--------- President Hines, I'm ready. Whenever you're ready, good evening. Today is Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 6 6:04 p.m. Um, and we are getting ready for
our city council meeting. I have a call to order and we'll have Miss Wright start with our roll call, please. >> Mayor Goodman, >> I am here. >> Council President Hines, >> here.
>> Vice President Jones, >> here. Council member Cox >> here. >> Council member Church >> here. >> Council member Martin >> here. >> Chief Mike Rose >> here. >> City Man, City Attorney Kristen Belaloo >> here.
>> City Clerk/interm city manager Latricia Wright >> here. I have acting trainee Brooke Dole >> here >> and all other staff. Thank you.
>> Thank you. At this time, we will have the opening prayer and pledge of allegiance to the flag by Mayor Charles Goodman. Thank you, Madame President. Join me if you choose. Father, we come to you tonight,
a community and a council that are faced with many difficult decisions. Lord, we don't have all the answers. We know that we are in for some trials and we just hope that all the people in
the world understand that if the something is taken out of one pocket and put back into another, you have the same amount. So I just ask that you get into the system and
show each and every individual, each citizen, each person on the council that in fact we have to have certain amount to run our city, to have parks, to have police
departments, Lord, just to sustain the community that we want to have to live in and I ask you to be with each one of us as we look at all the issues and help each one of us to make their
own decision. And I ask you to do all this in your name. Amen. >> Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. We'll now have any additions, deletions, changes, and approval of the agenda. >> Madame President. >> Yes, ma'am.
>> I have two corrections. >> Okay. >> Uh the first one, the very last page of the agenda, please disregard it. Page 39. >> Oh, page 39. >> Oh. Oh, so not the agenda but all.
>> Yeah, the entire packet. Yes. >> Okay. I was going to ask about that. >> Yes. And also on the minutes for um the ordinance I had put tabled and it should have had a vote with
>> which ordinance is that? >> The ordinance that was for the comp plan >> in the minutes >> in the minutes. >> In the minute section. Yes. What are we supposed to do on the last page? >> Just disregard it. Disregard the last. Yes, ma'am. >> Madam President, could I get a
correction on that page number >> on page 39? >> 39. I was looking for 79 and said you don't exist. >> No, 39, please. And then again, the minutes, the ordinance, it should have had a motion
with a vote and I put tabled instead. Okay. >> On the um council agenda item with the land swap with the past, it also says lamb sway in the description.
>> All right. Thank you. I would I would still make a motion that the agenda as presented be accepted because it is still correct. Neither one of those things pertain to the agenda. >> I do not understand what you're saying.
>> The the agenda as presented is still correct. Those two those two things had to do with other issues, not the agenda as presented. So, I will make a motion that we approve the agenda as presented. >> I'll second. >> I have a motion and a second. All those
in favor say I. >> All those opposed. Motion passes four to five to zero. All right. So, number item number two, employee of the year service pin. Employee years of service
being HR director Kenroy. test. Mr. Tom Wolf, can you please come up here? >> You're in trouble now. Mr. Wolf is our employee of the month for this month. WOOHOO.
Thank you for your exceptional performance this month and appreciation for your loyalty in achieving city goals. I also have a challenge coin for you in my office. >> Do you do you want to speak? >> No.
I will. Nothing like being the very first employee of the month. >> Tom, wait a minute. We need to take a picture. >> Tom, hold on. Tom, hold on. Hold on. >> Tom is a little bashful for it sometimes,
but you know, Tom, it was uh recommended by several several staff that you be employee of the month. Uh, everybody knows you, everybody sees you, everybody sees the hard work that you do. If you ever need anything done, call Tom. Tom
will get it done. Uh, nights, weekends, it doesn't matter. Tom is always there. There is no better employee that deserves that than you, TOM. >> MR. Wolf is also one of the most polite people in the city. Every morning he
sees anybody, he says good morning to you. >> Yep. They're taking my microphone but not my voice. I want everybody to know that I think that there could not have been a better employee of the month. Every time
that I have asked Tom for some help, he has smilingly and willingly given all that he could give. And I want to congratulate you and say that welld deserved, sir.
Did we get a photo? Item number three, proclamation. Mayor Charles Goodman. Is there anybody here that doesn't know what Junth is about? Raise your hand. Okay.
I am honored to make a proclamation about Junth. Whereas on June 19th, 1865 in Galveastston, Texas, over two years after President Abraham
Lincoln declared all enslaved persons to be free in this country, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army troops enforced the Emancipation Proclamation
and freed the past enslaved black Americans. And whereas free from the bondage which immorally deprived them of human dignity, their long overdue emancipation was
celebrated on June 19th, Junth. And this year marks the 161st year of Junth, the oldest known celebration commemorating
the abolishment of slavery in this country. This nationally recognized holiday is an opportunity to celebrate human freedom. reflect on the grievious and ongoing
legacy of slavery and rededicate us to rooting out systematic racism that continues to plague our society and others as we strive to deliver the full full promise
of freedom and equality for all Americans. And whereas we celebrate Junth, let us recommmit ourselves to the work of equity, equality, and justice. Remind oursel of
the centuries of struggle, courage, and hope that have brought us up to this time of progress and the possibility and ensure that all the events of 1865 are not forgotten.
And whereas this nation was founded on the principle stated in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and they are all endowed by their creator with certain
inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is upon this declarative that June 6 Junth
stands to affirm and admonish that Africanameans have contributed greatly to this country and to the world. And whereas Junth celebrations take
place throughout the nation and in the city of Williston that include a celebration of Junth, cultural performances, community service events, all done with a spirit of celebration and unity
and other meaningful observances that brings us together to celebrate and commemorate the freedom of all people. And now therefore, be it resolved that I, Charles Goodman, do hereby proclaim
June 19th, 2026 as the Junth Freedom Day in the city of Willist. In witness there whereof, I have set my hand and caused the official seal of the
city of Williston to be affixed this 16th day of June, year of our Lord 20 thou 2026. Having done this, I would like to ask
Miss Boatright to join me up here. Miss Boatright is a member of the Martin Luther King committee who has worked very hard and
diligently in our community and as such with great honor I would like to offer this to you ma'am. Uh need a picture please. No, you too. Thank you. >> I I believe the other two ladies are also on the committee.
>> Yes. >> Come back. >> And Miss Gussy, could you hold up the proclamation? >> I will escort you. I will limp over here and hold your hand and he will take your picture. Please join us.
>> I can be persuasive. >> She doesn't look too happy about it though. >> OMG, did he say that? I'm not either. >> Thank you, sir. Now, it's time for public participation. This will be one of two opportunities in
order to speak on anything that is not on the agenda. You will have five minutes to speak. Do we have anyone who would like to speak at this time? Please state your name and where your residence, please. 43 Northwest 4th Street. Uh Joel Penny.
Uh this past week I had the city come out and do a few things at my house. I just want to say thank you and what a great job. I mean like way beyond. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, sir.
>> We still love you, >> Robert Langens, 500 Northwest Fifth Avenue. I want to thank Mike uh Alex which is no longer here. Uh Mike the electrical and electrical department. We finally have all our originally
installed street lights up and running. >> Terrific. >> Appreciate Appreciate all. >> Yeah. Two thank yous. That's that's just like impossible there. >> Anyone else? Seeing none, we will move forward to the consent agenda.
Council minutes from June 2nd, 2026. >> I move we approve the consent agenda as revised for the minutes of June 2nd. >> I'll second that. >> We have a motion and a second. >> All those in favor say I. I. >> I. I.
>> All those opposed say name. Motion passes 5 to zero. updates staff, board, and council. Um, we'll start with police chief Mike Rose. Uh, quick update. Attended the uh,
county commissioner meeting today. On the agenda, item number 18 was Canelius Williams Park. I am pleased to report that it was unanimous uh, that they approved the second reading uh, for the development of Canelius Williams Park.
Thank you so much for that update. >> And I went back to the PD Monday. >> I know. That's why I called you police chief. >> Still love you though. All right. City attorney, do you have anything else?
Miss Wright, interim manager, city court. >> Nothing at the moment. >> All right. Any other staff? None. Seeing none. All right. Anyone on the council,
Miss Mayor? >> Um, yes. I have two things that I would like to address. And first, um, has to do with our police chief and our interim city manager. My understanding is that the chief is going to continue to come over uh to the city hall two days per
week um and help follow through on some of the projects that um he started with. So I think we need to vote on that to make sure that all the council agrees that that just can't be a unilateral decision that we need to am I correct
that we need to at least have a conversation about that. I'm delighted about it, but we should have a conversation. >> Sure. Um I I think where I is this working at all? That doesn't sound like
>> it's not let out. >> Not like there's any problem hearing me ever, but um so my concern is that we have to be careful not to put him in a city manager position. And what we have right now, I
think, is just a sort of understanding that we're a small city. We're very cooperative. If the city manager needs assistance, then the police chief will offer what assistance he can. And my understanding is that the assistance that she's requested right now is on
these certain um follow-ups and that in order to facilitate that, he will be in city hall typically about two days a week. Um, unless there's any additional compensation that's being offered to him for that, I don't believe that we need
to take a vote on it. Um, unless the mayor has an objection. Obviously, he is over at the police department. Um, but I'm I'm looking at his bright and shining face and not seeing any objections on it.
>> Yeah, but there's some comments. >> What is your comment, mayor? Thank you, Madame President. >> The chief of police will be here trying to, as the attorney has said, to finish up some of his things and but he
will be here as an advisory capacity. The city manager, acting interm, whatever adjective you choose to put to it will be Miss Latricia Wright and he Mike Rolls will be the chief of police
and there is nothing illegal or wrong about the chief of police offering advice to the city manager. However, the my biggest concern is the division of salary. I want to make sure that the
chief and the city manager both knows that during the time that he is helping the city as an assistant that the police department is not build for his time that there is an equitable solution and
I will accept any equitable solution amongst honorable people. But I do not want the police department to be fully fully paying for his salary while he is doing other things trying to assist the city. That's all I have to say. Thank
you very much. >> Miss Miss Troy. >> So if the council does wish to do that, I can call Lori. We can get a GL code set up for 16 hours a week to go through city hall. doesn't have to be.
>> But then that sounds like it's more. >> Some weeks it may be more, some weeks it may be less. I don't like this limiting it to 16 hours a week. We don't know what the needs are. >> Thank you. >> My comment is he is a salaried employee.
We don't need to be keeping track of his hours wherever he is. Uh and I think now that he's back at the police station, he's police. He's the police chief. >> Go ahead. That's that's the end of it. >> No, that's not the end of it. >> As far as I
>> If he is not doing police work, he is assisting the city. Then the city needs to pay part of his salary. And I am perfectly comfortable letting all of them work out what it is. But there needs to be compensation to my budget
for the loss of my chief during the periods that my chief is trying to help the city. And if that is going to be a problem, let's get it out right now because I do not expect my police budget to be the budget that is funding the
city for administrative cost. Thank you, >> Mr. Cox. >> Well, yes. The easiest way to do it, as much as I would like to have you for two week, two days a week over and where stuff doesn't get jumbled here,
there, payroll here, payroll there, is just stay at the ple PD much as I would like for you to to be here in the helper, but I think that might be the easiest thing to do. We'll find
somebody. Palatka um I saw in the news today where they they're looking for a city manager and they have an intrum for one year. It was a one-year contract that somebody's just filling in for that case. Um
I just think it'll save from as this whole deal goes on where he's staying over there, it's for a couple of days a week and then here and stuff like that. It just be easier just to >> and I think it needs to not be structured.
>> Correct. Because if he's in an advisory capacity, he doesn't have to be here in order to have conversation with Latricia. He can do it from his office. Um, and that way he's in his office at the police station. and hopefully it's
not going to require a whole lot of time. I would have loved for you to have been able to give her a handoff. I know what we talked about and what we discussed and it appears that even though
the mayor seems to be okay with assisting us get back on board related to Miss Latricia, I think he still has an issue with it. Um, so in order to keep him happy, keep your job intact
without any issues, um, still remain in a advisory, have her be able to call you and have a conversation with you. It's not the best situation in order related to um, transitioning
power, I'm going say. Um, but this is what we have and this will this is what we have right now. Um, so I think the best solution is to as she needs assistance when things happen with projects that she's not really sure about to be able to pick up
a phone and call you if you guys need to have a meeting. I'm sure it's not going to cost anybody from anybody's budget um in order to have you guys sit down and have a conversation. Is that okay with you, Mr. Mayor?
>> Thank you, Madam President. >> You're so welcome. >> No, it is not. >> But I will accept it. >> Okay. >> What my >> I'm not really sure what you're wanting now. >> I I I thought I was being very clear, so I will try to restate it in a >> What did you say, ma'am?
>> Said you want some money out of the budget >> from yours from our >> Would you like to talk or may I have >> That's what you said, though. Would you like to talk with me? I have >> Let him speak >> cuz we're not going to do this. Go ahead. >> Thank you, Madam President. What I would
prefer is that the chief can be over here as needed and simply that the the cost of his employment be prrated between the city
and the police department budgets. You don't have to deal with who they are. They are perfectly capable of keeping track of the cost of being here versus the cost of being in the police department. They do not need the mayor
or the council to tell them how long they have to spend to do the two different things. That they are perfectly capable of it. I am willing and think that it's a good solution.
It's this money thing that seems to be everybody's problem. And I'm sure that everybody can see that it it is simple math. let them decide how much time he has to spend here and allow the city manager to
fairly compensate my budget for the loss of him. It's I'm not asking for a dollar amount. I don't care if it's 10 cents. I think he's worth more than that. But if my point is we can let them make the
decisions. They are the managers and we don't have to micromanage them. Sounds >> let him help her all she wants. Let him help her all he's willing. Just understand councel that we have budgets
and if my budget is impacted I think my budget should be compensated a reasonable amount for what it is lost. It doesn't have to become this major contention. It's simply a understanding that they
will keep track of it and they will talk to HR and get a just compensation for my budget so that my budget does not reflect administration to the city
administration. That is all I'm saying. That's all I'm pointing out. And I do not agree with this whole concept of it doesn't work. They are capable of working with each other. They know each other. They are capable of doing what
you're asking them to do. But it's your choice. Do what you want. But there has to be an understanding. Thank you. And I will say no more on it. Councilman Jones, you can go right ahead now. >> All I did was repeat what you said, Mr.
Mayor. I was agreeing with you. We still have to have the discussion related to pay because when if I'm not mistaken, didn't did you have a a change in pay when you were interim? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, if we're talking about taking
>> 15% is what he got. >> Okay. So, so it's not as simple as one, two, three. Um, so we would have to actually have a conversation about whether or not we're willing to make that payments or, you know, in that in
that realm. So, let's have the discussion. He got the 15% as well as Miss Latricia when they were serving together because that's what it says that the HR policy that they get. But if he's going back to the police station,
>> the 15% goes away. >> So that right, which is what we need to be clear of, >> right? >> How much is he actually going to be getting sorry >> back to his regular salary? paid to come over here for two days or however long it's going to be um to assist Miss
Latricia and is there >> is is there a time frame that we need to be looking at related to how much time Miss Latricia is going to need to
have Miss Chief Rose sorry over here. >> Uh most of the projects that uh that I'm working on are the construction projects uh the block 12s, the town homes, those type things. And those have been very
in-depth uh meetings about funding and and different aspects of those projects. So, um, it would be hard, it's not impossible, but it would be hard for her to jump in right at the middle of these projects when we
discussed so much. And I'm fully aware of what's going on. But if that is the request of the council, I mean, I gave her a spreadsheet of some of the things that I was working on uh before I went back to the PD. But if it's if it's a
problem, I mean, I can always um just not do it and um help Latricia whenever she calls. >> So, I know when we had a discussion, I asked about a handoff. Is there any way
for you to sit down and maybe write out? >> I did. >> Did you? Okay. >> Yeah, I did some of them. Yeah. >> It's more a matter of going on site. Mhm. >> It's more a matter of going on site and dealing with the contractors. That's what he's been doing. I mean, I've been riding around and finding him in the middle of the town homes over here
>> with all of those guys trying to figure out what to do with a certain subject. I've also found him in the back parking lot >> um with Wils, you know, trying to figure out what to do. So, that's what that's the kind of thing that I can't see Miss Latricia out in the middle of a field doing that. I don't want her to be out in the middle of the field doing that.
She falling out on us. I don't want her falling out on us. Um, that's the kind of thing he's talking about. And it kind of comes up when it comes up. You don't really know when it's going to come up, but he could schedule it on certain days if he knew when he was going to be here.
>> That way it wouldn't consume his other >> duties, focus, >> right? >> Yes. The chief. >> Yes, exactly. >> Miss Meredith. >> Yeah. I I just think we need clarification and I do agree that I think the chief I'm I mean I'm delighted that the chief is going to still be over here in an advisory capacity and still
continuing to have the conversations that he's started and with the contractors and with many of these projects including fiber and some other ones that are that are big. >> They're they're big and we we do need you know all hands on deck in my opinion on that project at the moment. So my
suggestion, and I just wanted to formalize this conversation in a meeting so that it's not just somebody had a conversation with somebody in a office that nobody else was privy to, that we all agree as a council and and maybe a solution is that we pay the chief a
consulting fee or we pay him some fee to come over here, a flat rate fee, and he can decide how many hours he's over here. um you know an advisory fee, however we call it, but something where he's not pulled in two directions. It's
very clear that he has the grace of by the grace of the mayor can be over here that we want him wants him to be over here. The employees are clear who they go to for which issues. the contractors are clear who they're communicating with and things do not fall through the
cracks because we're straddling a chasm right now without with an interim city manager without a officially hired new city manager whomever that may be. So that's what I'm trying to avoid by having this conversation.
