know about it, but and it's a great idea. We many times need you out there. And,
you know, I'm 100% for it. So thank you, thank you, thank you, vice mayor. And do we have any
public comments on this item? Sure. Yes, ma'am. Anybody else that wants to comment on this item, please get in. Get in line
as well. Glendeen Davis, 519 East Morgan Street. I'm relatively new as far as sitting in on some of your business, but I feel that it should be
approved. What the chief is asking for to give him four positions and yet not give him what he needs in order to serve those individuals where they can
effectively do their job. I think that's very unfair. Also, I think the questions that was asked by one of the commission, you know, you always got to have a devil's advocate in the group.
It's good that you do question, you know, because you're not here to just rubber stamp everything. But I feel what the chief is asking for seem to be
reasonable. Yeah. Thank you. Anyone else? I don't see anybody else lined up. Mister Austin, is
there anyone on zoom? Hello? There are no online comments. Thank you. Okay with that? I'd
like to entertain a motion. So moved. Second. There's no further comments. Let's go to roll call, please. Commissioner. Yes, Commissioner. DiDonato.
Yes, Commissioner. Coolio's. Yes, vice mayor. Yes, mayor. Yes. Thank you, thank you. Let's go to item of business. Item
number 12, financing CIP projects. Mr. Herring and city manager Rudd. Mayor, I'll preface it before Ron's here can
answer questions as well. As you recall, we met with each of you individually weeks ago about potential scenarios for borrowing in order to expedite our projects. And I also sent
out to you some examples of no financing scenario versus ten years and 30 years. And so what we wanted to show mostly not those specific projects, was, but the increase in number of
projects we could tackle. And what we need tonight is to find out if you're we're promoting the ten year option to finance those large cash purchases, such as the fire station, the Craig
Park seawall, some of the projects so we can free up that cash to then pay more roads, do more stormwater, do more more projects in the interim. And we want to be able to finalize the
capital budget for you before the workshops. So we brought this for you tonight to get some direction. If we would come back to you with a resolution for that financing. And Ron can
describe what type that would be, but it'd be, I think, under $10 million in financing scenario to enable us to utilize our penny fund in particular for
streets, stormwater and so forth. Other projects of the like. Okay, Mr. Herring, are
you. Miss my computer? Good evening, Ron Herring, finance director. I don't know if there's any specific questions,
but the financing, you know,&-pn to go out for some financing, we would start the bid process. We'd be a ten year bank note. We're looking at interest rates
right around 4% for ten years. If you give, you know, trying to finance the fire station and the Craig Park seawall, which is already cash funded, what's going to relieve some money in
these funds? If we did that, it's going to help proximately pay for an additional 2.5 million of capital projects and also leave a reserve in the
penny fund of about 3.5 million by doing that. Okay, let's go to questions of the city manager and the finance director. I'll
start it off. Ron, you and I spoke about this today. If we if you don't do the financing right, what do you have in in
the as you mentioned in the reserve, I always try to say where my phrase is, I, we sort of been living on the edge here. You know, we try to we finance, you know what, whatever money we
have and that's all the projects we do, we push the rest out. So a lot of the routine projects, but nothing really larger like that. But I know you asked me a question probably, you know, as far as the difference between
pay as you go, you know, versus, you know, going out for financing, which, which leaves you, you know what it is. It's better, you're better able to plan capital projects and have more flexibility with projects.
It lowers the inflation risk faster project execution on getting them completed. Debt by paid by the debt would be paid by the future generations that benefit by the projects. And it
also enables timely investment in infrastructure to support growth and economic development. So what you were talking, you said we'd have 3 million if we do the financing, that would
free up about $3 million to have set aside. Right. Plus, in addition to 2.5 million of capital projects that are not in the budget with no financing. Okay, so if we but if we don't
do the financing, you said you told me upstairs we would only have a couple hundred thousand dollars remaining in the fund balance. Correct. Which is which is very tight, would you say?
Yes. Okay. It makes you not. Yeah. Yeah. In the penny fund. But it would make it it would make it very tight a lot of years when the projects come up doing pay as you go, I'm always,
okay, where can I pay for this from a penny fund impact funds. I'm trying to draw from these different sources of money to try to accomplish some of these projects. I'm going to ask you a couple rhetorical questions. So
how long you been finance director? 11 years going on 12. Okay. And how long you been with the city? In the finance department? Oh, a long time, 38
years, 38 years. All right. My brother was mayor when you started. I know I'm going to start with that. I'm going to start with a kuleana and probably retire with a kuleana. All right. We'll see a few more
years left. Ron, you can't just walk out together, but you don't leave a day early, so. Okay. If you say so. Do you do you do you
believe this is a logical and prudent approach to funding? Yeah, just as I mentioned before, as far, you know, lessening the inflation risk.
Better able to plan the projects faster execution of the capital projects, the future generations that are benefiting from the projects will pay for it. And
also with a timely investment in infrastructure and economic development for the city. And what is our percentage if we do the financing to the maximum
that you have thought about, what would be the percentage of debt service to the general fund revenue based on just doing the
fire station or, you know, we talked we you talked about 5%, right? We talked about the 5%, because as you know, we've compared ourselves to other cities, right? We are already on the lowest end of all the cities
in the county. I think even going to the Pasco County, as far as debt service ratio, we usually use debt service to revenues. You know, we're general, but it's general revenue, not overall revenue. General general government
revenue. So it's so enterprise funds. And so the max that we're looking at here is 5%. We're looking at 5%. But that would that would still keep us at the
average or below the average of all the cities in the area. And if it's 5% of general revenue, what is it of overall revenue? If we have, like you put on the
screen the other day of $100 million, where does it put us over in of all revenue? If we did $100 million of debt? No, no, no, you you said that our
you said our budget was $100 million, right? You put on the screen there. Okay. So the debt service that we know, the debt service to general revenue is
going to be no more than 5%. We won't. That's the that's the 47 million of general government. But if we know. Sorry about that. I'm a detailed person. I
know your numbers right now. It's five. Right now you're you're calculation is 5% of general revenue. Correct. If that debt service that
represents the 5% as a percentage of the whole budget, right. All 100 million is what you're talking about 1%. Okay.
So we're basically talking about if we had 100 marbles in a jar, we're using one correct to service all 100, all these projects. There's 100 marbles in
the jar. We're taking one. Right. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner Banther. Yes. Thank you Ron, I'm obviously in support of this. We are $100
million corporation. And any corporation like that, whether government or private, should responsibly use, use, use, use, use debt. It is a good financial practice to do and I think we
are hurting ourselves if we don't from a, you know, a non-mathematical approach, you know, if we want to pay as we go and delay the much needed improvements to our infrastructure, Commissioner. Commissioner, is this a
question? Oh, I'm sorry, this is a question that we're we're going to do is going to ask questions. Now I only and then we're going to come back, get a motion and then we can make
statements. Only direct question I have is would any debt service come back to us for final approval before it's executed. Correct. We would if we get the direction from the board. You
want to go out for financing, we'll go to our financial advisor. Bond counsel. We've already been talking with them. We go out to bid and about two months we would come back to you with the results of the bids
with the with the lowest interest rate. Okay. So okay. So we get to see each time it happens and correct okay. Thank you. Commissioner De Donato. My question has already been asked.
Thank you. Thank you Commissioner. Yes, Ron, you mentioned the last time we took out a potential loan like this was what for? The r o plant. Reverse osmosis plant? That was
a major bond issue for 30 years. Yes. Okay. And I mean, guys, there's no back up here. My right. Because I tried to click on this and I don't there's no backup. There's no talk about
potential numbers that go out to bid for there's I mean there's no projects that sit here and say what we're going to try to fill and not fill. I mean, I don't feel comfortable moving forward with this. And, you
know, what was our budget last year, Mr. Herring? For the total city. For the total city, the original adopted budget, I believe, was like 87 million. So what are the factors that have
caused this to go up? $13 million in this year's budget? It's a lot of it is the capital improvements we've got in the in the water and sewer fund, and I believe the CRA fund are the are
the major thing the capital improvements. Okay. And I know we had some concerns the mayor might be able to help me. What was it that we were concerned about maybe the value of property taxes and our sales
taxes from last year. Well, how did that materialize and what we're going to receive this year? Well, our property for next year, for next year's budget are originally budgeted zero because we just weren't sure. But property taxes ended
up coming in at 4.12% increase in taxable value, which is going to equate to about 606 hundred and 610,000 additional revenue. We saw sales taxes last year
decreasing a little bit, not much from month to month, but we've seen them start to increase back up, and they're sort of normalized to our budget that we've budgeted for 2025. Okay. And as we talked about,
mayor asked you there. You know, the thing with Ron, you can give him a few different directions. He's going to find a path of financial security to get us there. So there's no doubt if
you tell them to try to put together certain loans or presentations, he's going to find a way to do it. He's that talented. But I'm concerned that, you know, we have a
potential to borrow money, that all of us may not be around to pay back. And like we said, it's a few generations. And what capital improvement projects are
we going to work on? And we talk about stormwater areas. And, you know, our worst fears have already happened. We've already faced that. And the only way to solve that is federal funded
money to put seawalls up all around the city. We don't have that, you know, so I don't want to and we're going to have the same amount of capital improvement projects come up in
the next 15 years, just like we will in ten years and 20 years. So I don't feel comfortable putting this to keep looking out. I think. And like I said, as I told the city manager, it's
his first year during the budget season. He needs to be able to work with the budget that we have. We had the increases in property value. Commissioner, we had a question. I'm getting
there, sir. Okay, so. Do we have why don't we have any more backup on what direction we were going to go with all this? I did email you some. Some. I think it
was on Friday. I wasn't ready when the packet went out. Yes. The four different scenarios of potential. No financing. Ten years, but just the fire station. Ten years with the fire station, the Craig Park and then
30 years just as a comparison to show the increase in in streets projects and stormwater projects and roofs and things we could add into the budget. Thank you. And, you know, some of those are
just they're not revenue producing for our community. And we're going to borrow more money again. And, you know, it's just not a good look. We're going to. So I'm not going to support it I
think it's a bad decision. You know seven eight months ago we're in this spot. Even the mayor said that we weren't going to borrow. You know, we need to beat a conservative approach. We don't know. There's a lot of
uncertainty. And now we're going to borrow money for projects that don't have an ROI on our returns, so we can fix the storm. We can fix a couple joints in the area intersections and what will stop the king
tides. But we're not going to stop the disasters that we face, and we face the worst. So what capital improvement projects should we take on that our children or grandchildren have to pay the debt for? So I'm not
going to support it. Thanks, vice mayor. Thank you mayor. I'm sitting on the fence with this one. And why I'm sitting on the
fence is have you included? You know, of course we have the $5 million spoil site we just bought. We have a couple of
vector purchases that are coming up. Don't aren't we still paying? This is a perpetual question. Aren't we still paying
for the R.O. Plant and also some of the solar panels that are around it as well? The solar panels weren't financed. But yes, you know, the water plant
was under a bond issue. Okay. I'm just I was when I, when I met with you and the city manager, I was okay with the ten
year borrowing. But I would like to know exactly what we're going to utilize it for, not to just to free up money. And that's what I've been listening to
about, you know, taking the money from the, you know, the Gulf fire place that's been already been allotted. But I need to know what we're going to
utilize it for. So I'm okay with agreeing to bring up our debt to ratio. And I did hear how the mayor presented our debt ratio
for income versus debt ratio for our full budget of $100 million. And it's a nice way to make it look smaller, which is okay. And I'm okay with doing that. I just
need to know where it's going to go, because this is ten years and we're going to you know, what I've learned is the city commissioner, there's always things that need to be repaired. There's always things that, you
know, next year we're going to have other different calamities to deal with. And, you know, we can't keep borrowing for every single item and keep kicking the can down the road. Somebody's
got to pay that. That's where our federal government is in right now with trillions of dollars. So I'm okay with borrowing the money as long as I
know that it will tackle something that is pertinent to keeping tarpon safe, you know, do I want it for sidewalks? No.
