Council picked South State Bank for city banking, hired Granicus for an $89,000 website redesign, and added $129,131 to Fire Station No. 2 for extra grouting.
18 items on the agenda · 9 decisions recorded
On the agenda
- 1Call to Order – Roll Call▶ 0:00
- 2
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by the Marine Corps.
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[00:00:18] Would the Marine Corps like to lead us in the pledge? [00:00:19] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for [00:00:35] which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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- 3
Moment of Silence
The council observed a moment of silence.
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[00:00:43] Moment of silence, please. [00:00:47] Thank you.
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- 4
Approval of November 7, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes
approvedCouncil approved the minutes from the November 7, 2023 regular meeting by unanimous vote.
- motion:Approve the November 7, 2023 regular meeting minutes. (passed)5–0
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[00:00:53] Approval of the November 7th, 2023 regular meeting minutes. [00:00:58] Move for approval. [00:00:59] Second. [00:01:00] All those in favor? [00:01:01] Aye. [00:01:02] So we have five zip.
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- 5
Proclamation - Small Business Saturday
approvedMayor Chopper Davis read a proclamation declaring November 25, 2023 as Small Business Saturday in the City of New Port Richey. Ellie Coy, new chairperson of the Economic Vitality Committee for New Port Richey Main Street, accepted the proclamation, promoted a Santa-themed video tour of local businesses, and announced upcoming ribbon cuttings and a Lunch and Learn event.
- motion:Proclaim November 25, 2023 as Small Business Saturday in the City of New Port Richey. (passed)
HaciendaLee's Insurance AgencyNew Port Richey Main StreetRichey Suncoast TheaterSteamworks PubZen Kitchen and BarChopper DavisDebbie MannsDylan GamezEllie CoySanta MizemerEconomic Vitality CommitteeLunch and Learn (Dec 7, 2023)Santa's Visit videoSmall Business Saturday▶ Jump to 1:03 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:01:03] Proclamation for the small business Saturday. [00:01:07] Come on down. [00:01:14] This is a proclamation of the City of New Port Richey Office of the Mayor. [00:01:38] Whereas the City of New Port Richey celebrates our local small businesses and the contributions [00:01:43] they make to our local economy and community, and whereas, according to the United States [00:01:47] Small Business Administration, there are 32 million small businesses in the United States [00:01:53] of which small businesses represent 99.7% of firms with paid employees and are responsible [00:01:59] for 62% of new net jobs created since 1995. [00:02:05] Small businesses employ 46.8% of the employees in the private sector in the United States, [00:02:11] and whereas over three-quarters of consumers understand the importance of supporting the [00:02:15] small businesses in their community on Small Business Saturday and report that the day [00:02:21] makes them want to encourage others to shop small, independently-owned retailers not only [00:02:26] on this day but all year long, and whereas over half of shoppers reported they shopped [00:02:31] online with a small business and or dined or ordered takeout from a small restaurant, [00:02:36] bar, or cafe on Small Business Saturday in 2022, and whereas the City of New Port Richey [00:02:42] supports our local businesses that create jobs, boost our local economy, and preserve [00:02:46] our neighborhoods, and whereas advocacy groups as well as public and private organizations [00:02:51] across the country have endorsed the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday. [00:02:57] Now therefore, I, Chopper Davis, Mayor of the City of New Port Richey, do hereby proclaim [00:03:02] November 25, 2023, as Small Business Saturday in the City of New Port Richey and urge the [00:03:09] residents of our community and communities across the country to support small businesses [00:03:14] and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year. [00:03:19] You want to come down here while they're talking? [00:03:21] Yeah. [00:03:22] I just want to steal some of their thunder right away. [00:03:27] I think everybody needs to go on their website, Facebook site, excuse me, that they've got [00:03:34] together with Santa Mizemer, if that's the best way of saying it, and they toured around [00:03:39] a lot of the small businesses in town, probably 20, 25 of them, 20 of them? [00:03:44] Almost 28 of them. [00:03:48] I didn't count. [00:03:50] Anyhow, they went around with Santa, so it was early night, he had a few comments and [00:03:56] went into all the businesses and then they labeled the businesses on that part of the [00:04:00] screen, so it was really nice to take a look at it if you haven't looked at it. [00:04:04] And it's your turn to talk. [00:04:05] Just stay right there for a second. [00:04:06] Why don't you come over here. [00:04:07] No, no, you're