So then so my question would be he is salary but how would that legally affect anything related to him be getting paid his full salary and then us giving him a
consultation while he is on duty per se. So I I think what would be easier would be the idea he doesn't mean that
um rather than and I mean I'm I'm guess I had a different interpretation of what was being requested by the mayor. to say chief is salary, right? His salary. I don't know that the request was that we add to that salary. Sorry, chief. Um
but rather that we reallocate how that salary is paid from what um funds. So from that's what >> police funds and that certainly would be cheaper for the city than uh adding an additional consultation fee again.
Sorry. Um but so so that would be um that would be easier uh to do. That would require a budget amendment um that Steven could do for you. That would not be terribly difficult. We do budget amendments all
the time. um as long as we're very very clear that Latricia is the city manager chief is assisting with these items but at the end of the day all of the decisions final decisions will have to be passed by Latricia and get her
approval um then how we allocate the budget in terms of how things are being used. We have some flexibility there. Does that answer your question? Sort of kind of >> it. No, it does because we're now we're not talking about giving him a
consultation >> on top of >> so >> that was the legal question. >> Um Mr. Cox >> Mr. Cox >> I would like to hear from Miss Wright >> on this.
>> Council member Cox. Um I am in agreeance with what our attorney Belaloo just said. Okay. So I'm okay with that because it makes a lot more sense and doing the budget and amendment we are able to do that so that way it won't be too much confusion and too much when it
is audited that the auditors won't be like well what is this? So that'll make sense to them as well as us. >> Okay. And I, you know, we still going to have to have a meeting to discuss the city manager because if
people know that we're looking, they could be watching online and want to have a cohesiveness amongst everything that's going on, not bouncing back and forth between, you know, the chief is helping here, you know, and helping the city clerk who's
the acting city manager. and we just at some point we got to start looking. >> I for one don't want to do anything until after budget. >> Please don't you know. >> Okay. >> And that's just the way I feel about it. I'd rather get through the budget. >> Uh which means as of November, let's
start looking >> um November 1st. We got we passed the budget as of September 30th. >> Um and I'm I'm starting to look November 1st. Until then, I think we need all hands on deck to do this budget because we're going to have our hands full with this property tax proposal. We won't
know till after that whether it passes or not >> or you know, >> but >> Huh. The budget is a long time away. >> I know, but they vote on them before then.
>> That Yes. What I what I said we wait till September 30th. we can we can start looking in November and we will know by then or we won't exactly know by then but we will have a better idea of how it's going to affect us. I think we need to start looking for our
city manager now. the longer we I mean the city bud I mean the city the budget is in September when we finalize everything that's a that's a what four or five months away that's too long to have one Latricia sting the fence and
chief roles trying to stay in and assist and do his job as well we need to start working on this now because it's one it's already going to take a while to find somebody we have to start talking about we are kind of like way off topic
but we got >> yeah we are >> have to start talking about um what we're looking for related to a city manager and all of those things. So, I think starting now, preparing now, it still may be around that time before we actually get something out, but we need
to start preparing now. >> That is my thought. >> We've got job descriptions. We've got everything that we need. We got >> We may need to tweak that a little bit. >> We do. We need to look at it for sure, but we've got those things. It's not like we have to reinvent them, >> right? But I I believe that we need to start. Um,
>> Miss Church, do you have anything to say? I kind of agree on both senses because it does take a while to get your ducks in a row and then put the information out there and then weed through the ones who are interesting or interested doing the interviews and so on and so forth. So it'll be a while
before someone would fall into place even if we found somebody let's say next week. Um, but at the same time, we are in the middle of I wouldn't say infrastructure change, but we're making so many big changes right here and now that if we bring somebody new that a may
not be familiar with us and what we've gone through and what we're trying to look forward to, it might be adding to the confusion, but at the same time, we want to make sure that we're doing our due diligence and giving ourselves enough time to find the right person and not just someone who's going to be here for a year and then leave and then keep
repeating the same thing we've had in the past. So I I agree with both. I think we can start the process now and, you know, look to the future with how things are going to potentially change because it could affect our budget and what we could offer and that would
affect who would be available to even take that position. So looking and getting things in in a row now, I don't think that's a bad idea. But as far as actually putting the posting out there and saying, "Hey, we're available right now. Start, you know, putting in your application." I could see where that
would be a little bit more beneficial in a few months from now to give Miss Trisha and Mike some time to finish what they've already started the past two months. >> Agree. But just know some of those projects are going to take a little bit longer than even that. So somebody coming in still may have to deal with a
project or two >> of course like the town homes. Mr. Cox, do you have anything so we can move on? >> No, I just think we need to do it. But we really need to look at all of our questioning and everything that we're asking people.
>> Okay. So, we'll look at doing a workshop. >> We got to get it right this time. >> Miss Jones, >> I I also think that we're getting ready to do three budget workshops, two budget hearings, and I don't think we're going to be doing interviews in between. So, that's why I said I'd rather get through
budget, but you know, I I only have one vote. So, there you go, Miss Meredith. I that was actually was the second I had two things I wanted to bring up and this was the second thing is that I do think that we need to have this conversation
before budget and the reason is that I think Mr. Fuller was 100% right when he got up the other day and said, "We are going to need to increase the salary that we offer our city manager if we want to attract quality candidate." And I'm going to be very blunt that the way
that we terminated our former city manager has had fallout. And I have talked to I'm not saying that she was the right person for the job. I voted to terminate her the second time that her job was brought to a vote. Um but the
way that it happened, the manner in which it happened has not made us look good in the in amongst people who might consider this job. I don't know everybody, but I have spoken to a handful of people who would have been qualified for this job and their
response generally is it would be career suicide. I'd go, I'd upset the council and they would fire me for no reason. Now, that's perception. Um, but I do think that we need to really take a really hard look at how we handle our city managers. I think we
need to take a really hard look at how we let them do their jobs. I think the council as a whole needs to do a little soularching on that before we pay somebody to come here and then turn around and a year later fire them for
the same reason that in the same manner that we actually were upset that they fired other people. It did not look good. Again, not saying that a former city manager was 100% the right fit and then not saying that she needed to continue to be here, but I do think we
need to be really careful going forward and I think that's a conversation we should start having now so we can get the right candidates in. >> I agree. Um the only thing that I will disagree with is um how we fired her. um she was given
opportunity not twice at least twice to um do things differently. Unfortunately, we can't talk outside of here. So, the only way we can terminate is to terminate within the confines of a meeting. >> I agree. And I asked for a second meeting so that we could have a
conversation and allow her side of the story to be heard and get all the information because some people had certain set of facts that other people didn't. And as it turned out, some of those facts were not in fact facts. And I think we should have done a little bit more due diligence. The vote may have ended up the same. I just think we have
to show that as a governing body, we do our due diligence. You know, she did do the things that we asked her to do in November. And what happened later on this spring, okay, I didn't agree with it either, but there was no due diligence done. There was no meeting.
There was no conversation. It just happened. That's what I disagree with. I don't necessarily disagree with the vote. I disagree with the manner in which it was done. >> Okay. So then we should have a discussion on how we as you said. Um
anything else, Chief Rose? >> Cuz this was on the piggyback of you cuz so we can move. No, I I am uh >> Oh, it was >> I'm I'm thankful for the time that I spent as the interimm city manager and
the working relationship between myself and the council uh was beautiful and uh if we maintain that type of respect for the position and the respect for each other, I think the next city manager should be able to just strive once they
get caught up on what's what's happening. Uh, so I have no complaint about the working relationship with the council. I think it was beautiful and and I'll be more than happy to help the council with anything else they may need me to help with uh in the future. So,
thank you for the opportunity. >> Thank you, sir. We appreciate you. Miss Wright, did you have something? >> Yes. Since you all are talking about going forward with looking for a city manager, I would like to put together a workshop so you all can discuss and let me know
what you all want on the application or for the reference of what you're looking for for a city manager. And that also as MA said that going to be salary. So we kind of do need to look at the budget first see where what we can offer and
what we have available to offer them. So I will send you all an email with several dates. You all just let me know individually what date works for you and we can move forward with doing a workshop to get all the criteria that you all are looking for for city
manager. >> Sounds good. Anyone else on the on the council have anything to say? >> Yeah, just one more. Um, it's not going to be an easy task because watching on the news down in
Orlando and all of that area and even up in here to find a city manager is very hard hardress. Um, who was it? High springs took a long time. >> Lake City took forever. >> Yeah. Elachula,
you know. So, um, but I don't want us to rush to doing it either. I want to make sure that we owe it to the staff to make sure we have the right person for the right job.
>> Mr. Mayor, you have anything? >> Not anything that will further this conversation. I am >> so this update. >> Oh, update. I definitely Are we off of this subject on the new one? Yeah, you're the last. >> Madame President,
>> what updates do you have? And I would like everybody to be aware if you are not that this Saturday, if I'm correct, the Cornelius Williams Park that my chief,
your exinterim co- city manager pointed out that we are going to have a celebration of Junth this Saturday at Cornelius Williams park >> and anybody that would like to be part
of that or participate or just go to it, I would like to let you know that this is a time of invitation for a way for our community to get together and to bond with each other in a more meaningful manner. Thank you very much,
Madame President. >> What are the hours? >> Thank you. 10 o' till 2. >> Thank you. >> Can we back up and add us? >> We got a quick subject. Anyone else from
the council? >> But go ahead. >> I mean, >> I was too busy talking to >> Okay. I thought we were done with that. >> I'm sorry. Um I don't even know what I have now. Hold on a second. >> Okay. Oh, I just want y'all to know that we're the the guy AJ Coun, who is the
guy who currently owns the tax certificates for the hospital, and I'm talking right here to the police department. Um, they are go not doing an asbestous survey, but they are coming. the asbest
the same person who did the asbestous survey for the old high school when they tore it down is coming to look at the hospital for the first time on Friday between 10 and 10:30. Uh they're going to want in I can get them in the
building itself but not the other modular buildings. They're going to be there all day Friday and all day Saturday. They're coming from Orlando. I'm planning to just leave them there once I get them in because they they are coming at the direction of the guy that has the tax certificate. Um so what I'm
trying to tell you is that's still moving forward which is a good thing. Uh he's still trying to do something with him. Um I myself am trying to get him in the direction of a hotel. He tell he told me this afternoon he had actually talked to two hotel chains uh and they
are doing their due diligence on behalf of Williston to see if we are a good place to put a hotel. I kind of gave him some things that went on here and why we needed one. Um a lot that had to do with the airport, different things that go on out
there and the different flight schools and a crop duster schools and all that kind of thing that go on out there as well. Um, I just wanted you to know that the hospital portion is still moving forward. I kind of washed my hands of it because once it became his, you know,
and he I hand we handed him over the keys and every gave him the combination. So, he's kind of on his own, but he's not coming with this person on Friday. So, he's asked me to get them in. >> So, question. >> Yes, ma'am. >> So, how's that going to affect the heel pad that's out there in the event?
>> You mean if they tear it all down? >> Yeah. >> They're not using it now. They're used in the airport. >> Oh, is that what they >> Yes, ma'am. Yeah, that that he heliped hasn't been in service for years. You would have to get it reertified um through federal regulations. Like there there's actually quite a bit that goes into that. >> Yeah,
>> I remember when we did it originally. >> Presently, Shansare and Levy County EMS and Wilson Fire. We all we all have a pretty good system set up the airport. >> Yeah, airport. >> Um other than that, I just kind of wanted y'all to know that that's still moving and that he's still got a hold of
it. There is a deadline, I want to say it's the 15th or 16th of July that if he can't decide he wants to do something with it, it's going to revert back to the county and they will either or it could revert to the city. He actually wanted enough we wanted to buy it. I
told him we had no money to buy it. County doesn't either. So, it will revert back to the county about what it amounts to if if he doesn't decide to keep it or can't sell it between now and then. He's got about five weeks to make that happen. Okay.
>> Any other up and any other updates? Mr. Mayor, are you going to give an update on from Sunday? >> Help me. >> Help you. >> Well, I don't know what we're talking you're talking about. >> Uh, the people we met with on Sunday.
>> Oh. Oh. Well, I have additional information that I'm not going to go because it's not factual. But I will tell you that we, a group of us, civic leaders and city
government people met at the uh old middle school that has a very interesting history that I did not know about until I was at that meeting. But uh we met Sunday with the people that
physically own it. They don't have the tax certificate. They have spent the money and they own that building now and they have great plans. I've been actually in communication with them four
times today. Uh but it's it's a work in progress, but they would like to have it become a special school and a community center
and a sports area. The gym is in excellent shape. Be a it would be a shame if it doesn't get saved, but life goes on. and they intend to save the gym and to to uh reach out to
experts in all fields be it sports because qu I've already been in touch with Mr. Quinn Yan, I mean Quinton, uh, and and volleyball, basketball, football. They plan to get involved with
all of them. They have a unique style, which I think personally I think it's an excellent chance at educating kids that are well, they're a little lost when you just give them a piece of paper and say,
"Memorize this." Some people are hands-on people and that's what I believe they recognize and they have designed a curriculum that will help people like that to become more involved, interested in what they're doing and everything that they did I was
thrilled with and I think everybody that met with them was very happy. Uh it's a long way ahead. Uh, I don't know what the end result is, but I will put the question out there while
you're allowing me the floor. Does anybody know if that school ever got rated as a historical site? If >> no, >> we I have been in contact with several
members of the building inspection departments and they said if that building could be considered legally a historical site, its possibilities of being resurrected
are greatly enhanced because the rules change for historical sites And the feelings that I have currently is if we maintain a hard stance that we can't get
this as a historical site and it must be brought up to what standards would be held accountable today completely. I doubt if it'll happen. Uh so my next
hopes is that somehow that building could be considered legally a historical site because it has a tremendous amount of history. It is a tremendous part of the history of our community and I would
like to see that happen. If it does, I have better feelings about this going through. If it doesn't, my guess is, and it's just a guess. I'm not part of their
team, is that the cost will get so prohibitive that they will have no choice but to just put it back on the market. I'm sorry that's not all good news, but it all happened today. I have not had a chance to discuss it with anybody. Uh,
I've had multiple conversations with them. I have had multiple conversations with inspectors and members of the code enforcement community and that's the information that I was given and I did not intend to release it like this
but I have Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else? Miss Jones, >> I was just going to say if you want to look it up, uh it's under M o campus. They're out of Washington State. that gives you all about their school
model, M O D. Um, and it's a Danish model of school, a charter school. Uh, as the mayor said, it's they go to school there, they work there, they some of them live there. Um, it would take
definitely zoning changes on that on that behalf. Um, I haven't heard from them today. I saw them on Sunday and everything was wonderful. I will say that Miss Gussy and Latricia and Albert also joined us on Sunday when we were
there. So, I was very encouraged. So, I hope we can help them. I know the gym could be called historical without a problem, but I don't know about the rest of it, but the gym for sure. >> Okay, >> Madame President. >> Yes, >> I know I'm a pain, but please pardon me
one. We changed the zoning of that property for the last people that were going to buy it. So changing the zoning is something that we have done, we are
capable of doing. So the zoning isn't a major problem as I saw it. Thank you. >> Anyone else from the council? Seeing none, we're going to move on to new business.
Where' Chief Rose go? All right. So, we're going to have discussion with possible action land swap with Pastor John Jones. Um, chief my roles. >> Uhhuh.
I figured I'd be just going to the microphone. >> Good evening. >> Good evening. >> Uh, to the members of the council and the public. I uh do have a handout and I don't know if it's appropriate to hand it to share it now. Okay. But I I'll be
happy to share. This is a handout. Thanks, sir. I think we all have >> we're good. Okay. So, um first of all, thank you all for having me and thanks for allowing me to to uh speak briefly. I will try to stick to what I've written
here uh for the benefit of the public. Uh we uh are coming to the subject of uh tonight's discussion hopefully is to propose a land exchange between uh our church-owned property, Fountain of Life Kingdom Covenant Church, which is at
20990 Northeast 40th Street, which is County Road 318, uh and a city-owned property, which is located at 333 Southeast 6th Avenue. So, uh, for a quick executive summary, Fountain of Life Kingdom Covenant Church, uh, respectfully
requests consideration of a mutually beneficial land exchange involving approximately 2 acres of church-owned property adjacent to Cornelius Williams Park and approximately 2.36 acres of city-owned property located at 333 Southeast 6th Avenue. This proposal is
not a request for financial assistance, subsidy, or expenditure of public funds. Instead, it represents an opportunity for the city of Williston to acquire strategically positioned property that would significantly improve access, visibility, and future
expansion opportunities for Cornelius Williams Park while simultaneously enabling the church to develop a new worship and community service campus within city limits. So, the proposed exchange would create long-term public benefits, strengthen community partnerships, enhance park accessibility
and safety, and support future economic and social development. Currently, uh access to Cornelius Williams Park, as all of you know, is limited and it presents challenges for residents and visitors. The primary access route requires travel uh from US
alternate 27 a divided four-lane highway and visitors have to who are traveling eastbound have to either uh navigate a uturn before entering the access easement leading into the park. So obviously this configuration and I won't read all those bullets there poses some
problems. Obviously, as a solution to that, the church owns property that is adjacent to Cornius Williams Park, but also has highway frontage on County Road 318. Uh, our proposal, uh, the church, the city would receive approximately 2 acres of church owned
land adjacent to the park, and the church would receive approximately 2.36 acres of city-owned land at 333 Southeast 6th Avenue. No cash payment is requested from the city. No taxpayer funding is being requested. And obviously there are some huge benefits
including improved park access, future park expansion opportunities, uh protection against incompatible development, and I really want to hammer uh in on that one for a few moments. I fear because of the current zoning of that property, if we were to put it on the market, that it is only going to do
more damage to that community. And so if the city takes ownership, I could easily see that becoming something that is going to be more beneficial to uh the community than what would possibly go there as it zone for commercial and light industrial. Now
uh economic development of course is always a benefit. The church intends to construct a new facility within the city limits. Uh and this investment might include uh on our part uh obviously construction activity, local contractor participation, increased utility revenues, uh additional economic
activity, and for certain because you all know us, you know our history, community programming and events. So as far as community service benefits, the church obviously would provide all the things we've always provided, faith-based services, youth programs, community outreach, educational
opportunities, family support, and so on and so forth. There would be no direct cost to taxpayers. The proposal does not require city funding, no new taxes, no debt issuance, no general fund expenditures. Instead, the city would receive strategically valuable property through
an equitable exchange. And the church uh chooses not to sell. And this is why we are preferring to go this route. It's been something I've been thinking about for a long time and have mold bringing before the council for a long time. Um but the church would if we would we
choose not to sell because we really don't want uh that property to fall into the hands of someone else who might decide that there needs to be another uh salvage yard or whatever the case may be. It's residential largely and we would like to see that beneficial. Plus, I really would like to see that as a
nice interest to the park. I will pause to say uh we're in a win-win situation. We're going to build a church one way or the other, whether it is outside of the city limits or inside the city limits. That's going to happen. Um, we like both locations. Um, but but I think it would
be very beneficial if we could be near to where we were before. So, we've thought about some questions. I won't even ask or answer those, but there are some questions that are uh presented here. Ultimately, I want to get to what the request is. And of course, the
request is uh for this commission uh the city commission to authorize staff review of the proposed land exchange to initiate any discussions regarding the terms of that exchange to schedule any public consideration of a mutually beneficial
land swap agreement. And uh at this point, that is where I will leave it and I'll answer any questions. We'll get this open for discussion. I have a question. >> Yes, ma'am. >> So, you want to swap You have three acres. >> I have three there.