Do I want it to protect the Craig Park? You know, and because I know we don't have full funds for that, are we going to need it? Possibly for the Beckett Bridge. You know, we
don't know if we're getting the grant, whether they they're going to the Pinellas County is going to pay for the moving of the pipes or we're going to pay for it. Do we have that money? Do we have that money set aside
for the Beckett Bridge? Is my question. Well, I think we're still trying to find out if we're going to get the grant. It seems like that project keeps getting pushed back by the county. So I know even a year
from now, we're not sure if we're still going to know what's going on with that project. So the answer is no, we don't have that money though, right? We're planning on doing financing if
we needed it. So, you know, right now, if we leave things the way they are, we pay for the firehouse, which was five, six
times the amount that it was originally priced at. We don't have to borrow for that. We have other, you know, leases that we
will be speaking about shortly. We still have the spoil site that and how long do we have to pay for the spoil site? That's a
ten year lease. Okay, so I'm just not sure as I agree with Commissioner Koolhaas with his comment. You know, I need to know what we're going to utilize
it for. Because otherwise I don't see the purpose of borrowing the money. I'm okay borrowing the money. I'm just not sure what we're going to
utilize it for. Thank you. Let's go to public comments. Are there any public comments on this item? Please get line up if you
want to have public comments, please. Debbie McKinney 1021 Rose Tree Lane. I agree that we
should go into debt, and the reason is I always go back to my family budget. If I have a leaky roof and I patch it, I'm going to have to patch it again next year. But next year it's going
to cost more money than it did this year. Year after that, it's going to cost more money again because things keep going up. If we get this money, we can buy in at today's prices and pay for it
over the next ten years, which makes sense because our debt ratio is even, 5% is low. There's somebody I saw another
one listed at 12%. So I agree that we should get the ten year loan. But I also agree. As I stated last week, I'm concerned about the projects that are going to be funded, and I want
to make sure that the right projects are funded. Thank you. I don't see anyone else lined up, so let's go up to Mr.
Austin. Anybody on zoom? There are no online comments at this time. Okay. Thank you. So let's let's come back to the board. I'd like to entertain a motion.
Anyone? Oh, okay. Sorry. What's that? I'm sorry. I'd like to entertain a motion. So moved. Okay. There's a motion on the floor. Now. We'll go to
commissioner comments and I'll. I'll start it off. You know this, first of all, vice Mayor, this is a all we're doing right
now is allowing the finance director to include this as a, a part of, of budgeting as he approaches the budget. What
items will get financed? What items with the freed up money we will use to pay for that, we will have plenty of time to. That's going to be our decision.
What goes in those slots. So what? All we're what we're asking now is to give them direction conceptually to move forward with this. Again, we're going to have so many budget
meetings and we're going to have CIP meeting. We're going to have a lot of time to go through it. And at any time, all he's going to do is go out, go out for bid to say, okay, we have the money.
If in fact, we go ahead and do this and we all agree now, he can he can go ahead and pull the trigger and do what he needs to do. So. And we can always tell him no down the road. So this is
just a an opening step for him to be able to go ahead and get that ball rolling with the finance people to have it lined up, if in fact, we go that
route. You know, the. The you know, the. We used the last time we did use ten year funding was
to buy the property. And if you remember, I'm the one who brought that concept forward to go with the ten years before that, it was going to get much
shortened. So we've already done that with property. You know, we what we have here is, you know, and it's kind of what we call
like the matching principle. Right? We have we're buying assets, whether it's the fire station. Let's use the fire station, for example. We're buying an asset. We're putting
the entire burden of paying for that asset on this one period. Even though that fire station is going to be something used for
years to come. You know, I mean, personally, I'd be happy if we went with 30 years, but we can't. And without going to referendum, by the time we went to referendum to get a bond or
all that kind of stuff, you know, we most of us would be out of out of office by then by the time the money showed up. So but according to our, our charter,
we can only go ten years and without going to referendum. So in this case, we're taking an asset that's going to have probably a 2025 year value to
the community. And instead of putting that whole burden on this one year, we're spreading it over a ten year period, which. So for example, if the
fire station and I know it's more than this, but if the fire station were $5 million and we've spread it over ten years and let's say with interest, I'm just making these numbers, I don't know what the interest
rate is exactly. You know, 520, say, 520,000 a year of debt service. But that frees up $4.5 million that we now can use on
projects. And again, that's going to be our choice. It's going to be our choice to decide what we what we think is clearly worthy of spending that money
on. And, you know, it's if we have stormwater issues, we have road issues. We have a lot of things that we could could spend
the money on. I know that the city manager, city manager sent us that. Just kind of an idea, okay? If we did this, we could shift all these projects, get a whole bunch of things done. You
know, the we all know that the inflation rate has been exorbitant, and it's possible that it could continue. So we're
paying for things now versus paying for a fixed asset. That's going to be a value for a long time. We're using that now taking all that money. It'd be like you having you know, if we
if you if you bought your house and you paid cash and then you gave, you know, you, you, you couldn't do anything else because you spent all this money on the house. Well, no, you wouldn't get a 30 year mortgage,
20 year mortgage, because the house is going to be a value for a long time. And that's the concept here. We're just we're just spreading because we have these these major items. Again, the fire station is a perfect
example. You know our our ratios. Yes I am. You know, a CPA. I'm conservative Ron Herring. The reason I asked him that rhetorical question. He's
been here 38 years. He's been handling finances for the city. You know, this is what I do. I'll. And no and no dispersement
on anybody else up here. I promise you, I'm as conservative as anybody up here when it comes to financing. You can ask my wife and she is has to live with
me. So I would never put the city in jeopardy on any concept for any vanity projects or anything that, you know. And none of these are vanity
projects. Again, the things we already have committed to, for example, the fire station, that alone has already been decided. The things we're going to spend money on are not going to be vanity projects. They're going
to have my name slapped on them or whatever anybody might think it's not the case. These are infrastructure things. Our city manager, you know, he wouldn't
want to put our city in jeopardy. I wouldn't. And. So it's again, we're just giving him approval to move forward
with the concept. That's it. And again, we'll have plenty of time to figure out what's in the slots and, and make that that call. So, Commissioner Banther, do you have any statements? Yes.
Thank you. I want to echo what the mayor just said to everything he just said again, we are $100 million corporation
and, you know, responsibly using debt is good financial practice. Debt. Debt is like anything else. It can be good or bad. And tonight is not giving Ron, you know, the freedom to go out and
buy debt. It's giving him the authorization to include it in his, in his projections and, and seek out financing. I'm glad to hear that everything is going to come back to us for final
approval. And it is the job of this board, I think, to discuss what projects we should finance and what projects we should not, you know, and if we're going to
be a pay as you go city, then that's going to be tough for a full service city. We have an aging infrastructure. We have increased population. Our citizens have increased needs.
And we have to meet those in the most fiscally way responsible. And I believe that this this is the right the right approach. Thank you. Commissioner De Donato. I don't have a lot more
to offer. I will say that I, and I believe all of us have had the opportunity to sit down with the finance director, city manager to discuss this issue. And again, it's a direction. It's
not a commitment at this point in time. And you're actually we're moving forward to try and spend today's dollars for tomorrow's projects. And I would tell you that price is probably
going to be cheaper today than it is tomorrow, unless we have a horrible crash, which no one wants to foresee. But this makes sense to me as a logical direction to at least explore
and see what our alternatives are. Commissioner coleus yeah, I'm looking at it and as as I see it, I got the list in front of me. I mean, I this has to go
in front of the people. Anyways if we're going to borrow for ten years. And I know because we can basically don't have to put it in front of the residents, I just don't think that's good. They need to decide, just like
they decide on everything. Remember they voted on us not increasing from was it 350,000 to 420,000 to purchase properties because they want to
make the input. And as I look at this, I mean, I look at the five year projects added to the five year cop due to financing. We
have Riverside tennis fence, Tarpon Avenue plant replacements replacing. Sizzler field,
outdoor replacement fence. Bathroom remodel, station 69, safety building bathrooms guys, the bathroom up in the in the
main upstairs for the men is terrible condition. But Ron you know as I joke with him forever, I said we got to put that in the budget. He he goes, I'm fine with it, you know. So I see
these projects. These aren't the type of project. There's debt, there's good debt, but also the best way to pay off debt or the fastest way for anybody is to tackle one big item at a time.
And we've addressed the fire station. We're addressing the bridge connection, whatever it's going to happen, and moving the water or the electric, I can't remember exactly. Those are a
couple big projects. We know sometimes government moves slow and this is our biggest budget. Obviously it's a $13 million budget from increase from last
year. You can look at these. And a lot of these projects don't warrant us borrowing money without the residents voting on them just so we can bump up
some, you know, cleaning up the look of some areas, you know, so I'm not going to support it. I don't think it's a good direction for us. And this is already we can say we give them
the right to explore, but this seems like everybody's ready to move forward in such a good way. That's I see the projects here. They're not worth doing. So
thank you. Vice Mayor. Thank you. Mayor. Since you addressed me, I want to address you back. Send the kid out with $20 or $30
to go to the movies, and they'll spend 20 or $30 at the movies. Send them out with your credit card, and you could come back with a 50, 60, $80 bill. You
could. So you're telling me that just giving. And I'm not. You're not a kid, Ron, I know that. I'm not saying that you're a responsible in any which way,
shape and form. But if we free up ten years. Again, as I'm listening to the list and there's more in the list, my computer doesn't seem to be
working, so I can't pull up the list. But unless I know exactly what I'm utilizing it for and what we agree upon, I don't want to move forward. And just
borrowing for the sake of borrowing. I'm okay with. And I'm going to contradict myself here for a second. I'm okay with borrowing for something that is
a necessity that we really need to get done. When you when the example is used, that we have all this money that we could now
take out of the firehouse, in a way, we're buying it for cash, avoiding the referendum for people. And then we'll do a ten
year loan to actually undermine the people's decision, because we didn't go over the ten years. So in a way, it doesn't even look good to me. I mean, it may
to you or to somebody else. To me, it looks like I'm, you know, and I'm not saying it's wrong. We do need it. We do need the firehouse. But that was by ruling of how many years? The
other house, you know, the other firehouse was there. We needed also to. And I'm getting off the topic a little bit, but we also needed it because it wasn't rated for a Cat five, so we had
to do it. But how we do these things is very important, and I, I don't mind, like I said again, I don't mind spending and borrowing the money, but I
really need to know what we're going to spend it for because people that have credit cards with 5000 $10,000 coverages,
they tend to spend what they have. I know this, you may be conservative, but I know many people who have limited out on their credit card because it's
available. I've stood behind many people where they've scanned the card and scanned the card and don't try it again and they're tapped out. I'm not saying that this is what's going
to happen here. I'm happy to move forward with projects that I'll borrow for what I think I need. I know I heard a couple of comments about how everything is
going to be more expensive. It's one way of thinking. We've had four years of inflation. I don't want to get political, but we could be not having things going up right now. If you were to buy
a house, things are going down. It's not going up. So, you know, just sitting here being a naysayer, saying that everything's going to go up. And if anyone's following the fed
interest rates have been, you know, held steady. And they're, they're possibly and most probably going to go down within the next at least six months. So
I'm not overly worried about and I'm jumping into the truck. I'm not overly worried about that. I'm not overly worried about borrowing when we need it. But I
need to see what it is. I need to see what it is. We'll make that decision. What's that? You're going to be the one making that decision. I'm aware of it. But when you when you hand somebody a blank credit
card, which is what we're doing, you tend to spend a little quicker than when you have cash in hand. Cash in hand, you could spend what you have credit card,
you could spend what your limit is. So if we go and we borrow, we're saying to the board it's you could spend your limit. You
be the one spending it. But anyways, I don't it's inappropriate for me to keep doing this. That's okay. You. You're okay. I'm okay. Thank you. The city manager has a
comment. Yeah. I just want to reiterate that the list was just illustrative. So initially just had infrastructure in there. And I started seeing like I've got nothing else in here. We put in some of the projects that are,
you know, the Sisler field fence or whatever to show that we can put those in based on your direction. We could fill that and we're again, we're financing just these large cash projects.
We wouldn't be financing paving streets. We would use the money that was available then to pave a lot of our we have a lot of roads that need to be rebuilt, the brick roads that need to be
rebuilt so we could move all those up and get a lot of work done, and we could leave it at just roads and we have a road plan. Street plan. We have both brick and asphalt. We have
stormwater plan. We can pack it with those projects and not put you know, we need we need roofs, we need AC units. There are many things in our capital request list we could just not put in
there. We'll have to we'll have to deal with those at some point. So we we're we're borrowing for large cash expenditures. We're already planning. And we're going to then use that cash to, to fix
the city, to fix the streets, to fix the drains, the stormwater, those kind of projects that are very that affect the residents daily. And we have those plans built out 30 or more years. We
tell people we're going to get your street in 2058. You're on the list. And that's just hard for people to hear. So this is an opportunity to move some of that stuff up and expedite those
projects. Thank you. Okay, so with every commissioner having commented. If let's go to roll call Commissioner. Yes,
Commissioner DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner. Yes. No. Vice mayor Eisner. Goodness. I'm
going to say, Mike. Now I'm going to say just thank you. I know what's going. Take your time. I'm going to say yes, but I do. And the only reason I'm
saying it is because I would like to see the list of what is going to go on. I know it's going to go, but. Okay. Yes,
mayor. Yes. Okay. Let's go to item number 13, appointment to the Code Enforcement Board. City
clerk. So currently there are five vacancies on the board due to members being termed out in the resignation. We're suggesting that you move the alternate number two. Who is
Steven Ogle as a regular member to fill the unexpired term of Janice Tellier. This term will expire November 1st of 2027, and then we have five additional
appointments. One is to fill the term of Julie Wade Thomas Weeks, the unexpired term of Mike Rollison, and to fill both the alternate one and two. I do apologize when I made a
correction to list the alternate two position. I didn't know the applications were tied to the to. They scanned the application to the memo for the backup so
that currently the backup does not contain the application. So I'm not sure if everyone had a time to review them or not.
Okay. Would anybody like to make a motion on this? I'll make a motion. You want to vice mayor? Yeah, I'm happy to do it. Okay, so my motion and this was not
going to be an easy one is to move Steve into a permanent position. And I'm recommending.
George to be a regular Ethan, to be a regular call, to be a regular Robert Paul and Margaret Kern as alternate one and two.
Okay. Is there a second on that second? Could I just clarify because they do have term limits are different. So you after
moving the alternate to position the motion is that George Stevens would fill the unexpired term of Julie Wade. Do you want that going down the list like that or do you. Because they
have different terms. I didn't do it according to their terms. I did it according to the list that you gave us on here. No, no, I understand, but I'm saying
these positions have various terms of both Julie Wade's and Thomas Weeks expire on the November 1st of 2026. The one
for Mike Rollison expires November 1st of 2025, and the alternate positions one is 2026 and one is 2025. Vice mayor, do
you mind just. Sir, let me just clarify. Can you use her? Can you use her appointment thing? And I know you don't have your computer. Yeah. No, no that's okay. So what I would like to do
if you have the list is the longest term you have that correct. You have the who's the longest term that they could be in I do okay. So that is who I
would like to make call. Since he was a past member and has experience and also was a citizen of the academy graduate.
Okay, so we can make him to fill Julie Wade's position. Okay. Who is you have the second. The second one also expires in 2026. Okay. That would be then Ethan,
because that was a recommendation by Mike Roll and Boone. And the next one would be Mike Rosen's position for that.
That would be George Stephan. And then on the alternates, one
is a 2026 and one is a 2025. That would be. Help. No, I'm just kidding. That would be
Robert Paul as one and Margaret as number two. Okay. And that was city attorney. Are we okay with that? We were talking
through was the last thing you said. I don't know, you were probably talking about the same thing is that is that is that fine the way it was. Okay. And that second still holds right.
Second still holds. I definitely second that. Yes. Okay. Is there any commissioner comments on this Commissioner? Banther. No.
Donato. No. Commissioner. Gulyas. No. Vice mayor Eisner yes. I do want to say that anybody we appreciate all of volunteer boards applications,
but what we would really like is if you would fill them out. So we have something to go on. People will not fill them out with any information. And how do
you select somebody when there's no information on there. So please feel free to, you know, write as much as your experience and what you'd like and what you'd like to do and why. So
that's all I want to say. Thank you. Good advice. Okay. Is there any public comments on this, Mr. Austin? There are no online
comments. Okay. If there's no further commissioner comments, let's go to roll call, please. Commissioner. Yes, Commissioner. DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner.
Yes, yes, vice mayor. Eisner. Yes, mayor. Yes. Okay. Number 14, appointment to the Tarpon Springs Housing Authority board.
The clerk's office was notified that a resident member who was appointed in March has declined the appointment. And we just have one applicant. So the
action is to appoint Anthony Modica to fill the unexpired term of Catherine Blevins, who was the resident member, and the term would expire November 22nd
of 2025. Can I have a motion on that? So moved. Second is are there any commissioner comments on this? I do assume that
Anthony wants to serve. Correct as from what we know, yes. Here. No. Okay. Well it's all we got. So. Yes. Yes. Okay. Public
comments, Mr. Austin, there are no online comments at this time. Okay. If there's no further comments, roll call please. Mr. Banther. Yes, Commissioner DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner.
Coolio's. Yes. Vice mayor Eisner. Yes, mayor. Yes. Okay. Number 15, discussion and direction on the on trucks to
purchase and finance. Mr. Herring or mayor, I just want to kick this off. This was deferred last meeting, so we brought it back to you. Acknowledge didn't do a very good presentation to
sell you on why we need the two trucks. So we have asked Mr. Villagomez to put together a presentation and talk about the trucks a little bit to answer your questions. Good evening. My
name is Marco Villagomez. I serve as the supervisor for the Public Works department I'm joined by Jake Schaaf, the fleet technician. We're here today to
present our proposal for the replacement of the vacuum trucks, our streets and stormwater division uses vacuum or vac trucks to keep the city infrastructure clean, clearing
out blockages, pollution and sediments from our drainage system. The sewer collection division also relies on the VAC trucks to maintain the sanitary sewer systems and routine
cleaning, repairs and responding to utility emergencies. Right now, both divisions are working with trucks that are past their useful life and becoming unreliable. That creates risks
for service delays, higher repair costs and potential infrastructure damages. Because of this, the city staff is recommending the lease purchase of two new trucks, one for each
division, so we can continue providing essential services safely and efficiently. While
technically possible to keep these trucks longer than it's not practical advice based on what we've seen and what other municipalities across Florida report back, trucks tend to
remain reliable for about 6 to 8 years. After that point, we start to see more frequent breakdowns, longer downtimes, and more exposure to related wear and tear. These issues not
only disrupt operations, but drive up repair costs. Another key point is that around 6 to 8 years mark, these trucks still hold decent resale or trade in
value, which help offset the cost of replacement as they age. Sourcing parts become a challenge as well. While we stock common sourcing parts, becoming becomes a challenge as
well. While we stock common maintenance items older trucks often need manufacturer specific parts that take time to fabricate or ship delaying repairs. Because of this, these
factors fleet recommends replacing VAC trucks at or before the ten year mark to maintain service reliability and cost efficiency. And that slide, you can definitely see some of
the this is the actual trucks itself. And you can see the rust and the wear and tear that these vehicles have sustained. Asset
5322 and 6301 are 19 and 12 years old. And at this stage we're spending thousands of dollars each year just to keep them running. These are aging vehicles well past their prime,
and the cost of maintaining them continue to rise with each breakdown, rather than continue to pour money into repairs with diminishing returns, leasing two
new trucks is simply a better investment. It gives us reliable equipment, reduces downtime, and allows us to meet growing service demands. In the long run. The money we're currently
using to for costly maintenance could be redirected towards dependable new units, and this just outlines the cost of
maintaining the aging equipment. From 2016 to 2024, the city spent approximately $108,666 on
maintaining asset 5322 fleet anticipates an additional $25,355 in expenditures for 2025 and 2026. For context, the
original purchase price of vehicle was $171,102. It's important to note that the need for this vehicles has been consistent during this period,
highlighting the impact of aging equipment on operational efficiency. A similar pattern
has been seen with 2013 trucks from 2019 through 2024. Downtime more than doubled compared to the first five years of the trucks service life. Originally
purchased in 2013 for $157,482, the city has since spent approximately $159,451 on its
upkeep, surpassing the original purchase price. Notably, $117,480 of that was spent in the last five years. Fleet
projects. An additional $85,175 in maintenance and repair costs for 2025 and 2026 if the vehicle remains in service, the longer the city holds on to these aging
vehicles, the more money is spent with little return. The new I'm so sorry the new vector 2100 series comes with a
comprehensive 12 month bumper to bumper warranty. Beyond the warranty, these trucks offer numerous enhancements and boost both performance and reliability. These are designed
to meet safety standards set by OSHA and Dot, with large debris tanks. They allow more work to be done between dump trucks, leading to faster job completion
and greater productivity. The trucks also feature more efficient pumps and engines that run on lower RPM, which reduces noise. Noise level during
operation. This improvement addresses a critical safety concern as older trucks require communication headsets that can limit an operator's awareness,
especially while working on roadways. Finance has negotiated interest rate at 3.47% for the leasing purchase of the two new
trucks. Both the storm water and sewer collection division have planned and budgeted for replacing these older assets. Typically, suppliers don't accept trade ins for vehicles that are over ten years old due
to the wear and age. Because of this, our current assets are not viable candidates for trade ins. However, at auction, they could still generate about 60 to
$70,000 combined based on comparable vehicle currents on the market. The table provides shows a two year projection of 2025 and 2026, comparing the
cost of repairs and maintenance for existing assets versus leasing the new trucks. Fleet estimates are based on known repairs and maintenance costs,
but unexpected breakdowns could significantly increase the totals in which one year, for instance, the city spent 65,000 $65,000 on repairs, maintenance
for assets 60 301 alone. Vector is willing to honor our previous discounted price of $542,768 per
unit, which will save the city $41,790 for both units combined. Compared to the current pricing, this investment will yield significant benefits for the city in less than a year.