>> Yes. >> You want to swap 2 acres for 2.36 acres? >> Yes. >> Is there a reason why you don't want to do 2.36 and 2.36? >> I don't know that it can be divided. It may be possible. Um it that right now
the way the way it appears to be platted is they are equal lots. That's a question I can't answer. and now because I didn't do that go down that road to research that deeply. But I will tell you that the 2.36 the way it's configured is a lot different. It's more triangular as opposed to the three
rectangular lots that we have and as it since it is triangular there's kind of an unusable portion. So as far as usable land it's probably about two acres. >> Okay. >> And when you say that you're talking about our land? Yes, ma'am.
>> Okay. Just making sure I'm understanding that correctly. >> And I'm sorry I don't have the visual. My intent was to bring uh the aerial >> I see Miss looking at it over here. >> She's got it going on something. >> Yeah. >> Mr. Cox, >> is there any There's an existing
entrance to Cornelius Williams now, right? >> Off 27. Yes. >> Off 27. Not one on the back side. >> There is. There is one on the back side. Okay. >> The one on the one on the back side. Yes. is an easement that is between our property and whoever the private owner is on. >> So that would give actually two good
entrances into Cornerius Williams and people having to go down if you're leaving Willis then heading towards Ocala >> going down past the park having to do a Uturn and coming back in there. >> Yes, >> we could actually change the main
entrance. >> Yeah. >> As to coming off 318. That's always been my my vision, honestly. But I figured that to me as from a community standpoint, it would be ideal. It's it's safer. It's a smaller road. Uh it's a a
wider swap of profit property. Again, like I said, it is contiguous with with Cornelius Williams Park. We shared a lot line and it would be a much more desirable entrance. The entry signage would look a lot different as opposed to right now. You can you can miss it. And
I don't know if you miss it a lot. >> I think that's because of the way the sign is constructed. >> I could help with that. >> And the cover of the sign. Yeah. >> Uh yes, Miss >> So, uh we're Mr. Cox was talking about
interest as well as Pastor Jones. Uh that was one of the big concerns for the county was that we do not shut down the entrance off Highway 27. >> That we do or do not? >> We do not. >> Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. And I'm sure Laura can speak to that. Uh, and I think
Laura, correct me if I'm wrong, that was one of the possible stipulations was for us not to shut that down by Commissioner Hires. Is that Am I correct on that? >> Yeah. And I don't think any any entrances are going to be shut down. There already are plans to improve the
entrance next to this property. Um, this can only help that property. It can't hurt that entrance. The entrance right now is big enough for a car. Um, but >> it's big. It will be big enough for a car when we improve it, but there are also RVs and buses that could maybe use
an entrance in the back. So, that could be improved on in the future as well. So, >> and and I have one more other question and and this me and Pastor Jones talked about this and this is how this got brought up. Um, and I know uh he's
wanting to do the two for the 2.3. Uh but Pastor Jones, my question to you for clarification of the council, uh if they were to move forward with the two acres for the swap for the 2.3, uh we're always still going to be in
that situation of that one extra lot that you have could be sold and could be bought by the Savage yard. >> Sure. >> So, so it still kind of puts us in the same situation we're in right now. So I just want you to make that clear to the council as what the the plan would be if
>> they they they take the two for the 2.3. >> Sure. Absolutely. It it to to us there is still a lot of uh sentimental attachment to where we are. We've been we've owned that property for a while. We have worked very hard as a small church to purchase that property. It is
also a connection and attachment to the community. Uh it's including some of our parishioners. We don't just have people, you know, who live within the city limits. We have some people who are that that is still our neighborhood and it has been for a while. So, our commitment
because of what we're saying here today is to hold that property to do something that is beneficial to the community and would support other positive development and growth in that area. Nothing that would bring it down. We have actually received some uh interest or some some
contact from people who wanted to do industrial things. there and I just my heart for the community is I do not want to see it further industrialized. I would like to see it look more residential. >> So which part of the the acreage would
the city be getting? Is it closer to the entrance that's already there or is it or the location that you're talking about? Is it going to be in between the entrance and parking structure or whatever we decide to do? >> So, the overhead view would show um the
farthest farthest east is the one that's right next to the easement and then there are three two additional identical lots 110 by 330 I think they measured. And honestly, uh, whatever that between staff and church, we decided either two
on either side would be fine with us. It would not, it would make more sense that you take the two next to the easement and leave that third one which is by the currently by the Savageard and that would I mean would but but that's again something we could discuss.
>> Okay. So according to what I'm looking at, you own three oneacre correct lots. That's correct. >> And then is our is our road? >> That's correct. >> So there's not you don't have land on the other side. >> No, I do not. >> Okay. So it would need to be the two lots that are the closest to our current
and it actually shows the city of Willist not as an easement but as an actual we own the property. It actually shows. >> Okay. >> On here is on the property appraisers website as city of Willist. >> Okay. >> So the I'm sorry. So the portion that you would take would be that closest to
the >> salvage yard. >> Salvageard. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Exactly. Because you can see the salvage yard all the way to the east. So it would be the two lots to the west. >> Yes. >> Or to the east of the >> to the east. >> To the east of the road. >> Correct.
>> To the to the west of your three lots. >> Yes. >> Yes. Miss Merith. I'm sorry. >> I am have the same concerns that Chief Rolls has about with that lot. What would then become of that lot? And and
from perhaps a residential standpoint, it seems like a lot of acreage. From a municipal park standpoint, I feel like it's less um of a buffer. Uh one acre is less of a buffer when you think about the park.
So, I just want to throw that out there that I would feel more comfortable not having, you know, I would feel more comfortable with a >> exchange, right, of property for property. Um, in the only in the sense, not hopefully not in the sense of being
greedy, but only in the sense of protecting our investment into whatever we do with that particular entrance. The other entrance is already quite cramped by industrial properties on either side and warehouses. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing entrance to a
park. Um, and I think that if we were really going to try to make Cornelius Williams Park be the best that it possibly can be, having the ability to have, you know, even a someday down the road some other building. I don't know, Laura might be
freaking out, but some other building or something like that that we could have there, having more of a buffer would be advantageous. >> Can I address that? >> Yes. >> So, I I'll say that's we're kind of at that point right now where we have, you
know, salvage yard and a lot of industry kind of I think on honestly looks like three sides, I believe. So, that kind of already exists. And again, I I'll reiterate our commitment that we would be there on that third acre to
to provide something that's going to be positive and beneficial to the community. There's no way that we would do anything obviously that would be industrial. I mean, if commercial, it would be beneficially commercial, but uh that's so that's our commit.
>> Mr. Cox, >> Miss Jones. Yes, sir. Miss Jones. M Jones. >> Oh, a lot of Jones is here.
>> Would would this mess up anything in your plan for the park? Because I know we had you did a drawing a couple years ago with the park and how everything was going to do. If we swap properties, is this going to interfere with anything?
It's hard for a planner to do stuff without a map, but I think that the property they would like to swap is the property that's down on the railroad tracks, >> right? >> So, we would get two acres next to the entrance and the back on 40, right? >> Correct. >> I think it sounds great.
I mean, as far as the plans for the park, it's only going to improve it. I mean, maybe we could even put the um museum there instead of inside the park, so it could be more accessible as like a daytime type thing instead of going into the park walking around. So, there's a lot of things that we could do
with two. >> No, >> one more question for Pastor Jones. >> Sure. Go ahead. >> To kind of help the council with the uh 1acre parcel that you would keep. >> Sure. is maybe there could be something that says if they go to sale, we have
the first right of refusal. >> I was gonna ask that be very >> I think that will help the council be feel a little bit more comfortable knowing that if it comes to the point that you do decide, hey, we want to sell it that that the city has the right the first right to refusal on that property. I mean, if that will help y'all out a
little bit, >> help a lot. >> It doesn't because we will refuse it. No, but absolutely. I I I would definitely see that as being a part of that plan. Yes. >> And I haven't I I hate to say this, but I haven't looked at the assessed value
of either piece of property. >> Well, they are not on paper for for obvious reasons, including the zoning, they don't appear to be comparable. I feel the value to the city is location. It's a strategic location.
>> Absolutely. So that's that's the the real spot. >> I make a motion that we approve the land swap with Pastor Johnny Jones with the addition that we the city retains the right of first refusal. Should the 1acre
lot that is being kept back ever go up for sale? >> I >> we have to have a resolution. If I could, what my preference would be, and you can tell me now, um would be to
authorize staff to start this negotiation and come back to you with a project because there might be as we're sort of working through this other things that maybe are mutually beneficial to both parties that we want to include in a contract negotiation. >> Yep. >> I would agree. >> Sounds good. So, just give you direction.
>> So, yeah, if you'll just give us direction for that. >> Go for. >> All right. So, I would ask for a consensus that um we allow the
city attorney and staff to move forward with drawing up uh the necessary paperwork and doing due diligence and research related to the project. All those in favor say I. >> I. All those opposed?
Seeing none, Consensus passes a motion. >> Consensus pass is not a motion. She's >> and and just for procedural purposes is the motion and second rescended the original. >> I resend my motion. Thanks. >> And you resend your second. >> I do.
>> All right. >> Motions are rescended. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. Thank you. That was easier than your thought. >> All right. So now we're going to go to item number B, discussion with possible action, review of the proposed
restricted quick claim deed for top of the hill property, Harrison Blue city attorney. Okay, so at our speaking of, you know, parcels of land that the city owns. Um we discussed the idea of what we want to do with what we're calling
the top of the hill property. Um, and so one of the things that you all had asked for was uh to just look at the potential of a quick claim deed that we would put out for people to bid on. Um, which essentially what what I'll have you look
at is underneath that big bolded section that says this instrument was prepared at the request of. If you look down at the section that says to have and to hold, that's what you're going to want to take a look at. And basically what we've
written in um is all of the first of the first two lines of that are basically just giving a our interest whatever we hold to that property etc etc legal ease that no one really cares too much about so long as
it's in the deed. And then you get to the but only and that is so only so long as the property remains free of code enforcement fines and leans upon the condition that the property has a code enforcement fine or lean levied thereupon the estate which is the piece
of property conveyed shall immediately terminate and the title shall automatically revert to the grantor their heirs or assigns that's you all. So there's a couple of things to note about that. Basically, what that says is if there's code enforcement lean or fine on
the property that it automatically the title automatically reverts to the city of Willist. Now, we would have to file a a quiet title action in order to get a deed that puts it back in our name. Um, but we would have the legal right to do that. Now, there's something this is not
in perpetuity. There's no such thing that is perpetuity. There's a a essentially a rule against perpetuities which every law student will tell you is the worst thing that you ever have to learn. Um because it's
the concept that no agreement can be had that lasts longer than 21 years after the end of a life in existence at the time of the agreement. So that's kind of crazy when it comes to municipalities to
figure out. So I I'll tell you that at this time you can expect it to go at least 21 years potentially more than that but then we get into legal ease quicksand and then you know we we have to duke it out in court if someone decides that they want
to argue the rule against perpetuitity. So, I know that that's a little bit more legal ease than I typically drop on you, but all of that is to say it gets dicey after that period of time, but for at least 21 years, you will have that guarantee.
>> Question. Is there a um time frame as far as the fines or >> I don't have one in there right now, but we can put I'm not going to say anything that we want, but we can put restrictions like that in there. This was just the general language that we
had discussed. So we can say fines of a certain amount. We can say fines for a certain period of time. We can say fines that >> unsatisfied maybe. >> Right. I mean at the you know overdue.
>> Okay. I was just curious you know in the event that something happens and it goes in well they get fees but yet they come back and pay them >> does it like just automatically or is there that we've written it is as soon as there's a a fine. Now, keep in mind
that we don't automatically start fines. You have to go to a code code enforcement hearing to get a fine on your property. >> Okay? >> Um the way that we have it our code written right now. Now, you can change that in the future. You could have retroactive fines. Um but the way that we have it right now is >> you get notice,
>> you get notice, you get a hearing, etc. >> But we can change it to overdue a certain period of time. Correct me if I'm wrong, but code enforcement can also determine that a grace period can be given if there somebody falls into circumstances where they for one reason
or another can't keep it up. >> I I think maybe it should say an unsatisfied lane, a code enforcement lane. >> Yeah. >> How far down the road do we have to get before lean is put on it? So leans are generally put on properties
after there's a a code enforcement order. So then there's a fine and then once that fine is not paid. So if it's becomes overdue then we record it that order as a lean on the property. Um so that's the so we could just put it as
leans, right? That's a code enforcement order that's not satisfied and then we go ahead and file a that order on the property as a lean. Um, and we could take out the wording of fines, but then we would have to make sure that we actually do that process of recording
them on the property. So, we have flexibility. Now, keep in mind, the more restrictions that we put on here, the less valuable the land generally becomes, the less people will be willing to pay for it. >> But I think if it says we're going to take it back with one little code violation, they're less likely to buy
buy it, too. >> Sure. Yeah. I mean the the more >> yeah the more restrictive it is >> the less likely people will the less money people will spend on it. >> Keep it simple. If our goal is to get rid of it let's not put so many
restrictions on it that nobody will want to buy it. >> So what if we just we eliminated the portion about the fines but left the portion about the lean which would give people a period of time. I mean, what
we're trying to avoid is what happened across the road from here with endless number of years of abandoned property and great neglect. So, the that the lean would prevent that but not impose
too much of a hardship on somebody. I mean, it's pretty pretty basic piece of property. >> Yeah. Get too picky about, right? >> Yeah. >> And that should keep it simple enough to where they don't it's heavily restricted. I think that's great.
>> Okay. So, >> I do too. I just I just hope that with that, especially um if code enforcement I'm always looking down the road. Code enforcement um
>> knows the person and okay, then we kind of give longer than time needed to um pay the fines. Just want to make sure that we are covering ourselves in that respect because people are people.
>> Even though even though we hire good people, >> we don't hire them. They're not they're not employees. They're volunteers. >> So, you know, just cover us. >> Okay. So, if if as what I'm hearing is
we like leans, we don't like fines, take fines out, leave the leans, and then we'll go ahead and put this out for a bid and we'll tell you >> what that process look like. >> So, basically what that um looks like is anytime we put anything out for bid, we
throw it up on we throw it up on our um website, the name of which I can Central Bidding. Thank you. Um, and we see what bids come in. You have the right always to decide that you do
not want to take any of the bids that come in. So, if all of them come back at lower, then you would be willing to part with property 4, which may happen depending upon how people view the restrictive covenant language. Um, then we can always say no thanks and we can
come back and do something different. So does have to be on central bidding. >> We can put it on multiple different sites. >> I don't think a lot of people look there. >> I think that there are >> I mean people look there. Let's put it that way.