Approving this purchase will not only relieve a major, major operational burden, but also enhance productivity, uphold safety, and ensure regulatory compliance, contributing to a
cleaner and safer city for everyone. The current lead time for the two new trucks is approximately 3 to 6 months. While board approval, the city
can lock in the negotiated price and interest rate to finalize the purchase. Once the order is placed, fleet estimates the new truck will be fully operational within 6 to 7 months. This
timeline will allow ample time for staff training, ensuring that all team is fully familiar with the trucks enhanced features and safety protocols
before they go into service. We trust this information has been helpful and provides you with a clear understanding to make an informed decision in support of the purchase and addresses any
remaining concerns. We're happy to answer any additional questions you may have and truly appreciate your time. At this point, I would like to invite Jake Schaff to come forward to
help answer any questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Villagomez. Let's go to
Commissioner. Questions. I assume you're done with your presentation, correct? Yes, sir. Okay, so let me start it off. And Ron may have to help with
some of these questions, but just for the sake of the residents, explain exactly what these trucks do for us in. So
these trucks are used by two different departments, one being sewer collections and one being stormwater. So the sewer collections department uses these trucks to clean, inspect and maintain our sewage systems,
prevent backups and overflows. Our stormwater department uses them in a similar way, but for our stormwater systems. So I'd like to point out that both departments are required. Sewage
collections is 20%. They have to complete inspections maintenance on their sewage. Collection units, their pipes and whatnot. And then stormwater has to meet
a 10% inspection and maintenance level on their systems. And how? Were how much were they used during the storms, during the
storms, these vehicles wouldn't be used. They're they're used before. They're used to prep before the storm to keep the piping clean. Correct. Okay. And
if they're not clean, then we would have more backup of rainwater. Right? Correct. Stormwater. Okay. This older
truck would or. No. We have. So we're getting rid of an older truck. And then you want to replace a second truck, right.
So currently this is to replace two trucks. Two trucks two trucks. So okay so the oldest one of the two, what was the
amount of downtime last year on that truck. So last year that truck truck was in operation for
about three months of the year. That's asset 5322 for sewer was only it was only operational for three months out of 12. Yes. And why do you need two trucks. So
either department can utilize two trucks in the case where they have multiple issues going on our stormwater department specifically can use utilize a truck. When that truck's full,
it can go back to the yard. Another truck comes in, continues working in the area, allows them to get the area completed sooner, ultimately resulting resulting in a wider
area of completion within the same time frame that within a less time frame that a single truck would be completing that area. Okay. Thank you. I think
this may be a wrong questions, but the Ron the if we what is the savings if we buy the two trucks versus only one truck?
The way the quote is the trucks, the quote is based on two trucks, right? 542,000 for both trucks. If you only approve one
truck, we're paying 563,000. So it's going to cost 21,000 more. And then later on when you have to get the second truck, it's going to probably be 21,000 plus
whatever inflation costs. Okay. So the second the older truck so we say 42,000. If we get both trucks now correct. And it's going to take 6 to 7 months to
get them anyways. Right. Correct. Okay. So if the older truck. How much how much, how many more years do you feel you
have on that. If you. Morality question. So you're talking about the 2006 truck. No. Excuse me the newer truck I apologize the one if we if you only bought
one if we only gave you permission to buy one truck, the truck you would keep. When would that one be up? I'm sorry I asked that wrong. In my opinion,
it should be replaced now. How much? How much more time you think you got on it before? Before the repairs become exorbitant, you may be able to get a couple years out of it,
but that is at the risk of higher repair costs. By the time these trucks came, you'd be pretty far into the deal. On that second truck anyways,
right? By the time this truck showed up. All right. And then, Ron, what are the funds that pay this lease agreement? Yes, the one the water and sewer, water
and sewer fund for one stormwater fund for the other. So it's not part of the general fund and the funds are available. Correct? Okay. For the lease payments. Okay. The
for to make the lease payments and the lease are these are these under warranty these vehicles. Yes. Okay. So how long how long is the warranty on them
with the warranty go as far as the as the actual lease itself. So the standard standard warranty is 12 months. Bumper to bumper. There are warranties on
specific items, but that's the standard warranty that covers the whole truck. The whole truck. Okay, so anything goes wrong. The first year we're covered, but after that it's on us. Depending on what component
it is, the engine has a 24 month, 250,000 mile warranty, so there's some components that would be covered still under warranty after that point. Okay. All right. Those are my
questions, Commissioner Banther. No questions. Thank you. Commissioner DiDonato. I just believe this. I talked to some people that actually work in those two departments, and they both have attested to me the
need for these trucks. And they're coming out of enterprise fund money that needs to be spent for those kinds of purposes. And so I support it.
Commissioner. Yes, sir. Your your fleet manager. Correct. I am not right now. I am a fleet technician. Currently we don't have a fleet manager. I'm co managing the department with
another gentleman named Derek Harris. Okay. The parts and stuff. The. That's what you're in charge of. So I'm mostly in charge of in the shop but yeah
that would I know a lot about the parts. You're the one with the youngest with the certification. Yes, sir. That's what I was trying to get at. This means a young prodigy knows his stuff. And, you know, we're
very fortunate to have him. I understand the older one's going to go no matter what. You've already stated that, you know, likely be able to get 1 or 2
years. This might be maybe a question for you. Both of these trucks operating, they can clear out almost every storm water drain within a, you know, a day
or two after a flash flood or a flash rainstorm where the pipes can get clogged up real fast with these purchases. They can be very efficient with that. Correct, sir? Yes, they will be a lot more efficient than they
are now. Those in reactive measures and proactive measures and their motors are more, you know, they're better overall. And okay. At first I was hesitant as we thought about
this over the past couple of weeks. We already knew the one was going to get purchased. This is a type of purchase that goes directly towards storm water management. You know, when
residents complain that, you know, it rained real fast and then it rains real fast a day or two after, maybe some of those vehicles weren't even out there to service some of those clogged areas that could have made a
difference. And, you know, someone not having 3 to 4in of water in their their yard just from a regular storm. So I am going to support this and we should be locked in for the next
ten years at least. Right. And so but run them. Run them to the ground. We need them. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Vice
mayor. So I wanted to start by thanking both Marco and Jake. I browbeat you for hours today. And so I want to add something
that I don't think the commission knows. These are not our only two trucks. We have two more trucks. So we have a 2015
and we also have a 2021. So I don't know if you knew that there isn't a question I haven't asked them already. So I have a wealth of information from them.
Jake, you were amazing at what you spoke about. When I left, I had thoughts in my head about one of two things, and I shared it with them. It was more of a
consideration of whether we should keep get rid of the oh six. When you walk up to the oh six, it's a rust bucket, you know, here and there. And if you
have a mechanical intuition, you could see that it's a hurting puppy. But also, as I shared with them, the 2013 vehicle is a
shiny as a new vehicle. It really looks good. We spent a lot of money on it and I am not ready to get rid of it. So when I left, I couldn't share with
them the decision I had in my head, but I'll share it tonight. We I was talking to me. This is the question time. We're going to come back for. General. I'm
so glad you pay attention to my comments, but thank you. So my question that I would ask you, which I didn't, would you be so kind as to share the mileage for
the board on what these mileage is? And I only say that because these resale units have 58 to 88,000 miles. I want you to hear
what I got from them. So for us at five, three, two, two, that would be the sewer collections back on. That vehicle has 13,379
miles and 3499 hours, 6301 the stormwater unit that is looking at being replaced has 12,994
miles and 2922 hours. You have the other two. I do 1069, which is the 2021 sewer collections.
Vector has 12,862 miles and 3041 hours. The other stormwater, Aqua Tech 6566, has 8579 miles
and 2190 one hours. So I don't want to mislead the board. It's not the mileage that is pertinent, it's the amount of working hours of the extraction
unit. Correct? Correct. Okay. So. It's not easy. We spoke for quite some time, so I. Could you
do me a favor and explain what the TCM system of the new ones are versus the old ones. So you're talking about the multiplex systems that we spoke
about earlier and the lack of wiring versus the what we spoke about. Yes. So these newer trucks, they have a lot more computerized components with that. They have what's called a
multiplex system. It's a system that utilizes less wires to communicate with resistance values. So instead of having, say, 200 wires coming out from the front of the truck and going
under the truck. All the components, you have a handful of wires that are capable of communicating to all the components. And do the more
functions, the same functions as well as more. So it limits the failure points within the wiring itself. Within the components,
and as well as the distribution points. So the 2021 and the 2015, are they work for which
side of the. Of the department. So the 2021 vector is sewer collections. And the 2015 Aqua tech is stormwater. The 2021 has
been extremely well serviced giving you service. Yes, the 2015. The 2015. I can't speak for its full service life. I wasn't here when it was
originally purchased, but it's due to the other 160 301 that we're talking about replacing being down. It's had minimal service from what I've seen.
Okay, so the 2006, that's the one that how did we survive with three months of use. So as you can see from the hours and miles on our newer unit, that's the
truck that took the abuse of that vehicle not being in use. How much downtime did that one have this year that one had?
Four weeks of downtime. So one had four weeks, one had three months of usage. So we actually for at least a certain portion these four weeks, did that
coincide with the three months of usage or did we have no vehicle whatsoever? So there were points when that vehicle, that 21, 21 vector came in for
service and during the service, since the other vehicle was down, we had to quickly put the truck back together so they can go deal with a blockage. And the
remainder of that service goes without being completed. I have more comments, but no questions. Thank you Jake, I appreciated what you did today. I appreciate
it. And Marco, I didn't want to leave you out. I know you don't have an iron in the fire. Let's go to public comments. Are there
any public comments on this item? Peter Lack is 514 Ashland
Avenue. From what I've heard, to be honest with you, sounds like a no brainer to get the two. I'm going to save $42,000. You're
going to have newer, more efficient units, not only as the gentleman explained, how the unit itself and its function is more efficient, but as having more efficient motors. You're
probably going to have less fuel costs. And being newer, you're definitely going to have more time on the road for that. And.
Kind of ties into the discussion earlier about debt. And Commissioner Mathur was correct in saying that holding a certain
amount of debt is not bad. And as the mayor elaborated, a lot of these assets have a longer time frame. So instead of
plunking down 500,000 right now and making this year's residence or the 2026 residents pay for something for over a use of ten years, you need to amortize it
over the period, so I would recommend going forward with this and giving our hardworking staff the tools that they
actually need to keep our city safe and clean, especially as we have storm season coming up. Thank you, thank you. Anyone
else in the audience? Mr. Austin? No, sir. There are no online comments. Okay. I'd like to come back for a motion to
approve. Item number 15 of the purchase of two VAC contracts. Second. Okay, let's go to commissioner. Comments. I have
none further than what I said already. Commissioner Banther. Yes. Thank you. I want to thank the two gentlemen that that presented. You did a very good job. I can't understand most of what you said, but you sound
very smart. I'm glad we have you here in the city of Tarpon. And I never have an issue with us diving deeper into an issue on consent or whatever, but I feel like sometimes we're getting into situations where, you know,
we have professionals that we hire underneath the city manager to run the different departments in the city. And I think, you know, unless until they prove us wrong, I think we need to start
trusting them more and taking their word. You know, I don't want to be up here discussing every, every, every truck purchase. I realize that's more of an expertise of Mr. Eisner
than than like myself. But I think we're getting a little bit too into it, too, in the weeds here. And I think we have to govern how our how our structure has it. And if we have
department heads that are asking for something, obviously ask questions and look into it. But but in but in my tenure in office, which is my seventh year
here I've, I've, I tend to see things getting drawn out more and more. Not saying that's good or bad, but I just don't know if it's the most efficient way to run the city. Thank you, Commissioner Donato. I too would
like to thank the staff for coming forward. Marco and Jake. I, I would echo some of that. I, I talked to the people actually
ride and drive and use those trucks and that was a real education. So I appreciate what you do and thanks for coming forward. I know you've had to work all day and you got to work
tomorrow, but we appreciate it. Thank you, Commissioner Coleus. Yeah, no, I'm going to support this tonight. But I think that there was some merit to why we got here right away. And you
know, those numbers about hours being used by those trucks were were very big and significant for us to understand how much, you know, load they've taken on. But I would like to see, you
know, we don't need to see 50 SUVs for the police department and we're buying four. I get that, but if there's two, I did have this assumption there was only two. So. But it would be
nice to see that there is four and their current state. So no problem to support this, but a little bit more backup on some of those bigger purchase items and their use. Hourly use and
demand would have been nice to help explain it all a little bit further. So thank you Vice Mayor. So thank you, mayor. I
have to differ with what you said. Commissioner Banther you run a business. My business is the city and I will delve into every penny if I have to. I'm
voted in probably by the only person that's voted in up here. And I will be happy to represent the residents in every purchase
that goes on, no matter how much detail I have to go in. I don't think anybody up here called back there to find out what the warranty was. I don't think
anybody called vector to find out what the difference with TCM is. I don't think anybody up here called vector to find out
the reliability of these new units, which I spoke with both gentlemen and told them that the reliability of the new unit is nowhere near what the oh six is
or the 13. So I get a little bit offended when I'm asked to not delve in because somebody didn't ask good questions. For seven years. I've asked good questions
up here for six and a half years on the Board of Adjustments. I've asked good, good questions for three years because I do my research and I get offended when somebody wants to knock that and
not have me ask questions because they need to get out of here by 845 or earlier, I don't really care. I'm going to ask the questions I'm entitled to, and I am not trying to
circumvent the city manager. He's fully aware, and he was the one who set up the meeting between me and Marco and Jake, and he knew why I set it up, why
he set it up. And we had a pleasant meeting. They got informed of my decision and my thinking. I happened to be more knowledgeable than everybody up
here on mechanical. So I'm going to be the guy that spokesperson when we're buying real estate. I'm going to listen to you more when we're doing numbers. I'm going to listen to our our CPA.
And when we're adjusting back, I'm going to listen to the chiropractor to my left. What about me? I'm joking, I'm
joking. So I'm going to listen to this staffer when we need to replace a commissioner up here. Okay. So what I want to say to
you is, gentlemen, you gave me a great answer and very good answers. But what I asked you and what I said to you, was that I wanted to keep the 2016, which
nobody up here recommended. And that's because nobody up there went over to look at it and couldn't tell whether it should be replaced or not. So my
recommendation is if the board wants to buy two of them, which I don't recommend, I recommend buying one. And the savings of
20,000 or $40,000 to $100 million. City is not a fantastic savings. We can afford to pay the 20,000 if that's what it is down the road, and we should
stagger these purchases. We were not told about the 2015 and the 2021 not to attack you on it, but I'm glad that we all know
that we should be staggering. Like you guys said, I want you all to know that they. Jake, called a number of different cities to find out how fast they
turn them over. So Jake did his homework, Marco did his homework. And also this commissioner did his homework. I would prefer to buy one and keep
the 2016 since it in great shape. If the board decides to want to spend the $1.1 million, and I still want to keep the
2016 okay as a backup in case one of these gems break down. Because as I told them, I spoke with some very high ups in the
vector place. For your information. I know maybe you don't want to hear this, but they make two different kinds of trucks. They make a highly electronic truck that makes
coffee for you and scratches your head when you're working. And there's a I'm being sarcastic. There's another one that has no bells and whistles and is just a contractor truck.
They would stop the production line for us and make us that contracted truck. Not cheaper. Same price, but so we've got to make a decision if we're going to go for those two. Not that we
have to make the decision. Maybe they have to make the decision or the city manager has to make the decision on which truck should be better. For us. There is less breakdown with it. But I
believe that Jake and the city manager should make that call, not us. We just make the call whether we want the two which is on the table right now. But I
would like to amend that motion and also keep that 2016. It's in great shape. It's running. I'm not terrified that we could be
spending $46,000 more next year. That's just an anticipation. That's not a guarantee. I'd like to have spare parts for these.
That's pretty much it. That's what I have to say. There is a request to amend the motion. Who made the motion? Commissioner Panther. I made the motion. You
did? Are you. Do you want to amend the motion? No. Okay. So if there's no further comments. Mayor, can I just ask this 2016
truck, how many months was it on the road for this this last year? So assets six, five six,
six. The 2015 Aqua tech for stormwater. The best. He's he's got the wrong. You're talking to 2013. The one that you're talking about keeping that's in
great. That's 2013 okay. So the 2013 has a 58% decrease in annual fuel consumption assumption over the past five years. So over the past five
years it's compared to when it was new. It has a 58% decrease in fuel consumption meaning more downtime for repairs. Well, operating four months out of the
year basically, yes. But it didn't. How many months did it run last year? Last year? That truck ran down four weeks. Yeah,
that recently it was down for four weeks and then a week again. Over the whole course of last year, it was down for approximately five months. Right. But you're waiting for a part because through Covid you
couldn't get a part correct. Not necessarily through Covid, but because the age of the vehicle, the parts sometimes have to be manufactured on site, fabricated. And we purchased the other two. You're going to sell
the ones we have for what, 60,000? The other one for like 70,000 auction that's combined. Those are anticipated prices at auction. Combined. All right. No further questions. Thank you.
Okay. There's no further questions. Let's go to roll call, Mr. Panther. Yes, Mr. Donato? Yes, Commissioner. Yes, yes, vice mayor Eisner. No.