>> Yes, it can it can be on more than just that website. >> Just one thing. Can we do a timeline for them to clean it up? Can we say, "Hey, if you get it, you
have 60 days to to get it cleared up. Not necessarily build, but at least clean it up because you have a nice looking building in Waw Wa. A nice looking building what they've done at Subway
being that whole area is kind of looking nice and then you got this one little spot that's all roughed up. Yeah. So, as far as what we can do within the realm of legality, right, the
the sky is mostly the limit. Latricia is shaking her head. I mean, >> well, there's not much left to clean up. We pretty much cleaned it up. >> It's just um vegetation, a bunch of vegetation, and the city own. I think we should clean it up first. That's just
me. >> It would help. >> Pretty much everything's gone for the foundation. foundation, palm trees, >> right? >> So things just like back in between the concrete. >> The fact that the concrete is there, they may not need a number. I mean that
may be advantageous to leave it there for them >> or not. Depends on what they do with it. >> I mean the the options that we have are when you sell a property sort of you can either sell it as is, right? We can say this is how it's going to be. We can
clean it up and sell it as is. Um, we have the ability I would need to add to the bid documents a contract that would require I'm not sure that I could put that in a deed. That would be difficult to do in in a deed. Um, so we'd have to enter into a separate contract that they'd have to be willing to enter into
rather than just money for deed exchange. Um, that requires them to do X work on the property within Y amount of days if that's something that you want to do. But again, every restriction that we put on there, the property becomes worth less. >> I have a quick question. The last time
we put it out for bid, >> did we put it out as is and it looks pretty much how it looks now or >> the last time? >> The last time we put it out for bid, we put it out I don't think that we had specified the condition of the property
because we had put it out for a lease rather than for sale. >> Gotcha. Gotcha. My only question is that because you know as a buyer and as a seller that is something that we look at with the property taken little care of and and if it's just as something as simple as you know going out and weed
eating and moving a couple of bricks just to make it a little bit more presentable so that way it's more you know appetizing to buyers um especially with all the new development and everything that whole side of the city is looking fantastic. So that might help even if it's just an hour of someone's
time of getting it more um >> you know curve appeal for the sale. >> Yeah, absolutely. And and I think that that's something that's you know obviously don't want to volunteer at department of the city but certainly your public works department could
assist with. >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean we we if we we are charging people fines for overgrowth and things of that nature, then we as a city now that we own it cannot allow that to happen. So that is part of our duty is
to keep it maintained until it is sold. >> I think you have your >> I know what to do. All right. So, next we will have discussion with possible action. Fire assessment rates due to property tax bill. Um, fire chief
Lamar Steagle. >> Should Should we come back to you? >> No, ma'am. I'm here. >> Okay. >> Um, basically, uh, what what you what I needed some direction on what you wanted to do with the fire assessment. These are some numbers that should have been pres presented to you a little while
ago. Um and they didn't make it in time. So we have a deadline we have to meet. Um we have to redo the assessment uh every year. They have you have to set the numbers you want and what I just need is some marching orders from you
guys and which directions you want to go with this. You want to keep it the same? Do you want to look at something different? Um, and that's all I'm asking for is is which way do you want to go? Or if you have any questions about what it's doing right now or how it's going,
I'll answer them the best I can. >> Miss Meredith, >> anything? >> Yes. How how are we looking with our budget and the current fire assessment rate? Should >> Okay. Um, what what we adopted was the
the at the rate at 29.4 4% um which is $159 per residential home and three cent non-residential square footage and $7 for vacant land um per parcel. Uh it was projected after the buy down to bring in
about $27,000. So far we've only gotten $193,000. Um that's not unusual I suppose you know of whether people pay in or don't pay their taxes. uh you know that's where we're sort of
at now. I will say this that the fire department just so you know um the fire department has experienced a 21% increase in calls to date. Um and it it is does not seem to be backing up any you know and I'll leave
it there. Um ultimately it's your decision which way you want to go. So, I would say that I think we need to, as much as I hate to raise taxes, we need to cover our costs. We can't be operating in a deficit. And um so I am
in favor of increasing the assessment to cover the costs that we need to that 21%. >> Okay. Um I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know what that what that number would be. Go ahead, >> Miss Jones. Oh, >> I'm so sorry. And the other thing that
we'll need to do, and we'll need to speak with our consultant because there is a maximum percentage that you're allowed to go up each year. >> What are we supposed to do? Operate just operate in the red. What's the solution? >> Are you saying the county reduced our amount by 21%. Is that what you're
saying? >> No, ma'am. >> Okay. So ma'am, >> I'm saying that our our call load has increased by 21%. >> All right. But at the last meeting or before you said something about the fact that the county had increased the amount
they were going to give us. >> No, ma'am. I said that that would discuss there is we're in that discussion right now. Um as of today, we have a meeting with the county uh directors Monday to bring it back before
them again. They started the process too late in the game to ch come up with a formula that would fairly pay everybody for what they respond to. If you look at the number of calls we respond to in the county, we we
respond to more calls outside our city limits than any other municipality. you know, which would increase our if if we went with one formula, it would increase our funding from the county, which is at $417,000, by over $100,000,
which would be super beneficial. The problem is today, uh, the county informed me that they thought in two years that the current fire assessment they have would be in the negative. I'm not quite sure how they got their numbers there. Um, and so they're looking at coming up with a formula to
try to treat everybody fairly. I'm not quite sure whose description of fairly they're using, but anyway, um, that'll be discussed Monday. Uh, if we were to go with what it cost the county to, uh, run a fire call,
um, you guys would be really happy, but they're not going to do that. Um, so you know, the the funding numbers, I'm not sure about what tell you where we're at or or what we're going to do. I will say this that uh we've asked I've asked
Stephen um to give me some numbers on on what we're looking at and red the reduction of property taxes and he went to Randy Ruer and got some numbers from him and I'm thinking over the next two years the first year the first year that this is implemented you'd see a a draw
down in your advorum of about $300,000 the second year you would see a draw down of about $400,000 and where it would go from there. I can't say. But, you know, we're we're looking at some pretty significant numbers here for a a municipality of our
size. So, you know, >> we are, but I but at the same time, you're saying that the majority of our calls are outside. I can't see raising our assessment to pay for outside calls. >> The the >> it's up to the county to to take care of that >> and and and the county is going to take
care of their portion of it. Expenses are are going up, you know. Um, it's it's there. It's it's inevitable. What how much is a gallon of gasoline right now? >> It's going to be >> or depends on what day it is. >> You want to feel some pain? Watch me pull that ladder truck in and fill that
tank up. >> Sure. >> You know, or the just an engine, >> but uh you know, I just we just need >> me and Kirsten need a direction for you want us to go. If you don't want to increase it, that's fine. Remember that these numbers you are going to be down
the road. you know. So, um I just need marching orders, guys. Whatever y'all want me to do. >> So, one of the things that I know that this is a little bit nebulous, so it can be challenging.
One of the things that your um consultant does is they give you you have a consultant accent for your fire assessment services. Um because the calculations are incredibly complex,
they can give you a sense if you say we want to go the absolute highest fire assessment rate possible. Tell us what that is. They can do that. There is a maximum cap. You can't just increase it to whatever would be convenient. Um for
for better or worse, that's not permitted. So if you say, "Hey, we we really think that we need to up it to the highest amount." They can bring you a resolution. You can bring it down from there. If but we need a sense from you so we can get a resolution in front of
you of what you want those numbers to look like. If you say bring us the maximum amount and we'll adjust it down if we want to, that's something that we can do. Um if you say give us, you know, 50% of the maximum amount that we're allowed to, then we can do that. uh we just sort of need a sense from you and
tell me if you disagree, Chief, >> that that's correct. You you could put it at the maximum if you wanted to and and draw it down from there once you figure out what the budget numbers are and what you would need. Um but we just, you know, and and I can give you those
numbers right now or I could have till the screen went black. Um I can give you those numbers again now. Um just and Miss Jones, grab both sides of your seat. I know I'm going to have a heart attack. Go ahead. >> Um, if you were to go to the maximum amount of the city's portion of the fire
department budget, the residential maximum rate would be $538 a house. I know that you're not going to go to that. I know that. >> I'm not. Somebody else might. I'm >> um non-residentidential would be at at
08 per square foot and vacant land would be at $22 per parcel. Um, that's if you maxed everything out and and you know, I'm fully aware of of how everybody feels on that. Remember, I have family
that lives in this town, too. I live in the county, but they live in this city. So, you know, um, that's a lot of money. Um, regrettably, I'm I'm just going to lay this out there for all of of you property
exemption fans. um this is going to be the way a lot of places go. So if you had a low property tax value on your house because it was only your house was only worth $200,000 or $250,000
and now you're paying zero. Every area is going to raise their assessments or special assessments and everybody pays that. So, what you lose in property tax, you double in special assessments. And that's what that's an easy way to look at it. You'll
pay more in the long run in special assessments. I know I'm getting off base here, but uh anyway, uh guys, it's up to y'all. I mean, I have the uh assessment rates here from when we put all of this together. you know, if it went from all
the way from that number I give you, $538 down to where we're currently at at $159, and we even took it lower than that if y'all had wanted to do it at the time, all the way down to eight or 15% at $81. That was Miss Jones's number.
>> Y, >> but we ended up settling at 159. Um, if you guys want to take it up a notch or two, you can. Just remember if you do just like Miss Kirsten just said, you don't have to implement that amount. You
just we've just got to start the process. >> Sort of like your millage rates, right? How you set your your maximum millage rate. So in this in this resolution that we'll be bringing to you first one, right? Eventually you will need to choose a rate. I'm not saying that you don't have to, but for this first
goound, so you can mess with your budget and play with the numbers in your workshop. adopting. My recommendation is adopt high and come down rather than adopt low and try to come back up because if you raise it over a certain percent from your initial
resolution to readvertise and renotice >> and that that would be $10.35 a week if we went at the 538, >> but we're not going there. Um,
>> and how much how much was that latest firet truck that we wanted? >> That that that fire truck right now, I think the last time we looked is like at $1.4 million and that's a three-year waiting list.
>> Do you have anything? this >> uh my I'm just not sure if the information I have is 100% accurate, but coming from a resident standpoint, um my understanding was that the last time we passed the fire assessment that we told the residents it wouldn't change for 5
years. It may be wrong. And that to me would be the first thing that I would think we would hear from the community just after, you know, watching this is, hey, it wasn't supposed to change for 5 years. And then if if it does, then they're, you know, questioning what we
do from there. Um, so although they're very good points, I'm not saying yay or nay. I'm saying just take that into consideration. Um, we would have to at least address that with them so that way the confidence is still there. That's my only pondering moment at the
moment. >> I don't remember that we did that though. >> What? I don't know that we wouldn't change it for five years >> if you know I I don't remember that. I'm not saying it didn't happen. >> Um there was a there was a a lot going
on at that time and there was we had >> the the council I you know give you credit where credit was due. They they worked their butts off and and they looked at it really hard trying to keep it as low as you know financially possible to help the citizens at the time. And um I agree. I pay a lot more
in outside the city than we currently do inside the city for fire assessment. >> Mine mine is over 200 and something dollars. Um I think it's right at 300 and something for fire right now. >> Is that right? >> Yeah. And uh you know
you know in the city we do pay for the EMS assessment though because we use Levy County EMS, >> right? >> And uh you know that's going to go up too. I I don't know. I don't know what to tell y'all. Y'all got y'all got a hard road to ho. That's all I can tell you coming up. Um but we need some
marching orders here. Um you know, like I said, the the 100% rate is is a lot. You know, that's $538 a house. The 37%'s $200 a house. 32% 175.
And then of course we're at 29% which is 159. you know, um the uh top end number would raise $797,000. Uh 37% would raise uh approximately 278,000.
Um 32% would raise approximately 241,000. You know, >> and you said the county was making their decision come Monday. >> The county is we're in negotiations with the county. They're trying to they're trying to for come up with a fair way to
fund everything. Um, >> you know, everything that we've looked at, every number they've thrown at us, you know, if they come up with a fair formula, we're going up. Williston. I I can't say that for the other municipalities because they're not. Um,
uh, but I I can't say that that's 100% going to happen either, >> right? I I if I was a gambling man and and I'm not, but I would I would be perfectly honest saying that probably this year they're going to end up wanting to give us exactly what we got
from last year because they don't know what's fixing to hit them, >> right? >> And um you know they that now they but they they also are trying to come up with this formula. Um, and we're we're in that's going to be a challenge in itself
getting everybody on the same page. Uh, but anyway, >> I don't want to take up all night talking about this. >> I have a question. >> Yep. >> So, if if we increase the fire assessment, how does us increasing the
fire assessment affect how the county pays us? Is there a correlation? >> It has no correlation. None whatsoever. >> Miss Jones. Go ahead. You sure?
>> Miss Meredith, >> I I just I want to clarify earlier because that I I don't I'm not a fan of raising it 100%. um to the max. But I think that what was really hard on the citizens when our utility rates were kept low for year
after year after year and then we saw a really significant jump in the cost. That was very hard for people to absorb overnight. Um I am much more of a fan of slowly incrementally raising the rates each
year to let people have time to adjust to the new costs. And if we keep things artificially low, then we are going to end up still paying the price, but we're going to end up paying it all at once later on. So, I'm a fan of covering our
costs and raising it the minimum amount that we need to to cover our costs, but incrementally raising it each year as small as not possible. >> I'm not a fan of going low. Like you said, the utility bills for
years they were low, low, low, low, and then all of a sudden it was there. Halfway would be a good starting point. But as I said, we still need that set high, we can drop it down. We just can't go
the other way. So, if the county gives us exactly what they gave us last year, how much do we need to run the department? >> You're laughing at >> Yeah. Yes, ma'am. Because you haven't given me a budget yet. Um >> I mean I mean if it was the same if your
budget was the same, >> I I would need to go at least 237%. Um with with some of the proposed increases, >> which is what >> that would be $200 a house. Now, let me say this. If you took it to that 37.2%
and it went to $200, that does not mean you have to use that amount. Once we get through the bud budget process, we can lower it back down. It's up to you. It's up to you guys what y'all want to do. Um, you know, uh, I I I
put my heart and soul into building what we have today. I've tal called a lot of flak about this assessment even though I'm not the one that made the ultimate decision on it. But I I do believe you need to look at raising it slowly
because you know for years I used the term in here kicking the can down the road. And we kicked the can down the road so many times when it come to utilities, when it come to fire, even when it come to police, we have kicked that can down the road. And you know, we
at some point it changed. We couldn't go any further without raising our utility rates tremendously in a very short time because we had kicked the can down the road. You know, my recommendation is to raise it up. The
number you want to go to at this point, you know, is is is your decision ultimately. Um, but we can always lower it as we go through the budget process. >> It it this doesn't mean I'm getting a raise. Doesn't mean I'm getting a new fire truck. Just means we're still running.
>> Definitely not getting a raise. >> You're absolutely right. >> So, real quick, let me ask this question. Um, if I don't forget it. I think I forgot it. It's going to happen some age. >> So if we're already at 29%. Or is it 29%
right? >> Yes. >> And so when we're talking about increasing, you said something about 37%. Is that 29% and then we're going to increase it by 8%. >> Or are we? >> Okay. >> Yes. It would only go it would go up by
8%. So, um, that that you know, you that's the numbers I have in front of me and that's some of the sheets we looked at when we were planning out the original assessment. >> Okay. Which you say is about $200 a house. >> $200 a house, three cent non-residential
square footage, $9 per parcel vacant land raise. If you went with that full amount, would it raise approximately $278,65? >> So, let me ask this question, and I I probably should know, but I don't. Um,
did did the county raise any taxes last year? >> Last year >> almost doubled. >> They doubled their fire assessment last year. >> But we're not part of their fire assessment. >> No, ma'am. >> We don't have to pay theirs. >> We pay their EMS assessment which won't
did not go up. It went up, but not >> Well, I'm asking because let's just say my pro my property taxes and I don't know which one it was. was it was but increased a little over $200 and my neighbors said hers was a little over $200 as well. So if we're saying it's
159 I'm just wondering if >> are we looking at added taxes that's going with that to increase it to why you looking at me like that >> cuz I guess I'm not following you there. We haven't added anything to it. You
should have just paid for the fire assessment. You should have only paid $159. That's why I'm asking was there something else? >> They're not from us. >> Okay. Because it because it did went up a little. They raised the land. >> Oh, the county went up 3%. >> Yeah. >> Okay.
>> And I think they raised the landfill, too. >> I just wanted to be sure that it was accurate. Raised the >> land. They're probably they're probably I don't know that they'll do it this year, but when it comes to landfill, they're probably going to jack us up pretty good on that. >> Okay. So, ours truly is was 159. Okay.
>> Yeah. I have one very easy I have one very easy question for the >> what's our deadline what's our timeline >> we we have to have this turned in July 7th if I'm not correct >> so oh have I got to have >> we need you all to give us a sense today
so that we can get a your preliminary now follow me here on July 7th at your meeting you're going to adopt your preliminary assessment resolution okay sort of like your mill rate that's your cap okay Then we are going to go through
a couple of different things and then September 8th is when you will adopt your final resolution. So you have from July 7th to September 8th to make a decision regarding what where you want to land. But tonight we need from you a
number to go on the one for July 7th. >> But at this time we don't know the percentage of how much you can actually increase. So how do we give you that? You can you can go up to a 100% of your potential. >> We know we could go to 538,
>> right? >> So, anything less than that's good. >> Okay. >> All right. We know we're under the cap if we're under >> I mean, if you want to tell us write 100% into this preliminary resolution, we will. But that doesn't seem like what you want to do. So, what would you like in the preliminary resolution with the
understanding that it's much easier to go down than to go up? Um, what if we do the CPI? It's supposed to be like about four%. >> I actually was online the other day looking to see what they expected the
CPI to be because they were talking about social security benefits and how much they're going to go up. It's like 3.9% or something like that. My only issue with that is that Chief Steaggle has told us that in order to meet budgetary needs, we need to get to 37%.
So we still operating in a whole. If we go just with the >> I'll go with that 37%. That's halfway, right, Chief? >> Yes, sir. And and let me remind you that at as we go through the B budget process, even though we adopt these
numbers, we can lower it down if that's what you choose to do >> or if the county comes back with some miracle money. >> If if if November first or November rolls around and there's a big vote, no, hey, you know, we do what we need to do. But I don't think that's happening
either. >> I was sorry to say we said 159 last time and we certainly didn't come down. >> No. So I don't expect that we will if we set it at something >> the cost of operations we would at least need to be at a 37.2%.