Mayor. Kelly. Yes. Thank you very much. Mayor. Could I just just reaffirm that this item will come before the board on July 8th, and we will approve
the financing and the purchase of the two trucks. Thank you. You know, the one thing here for this on this item, it it always impresses me how well
knowledgeable our employees are. So. Well, they very much are, let me tell you. Yeah. It was just just a comment okay. Number 16, discussion on increasing the
use of the internal function. That's my item. So this this this should be very brief. And the wording is not really probably proper. It really is in
discussion discussing increasing use. The internal auditor and I have had this conversation. I think we had it way back when I first became a commissioner. And
it's I think it's more relevant now since we made the charter amendment that said that any report that he produces has to
go before the our legal staff. And so I just wanted to. Just. Have a just make a discussion
point on an agreement on how we individually could use him. So the what he and I had talked about was that if any commissioner wants the internal
auditor to look over something that he he finds informative for himself or for the board as, as a whole, that we can go individually to the internal
auditor if it's something that and we kind of had a conversation and, and we're flexible on it, but if it's something that takes him like two days to do 16 hours, then it
doesn't need board approval for any of us to go ask him to do that. If he if he does something, investigate something for us and then responds to us,
it wouldn't be responded to us in a formal report that would have to go to the city attorney. It could just be in some email memorandum memo, maybe some side
calculations that, you know, he had done. And then he says, you know, but when it goes back to that commissioner, it he would have to cc all the commissioners. So we all know exactly what anybody's asking
the internal auditor to do for them. And then we would all get that information. I want to ask the city attorney, do you have any issue with that? No, mayor,
I do not. He's a charter officer and the board has the right to use him as they see fit for information and purposes that you may need as part of your
duties. Okay. Thank you. So let me just go down the list, down the road with everybody. Commissioner Banther, what are your do you have any thoughts on this? I have no issue with it. I
mean, he's here, so, you know, he's the position's charter. We can no longer use an outside firm, so we might as well use what we have. Is he being underutilized right now, you
think, mayor? Well, I just don't think we have any. We have no agreed upon policy about how we individually use him. And that's all I'm saying. I don't know if
16 hours. I don't know if he and I want to have Mr. Pulos come up because he's got experience with working in other. Let me just finish, please, if you don't mind. So my thing is just that I
just want to make sure and I think it's covered by you saying that we have a time limit on there, and that we all see the reports that one of us asked for, just so we know there's not abuse by any one person. I'm not
implying that that up here abuse can be looked at in different ways, but my fear in this position and nothing to do with you personally at all, was that I believe because I was on the charter committee that put this
on the on the ballot, I was opposed to it. I believe it was put on at the time by the powers that, that, that, that, that be. So people could have kind of a personal act like, like, like, you know, a battle ax. That's
not what it's turned out to be. He's done very good reports for, for the most part. So I don't have an issue with this, but I just, I just I just want to make sure that that that position is
never and used for anything besides normal commission business. Okay. Commissioner Donato, I would I would agree with that. And the other factor I find now interesting for me
that I had a problem with is frequently I would see these reports and then I would not see anything else that said that we altered our performance necessarily to make it more
efficient. So I like now that we're getting some feedback from you, Mr. Pulis, on, on, on that kind of thing. Certainly we want to be as efficient as we can and, and spend our money as
wisely and by going system by system, by system is the way to do that. I think so, but the one, the things that the feedback, knowing that things are actually changing pleases
me. So thank you Commissioner. Yes, I like the idea. I think Mr. Pulis has done a great job auditing all the major departments, and he's done most
of them, if not throughout these last couple of years. So there are some other analysis and other things to look at. But I would ask to ask one more step in this and that, whether it be
time, I don't know if it's time or whatever that is, but if I request him to look into something, I'd like that to go into consent agenda at the next
meeting. That way we all see it. It's consent agenda. We know what he's going to look into, and then we get the report. Whenever he finishes, we all get CC'd. And that way, you know, I
don't think there's anything that's too. Emergency where something has to be done within a few days. You know, if it waits a week or two just to go
in for the consent agenda, that way we see it, we all see it. And then at some point we'll get the report. And in the future. That sounds very reasonable. Vice mayor. I think what I just heard was just plain
transparency, and that's what I agree with as well. Yeah. Okay. So do we do you think, do we need this in form of a motion or just kind of a general
agreement? No, I believe there's acquiescence by the board as to how you're going to proceed. Okay. So we will put if everyone's in agreement, that
item will go on the consent agenda with a short explanation of what's being requested. Okay. Beautiful. Thank you. That's it
for that item. And number seven okay. Number 17 has been deferred. Number 18, city
Attorney resolution 20 2546, a resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, approving organizational structural changes in the Public Works Department, providing for
position description of Assistant Public Works Director, reassigning current personnel and providing for an effective
date. Mr. Robertson. Yes. Thank you. Good evening. I'm Bob Robertson, project administration department director and interim interim public works director. Want to
add some more titles? So briefly for this item, we're asking the board to approve designating two positions within the Public Works Department. This reorg would create two Assistant
Public Works director positions by promoting existing staff. And these these staff would continue to serve a dual role. So they would continue to do their existing jobs. So, as the memo
says, this is position neutral, meaning we're not creating new positions, but we are providing what we think will be a more efficient and effective way to
provide balanced distribution of duties, provide an opportunity for leadership experience and succession planning. Had an opportunity to test this out while I was on vacation for two and a half weeks, I put these
two individuals in the role as Acting Director. Acting director. They did a fantastic job handling the business of public works. So that's what we're asking you to approve
tonight, okay, Commissioner. Man, do you have any questions? I don't have any questions. Commissioner De Donato. I don't have any questions, Commissioner. Cool. Yes, yes,
yes, mayor. And this might be the city manager. What is the what is their current state with our public works director hiring process that we're currently at right now? We had a very good
interview yesterday. We have another one tomorrow. We hope between those two candidates, we've actually offered the job to two individuals who then turned it down. So we were
optimistic of these two. We have now will be will be making an offer to one of them and hopefully by the end of the week or early next week, we'll know if we have a candidate. Okay. Do
you why do you have is the salary a good salary for the position that we're offering is do you think maybe the pay is why we're not getting some other directors or potential applicants? We did what we did
was we the current range does start pretty low. And so that's what was advertised. So we modified the advertisement to list the proposed new minimum
which is within the current range. So it's still an approved salary, but it would be the new minimum for the position. And then so we got we've got another influx including these these new
applicants to apply for the job. Okay. And how much is will be the salary increase for the two individuals that you bumped up to the assistant Public works
positions. The range is between 16 and 20%. Their pay grades would jump up for pay grades from where they are now to match up with existing assistant
director level positions. I mean, I don't like doing reorgs before the budget season. And you know, we don't we don't have a public works director right
now. The departments that those that. They the public works assistant directors, okay. They will also be overseeing a
additional department or two. The head managers and those departments will still stay in their respective form. Yes. And where the assistants, where the where the two individuals are
currently at and they get bumped up, are they going to is someone going to fill in where they were at. No. They'll continue to do double duty. Okay. What are the additional duties when these
individuals when they take on another department like exactly. What is it. Is it answering emails. Is it, you know, following up with people, you know, what is it, Mr. Robinson? It's all those things and it's
leadership provided to those divisions that fall under them. So, for example, one of the assistant directors would have the Marina, and that individual will be in charge of managing
the Marina and the staff and issues that come up. It also provides I feel like it's it makes it attractive for this new candidate we're trying to hire.
Also, when you provide to dedicated assistant director positions to report to the new director, it provides some institutional knowledge and direct reports, and a resource
for the new director to go directly to one of these two individuals, rather than having six different seven different divisions to manage simultaneously. You can go to
two people and work a little bit more efficiently. Okay. And.
Okay. He's answered the questions. I'll have comments for afterwards. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I think one of my first questions was answered because
my question was, is it going to be temporary or permanent position? So it's going to be a permanent position. Where are
you getting the extra money to give to increases to individuals? And then I'm listening to what we may be having to give an increase to a
new public Works Department head. Do you have an answer for that, Charles? Because I well, it payroll comes out of the general fund and that position
has been vacant now for a number of months. So I think this fiscal year that is an easy offset. And then next year it will be part of the new budget.
And this this came up when we weren't sure how long this position will be vacant. The first thing that came up was there was no succession, no successor in the department. There was no assistant director position. The two individuals
were looking at were candidates. We didn't feel they were ready for the director position. This is an opportunity to develop internal talent and create a succession plan. The new
position. I'm not familiar with what the previous director was making. I don't know if it will be a comparable salary, but I feel when that person comes in,
the reality in the future is these two individuals will be in a support role for the director. You know, they may move on to other positions as a director and then then the director we
have could decide if they want to just merge it into just have one assistant director, the potential for the future. But in the meantime, it's going to help us. Mr. Robertson was covering two departments and this would
help. We can put this essentially on the two assistant directors. And then when the new director comes in, that person can look at, you know, want to maintain that structure or how the department will move
forward. So I don't know if this is a question, but we'll throw it out there anyway. You know, are we able to fund this because we've been without a department
head for a while? Is that the reason that we, you know, when you bring in somebody new, not always. Could you bring them in at the same salary as you've had
a very experienced person that has now retired or resigned. So I'm just concerned financially
about bringing in a department head and giving to increases to. I can understand the convenience for it. I just don't understand the budget that goes with it. I
think as the city manager said, we're not paying a public works director right now. I'm not getting double salary for filling in. But so we have some
savings that is applying here and I think we thanks to Renee, she helped me prepare this while I was was out. But the remainder of the fiscal year 2025 budget is not going to be negatively
impacted. So as the city manager said, it's a budget item for next year. Yes. But you're also not going to be lowering it for next year's budget. You're not going to say, well, we have a half a year's worth of funds and
next year you still have to pay that person a full year's salary, correct? That's true. Yeah. So is this a value to the city? In my opinion, it's absolutely worth it. Well, it's
got to be a value because you're handling two hats and I understand all that and that we're trying to relieve you of.
But if the person is a qualified public department head, do you need to have two people to report to us and give them
increases? That's my only question. When I first saw this, I thought I didn't know whether it was going to be temporarily an increase, and then they would get a which I never liked to do,
do a reduction, because now we have a department head, or was it going to be, you know, where everybody's getting a raise across the board and that's what we're actually doing, because
next year we're going to have to make a decision. Nobody takes a reduction in salary. Nobody. So if whatever we're deciding to do
now is what's going to be next year, a full department head of the public works, and we're going to have two people who are
making more than than they were prior to this decision. Okay. So let's go to public comments on
this item. Is there any public comment? Parallax 514 Ashland Avenue. Want to go back to again
what was said in an earlier item? You got a competent staff coming forward showing you a way to make the department more
efficient, taking six heads to into two to allow a process when the new guy comes in, has some stability, like look at it as columns to a building, here's
some stability. And as Commissioner Banther said, and I've said it before, you've got competent staff, unless there's really a reason not to take
their recommendation, go for it. You've got the money for this year, you've got a city manager you trust he's going to have a range. I'm sure he's going to negotiate the best favorable
salary range to attract someone, yet save the city as much as possible. And anticipation of future raises. Trust your staff
and this guy. He's been pulling a lot of loads, a lot of loads. And for y'all to dilly dally, dilly dilly dilly dally talk
talk talk talk talk. Just get it done. Okay. Any other comments, Mr. Austin? Online comments.
Okay, I come back to the board for a motion to approve resolution 2025 dash 46. So moved. Is there a second?
Second? Okay. So let's have commission any further. Commissioner comments. Commissioner Banther no, sir. Commissioner DiDonato no further comment. Commissioner coleus.
Yes. I'm not going to support this tonight. I don't like doing reorganizations when we're, what, two, three weeks away from budget season. We don't even have a public works director that I believe should be making
the hiring decision on who these assistant public works directors are. I appreciate the two individuals. I know they're great, qualified people. They receive some nice increases
during the last couple reorganizations, nice increases. Now they're going to get some more increases. And regardless what people say, we do have to question staff at times. I pick
and choose my items that I want to do it on. And just like a reorg right before all this is not something that ideally what I'd like to see is that increase that we want to give these
assistant public works directors who, you know, we want to give it to them. If we appoint, we need to give that to the public works director because we're not getting nobody. So I'm hoping this one of these two
individuals accept the position, pay them well. And so and as far as if those two individuals are becoming assistant public works directors, what work are they
taking away from the people that are representing the departments that have to slide underneath them? So. I just can't support
it. And the money saved, we only saved money this year because we don't have a public works director for the second half of the year, but I don't think, you know. The employees aren't going
to really like seeing a couple people get crazy bumps and increases over these last years when they can handle the emails of those extra departments coming in. And, and, you know, the communication that requires
in those departments. So I'm not going to support it. And I'd like to see reorgs happen during the budget season with department heads in place to help make those decisions. Thank
you, Vice Mayor. I couldn't agree with what I just heard any more than it was. You just did a job. Did you get an increase?
Which job? Talking about this you just took on the public? The public works. You didn't get an increase. You got a temporary 5% lead, okay, a temporary. So if you want to give these two
gentlemen a temporary, you know, that's one thing. I just don't agree with this at all. We should handle this completely different. We should have that saved money for possibly. If you have to negotiate with the
department head, this whole thing is. I'm not going to support this at all. I didn't think it was a good idea when I saw it. And that's like I said, my question was, is it temporary
or is it permanent? I'm not a rubber stamp person and just going to because somebody did a motion and a second that I'm just going to go along with it.
That's not I just it's reckless. It is a little bit reckless. And I'd like to rather have the city manager in charge if he needs
more money to pull in somebody who he feels is sitting on the fence. I'd rather have him do that and not have, you know, if we need two department heads,
these these two other people, let them prove themselves for some period of time before we could actually do a new budget and give them an increase for
what they're doing. Let me. I didn't make a comment. You were done. Okay. I didn't make a comment. So I'll go ahead and make. And then I think Commissioner Coleus wants to
make one more comment. And you may not want to make a comment because as much as I want to acquiesce with the city manager
and Mr. Robertson, I have to agree with commissioner because I be I would be hypocritical if I oppose this. Last year when
somebody tried to do a reorg before right before budget season and. It can wait for it's
a short time. We only we're going to be in budget season in in in weeks. I mean we're in it now really. So I just have to be consistent. So I would have to I
would have to vote no. So I don't know if you want to keep talking, but I just I'm hesitant to give two individuals a four pay grade increase when there's two other departments that are going to slide underneath them
that aren't going to do any less work, and I'm just not sure they're going to be doing four pay grades worth of the work on top to merit that that type of salary increase. Thank you.
Commissioner. Mayor. Yes. Well, I mean, in light of that, I mean, I'm fine with deferring this. You sure we want to vote no tonight and just deny this? I know that's procedural. We can always hear it again. But for
optics, I mean, just defer it until afterwards. City attorney, can we do that? Absolutely. Sure. That's what the board what do we have to do to defer, withdraw the motion in the
second and the motion me or me or you? Frank? I think it was you, I mean, he said, I'll I'll consider I will, I will, I will rescind my motion. Okay. Would you make a motion, a motion to
defer to a time uncertain. Is there a second on that? Well, I think I made a motion, but it doesn't make any difference. I'll second it. Okay. Let's go to roll call then. Commissioner
Panther. Yes. Motion to defer. Correct? Yes, ma'am. Yes, Commissioner. Donato. Yes, Commissioner. Yes. Yes. Vice mayor. Eisner. Yes. Mayor.
Kelly. Yes. Okay. So. How are we? Can we have, like, a just five minute break? Because I want to consult with the attorney real quick. Okay? Just
let's get back here at. Let's make it 922. 925 925 okay. So
smack out. All right. Irene. That's. Hold on. One more
item. We got this. We got this deposited into. Okay. Can
everybody come on back? On the right back.
Now I see a lawsuit coming up. You didn't actually fall. I witnessed that he had to fall
and bleed. Okay, let's resume the meeting. Item number 19. City Attorney Resolution 20
2542. A resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, revising the rules of procedure for the Board of Commissioners, repealing all resolutions in conflict herewith, and providing
for severability and providing for an effective date. Mayor. This is part of Mayor and Commissioners as part of the charter provisions that the
board has. Plus, this is done as an annual review at this time of year presented to you pursuant to previous discussions, is the
changes that have been discussed. And at this point, if board members have any questions to the city clerk or myself to explain any of those, we're here
to do that. Otherwise, this is the provisions that you all discussed. Commissioner Panther, do you have any questions of City attorney or the city clerk
on any of these changes? No, I think this was discussed well in our workshop. I enjoyed the input from my colleagues, and I think we have a good plan here to move forward and make things efficient. Thank you,
Commissioner De Donato. No further questions. Commissioner Coolio's. Yes. What are the difference between the red corrections and the green ones?
I can answer that. The red was just scrivener's errors and some corrections that were made by a previous council that never came
back to the board because of the change. And the green are the items that y'all discussed and approved at the workshop. And we corrected the minutes for moving forward and how many people can
talk like public comments and stuff that time period. Yes, yes. All right. Thank you. No comments. Vice mayor I have no questions on this. Okay. Let's
go to public comments. Are there any public comments on this item? Mr. Can I ask you a question if you know you're going to come to the podium,
why? Why do you have to sit on the other side of the aisle over there? Because when I came, it was just sitting there. You can come up and we don't have to wait for you to walk across the everybody go ahead. I'll
tolerate it. But you understand that I always ask, you know, when public comments are coming, you know, you want to speak on every item, and I do it at times
to allow those. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead before I come up. Yeah. Go ahead okay. Go ahead. So be respectful. That's all. Well I plan on. Yeah. And at this point I would like to
point out that Miss Marcus is donating her two minutes. So. Basically when I look through
it, the main changes are in article two under the agenda in the section two where you have public comments. I've seen the
pattern where you now are combining presentations, proclamations and things that aren't on the agenda into that. And that hasn't been the case in
the past. And then also, when I looked online previously, the there was a line where the consent agenda says no comments allowed during consent agenda.
But I do see now in the revised version up there, you've added consent agenda items into the public comment. So it's probably because your attorney had told you you cannot forbid us from
speaking on consent agenda items when it's our duty, right, and obligation to discuss anything that has to do with the finances of our city. So I really object
in a sense of combining all of these, the presentations, proclamations and not agendas. Final consent agenda should be separate because specially if you pull an item, we should be
able to speak on that. That's on page seven in your if you look online, page eight, which talks about quasi judicial agendas, 15 minute limit for the applicant.
But I don't see anything about time limits on either the affected party or any of the other parties. So that seemed to be missing my biggest concern on
page 11 eight be under the agenda is you're taking time for 4 minutes to 3 minutes for five minute total. That's eight be.
But I really have a bigger problem with eight D where emails were no longer be read. You can't send something to the clerk and ask it to be read.
It's only as it states emails only read or placed in record by a member of the Board of commissioners. So again, you talk about transparency. Someone
sends a comment in someone don't like it, they aren't going to hear about it. And then number ten, page 12, item number ten
signs. No signs permitted unless for presentation. What are you all afraid of signs for? You know, and here's the thing that
really kind of gets to my gall. Really. It seems like we're the ones always blamed for taking your meeting so long. Some of
y'all bloviate over and over and over I this or we did this or that and then blah blah blah blah blah. Put a time limit on yourselves if you really want to
shorten the meetings. Commissioner Banther made a thing earlier and I'm gonna bring it up because it was discussed getting too much in the weeds and the minutia and
talking about this and that, this truck or that truck. Yeah. And then the other commissioner says, well, I have the right to do it, and I don't care if it takes me all night. You all
don't mind speaking to all night, but if we get up to talk, you don't want to hear it. You don't want to hear it from us for an extra minute, and then
you want to cut emails out and signs come on. Really? So. An example, another example one.
The truck got deferred to this one, the guy with the house who wanted to demolish it. Two meetings, hours of talking. How many times have we been here
talking about code enforcement, fines and on and on and on. And then some of y'all want to keep talking about, well, I know this, I did this, I was at this
meeting, I was at that board all self-aggrandizing. And yet you want to put it on us that we're the ones taking up all your
time. Four minutes, maybe two extra and then no emails. And I gotta say something here. I really have to. Years ago, when
we were having zoom calls come in, some members of this board had no problem their mom or their uncle or their aunt calling in so they can get the full ten minutes. So it was good
when y'all wanted to use the time. But now that when y'all are up there, oh, we don't want to hear it. We don't want to
read it. Transparency. Shame on you guys. You should be wanting people to come out and speak more and wanting to give you some info. In fact, I've heard
on the board, oh, I love it when people call me to tell me, you know, this or that or this or that. When we're up front to tell you to your face, you don't
want to hear it. So look at yourselves and quit looking at us as the problem. And the thing about consent agenda. Did
anybody get up and speak on the consent agenda tonight? How often does that really happen? Maybe once in a while. And then there was a consent agenda item a while back, and there were a
number of people got up and spoke. Yeah. If there's something that seems to be more that was the one about the. The park at the end of Gulf Road
where was on the consent agenda and people spoke. You're going to cut them out. Thank you for
your time. Next. Sorry. Debbie McKinney, 1021 Rose Tree Lane. I want to apologize. I wasn't able to read all the backup for
tonight for this. If you could just review what the changes are as far as the times of when people can talk, I would like to see it remain four minutes. I
never use it, but four minutes I think is reasonable and that's all I just. Could you just review the changes that would be made about the time limits of
public comment? Thank you. Are there any public comments here in the auditorium? Mr. Mr.
Austin, there are no online comments. Okay. I'd like to come back to the board for a motion. So moved. Second. Second. Okay. We have a motion on the floor.