>> Just to make even >> and that's and that is with your the understanding of that's with our current budget with our current property taxes as they currently stand. just keeping that in everyone's mind. But that's
>> but we would have a year before the property taxes >> before you realize the assessment. So the bill goes into effect if there's a yes vote. The bill goes into effect January 1. So exactly when you're going to see the effects, people
argue about how it's going to impact and when it's going to hit, etc., etc. It's brand new bill hasn't gone into effect yet. So, attorneys don't have an agreement on that. I can tell you that the bill becomes effective January 1st, 2027. >> Um, then to giving you give you a little
more insight on some of the discussions we've had with several of our representatives. Um, if it doesn't pass, it's going to come back before them and they're going to amend it and do it a different way, add stuff to it. and
that this is what I'm being told. There's going to be uh some stuff that was like in the original bill like for police and fire and things like that. If it does pass, they're going to go into a special session to look at how to amend
the constitutional amendment to add in those what they call core services. core services would be police and fire and school board. Um solid >> they have to pay that assessment.
>> Yes, ma'am. So, so they're, you know, even though there's not those protections in place right now, >> we have to pay >> the core services, what they're calling the core services, and that goes back to police and fire and and uh some of
things like that. Um you You have to walk a very fine line when you look at that in your budget process. It's >> doesn't it doesn't it currently say that we have to keep it at no less than it is now? >> It it >> if it passes
>> if it passes you cannot remove the core services. >> The police or fire have to be at least >> but they specifically don't name police and fire anymore. >> Right. Right. So, so but it it doesn't have a there were some iterations of the bill that had like a specific funding
requirement >> and so that that like you can't go below where you are currently. Does not exist in this bill. It requires you to make contributions to your core services and continue your core services. And it
provides restrictions for things that you're allowed to spend property tax money on. Right. >> Right. It really narrows those down to what we are calling the core services. So that's all you're allowed to spend your property taxes on. Now we're talking about special assessment funds as well. So just as a reminder, your
special assessment funds are very limited in what you can spend them on. It's not just like general fire, etc. It's it's much more specific than that. So just keep all of that in mind as
you're telling us a number. I still say >> we haven't even talked about police yet. >> I agree with what Miss Mayor said, the increase to 37%. It's right in the middle.
I don't want us to get in that boat of we're in the bottom every year and then we're told, "Hey, you're going to have to increase it. That sounds like what we're saying that every year we're going to have to increase it
>> until we hit whatever that is >> cuz every year I mean the every year you're going to have increase in something anyway. >> So every everything is going to >> something else have to go up. >> Yeah. All right. So, what do we want to do? We
have two consensus to go with 37%. Is there any vote? >> I think I know this is a touchy subject because
you know we just we just had that whole issue with raising the rates on the electric and how that panned out and the the resident's understanding of how that all plays out and the resident's understanding of how this plays out may also be um a little confusing for them. But as it was mentioned, kicking the can
down the road has been something that they've seen the city doing for so long. So I believe that at least meeting the 37.2 for now would show them that we're no longer trying to do that, that we're trying to at least make it to where we can still operate and then
little bit by little bit instead of it being like, "Hey, by the way, we're going to hit you with another 50%." So I I would agree at this time that the 37.2 would be a good idea. Miss John $41
to $41 more for a week. >> Nope. $41. The difference between 159 and 200. >> This is a a yearly or monthly. >> 41 more dollars for a year. >> Yeah. As far as a residential
standpoint, that's that's easily done versus a couple hundred >> right away. That sounds a whole lot better than 538. Put it that way. >> And I'm taking I'm still not getting a raise out of this. >> I don't know. Maybe. >> I don't think any of
>> Well, I mean me I mean you guys are talking about kicking this can down the road and kicking this can down the road. Then why are we going to go with 37? Why would we just go to 40? I >> think 200's a nice number. >> Go to 40. That way you kind of have a buffer. >> Can't do it.
>> Yeah. If you keep it at 30. I see what you're saying. >> I mean, you can drop it, but I'm just saying go to 40. You keep saying, "Okay, this is what's going to meet the budget, but at what point are we going to be putting things in to give it a buffer so that come next year
or the year after or whatever, we're not having to raise?" >> Could we see what the numbers would be at 40? >> Sorry, I don't have those in front of me, but I can try to get them real quick. not >> we what we have done before and and I'm
positive that Eccentric can help us with this. We can bring you one at 37.2 and one at 40 and you can adopt the one that you like. >> I mean like he's only asking for 37. Why are you going to >> Cuz I'm tired of kicking the can down
the road. I'm tired of I'm tired of every year we're raising something for citizens. >> The cost of living is only four. I mean, I think 200's enough. >> Well, in an effort to sort of sum up this section, can we go with what
Kirsten said where they bring us back two options and they obviously make a decision and they bring it back to us. >> Sounds good. Thought you had to have it tonight. >> H >> I thought you did say you had to have it. >> You have to have it tonight. >> I have to have I have to have a number from you all to go write a resolution to
bring up before you. So I can I can write too >> but it does it doesn't >> none of all it changes is the numbers and unfortunately accentures >> in other words we don't have to vote on tonight we just have to give you direction >> I need to know tonight >> no no no
you have four 4 to one go with 37.7 whatever it's it's fine I'm just saying >> I can see the benefit of looking at giving the option and we can weigh it out. >> Br. I feel I think that that's probably
safest, >> Miss Latricia. >> Madam President, um, Supervisor Jonathan. >> Oh, Mr. Bishop, absolutely. Come come forward. >> So, I know you hadn't asked for my opinion, but I think you need to build a little wiggle room in there because we
don't know what November brings. So, if you go 40% or 50%, doesn't mean you're committing to it, but you have the wiggle room. If you go 37.2 and you need 38, you deleted your wiggle room to make his budget whole. >> Agree. Agree. But we do I guess we do need numbers. We do really need numbers
cuz I may be like that. >> Thank you. We appreciate it. We need numbers. All right. >> We're good there. >> All right. We'll go to the next.
>> Just do it all again next time. >> Yeah. I think the conversation's good though. >> 37%. >> It is. >> No, she's going to do 37.2 and 40%. She's going to bring them both back >> in a resolution. In a resolution,
>> right, right, right. Definitely. >> Correct. Okay. Okay. That's what I just wanted clarification. All right. Resolution 2026-34, resolution of the city council of the city of Williston. I can't see. Sorry.
Approving an amendment section amendment to section 32.02C of I'm sorry y'all my glasses. The city of Williston human resource policy address entitlement to the health insurance postretirement authorizing appropriate
parties to sign any document required to effectuate such change on behalf of the city of Wilson and providing an effective date. HR director Kim Troy. Good evening, Madame President. Um, so
in the packet you have the new language because this was tabled the last time uh and wanted to be brought forth with new language. So in C, I took out everything but the uh the Medicare cuz it's in the other ones. It rel um talks about
Medicare. A motion. >> Can I get a motion? >> I move I move approval of resolution 2026-34. >> Have a motion. Can I get a second? All right. Any further discussion from
the public? Any discussion from the council? Seeing none, I move a vote. All those in favor say I. >> I. All those in oppose say nay. Motion passes five to zero.
>> All right. So, resolution 2026-38, a resolution of the city of Willis, Florida, designating an administrative authority to receive, review, and process plat or replat submitts and designating an administrative officer
responsible for approving with conditions or denying plats or replats pursuant to section 177.071 071 Florida statute as amended repealing resolution in conflict
and providing an effective date. Laura Jones, city planner. >> Thank you. Um the state of Florida has come down and taken a little bit of power away from you guys again. Now for developers, they want a quick administrative review of plats, which means you will not see the town homes
final plat. You will not see any preliminary plat anymore. It's all administrative now. So, they do have a fairly good team that they put together. They ask you to have at least a surveyor. They has ask you to have an engineer. They ask you to have the
streets and roads department. And um city manager at the time when this first came through designated me as the administrative person to um review it. So, there there is a team. So, you can trust that a little bit, but you guys won't see anything anymore. And I'm
sorry, but this is a Florida state, not me. Which means um we have to make a change to our LDC. But to make it easy for right now, we wanted to do a resolution and then we'll hit the LDC at a later time because that's kind of a pain because it kind of hits other
things in the LDC and it has it's more than just one really quick resolution. Am I right Kirsten? >> Yeah. And and just to add to that and clarify, so because because the Florida statute now conflicts with some parts of your ordinances, your
LDC's, those portions of your ordinances are considered void. Um, so while we need an ordinance to clean up that language, those portions which are in conflict with Florida law, as with any ordinance that we pass that's in
conflict with Florida state law, is considered null and void. So, if I know that there are questions, how does a resolution override an ordinance? I'm positive that that was on someone's mind. Um, and that's how because you don't actually have those ordinances right now. >> So, we will come back with an ordinance
when we have time to go through the LDC or maybe when we do the LDC in in a year or so. >> So, where does it say in here that it that you're the person? Because I did not see that anywhere. >> It it was verbal by the old city manager. So, the city manager can be the person. and they just designated the planner.
>> I mean, since I mean, you don't really work for us anymore. So, I mean, you work >> I work for you every single day. >> I know you do, but you know what I'm saying. >> Um, so >> you know what I'm saying. >> So, the city planner and we also use JB Pro as the um surveyor that reviewed it.
We used Wright Pierce as engineers. >> Sure. >> Um, it can be the city manager. It's just that the city managers don't know plots as well as the planners. They just designate anybody. So every time a plaque comes through, they will redesate.
>> I mean, I kind of feel like the team needs to get the approval of whoever the city manager is. >> And and they will the city manager will see everything first. Um especially since you have consultants running a lot of your departments, your engineering and your planning, the city manager sees
everything and approves that we can even work on it. So, the city manager will say, "Yes, you can do the review." Or the city manager can do the review. It's a little complicated. I could teach them how to do it. >> Well, no. I'm not saying the city manager needs to do the review. I'm just saying I think they need the final word.
>> They absolutely do. So, what >> signature goes on it >> on the plat? It would be the reviewer. It would be the reviewer. So, it would be this the city planner or the city manager, but the person who reviewed it. But the city clerk also signs it and so does the city
lawyer. So we do we do still >> the president does >> and the president. Yeah. There's still >> signs plenty of them. >> Yeah. It's just that the the the process that has changed is this doesn't go to the planning commission anymore. This used to go to planning then it would come to you. >> Yeah. >> It doesn't do that anymore. Makes >> no sense.
>> Oh my gosh. >> Yeah. >> Because you really don't know what's going on with your land or >> Yeah. How are we going to know what's going on >> without >> You can call me anytime. >> No, I want a report. I can give you a report. Yeah. So, I mean, most plats you're going to know. I mean, you know,
the town homes are going to be replatted. Um, I could definitely have the city manager write a a monthly report about everything planning's doing, but the city manager will always see before anybody touches anything because you're using so many consultants. We have to get approval anyway.
>> Is this only for building new new builds? It's for plats >> subdivisions, >> minor subdivisions and major subdivisions. >> Just substitute that word. >> If you come to me and you want to split your property in half,
>> that's a PL. >> Yeah. See, that's easy. >> Yeah. It's the subdivisions, right? >> Right. If someone wants to buy 200 acres and divide it into 200 separate parcels, major subdivision plat, >> but we still don't see, >> right? But I was just curious as if it was just because you were talking about
the the how town homes and stuff like we would have never seen >> just because Right. So if I come in and say I want to divide mine, we would never even know about it because we'll never see it except for >> Well, it's private property.
>> Yes. I'm more worried about a huge subdivision that you're still not >> This is a resolution. What I'm saying is >> this is a resolution and this is the state statute >> that admin that administratively you guys cannot approve, but that doesn't mean you guys can't see a report at city
council on right on what's been happening. >> Yeah, I realize I can't do anything about it because statue, but I still don't like it. >> You can't approve it or not approve it, but we can certainly bring it to you at updates at city council and say we had a plat. It's for 500 homes over here. It
was approved. Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. >> You're going to know about that stuff anyway. It's not >> No, I just I just want to make sure we're going to know something about it without >> Well, we also right >> whenever we have a
um preapp meeting for a developer, we always invite the city manager, the utilities director, streets and roads, so your staff really does know what's going on. So, you know, they >> so they can kind of give us an update. >> Absolutely. Yeah, we can certainly give you updates all the time. >> Okay.
>> Yeah. And I'm sorry. I mean, it's not me, it's them. >> But at at any at any time it when the new cuz if there's one coming, a new city manager comes in, if they decide that they want to make changes or do things differently, they can do it
without changing >> the LDRs >> without changing the ordinance. >> Okay. So the team the the review team is that what you're talking about? The review team is written in the Florida statutes. >> Okay. Oh, exactly who it is >> who who it should be should be another
surveyor to doublech checkck the surveyor's work. It should be an engineer. It should be your streets and roads department or utilities. So there's a team. Um I can be more clear if you want. I could bring, you know, a really good summary. There's also dates attached to this. So you have a certain
amount of time to get this done. It's It's pretty good short period of >> Yeah, it's not. It's not. But they really did kind of lay it out for you. So, I can bring more if you guys I didn't know you were so interested in plats or I would have done a presentation >> because I do love plat either. >> Yeah. But I I would have done a
presentation. >> And it's not really the minor plants that bothered me, the minor subdivision plants, but it's the major ones. >> Yeah. >> That of course we don't have a whole lot of those. >> Yeah. >> Those are the ones I would want to know about. >> Yeah. And you kind of know where most of those are. you know, you've got Covington, you've got Stone, um,
>> Laurel Point, >> whatever. That didn't that hasn't really happened yet. You've got Laurel Point. >> But then again, some properties over here, those big properties have sold and we haven't seen anything yet. So, um, >> okay. >> We don't know what's going to happen there. >> The ones like right north of Cherry
Cherry Point, I think it's called. Cherry Hill. >> Oh, was it what's it called? >> Cherry Hill. Cherry Point. >> Oh, Cherry Point. I thought I thought the new division was going to be Cherry Hill. >> It's from >> I was like what? >> It's it's just north. All that property has been sold. >> Just >> right behind Yeah. behind my house.
>> Yeah. >> Where they got >> but you don't get to look at it. They're just going to spray it on >> to the to the extent that it makes anyone feel any better. and it might not. But the same requirements that existed for who is allowed to plat, what plats have to look like and the
requirements for meeting those and zoning and land use and all of that still remains. So every requirement that would have been on this council to make a decision based on the LBC rests and remains with the administrative authority who will be doing it. So to the extent that that gives anyone any
peace of mind, >> just makes it faster, which is what they're trying to do. >> Yeah. And we actually had the same team review before we brought it to planning. >> It just takes away that stuff. >> Um it just Yeah. takes away. >> It's the things like traffic control and that's that's why we have a council member sitting here because she got
involved with traffic control in her neighborhood. I mean and and different things that are important to people in the neighborhood that realize that you know that are happening because you hear about it. But if you don't hear about it, it's just suddenly there. >> I hope I don't offend anybody here, but
Tallahassee doesn't care how you feel. >> I I know we know they don't care about your feelings. They care about that developer getting developed. >> We sat in on some of the committee meetings when we were up there when we went for the Swany River League of Cities and they were discussing just those things and they could not care
less. >> First, it's actually one of the first committee meetings I've ever been to. >> All right. >> It was very eye opening. >> Can I get a motion or did we do a motion already? We didn't do a motion. Can I get a motion? >> You don't have a choice.
Yeah, it it is. >> Go ahead. >> Mike. Mike. Turn your mic off. >> Not Mike. Sorry. Um I make res a motion we approve resolution 2026-38. >> A second.
>> Have a motion and a second. Any discussion from the public? Any further discussion from the council? Just want somebody to tell me when major subdivision flaps come out. >> It's just because we want to know first. >> I do.
>> Maybe we just want to know because people do ask you questions and if you have no idea then it looks like you have no idea what's going on. >> Control is all those neighborhood things >> that are really important in neighborhoods that of course I know they're in the LDRs and they do traffic
studies. Um but still >> during the development process they would do traffic studies. Um and that's really an engineering thing. So just we we'll just keep in touch with the engineers to make sure that they review traffic. >> If we know about it we can >> but she's saying she's saying the review
committee will make sure that they do that. That's what you're saying, right? >> Yeah. The traffic I'm sorry the traffic studies are usually reviewed by engineers and engineers are reviewing your plan. one element that I would be worried about. But >> you know whether we have the proper utilities, whether we have capacity, you
know, I know that's stuff the committee will look at, but we need to know all that too. Is sewer plant have capacity? How much is left? >> Yeah. >> You know, all that more. >> Miss Meredith, >> can we make a formal request? I know probably can speak for Deborah and certainly for myself in this moment. It
would make us feel a lot better if every two weeks we could get an official update. You know, for me, when people call, uh, residents call and say, "What's happened?" And they cleared all those trees. I would like to be able to be educated enough to say, "I know what's happening, and this is where it is in the process." Could so, could we
request a formal from our our um, city planner every two weeks that we get an update on any changes? >> I would probably get it from your city manager because unfortunately your city planner is not being told everything that's going on at all or being invited to every meeting. Maybe our permit >> I don't know but as far as development I
would know an application >> permit tech permit >> tech issued >> official requesting and >> but if you would like an update right now on some of your planning I could give it to you if you're not too tired >> I'm tired >> I'll just
>> we have a meeting on um >> I do have a motion >> yeah we do >> I do like the idea though of getting that report because I will say from uh the fire department. Seeing that report that comes in is amazing >> that don't even have to ask questions because it's already there laid out and
and we're kept informed >> 100% along the way. So if we could do something like that with development that would be >> we have the assessment >> exactly that that would be fantastic. I know it would be hard to do but >> we used to do it for multiple city managers. >> Yeah.