Let's. Mayor. Let me. Excuse me. Go ahead sir, I'll go through. Let me start off. You know
these. You know we the. The purpose of the meetings are to conduct the business of the city. I think that this board
and prior boards have been extremely tolerant of people getting up and saying things that have nothing to do with the business of the city. This is
not. I've made this comment before I, I was in London. I went to Hyde Park. In Hyde Park. You have it's where the whole thing about getting on a soapbox
started, people would bring up a soapbox and stand on it and pontificate about all kinds of things, you know, and, and people. Most people would just
walk by and, and do nothing. But every once in a while, a couple people would stop and listen to somebody talking about, you know, Elvis is still in Minnesota pumping gas or something like that, or aliens
or whatever they want to talk about. You know, I'm not saying we have a lot of that. We did for a while. We had members getting up. And, you know,
again, we have to do the business of the city, whether you like a commissioner speaking too much in your opinion, you
know, that's why we're the elected officials and we got the opportunity. Everybody had the opportunity to do that. And, you know, sometimes and I hate to
pick on keep on picking. But, you know, there's a certain hypocrisy because I remember when a certain person was on the
board and brought binders full of stuff with tabs and went through a whole litany of conversation, far more than commissioner or vice Mayor
Eisner does today, if that's who you are referring to. So, you know, he he he has a right to talk. He's elected official. We're conducting the business of the city. If he's got things he
needs to say, he says it. We still have the opportunity for citizens to get up and speak again. They can go up to five minutes. I think five minutes is plenty of time. If they you if
they get two minutes from somebody else to say what you got to say prior to that. If you want to make some comment, I'm sure. Three minutes. You saw miss McKinney got up. She took,
what, 45 seconds? Okay, so some people are abusive about the continuous, continuous comments on every single item. We have to
do the business of the city, and it's not good government. And it's not fair to the residents. And I hear it all the time about these meetings going as long as
they go, okay. When we're when we have meetings that we have to extend, that we can't get our business done by 11:00. That's
problematic. Okay. So again, we're addressing issues that will help us be efficient, get the meetings done, but not to rush through the meetings to get
but yet to have efficient government because again, residents who have to go to work tomorrow can't be watching us live. They can't see what we're
doing. If we're if we're going to 1130 or 12 or 1:00 in the morning. Now, I know that there have been times with big issues, you know, Anclote Harbors or things of that nature, the, the, you know, Walmart properties
before then, where meetings went on to one or 2 or 3 in the morning. I understand that, but so again, would, you know, would I want commissioners to be more
succinct sometimes. Yeah. But again, they're the elected officials. They have a right to talk. And it's I'm not I'm not a I'm not the king here or the
dictator that can tell them they that they can't say what they want to say. So Commissioner Banther, do you have anything? Thank you. Yes. I'm in support
of all these items. Again. I think it was a very productive workshop, maybe one of the most productive ones I've had. I think these are all fair. I think if you compare us to
neighboring cities, we are still very fair and I would say liberal as far as public comment goes and especially public engagement, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another city in Tampa Bay that is as
transparent and engaging of the citizens as though as though as we are, whether that's through the Citizens Academy or other venue venue venues we have. And while I support pretty much
everything, the mayor, the mayor just said, I do think, you know, there there is some truth in some of the nuggets that commissioner was saying. And unlike my colleague earlier
tonight, I'm not going to single a person out. I'm sure at some point up here we have all been guilty of, you know, filibustering or, or being too, you know. Egotistical or, or or
though or whatnot. And yes, it is our job up here to, to speak on matters, to ask good questions and things like that. But sometimes I feel like we do
get into areas where we just talk to talk. So I don't want to completely dismiss his comments on that because I think that, you know, we should govern ourselves accordingly when we're
utilizing city time, because a long meeting does not equal a, a, a good meeting. And I've always said, unless we have public comment lined up to speak, there is no reason to go
past 11:00. Thank you. Commissioner De Donato. I would say we had a very good workshop on this. I think we looked at it. I would also say that this is a living document. It is not
granted us for the next two years. I understand and we look at this whole process again. So I'm comfortable with it. Vice mayor, I'm sorry, Commissioner,
I'm sorry. I would like the board to consider still being able to have public comments after the consent agenda items are read. Just so, because it's
sometimes they'll come up for public comments and. What I've been used to the past few years is stuff that's not on the agenda. But, you know, I'm only one person on the board, so I'd
like to see that hopefully come back. Public comments after consent agenda items are read. And as far as everything else looks good, as far as the comments and extending, you know, the minutes of before I
was one of those people and my job was to I had a goal to, you know, disrupt this government at that point, use as much time up, you know, take people's time up. And that was my goal at the
time. Absolutely. Especially as as a citizen up there over time, you know, the rules actually change because of me and some other individuals at that point. And they've been shrunken down even more and they've been shrunken down even more, but
they're everyone's still being able to react, articulate people like yourself and others can come up here and give their points and three minutes or less, especially if they're
passionate about it item. But the you know, the zoom thing, we've done it. We're going on three, four years straight. Even the previous boards for us and
99% of the interaction really come from one individual. And, you know, in the audience. And I get it. But, you know, maybe we only need to have zoom comments
for big ticket items that we know are going to, you know, have people participate. So I've made my suggestions of what what I'd like to see. And as far as minimizing time, Commissioner
Banther brought up a good point. There's some cities you have to write down what you want to talk about, and you only get two minutes and you got to do it well in advance. So there is transparency. People are talking
and we have shrunken down the time to have a more efficient meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor. So one thing I was going to share the tale does not
wag the dog. We don't need six commissioners. We have five. And all I can say is when you have somebody who speaks on every
comment that comes about, you kind of start to roll your eyes no matter who it is, especially when it has no pertaining to what we do. Our our workshop, as
everybody said up here, was done by five commissioners, not by six. So when I have somebody coming up and going to correct everything we do on every item,
we do it and then preaches and does all of his theatrics. You lose me. So you're kind of speaking of four commissioners. You're not speaking of five
anymore. As far as the rules and regulations, they're okay in my book. But, you know, we have to cut somewhere. And there is. I
don't mind any commissioner up here wants to speak. As long as they're making progress and doing their thing, some of it's redundant by me. Some of it's redundant by everybody up here.
Some people speak longer, some people have different interests. So. But I really don't need a six Commissioner. I don't need somebody that's going to get up and speak on every item. And
then when they get home, they call us on top of it, and they argue every point they come up with ideas that it's not what we want to do. As a we're elected officials. If somebody else
wants to run for office, feel free to run for office. Then you can get up here and speak. But as far as changing the rules, there's only one person who came
up here to say there wasn't enough time. It wasn't that 15 people came up here to say that. So why are we changing it? Because one person who monopolizes all the time wants
it changed so they can monopolize more time. I that's not my thing. So again, the tail doesn't wag the dog. The dog wags the tail. If we have no
further comments, I'm going to go to roll call. Commissioner Banther. Yes, Commissioner DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner. Yes, yes. Vice mayor. Yes,
mayor. Yes. And I think we made it. So let's go to. City manager. You were just moving
your chair, right? Right, right. All right, so let's go to board and staff comments. Chief, this
past last Tuesday, June 17th, Police Department had another tragedy and the loss of officer Nick wood. It's 29 years old.
He's just way too young. My heart goes out to his parents, who I sat and talked with, and his brother and his girlfriend
Christine, my brothers and sisters at the police department were hurting. But we're all together and I want to thank all the commissioners, the mayor,
everybody on the board, Charles, city staff, city employees, city residents for the outpour of love and support for Nick and his family and our police department family. Just thank
you all. And his funeral will be July 5th. We'll be getting some of that information out as we get more defined information for everybody. But thank you, everybody for your support and
keeping Nick and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you. Chief City attorney, no report. Mayor, city manager, just my condolences to Nick and
Nick's family, his girlfriend. And I'll be I'll be reaching out to you all in the coming weeks to get together one on one. Talk about the before the workshop to talk about the pay study results
and the capital improvement budget so we can have more time to talk about it. Thank you. City Clerk. I have no comments. Thank you. Commissioner Banther.
Yes, thank you again. Like we said in the budget workshop, our thoughts and prayers are with the police department. I was thinking it's at least since my tenure with the city, the third
death, at least one in line and two medical related. And I think it just goes to show, and I'm sure this is true for fire as well. It's just in our city. It's just disproportionate that the effects of this job are much
more than clocking in and clocking out. You have health issues that you're affected by that are above and beyond the job. So I don't know if that was the case here, but I just think it goes to show that we need to
have respect for our officers and support them in this time. Thank you. Commissioner De Donato. No additional comments, Commissioner. Cool. Yes, yes, I heard the Juneteenth celebration was great. There was a lot of
people there, so I was happy to hear about that. My thoughts and condolences go out to Nicholas Wood, his family, his girlfriend. Everyone is just it's such a sad thing to hear
about something like that. I really enjoyed. Before they would start their shift, they'd come by Copenhagen and I'd be in the area and I got to enjoy talking with them, you know, and they were just talking with
them. He was a young leader, so it hurts my heart thinking about the whole family and the PD and the whole city is here to
support you all. So thank you. Vice Mayor. Thank you mayor. As you said, chief, 29 is not the age that you say goodbye. So I
do want you to know that I'm not speaking for the board, but I know the board in its heart will do whatever it needs, you know, to reassure the police
department that, you know, whatever you need. You know, when I first heard that he had passed, I'm lucky. I remember my own name sometimes. I didn't remember the name. But, you
know, when I saw the picture, it was really heartfelt. Because I do go to all of the police functions. And, you know, he was a very, you know, every one of
them a unique. And I did feel like I lost a brother. I really did, and I don't know him that well, but I know he was just a always a nice, quiet guy. I know he was a joker and whatnot, but
it's just it's just sad, you know, there's so much more life to live, you know? So I really feel bad on that. One thing I
did want to share with you missed a very hot event. It was brutally hot. It was amazing.
There was laughter, there was singing. There was joy in everybody's face, but there was sweat pouring down everybody's back that I'm going to tell you.
It was a rough, rough day to be out there. It was. It was invigorating to see everybody enjoying themselves. I honestly,
I couldn't stay past too long because I was over the hill with that. But it was just good. You know, today we have a celebration of a, you know,
assistant police chief. We have a celebration of LGBT community. I've said this once, I'll say it again and again. I didn't say it once. I've said it many times. I love Tarpon Springs. I love the
people here. I don't do this for the money. It's, you know, it's a joyous town. And, you know, I also, as the mayor and city
manager, we were at the merchants, you know, voting yesterday and there. So they looked like things were going well as well. So good food was
served. You know, the town just has one positive after another. And I'd like to keep those positives going. And that's all I have to say. I just want to
wish everybody a blessed evening and stay safe. Thank you mayor, if I may, real quick, I just forgot something small next year for the Juneteenth. Charles, if it's they may not want this, but
I want to make if it's possible. I want to extend the offer to have them do it in the community center if they want to. I mean, I have family in town, so I couldn't go, but I'm a big boy.
I would have been drenched. So and I'm sure people felt the same way. So they may not want to do that. But next year, if we're allowed to do that, I would like to offer them that.
Thank you. No. Okay. So. You know, the hot dogs, the death of
Nick wood is. That, you know, the death of Nick wood. You know, when it comes, when it
comes so sudden, you know, it. It's awful. And you know, as you get, get to be older I always say that. But you really do change your perspective because
you know, when you know, you've got less time in front of you than you have behind you, it's just a fact. And so, you see,
you know, you, you, you get a perspective. But you know, I always and I said this at the when we had that ceremony at the
police station, you know, when you look at our lives in the whole span of time, you know, they're smaller than any speck
on that carpeting. So. So how long you live is, you know, a lot of times, you know, whether it's your DNA, whether it's, you
know, whatever fortune you have, but it's really what did you do while you were here? Right. Like, and this young man decided
to commit himself to a life of service, just like all of us have up here. You know, we like like the vice mayor said, we don't get paid a whole lot to be
here. We choose to want to serv. And, you know, when our time comes, none of us know. But what the lesson is, is while we're
here, take advantage of time, because time is owed to nobody and do what you can to be of service to others. I don't think there's a higher calling than
that. You know, on the Juneteenth thing, you know, I know it was really hot, but, you know, I was actually thinking about it. And I was sitting
there, you know, sweating it out. And then I thought, wait a minute, what are we here for? You know, the people that. Were
freed on that day, they suffered far more than us sitting in a hot sun for a few hours. So, I don't know, I kind of that's
kind of like what got me through it. I quit feeling sorry for myself. It was too hot. And then I said, you know what? It's okay that we're feeling a little bit of heat. Maybe that's what we
should feel on a day like that. So. Congratulations on your new home. And I understand we're having a pool party or something
sometime soon, so? So it ain't going to fit all of us. Let us know. And oh, and something that came up several weeks ago or
several meetings ago was about Howard Park. So I actually spoke to the park ranger out there. So there's they have fixed all the
bathrooms in the park area, the, you know, the green area, the two bathrooms that are out on the beach. One is beyond repair.
It actually, it came off the foundation and they said they got to tear it down. The other one they are going to fix. So we're and it doesn't they don't know when they'll have the funds to fix the other one. So we're
going to have one bathroom out there for a while. So anyways that's I do want to reiterate, we have paved Canal Street. Some people had a concern. Yes. It's
temporary. It was almost impassable. We are going to restore it to brick probably in the next fiscal year. But we had to put some asphalt down so you could people could actually drive through there. Yeah, but
it is temporary. Yeah. It was really bad. I mean, it needed to be smoothed out. Okay. That's it. Meeting adjourned. 956 okay.
I also wanted to warn you one thing I didn't get.
Congratulations on your hand.