>> Awesome. >> Yeah. I love it for us. >> Great job mayor. Any further discussion? Seeing none, move to vote. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Protesting I. >> Second. I. Um, all those
nay seeing none. Motion passes 5 to zero. Thank you, Miss Jones. >> All right. All right. Resolution 2026-39, a resolution of the city council of the city of Willist, Florida, approving the
vacant land lease agreement between Clear Direct LLC and the city of Willist for property at the Williston Regional Airport, authorizing the city council president to execute all necessary documents and providing an effective date airport manager Bensteagle.
>> Yes, ma'am. So, u bringing a little bit of good news to the council tonight hopefully. Um we uh have been talking to u a couple of organizations here and there. Um some of you may or may not know that Sky Chief's Aviation has has
all but closed up at the airport. Um you know, we we haven't seen them operate out of the airport for over a year. Uh we've actually had a couple of new instructors move out, but they're not a a flight school. Um, so a few months ago I was approached by a gentleman who u
some of these council members have seen before um with another business venture but um he said he was looking into purchasing a flight school um and was interested in locating it at Williston. Um so the land lease it that is before
you is for a very small area just outside of the new FBO where Sky Chiefs used to have a portable building. Um, now this is a a very small section of land. Um, you know, it's and it's a pretty short lease considering um, you
know, Max can can speak to this a little bit if you got and answer any questions that you guys have for him. But essentially, our plan is to um, start off in this building. um bring the flight school to Williston and then, you know, move into the terminal building,
the new the old terminal building once it's renovated and potentially, you know, build out a hanger with office space in it and and develop this flight school at Willist. >> So, it's where the Sky Chief U trailer used to be. >> Yes, ma'am. >> And that's where it will be.
>> Yes, ma'am. >> And they're going to own their own trailer. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. I noticed it was a land lease only. >> Yep. >> Can I get a motion? >> I make a motion that we approve 2026-39. >> Second. Have a motion and a second. Any
further discussion from the public? Any further discussion from the council? Seeing none, I move a vote. All those in favor say I. >> I. All those opposed say nay. Motion passes five to zero.
>> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. All right. Item seven, public participation. This is the second opportunity for you to speak on anything that you would like. You have five minutes. Please state your
name, where you're from. >> Mr. 9500 West Avenue. Don't know if any of you need to know or not or want to, but we're going to have an HOA board meeting next door at 6:30 on Thursday. The city comm manager used to come to them and uh
Robert and Donald both came to them. So, you're welcome. You don't. Not a big deal. It's just giving you a heads up. Yes. So, as a city council member, can I attend? >> You can as long as one of us is not there. >> Gotcha. Only one of us can be there.
>> Gotcha. Because I know with me it's different because I'm I'm technically a renter in the community. So, >> if you represent the council, I reckon you can't. >> Yeah. >> And more than one of you can just speak to each other or say anything
>> during the meeting if there's more than one of you. >> I can't do that. Wow. That >> so you don't appear. >> I'm laying at where we sit. >> The right but not the ability. >> Thank you. >> You can stay home. >> Always have questions.
>> I'm a question asker. I always have questions. You can stay home. >> So what were the what were the the details again? The day and the hours. >> This Thursday. >> How do you guys feel about you can go? Awesome. Absolutely.
>> Thank you. >> Represent us. Well, >> you got it, ma'am. >> Or just go as a citizen. >> Both. >> Just know you are. Okay. All right. Anyone else? Are you a public?
>> Are you really? Okay. Go ahead. I I just you as a a part of the public participation section. It's not really an update. I've um been thinking about this all afternoon and all evening and I it's something that I would really like to address the council on. Um
I can very easily sit back at the airport um and do my job and and watch some of the things happen at the city. Um I can't in good conscience do that. I think as a department head, we need leadership and I really would implore
this council to start getting that ball rolling very soon. Um, I think there are department heads that really need help. Um, I think there are department heads that are um, overburdened right now and there are department heads, frankly,
that we don't have um, that we can't hire without a city manager. Um, so I would I would implore and or challenge the council to strongly consider really looking into getting us a city manager center rather than later.
>> That's all. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else from the public? >> I do. >> 30 seconds or less. The Covington property which is over off of 41 does have a new um developer in interested.
We are meeting with them on Tuesday. Latricia will be there and she can give you an update. Um they are working on platting. Do you remember? Do you remember? Probably nobody else has been here. Do you all know where Cington is? >> That's right.
>> Good job. That was three developments ago. >> Yeah. So we're working with them to try and get them moving in the right direction. and they have some problems with platting and holdups, but um that yeah um >> stop chiming in.
>> Other than that, >> restrictions, >> stop. >> I'm trying to think. She's trying to talk. Go ahead. >> He he he did he he got me off my brain. >> Other than that, I can't think of anything else right now. I'm not going to hold you up because of my brain, but I will definitely send a report if I if
there's anything else. That's the wrong point. Do we >> uh that's up to >> That's in Kirst. >> I can give you the the update and announcements if that's where >> that would be fine. >> Thank you. Any of the the questions?
Nope. We're good. Thank you. >> Anyone else from the public? >> Seeing none, we will move on. >> Attorney Belaloo is going to give a update on lower point >> and announcements. Give us a second. I thought that's where we were.
>> No, no, no. We're still on public participation. >> All right. Now, we are on announcements. Do I have any announcement? We'll save you till last. Any announcements from Chief Police,
Chief Fire Airport, Mr. Danny, Miss Kim, no one else. Okay. Miss Miss um Miss Wright,
>> I just have two announcements. Um just a reminder, July 3rd, I'm still taking application for parade participants. So, if anybody would like to be in the July 3rd parade, please look at the website where you can
download an application or you can call me. Do we have to put in the application >> the council? >> No. >> No, you guys uh are already >> you can bring your kids. >> That's a good question.
>> And the second thing uh this is basically for Lamar. Uh I want to give kadoodles to >> Yeah. >> that like kudos. It is like kudos kudos
>> to um the two EMT workers that assisted >> me on Saturday during my episode. >> They were very professional. They were very well appreciated. So if you could just let them know or do I need to write a
letter? >> Yes, ma'am. I will try to buy kadoodle and give it to them. >> That too. Noodles. Oh, bet. >> Yes, ma'am. I'll take care of it for you. Thank you. >> But thank you very much. They were they were really great. We have a great fire
department, great EMTs that work there. >> Awesome. Thank you. All right, that time has Okay, go ahead. On June 25th, uh the police department will be hosting regional 17 police chief meeting
here at city hall at 12:00. Uh we have chiefs at in our region from all over. Uh we will have lunch if you want to stop by. It's going to be catered. Uh >> so we can eat. >> Yes. They they bribe me into doing it in
Willist because the last time we did it, we have some soul food. >> I don't think they bribed you. >> So So we're doing it again uh on the 25th at 12:00 here. >> What day of the week? >> Thursday. >> And whose budget is that coming out of?
>> It is. Everything is actually donated, ma'am. Except for the plates and the forks. >> I was see >> kind of talked about the budget today. >> The plates and the forks. >> We can donate those. >> Yeah, exactly. Right. >> We can donate those. Okay. But all the food has been uh is going to be uh paid
for and catered by Pastor Battles and his church. >> They did it the last time. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So, they're going to do it this time again for us. >> And that is June 25th. >> Mhm. >> At what time? >> 12:00. >> Is that through the week? >> No, it's just one day. >> Is it on the weekend?
>> It's Thursday. >> It's on a Thursday. >> Yeah. >> Another day I can't attend something. >> I'm sorry. >> Okay. Next time I >> Next time, can you do it on a Friday? >> Maybe a Saturday. >> Saturday will be better. >> I knew that you say that.
>> But yeah, I think right now in attendance, we probably have about 40 people coming. So >> Awesome. Awesome. >> Thank you. >> All right, Attorney Belaloo, you have the floor, ma'am. >> We very fast. Less than 30 seconds. Okay, >> we have struggled with Laurel Point as
you know and the final I've said this a lot agreement has been sent to his attorney for review. Hopefully we will have that in front of you to look at. His attorney is drafting
a couple of uh supplementary documents. We're getting our exhibits together, but it it should be in front of you. It's not in the city's court as we speak, which I know is the important part for everyone. sitting here. That's it. >> Awesome. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you.
Miss Meredith, you have anything? >> Miss Jones? >> I don't think so. >> Miss Shannon, >> not tonight. >> Not tonight. Mr. Cop, >> Laurel Point. >> Back to Laurel Point. >> If this doesn't go through on this time,
can we just next time just hold them out until they're dead, set, 100% ready to go? We we can't refuse to participate with them. I will say that they are frustrated with I'm sure the length of
time that has taken. I will also say that we went from a gas buyout to gas installation to a gas buyoutinstallation option. So there are a lot of different moving parts that have changed over the course. As they continue to change, the
agreement has to change and that does take time. So we are now they down to like 14 houses. >> The number of houses has changed. The phasing has changed. Basically ele every single element of this project from the first uh inception to now has changed
>> at least once. >> So that is why it has taken so long. >> When when I first started on the council it was modular like modular homes four on each side that started back behind Wind Dixie and came and wrapped around. Except they weren't modular. They were
just >> No, they were little homes that were like seven feet ac >> So >> they were not wide enough to get a lawnmower through. >> Right. >> Or I'll chase that right. >> And also too, our city manager, acting
city manager, if you all are out and about when they're having events and stuff, make sure that she's eating and drinking water and >> self-care. Number one, how's Gus? >> I don't hate to do that to her. >> I had just talked to her 15 minutes
before >> and she was just not there anymore. We won't keep putting it out in public. We're going to stop it right there. Anyway, >> just don't want nothing happened to her. >> It was brutal. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I last did an hour.
>> Take care of yourself. >> I couldn't do it anymore past that. >> I didn't even show up. I went somewhere else. Yeah. >> All right. So, I guess I am last. Um Uh >> oh. She's got notes. >> I only have one little tiny note. I would just like to say um thank you
for filling in >> at the last meeting. >> Glad you feel better. >> Appreciate it. Um, also if we can make sure that when we're we're making doing workshops and and I know you guys spoke to that earlier, when we're doing
workshops and meetings that have to that are including the public that we make sure we do it at a time that public can actually attend. Um, so that's for that one. And then the other one is sidewalk. There's a
sidewalk. I think it's 331 a the road that separates one side is the county, other side down by my house anyway, but one side's Oh, but down by the middle school, the old middle school, sorry. Um, there's a sidewalk
that's there that has says sidewalk closed. It's all broken. And >> Huh? >> Is that not us? >> It's on our side. It's on our side. >> That's what I thought it was on our side of the road. Is it not? No,
>> no, no. 331 down by my house. >> If you turn left like you're going to the middle school, it's on the left. >> So, there is a sidewalk that says closed. Is anyone obviously someone's aware of it, but is there an update or any information you can give me related
to that? And who's responsible for fixing it? Are we working on it? Is anybody working on it? And if you have no idea, that's great. You can update us later. I'll gladly look into it. That's the county part. Back when middle school was open, we used to mow it for the county
because the county wouldn't mow it. But that's the county sidewalk. But I can look into it and report back. >> So on our on >> side once you get past Cherry Point going back 121. >> It's not. It's right in front of the middle school. So >> that should still be the county, but
I'll look at it tomorrow and if I'll correct it. >> What's the name of that subdivision? do something. >> Yes. >> It's right in front of Alice May's restaurant you're talking about. >> No, no, >> it's down past Alice. >> You know where the the school is, >> right? >> Right.
So, yeah. So, it's down from where the school zone was. Probably about half a block to the left. >> Yes, ma'am. The whole sidewalk is the counties, but I'll look into it tomorrow. >> The whole sidewalk is Okay. >> But I'll look into it, make sure I'm not lying to you, and call the county. >> Okay. I just I just thought one side was
county and one side was city. >> The way I understand it is if you want to split the road, you're correct. But as far as the sidewalk, it's always been the counties. >> The county may have put it there because it was in the county, but now it's in the city. >> Well, I can look into it and I'll get clarification and
>> I see you. Give me a second. >> I see. >> It's on the other side of the road. >> Left. >> I know. That's what I'm saying. They now east side in front of the middle school is ours because we took in the property of the middle school. >> Well, it's on the west side middle
school. >> It's on the west side. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Anything on the west side is ours. >> Correct. It's on It's on this side. It's ours now. >> Correct. >> Am I confusing you? >> No. I'll look into it if it's okay. >> You can't miss the sign. >> I've seen it. I just
>> I saw it Sunday when I was out there. >> I thought maybe we did it, but obviously Okay. >> I have final question. Question. It looks like Wa's really close. Do we have an up? >> What's really close? >> Miss Miss Jones will update you.
>> June 16th. >> June 16th. >> July. >> July 16th. >> Sounds like today. >> I know. That's fast. Okay. Um, awesome. >> I'm so sorry. >> She told me July 16th. >> It's July 16th. Yeah. >> She actually came to my office.
>> Oh, I >> uh Eleanos is the 24th of June. >> 24th of June. 24 4th through 24. >> Yay. >> I don't know about Aldi's yet. I haven't Danny's been you. Do you want to >> give them an update?
>> Don't go anywhere. Stand right there. >> July 1st. >> July 1st. What about Wendixie >> for Aldi's? >> Really? >> What? >> I said what about Wind Dixie? >> The truth. >> You're just making that up. >> Is is Wind Dixie there for good? I
thought all these bought Windixie. >> What? >> You're a year behind >> Windex. >> So they didn't buy the company Windixie. >> They did buy the company Windixie. What happened was this is Southeast Grocerers. >> They split off after they were purchased by Aldi's and they started Southeast
Grocerers which they bought the Windixie name. >> Okay. >> So that Windixie question. >> You're not you're not wrong. But that was that was old news. But yeah, the Windixie is staying >> and then the Aldi's is >> Well, it kept the name so I didn't know that
thing till my purse. >> Okay, thank you. >> That's really quick. >> Wow. >> I'm not playing with you. All right. Any So, so nothing else from council as far as announcement. All right. >> Are we entertaining German?
>> We're not back before the 4th of July, right? >> I have a motion. Do we need to talk about fourth of July? >> I have a motion in a second. >> Any discussion from the public on journment? Any discussion from the council? >> Fourth of July because we're not back before then.
>> You're not wrong. You're you're not wrong. >> Who second? >> I mean, we have a float, right? And we're meeting at the fire department. We don't know what time. >> Meet at the fire department at 4:45. >> Okay. >> And we're going to Bronson on the 4th.
>> We're going to Bronson on the 4th. I'll have to send you all information on that. >> Okay. >> Because I need to make sure what time we need to be in Bronson. >> Okay. >> Is there a dress code? >> Dress code. >> Red, white, and blue. >> No, other than that, um like
>> I will be having shirts for you all. >> Awesome. I thought I thought just wanted to make sure. >> I'll be having shirts for you all. >> Okay. >> Okay. All right. Yeah, >> we do have a motion, but they're discussing this is part of the adjournment. >> So, all right. Any further discussion on adjournment?
Seeing none. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. All those opposed say nay. >> I. Sorry, my my eye was a little late. I >> motion passes 5 to zero. >> We adjourn at 8:47 p.m. Part: 2
Good evening everyone and welcome to the joint planning workshop and the comprehensive plans and Miss Kathy is going to take that over. Oh, sorry. Okay. Thank you. We're excited to be here this evening. We have been working on this project for quite some time and
so we're excited to be here to be able to talk about where we are with the comprehensive plan update and how we're going to move this forward so that we can transmit the document the new the new comprehensive plan before the end of the year. Next slide.
So, a couple of things we're going to take care of this evening. We are first going to review what we have accomplished so far with the comprehensive plan update. We're going to talk about and establish a vision statement and guiding principles for moving forward with the vision components of the comprehensive plan update. We're going to analyze how the
vision relates to the comprehensive plan and the various elements and we're going to recommend projects for implementation of the comprehensive plan after adoption. So, we have been working on this project for about a year and a half. We've gone
through an extensive visioning phase, then we completed all of the data analysis to update the comprehensive plan, and then we did the year-based amendments, and now we are here in the vision-based amendments, which are all of those things that are really what the community wants. The year amendments were the things that the statute
required. Now we're at where the community's vision comes into play. So, in the visioning phase, we completed five community pop-ups. That's when we were at various festivals and community events. We did four strategic planning workshops with um the city council and
with the planning board and one with the CRA. And then we completed seven stakeholder committees and one audit of the entire Main Street to determine how that would fit in with the new conference plan. So in the visioning phase, like I said,
we we focused uh our public efforts, not the stakeholder or um elected and um elected and appointed bodies on on using pop-up events. And in those five pop-up events, we were able to communicate with somewhere each event
between 100 and 200, 300 people. So we got a lot more participation by going to the events where people are rather than holding workshops at City Hall and asking people to come to us. And the themes that we heard that really
resonated out of the community visioning were that people want to protect and support the small town character, our parks and open spaces, our public services, community connectivity, making sure that everywhere in Williston is connected to
each other, the revitalization of Main Street, which we're going to get to a little bit more, and economic development, but economic development on a local scale. What does it mean here for Williston? So let's talk about the Williston Main Street because this is a real important
part. This evening we have handed out um a copy of the will the city Williston downtown Main Street plan, which was adopted 2 years ago and has been and continues to be a living document for us. We continue to go back to this
document and remind ourselves what did the what did the Williston Main Street plan say, what do we need to be focused on, how do we um how do we translate an idea from a plan into implementation starting with a comprehensive plan. So
the to remind everyone, the Williston Main Street plan starts with the the Williston Fields um to the north and ends with the elementary and the uh junior senior high school to the south and then go through the city of Williston, includes Heritage Park um and
it creates kind of a north-south south corridor through the community. And there's a lot to be redeveloped here. Um one of the great assets that the city of Williston is about a mile and a half of unutilized
um rail rail corridor that is currently being used as a swale. You have enough right-of-way with that um with the road and the swale area to create in a linear main Main Street, which we are very excited about. We also have talked about
um the establishment of a McCoy Central Park in the center of the area, and we're working with the property owner to identify if we can acquire that property for the long-term use of the city as a as a um much-needed parking lot area for
the Main Street, but also for parks, for uh a splash pad, um for for some um stacking for the the elementary school, and parking for the uh football field. So, this space is a really big uh
really big area and could be used as a major central feature on the Williston Main Street. And then all of it lined by um lined by lined by buildings in the north part of the Main Street, closer to
the city center, those buildings would be um for commercial purposes. And then as you as you move your way south towards the schools, those properties would be able to be used for live-work properties, places that people could live, but they could also have a cottage business,
whether it's an architect firm or a bakery or you know, something some some other type of private industry building. And then next slide. And then also the revitalization of downtown Williston. This is an critical
component of the Williston Main Street project. It's the heart of Williston. And these are some graphics that we generated using AI to help us understand what could happen. So, the way we envision the develop the redevelopment
of the downtown area is that because 27 and 41 are major thoroughfares, we don't see the ability to revitalize these on the front side. So, we're really looking to the backside where the current parking lot is being developed
and be able to make that an active courtyard space with restaurants or outdoor markets or farmers markets. Things that could be in the the building could be in the building, but could spill out to the backside. Usually those things would spill out to the front
side, but because of the limited right-of-way that we have on the front side, we are looking to be able to develop that in the interior near the parking lot area. And then revitalize the front facing area with a facade improvements. So, this really does become a central
feature and the core downtown for Williston, which would then link to the new Main Street to the south. So, as we worked through all of these ideas, we were thinking about what would be a strong vision statement for
Williston and we worked with your staff on this on the statement. Williston is a unique community with a blend of natural charm, small-town feel and economic opportunity. Williston's future calls for a balance of community-centered growth that develops a vibrant city
center, creates walkable, interconnected neighborhoods, provides a wider variety of local amenities, and enables the provision of high-quality public service city services, while still maintaining clear boundaries between urban and rural spaces, preserve preserving the city's
unique small-town character and history, and protecting the parks and natural open spaces within and around the city. And then we identified eight guiding principles that would help us achieve that vision statement. First, supporting the small-town character and history.
Second, community-centered growth. Third, clear boundaries between urban and rural spaces. Four, a vibrant city center. Five, walkable, interconnected neighborhoods. Six, wider variety of local amenities. Seven, parks and
natural open spaces. And eight, the provision of high-quality public city services. So, phase two, after we completed the vision and we were understanding what we wanted to head with the city, was the data analysis. This is the backbone of
every comprehensive plan update. It helps us understand both those how to change the compre- the goals, objectives, and policies, both those that are required by the state and those that are that are desired by the community. So, we updated data sets, we reviewed
the sources, we developed consistent methodologies in order to evaluate next slide. A variety of data data set sets, including your carrying capacity. That's a really important piece because that is the that under- helps us understand how many people we expect to be in Williston
and how much public services we will are going to be demanded by those um your capital improvements. We always say that if it's not in the budget, it's not real. So, a plan is a plan until it's in the budget. Then it becomes a real thing. That's when it actually is something that you have made a priority
priority so that you're going to actually spend money on it. Then we continued with some housing evaluations. We evaluated your interlocal agreements. We evaluated the market conditions, parks and open space level service standards, as well as road capacity level service standards, and
finally your utility service areas and projected needs. And all of that resulted in first the value the update of the evaluation appraisal report, which had was adopted earlier this month and has been submitted to the state for review review.
Next slide. Which looked like this document. Next. So now we are going into the visions updates. So we've completed the data analysis. We've updated the document according to statute state statutory standards, and now we get to do what is
really the heart of your comprehensive plan. It is those items that matter to you the community. So there are three things we will be doing as we evaluate how to do the vision up state. First, we're going to respond to the community input. Third, we're going
Second, we're going to establish fruit future projects because a plan is but a plan until it gets implemented, and we're going to implement best practices throughout the document. And we're going to do this all based on the guiding principles. So let's talk about how each of the
guiding principles will be utilized to evaluate your comprehensive plan in order to create the vision update. First, small Yep, move. First, small town character and history. The themes here in your small town character are historic preservation and
directing and managing growth. These are the two major components that we will be looking at as we look to um update your comprehensive plan based on this guiding principle in the future land use element, the transportation element, the housing element, and the conservation
element. The next guiding principle is community-centered growth and this is really about making sure that as growth happens, it's based on what the city of Williston wants and not coming not pressures from the outside so that the community the growth is
is reflective of and supportive of the city of Williston, who it was in the past and who it will be in the future by looking at local economic development and job creation, leveraging growth tools, and promoting viable working agricultural lands. Through your future land use element,
your economic development element, your recreation and open space element, and your conservation element. The next guiding principle Oh, go back. Yeah, the next guiding principle is your vibrant city center. And again, this one is really about that Main Street. This
is where we will be looking extensively at the Main Street plan and making this plan come to life. Like we we as mentioned, we approved this plan and adopted this plan for the city of Williston 2 years ago, but it is but a plan until it gets implemented. So, this is where it really starts getting
implemented as we look at your future land use map. In fact, just today our staff had a very detailed discussion about what changes we wanted to make to the future land use categories because we will be bringing forward a new set of land use category specifically for any
of your mixed use areas, which is something you don't have right now. Right now, you have some general language for mixed use and you implement it through a PUD process, but what we'll be doing in the comprehensive plan is the first phase of developing a set of
stand categories and standards that really direct land mixed use in in specific targeted locations so that we really understand what's different about the city center, what's different about each adjacent areas, what's different about live-work, and we will be looking around the city
to understand all of those things. And then we will look to implement them in your land development code. Uh we will also be looking at your economic development element, your transportation element, your recreation and open space element, and the rest of the future land use element, understanding that the implementation of
Main Street and the the assisting of local business development and retention isn't something that just happens in your future land use element, but is really something that is connected throughout your document. Then we will look the next at the next
guiding principle of walking walkable interconnected neighborhoods, which is the main themes here is assuring local mobility and mitigating the impacts of US 27/41. This was something we heard a lot about from the public when we did our community engagement is that the
impacts of 27 and 41 really cut your community in half and make it sort of a through community, which is why we are so focused on the creation of the Main Street corridor and also the understanding of how we can inter- connect the city from within the quadrants.
So, we'll be looking at the transportation element, the future land use element, infrastructure element, and intergovernmental coordination. The next guiding principle deals with wider variety of local amenities, and this is about making sure that Williston is Williston. What we heard a lot, in
fact, I heard one specific comment and I won't call out what the business was, but they said, "We don't want fill in the blank of a large big box store. We want fill in the blank of a smaller community store." Um and it was
it was just a a real touching moment for me with that conversation that I had with that individual because it stressed the level of which people want Williston to be Williston, and they don't want it just to be Williston in terms of how it looks and how it feels, but they want the businesses here to also reflect the
character and commitment to the city. Um and then addressing gaps in the market for community needs, recognizing people do have to travel right now to Ocala and Gainesville predominantly for to get some of your bigger services and how can we fill in those gaps? So, we'll be looking at the future land
use element, the economic development element, the capital improvements element, and the recreation and open space element. And the next one is the parks and natural open spaces of getting principle and this is about promoting and understanding that your
parks and natural open spaces is what bring people to Williston. This is what really captures people and we want to recognize that your parks, your open spaces, your conservation lands, your local activities are what bring people to Williston and we can't um we we need
to protect them, we need to support them, and we need to promote them, but at the same time we don't want to lose those characteristics that make them so important by looking at your recreation and open space element, your conservation element, your future land use element, and your capital improvement element.
The next uh the next one is the provision of high-quality public services and your the main themes here are the stormwater and flooding, um maintaining our fiber op the new fiber op optic system and expanding it, ensuring the long-term affordability of
your public services. The city of Williston has so many public services that it provides and it does not depend on an outside source for them, so we need to make sure that those public services are maintained and provided so that we can have that local community that people really want that's based on
local economic development, local growth. And we'll be doing that by looking at your future land use element, your economic development element, your capital improvements element, and your infrastructure element. So, how do we implement this it I you all are very so quiet. You are welcome
to interject at any time, but we're just a bit So, this is probably a good breaking point cuz we're going to go from what how the plan will be done to how we're going to implement the plan with some key strategies. Are there any questions about the guiding principles? Are there any
questions about the elements we're going to be addressing? Are there any questions about the vision statement? Any comments? Thumbs up, Deborah. You like it. Is Is this another thumbs up? Okay. No, there was a thumbs up behind
you. >> [clears throat] >> on um line. So, I have my own I guess I heard a lot of a lot of information related to the vision and how it actually how how it
actually plays in but and somehow, and this is just me maybe, but I didn't hear a lot of the people in the plan, and I heard very little about I guess the masses of people, and and the reason I say that
is because I'm taking the average person in my community and how could they relate to the plan, and I'm hoping that we do as we go through it. >> Not you all, but just we go through it. >> Right. >> That there's a little bit more
persons of people in the plan. Um and I heard something that was a little bit divergent when we talked you said a business person talked to you about we don't want the big box stores. >> That was actually not a business person, sir. That was That was a resident.
>> Oh, really? >> That was absolutely a resident. >> And it'd to interesting to see the background for that president. And I guess all I'm saying is I'm just concerned that let's make sure that we keep enough people in the process
to make sure that this is a plan for Williston. And I was even concerned about the vision statement because where did the vision come from? And did it actually come from staff? Or did it come from
people? >> So, the vision statement and the guiding principles, all of that came from what we heard from the community. This was not from staff. >> Mhm. >> This was This was developed and that's why we're here to this evening, Mr. Fuller, is because if there is anything
we We are here at a point before we really get into the vision updates, we want to hear from everybody and make sure Can we go back to the vision statement? And the >> [clears throat and cough] >> um Yeah, it's It's back a little bit.
Um But that's what we're here for this evening. We want to make sure before we go forward that we have the vision statement correct, we have the guiding principles right, that we are focused uh that each of the guiding principles, as
I went through them, that we are focused on the things that we should be focusing on. >> [clears throat] >> But this This absolutely came from You remember we spent about 8 months and we even went to We spent a day at the junior senior high school. So, we didn't
just meet with we didn't just meet with boards. We didn't just meet with the stakeholder groups. We didn't just meet with the citizens who came to the festivals. We went to groups like the the junior senior high school where we met with
all the 11th graders and all the seniors. And um that this vision statement comes from what we heard them talking about. But if you feel like this vision statement doesn't accurately describe, well, listen, that's what we need to
know now so that we can make adjustments to it. >> And that would be interesting your guess. This is This is my early reading of the vision statement and I probably would like to The main thing that I want to I want to leave with you is let's make sure that
we keep the people in the plan and not do the plan to the people. >> Absolutely. That is That's what we have been doing since That's why we started this whole process with um 8 months of community engagement before we put a single pen to paper,
before we even started reviewing our data analysis. We did all of the community engagement um to make sure that we were really talking to people. And if you remember correctly, even they came on the heels of the development of the Main Street plan, which also had an
extensive community engagement effort. So, we we had spent probably a year and a half talking to people before we started writing this plan. So, is there I mean, on that question, I mean, that's again what we're here for this evening. Does Do you collectively between the three boards
here this evening, the CRA, the Planning and Zoning Board and the City Council, do you feel that this vision statement adequately addresses and by the way, this is actually a revised version. You may remember at least the City Council may remember that they had seen an earlier
version and we did make some tweaks to to that based on the comments we received from City Council first time. Is there >> want to make sure it's not just to me, but to all the people sitting here. >> I just I just want to say that I like
the fact that you've got the small town character and the history. I'm really big on the history part. I appreciate you adding that part. Um and I also like the fact that you've divided it between the urban and the and the rural. Um
cuz we are rural and we are urban or becoming urban. So, it is important that we make those clear boundaries. Um and I think you've done that in this statement. >> Are there other comments about it?
>> Uh Mr. Fuller, when they were um when festivals and different things, they I would go out there and and would talk to this lady here and everything and listen to the questions that they were asking people and they were
they were doing a good job to what would you like to see? What would you this? What would you that? Wasn't um I did not think it was anything geared the other way. It was truly what they were asking for the people.
>> And basically, what I'm what I'm more interested in is making sure that it's not tainted by one person's or one group of people's vision and particularly as it relates to, you know, there there's a group of people that go to festivals.
And there's a group of people that don't. >> Mhm. >> And we just need to make sure that all the people are in the plan when the plan gets done. [clears throat] And and I'm and I'm no genius about how to do that.
But, you know, and and I do it by finding a typical person, let's say, a typical person in my community. And then I'm saying are they impacted negatively or positively or are they even visible
in what we see? Because and and I know it's it's hard to do because it's hard to reach people and I have to say that you all have actually reached more people than what I saw in the last comprehensive plan and what was done and I guess I'm just saying
let's make sure that all of the people not just the people that may go to a specific event or whatever are part of the plan that we move forward with and that's not a criticism at all. >> No, it's a it's a it's a it's a it's a
it when we started this process year and a half ago, we promised that this plan would be from the city of Williston and we continue to look for ways to make sure that that happens and you know, we have talked to your planner Laura about how to ensure that's
happening moving forward as we go through this update. Um it is definitely harder to get the public involved in the policy writing which is where we are now. But there but but we still are looking for ways and opportunities to
ensure that what comes out of the plan is what is what the public wants. And is looking for from the community. Yes, Ms. Deborah. >> I will also say that I love that you went to the middle high school. That's that was great. And that you captured
the future of Williston. Um I can tell you my biggest concern is in your next step is your implementation as with and I don't know you hate this everybody's tired of hearing it but with the property tax thing as it's coming like where is the money coming from?
>> Yeah and and that's a so well I I'll I'll hold that comment for just a second but I I realize that's a challenge but let's start here with the vision statement. Is there anything else about this vision statement that people feel are we good generally thumbs up?
And [clears throat] then the guiding principle Yes, sir. >> I believe that I'm Dan Cochran from uh Where do I live? >> [laughter] >> Forest Street. 32 32 Forest Street. I'm originally from Tennessee, backwoods Tennessee, where they still haven't
paved the roads. I've seen small towns. I've traveled throughout Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, all the way to Washington back. And I've stopped at some of these smaller local type Main Street towns.
And the biggest thing I can think of that they have been positively influenced by is first of all, facades on buildings, um maintenance, sidewalks,
crosswalks. But they also have something that we don't have, or at least I haven't since I got here. We don't have a local newspaper. Um we have to just like you say to go to a major grocery store or a major major
place to buy appliances besides just Winn-Dixie and the new Aldi's that I didn't I don't know if they're still open. Um is that we're 25 miles from Ocala, 25 miles from Gainesville, 25 miles from The Villages.
It's 50 mile round trip for us to go into town to get needs besides what we need. >> Right. >> So with that said, economic development is finding people to go out and find like-minded people and business
to let them see what we're building. And then looking at the the mileage, and we also need like a newspaper or something or to acquire some writers from magazines
to come in and do exposés on the on the area in order for people that's outside in other other states or other areas to realize there's something besides blank land between here and there waiting for the developers to fill it up.
I just see the biggest hurdle we've got to do to deal with in this day and time is economics. Right now, until the economy balances back out, until uh fuel comes back down to where
uh we find out about the property tax situation, what's going to happen with that. And we also I've understood by coming to some of your meetings that we're pretty much tapped out when it comes to being able to keep up with our daily
needs of of employment, insurance, um repairs, maintenance, things like that. But I would say that if we can get if we can hold off long enough to get past the economic
deluge, as I call it, and then continue you to plan for a specific type of town, you can be a city by name, but most people, especially the older people who seems to have a little money
and expendable cash, they're looking for some place to where they can feel retired without coming from a place where I originally came from, which was Palm Desert. We saw the little towns all in there,
cuz I've been here since 1956. And we saw all the little towns that got infiltrated with big box stores, as you were talking about and everything else. And then two lanes went four lanes, four lanes to six lanes, and then so on and so forth. We've already got 41, and we've already
gotten we've already got 27. These are things that we need to capitalize on the ability for traffic, but we also have to look at ways to create a market for that traffic. Thank you.
>> Any other comments? >> [clears throat] >> Hi. I'm Shanna Church. Uh 590 Northwest 4th Place. So, one thing that I'm hoping that I see in this is not just the fact that, you know, we're known as like a pass-through town where you have to go 25 miles, like you
said, to Gainesville or Ocala to shop, but it's also jobs. Because we have such smaller shops, which is wonderful, and I'm really hoping that we keep those, but we try to avoid the big box stores, that means there's also less job opportunities. So, as these people, as the residents have to go to Gainesville
or Ocala, I know myself, when I'm going to Gainesville, I'm not just working there. I'm I'm eating my lunch there. I'm doing all my shopping there. So, all that money that I'm pouring into Gainesville, I would love to be able to pour that into here, and I would be able to do that if I had a better job opportunity in town. So, I'm kind of
hoping to see with that growth of the city, um is kind of getting rid of the old saying that I kind of grew up hearing, which is, you know, Williston small, and we want to keep it small. We want to avoid any big stuff here, but we're also saying we want growth. So, I'm kind of hoping that we see a little bit of that
middle ground where we do want growth, but we don't want the big giant growth that's just going to knock us out, but at the same time, we're going to keep the small town values and keep Williston Williston. So, I'm hoping, you know, as we go through it, we see a little bit more that talks about job opportunity, talks about pouring that money back into
the city to help keep it at um a comfortable rate of growth to where we keep our values and everything the same as we grow. >> Yeah, well, that is definitely that's that's why it calls for a balance of community-centered growth that is that is based on
understanding where growth can happen, and um and making sure the services are here. I mean that that is in a nutshell what we heard from every person we talked to and of every age group that people want services here, they want
economic development here, but they don't want to lose the small character and character and how do you do that? It's a huge challenge. It is, but we think um we think that we're we think we have some ideas um and that is by understanding where certain development features are happening here in Wilson
and allowing those development areas to be what they are going to be whether they're the areas for your Main Street, whether they're the areas for your larger services and big box stores um whether they're for having allowing more people to live and work at their own
home. Um there are different ways that Wilson can stay Wilson and recognize that the spaces as you said sir between here and the different cities around you aren't just waiting to be filled up that those are active viable um ag to us
agriculture is not open space agriculture is industrial lands. Those are those are viable economic lands and we need to understand that those are viable economic lands because if we treat them as open space, they won't be
there for us for farming long term. So So it's a balance, but it's something we we have started already started to work on and um definitely these I think these eight principles really help steer us in that direction because that
is what they're all focused on. I think can you move just slowly cuz there was one forward. Go to uh go to No, the other way. Go to number three cuz I think I might have Nope, the other way. Sorry guys, I'm not
going more into the sides. Keep going. Into the guiding principles. The third guiding principle. Next one. >> Clear boundaries. >> Yeah, the clear boundaries one. Next one. Next. Next. Next.
Okay, now go. One. Two. Three. Here. So, this really is um an [clears throat] Yeah, we sort of skimmed over that, but this is what the the crux of what we talked about. That urban is urban and rural is rural. That we want Williston
to have a very strong defined urban area and then the rural areas can be active working agricultural lands. And that we guiding guide growth to the development areas to ensure that urban is urban and we allow agriculture to be viable and
strong in the areas um that are outside of the established development area. So. If you now you can move to We can go forward. Okay. One back. Back. Right here. So, how do we implement this plan? And
um you know, we know that we are coming to you at uh a week after the legislature decided to deal with the property tax um by putting it out to the voters. So, we understand that money money has always been tight in Williston
and while learning might if if it passes, it's going to be even tighter, but we're here to say to you that if there is one area that we would like you to we we're we hope that it's in this plan ensuring this plan moves forward
because your land development code as um in just a second, Christine Dalton of Dalton Studios who is uh a plan who is a a consultant that we work with um and we're bringing her into the Williston projects. So, she's going to talk about these
things, but the implementation of this plan is is so critical. The plan itself will do nothing. It will be just words on a paper if they don't get implemented. So, the ideas that we're going to talk about in the plan, the plan cannot
implement itself. Um a comprehensive plan is a master planning document for a city. It's a critical master planning document. It helps do all sorts of things including getting money for future grants and giving you direction about where you should be strategizing
future capital resources and establishes level of service standards and establishes your land use map and where you want growth and where you don't want a growth, but everything that the comprehensive plan talks about, none of it it can implement on its own. It all has to be implemented
through other documents, materials, and um decision-making from the from the city. So, it is if we stop here, and I I I do understand that we're at a really difficult place
right now because of the looming vote on the property on the on the property taxes. But if we stop here, what you have today in your planning documents is what will be achieved and implemented moving
forward. So, if that's not the direction that you want, and that's not what we heard we heard that there's a lot of good things in your current comprehensive plan, but there are some shifts that you would like to make in order to ensure that economic development comes, ensure that Williston becomes Williston, that the
services are met, that we bring in and develop a new main street corridor, that we understand where growth areas should be. All of that is going to be very hard to implement without moving this document forward to
the next stages. And on that, I'm going to ask Christine Dalton to come up and and walk you through um how to implement the plan. Christine is an expert in plan implementation and historic preservation and works a lot with communities just
like Williston here in Florida but even outside Florida. So, I've asked her to come and explain the how to implement the project. And I just want to say that uh Kathy's enthusiasm for Williston is definitely contagious because as
professionals, Kathy and I encounter each other at Main Street, uh quarterly's and other events and every time I talk to her she's always talking about Williston. So, it became very clear that her heart is definitely here and I'm excited to talk to you all. Um if you could just go to the next
slide. So, implementation, the visioning process is complete and as Kathy said, this is really important for implementation because what you don't want to have is you don't want to have just a plan that sits on a shelf collecting dust. And what you do want to do right now is actually build on the
momentum of we have Main Street plan now. Now we have this plan. You want to keep it going and build on that momentum and actually start implementing things. So, implementation is what's going to take the community's vision and actually turn it into tangible actions. Um and
it's important to see how each one of these works together. So, first, one of the things that Kathy just talked about was the land development code update. This is going to be really important because number one, your land development code should be updated periodically. There are
things that change statewide, there are things that change locally that re- that requires you but really should encourage you to look at that land development code. I was a municipal planner for 13 years and there was a point in time where I was working with a land development code that was outdated
and I could tell you that makes it very difficult for staff to do the things that they're charged with doing by the elected officials. So, if you have an outdated code that has inconsistencies or even worse, sometimes you have conflicts between two different sections
of the land development code, that really presents some major challenges in getting the job done that staff has been tasked to do and also with realizing the objectives that you have outlined. So, throughout this process, you've identified priorities and goals for
Wilson that we've talked about. And we want to make sure that the code is supporting the community's long-term goals. Like I said, no inconsistencies, gaps, and all of that. And future development decisions are going to really rely a lot on the land development code. And I just want to
When I present, I always like to give little anecdotal examples. Um I worked as a as a planner for a municipality here in Florida for 13 years. And so, there's two types of planning and I think the public and sometimes even the elected officials don't realize this is that you have to
the long-range planning and then you have current planning and short-term planning. The current and short-term planning, that's the planning that the developers walk in the door to you. That's the planning that they come in with the rolls of plans already done up in the thick packets and they just come
in and present it to you and say, "You know, we want to make sure that we could do this. We've already designed it. We don't need your community's input. We're We did this in another community in Texas and it was successful. So, we're going to come here and do that here." That's the current planning. That's the planning that walks in your door. And I
will tell you these developers hire people who are very experienced with the land development code, know how to pick sections out of the code where they say, "We're going to do this because that's what's in your code." So, being able to look at that land development code and anticipate any activity that may occur
that may not be favorable to where you have decided to be at this point is very important. So, that's a just an anecdotal example of why you would want to update the land land development code. Historic study and survey, this is something that I am especially
passionate about because I'm a historic preservationist. Um the thing that I kept hearing from Kathy in all this time that she's talked to me about Williston and actually coming here and driving around, talking to people, um seeing Williston through
my professional preservationist eyes is this is really an exciting town that you have here. You've got a lot of historic resources, you've got a deep rich history, and you've got a character that people keep referring
to as keeping Williston Williston, keeping Williston Williston. Well, what is that? If I walked over to any one of you, can any of you articulate just like that why Williston is Williston? Perhaps, but maybe not. Everybody knows what it is because they
feel it. It's just a feeling that they have. We call that sense of place in urban planning and historic preservation. So, one of the things that the historic resource study or the historic preservation study would do is not only look at your existing buildings that are
50 years and older. We look at the newer buildings, but not as deeply as we would look at anything 50 years or older. But, one of the meat and potatoes of a historic resource survey is not actually the buildings at all, it is the historical narrative part of the
document. And so, there's a a whole entire part of a historic study where we're looking at the history of the town. We're looking at development patterns. We're looking at major players in the town's uh history. The way things develop, the way roads develop. So, we go far back as looking
at how your infrastructure developed. When did you first get electricity? I mean, we're going that far back. And so, what we're doing when we're doing a historic resource survey is we're studying the newspapers. Um I know that Williston it was mentioned does not have a newspaper of its own, but perhaps at
some point in time it did. If not, we look at the local papers. And we get that story of what Williston has been up to this point in time. Once you have all that information and the Williston story defined, that is going
to help you to actually determine what your sense of place is and how you want to convey that to people. So, when you say we want to keep Williston Williston, you actually have some tangible ways that you can do that by looking at your history and knowing what your sense of place, your character, and
identity are. This historic study also takes that. Now, you can apply it to your buildings. So, one of the things that I'm really excited about is actually looking across here. A lot of roads in Florida started as one lane in either direction, then
they expanded, and before you know it, we've got what we have over here, which is basically an opportunity for people to drive really fast and bypass your downtown. So, how do we get them to stay actually in your downtown, park their cars, and walk around? So, we've had a
lot of discussions about what the city's already started doing on the across the street with the parking lot and the park and all of that. And these are great foundational things that can definitely be built upon. So, from a historic preservation perspective, there's a lot of things that you can tangibly tangibly
do with buildings. And the other thing that's very exciting here is your existing buildings. Um some very large uh areas of existing buildings that are now vacant. There's an opportunity for what we call adaptive use. So, say
if a plot of land was used for an agricultural purpose and it's not going to be used for an agricultural purpose anymore, are there historic aspects of that property that can be brought into the future of the property? Just an example up north, uh this is a
funny example that always makes people kind of shocked. Pittsburgh had a big population decline in Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh had so many churches. So you've got tons and tons of churches everywhere. And the Catholic Church deconsecrated
this particular church and said we don't consider it a religious building anymore to us it's just a building. And so a buyer came in purchased it and turned it into a brewery. To me that's one of the most shocking examples but it is super popular. It's a tourist attraction. It's
a brewery and restaurant and people love it. It's called Church Brew Works. But that's an idea of adaptive use where you could take in a building that was used for one one function and turn it into a totally separate function. So I get excited about that. Next slide.
The housing study is actually did we go backwards? I started with it. Okay, sorry. So one more sorry. In the housing study it that the the housing study will actually build
off if you do it in the order that we've described would build off of the historic preservation study because in the preservation study you're looking at the baseline information of your older buildings. Well housing study is going to fully complete that and look at all the buildings in your city.
What that study is going to do is it's going to help you to determine what changes if any are needed to be made to support the housing needs for your future. One thing that I didn't mention if you could just go back two slides is Kathy and I discussed talking about
building on this momentum and really getting this underway project timing for all of these. So we think it's reasonable to be able to do the land development code updates between the remaining of 2026 at least starting them into 2027. Next slide.
And um same thing for the historic study. That could be a project that could begin in 2026, wrap up in 2027. Next slide. And then the housing study. That one would be between 27 and 28.
Next slide. Then the last thing that we talked about is a capital improvement plan. So, of course, big ideas are wonderful, but the first thing people usually start freezing on big ideas is it sounds like a big ticket item. So, what can you do in that
process to figure out what your capital improvement plan is going to be? So, that project timing would be development between 27 and 28 and implementation from 2028 to 2038. So, obviously, if you're thinking you're going to
implement everything all at once, that's a huge huge number. But the whole point of this capital improvement plan is actually figuring out how are we going to achieve these different milestones that we're outlining and what kind of funding sources are we going to be looking at. You would of course look at
city budget, but you'd look at where else can we get funds from. So, what kind of partnerships could happen, what kind of grants could be gone after, um and things of that nature. So, that is is really capital improvement plan is going to be major to obviously achieving
your goals. Next slide. Do you want to go over the next? >> So, where do we move from here to finish the comprehensive plan? The first thing we are doing is an implementation matrix, which we have already started developing. And that is looking at the
guiding principles, looking at the vision statement, looking at your each of element of the comprehensive plan and marrying the each guiding principle to the the that we we need to make. When we have that implementation matrix complete, we will share it with
um we will share it with you and you will see how we have developed that. At the same time, we're starting drafting and project budgeting. Um drafting of the policies and project budgeting for future projects so that we
can implement the plan. Uh our goal is that by by October that we will be working through the adoption transmittal so that in December we can transmit the document. So, our goal is um and we are still working with
staff on the schedule exactly, but sometime in July or August, we will do a first workshop on the first elements, which we are going to start with the future land use um and the mixed-use areas because they're so critical to the changes that's going to
have affect everything. So, the everything to do with the new Main Street corridor and any of the major land use changes that we will be looking at around the city. Um identifying We have gateways that we have worked with staff to identify how we can um address
the major corridors. So, that will be first. Then uh once we've completed that, we will do in the next 2 months we will break up the elements. We will do it just the same way we did with the EAR where we'll do the elements that deal deal with the
implementation of the plan first, and then we'll deal with the elements that deal with level of service standards and um uh infrastructure items and other things like your property uh your your required property um
property rights element and capital improvements element in the second. So, we'll have a series of three or four workshops to do the to go through the actual elements and the changes, and then we will do an adoption hearing um and a a transmittal hearing. We will
send it to the state and then we will adopt, hopefully, um, the beginning of the year after we've had the comments from the state. So, are there any questions? Yes, Laura. >> [clears throat] >> I just wanted to talk a little bit more about this capital improvements plan
because the board has seen a capital improvements plan. We have one every year in the budget. This is a little bit more meaty. Um, Wright-Pierce uh, your engineers put together an excellent uh, cost estimate of what your utilities are going to cost and things like that, but what the
ladies are talking about are more. It's more than just utilities. It's more than just the things that we know we need. This is, um, do you want to tell them the more? Cuz I just want them to know that this is a plan. It's not just that piece of paper that they see every year. This is We've been working with Wright-Pierce on
it for a couple years. This is a little bit meatier than what you usually see. >> This is more of a strategic document and it's the reason it is put last because it follows everything else. We can't work on this strategic capital improvement plan until we really
understand everything we need to know about how this plan will be implemented. We need to understand the land development code. We need to understand where new growth is happening. We need to understand historic study. We need to understand how we're going to revitalize or maybe reuse some of your historic
properties. We need to do the housing study cuz we need to know where we want new housing, what types of new housing. So, all of those things that we're going to learn through the other documents, they get funneled into this strategic capital improvement document and it's
not It's not It's not the It's not the annual update. This is much more This is a much more detailed strategic document about how you are going to spend capital resources and where you will find those capital resources. So,
it's, um, it's actually a fairly detailed document and it's something that honestly enough not enough local governments think about. They think I think capital planning and they do it every year and they're not really putting the thought into it. But at the end of a major capital major planning
effort which you are undergoing right now, it's important to then really look strategically at the resources and how you're going to spend them. So that you can implement them. >> And and these are not to be looked at two separate things was the only comment that I wanted to make is that capital
improvement plan that you all are doing every year. That is something that will be looked at in creation of this capital improvement plan to see as I mentioned earlier, how are you going to leverage what you already have out there. So if you already have plans for sidewalks for example in a certain area, how can we
actually take what's already been committed or planned for in this capital improvement plan and pull it into this master plan. >> That is being balanced. >> No. >> Sorry. >> And I just want to make it clear too that these plans, I don't know if you
addressed this, but these plans are important because we grant writers know that it's very difficult to look through grants and say, oh, we might have something that works for that. It's much easier for a grant writer to
know a project has needs and then to find the money for that. So if I if your grant writer has a CIP that makes sense, it's much easier to go out and search for grants that make sense for that. It's almost a scramble and
fire if you're trying to fit a project to a grant that you find. Make sense? >> That's true not only of the capital improvement plan, but the historic study. Um That's true of your historic study, your land development code, your comprehensive plan, all of that is
really important for going after new grant money. And And another thing, the other reason that all of this is so important is we've talked about that as we move forward with the comprehensive plan, you're going to see a new land use structure for your mixed
use areas and your gateways. If we don't move forward with the land development code, that doesn't get implemented. There is no implementing organ- tool to implement your new mixed use standards. So, what you have today in your land development code would stay.
And um because your because your comprehensive plan is based on an is based on what you have, it they would just you would continue down the current path. You would use PUDs to implement your mixed use
standards. Um and you would hope that the vision that you have established and worked so hard over the last few years actually gets achieved. Um and I can tell you because I've looked at your land development code already as we are working on the the new
land use standards, the current land development code for your commercial areas does not meet what you want in your mixed use areas. There is a major disconnect there. Um >> You're the planner, of course you can. I just wanted to remind you guys that we
have gone back in time and we're pretty sure that our land development code is was not created by anybody from the city of Williston. We believe it was copied because it needed to be done. So, it doesn't necessarily fit um right. Yeah, he he's on my planning board, so
he knows. And um Ms. Jones also. So, we think that was pretty much copied and pasted, so that's why it's really time to get into that and fix it up. Yeah, it's been and it's been it's been a while. And like I said, um you know, your land development code really needs to reflect who you are today. And
so um that's where we are and I think we're right on time. So, if there are any final questions that we have, we um Christine and I absolutely will stay afterwards, but I know that there is a city commission meeting, so we we've been we want to make sure that we end on time. We appreciate your We appreciate
your attention. We will work with staff on the schedule, and as soon as we have a schedule, staff will bring that forward to you so that you know what the new schedule is. Um and we're excited to finish this comprehensive plan for you. >> Yes. >> I think the comment is that it's
>> Just want to make sure that in the future that we give advantage to all people who are in the city that would like to have comment because today it happened at a time when most people who are working-class people are actually working. And so, let's just make sure
that in the future we make plans to include everybody that we can in that process. >> So, as I said, we will we will definitely work with staff on making sure that um that public is allowed when we We didn't
spend all of that time up front, Mr. Bullard, doing all that community engagement for us not to include the public now to make sure that we're going forward in the right direction. Um and I'm sure that there are some ways through Facebook and others that they can get the information that we
presented this evening. At the same time we are getting into more of the strike-through underline, which is harder for the public to absorb um because now we are actually into the writing of the document and the changing of the policies.
So, there's a it's a balance and we will work hard with the staff to figure out ways that we can strike that right balance. Any other questions? Well, thank you very much. We are excited to move forward and we're excited to see this plan get adopted. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. >> Okay.