not there. [00:04:08] You listen to me. [00:04:09] The reason why she wears that boot is because of me. [00:04:10] She ticked me. [00:04:11] Good evening, council members, city manager, all the city staff, and Mr. Mayor, my name [00:04:37] is Ellie Coy. [00:04:38] I am the new chairperson for the Economic Vitality Committee for New Port Richey Main [00:04:42] Street Group. [00:04:43] We thank and appreciate you all for this proclamation of New Port Richey Main Street and recognizing [00:04:49] the importance of small business and encouraging our local community and beyond to support [00:04:54] and shop local downtown businesses that are lifeline to our community and commerce. [00:05:00] We have 23 retail and 45 entertainment and dining businesses that are going to be greatly [00:05:05] benefited on Saturday. [00:05:08] As some of you guys have seen the video already, which Mr. Chopper had just talked about, if [00:05:13] you guys could possibly share it on your social media page, we would really appreciate it. [00:05:17] It's got Santa. [00:05:18] It's really, really cool and amazing, so I was blown away by it. [00:05:22] If you could get that out, the businesses would really appreciate it, too. [00:05:27] Also, we would also personally like to invite you to some new ribbon cuttings for some new [00:05:31] businesses in downtown district December 9th. [00:05:34] We're going to be celebrating Lee's Insurance Agency at 11, Steamworks Pub at 12, and Zen [00:05:41] Kitchen and Bar at 1 o'clock. [00:05:43] And lastly, we also would like to remind everyone of an up-and-coming Lunch and Learn featuring [00:05:47] our guest speaker, Ms. Debbie Manns, on Thursday, December 7th at the Ritchie Suncoast Theater [00:05:53] at 12 noon. [00:05:54] It is a pre-registered event if you would like lunch, so if you can try to find that [00:05:59] on our Facebook or website for the QR code to get signed up, we really appreciate it. [00:06:05] Thank you for all your time and support, and have a happy Thanksgiving. [00:06:13] So I have a question. [00:06:18] Whose brainchild was this Santa's Visit video? [00:06:21] I believe it was Dylan Gamez from Hacienda. [00:06:25] So it was an outstanding production. [00:06:28] It was really cool, so I just had to know more about it. [00:06:31] Thank you. [00:06:32] Thank you so much.
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- 6
Proclamation - Marine Corps League Day
approvedMayor Chopper Davis read a proclamation declaring November 10, 2023 as Marine Corps League Day in New Port Richey, recognizing Marine Corps League Detachment Number 567 for its community contributions, including participation in the NPR Christmas Parade, Toys for Tots, Honor Guard services, and the Young Marines program. Detachment member Armando Perez accepted and thanked the council.
Marine Corps League Detachment Number 567Young Marines ProgramArmando PerezChopper DavisJohn A. Lejeune100th Anniversary of Marine Corps League248th Marine Corps AnniversaryChasco FiestaFlorida National Cemetery Honor GuardMarine Corps League DayNPR Christmas ParadeToys for Tots▶ Jump to 6:33 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:06:33] Have a good night. [00:06:58] This is a proclamation of the City of New Port Richey Office of the Mayor, whereas the City [00:07:08] of New Port Richey is proud to acknowledge the immeasurable value of Marine Corps League [00:07:12] Detachment Number 567 as they continue to seek to create camaraderie among all military [00:07:17] veterans, and whereas Marine Corps League was founded in 1923 by Major General Commandant [00:07:24] John A. Lejeune to promote the interests of the United States Marine Corps and to protect [00:07:29] the welfare of its members, and this year marks its 100th anniversary and the 248th [00:07:34] anniversary of the Marine Corps, and whereas it is appropriate to recognize the importance [00:07:38] of the contributions of Marine Corps League Detachment Number 567 as they continue to [00:07:43] participate in several city events, including NPR Christmas Parade and the Toys for Tots [00:07:49] program, and whereas the City of New Port Richey also acknowledges the importance of the efforts [00:07:53] of Marine Corps League Detachment Number 567 to provide Honor Guard services at the [00:07:59] Florida National Cemetery, and whereas recognition is due to those who continue to support our [00:08:04] youth through the Young Marine Program, which provides mentoring and leadership in a drug-free [00:08:09] environment to Pasco County youth, as well as several other scholarships and charities, [00:08:14] and that now therefore I, Chopper Davis, Mayor of the City of New Port Richey, do hereby [00:08:18] extend best wishes to all observing November 10, 2023, Marine Corps League Day in the City [00:08:24] of New Port Richey, and I urge all citizens of the City to acknowledge the valuable contributions [00:08:29] of Marine Corps League Detachment Number 567. [00:08:35] That's just a start, may say, of all the things that they've done here. I know a couple others, [00:08:40] and I just want to bring up one that they were very big supporters of the Marine Corps [00:08:44] Band when they came here for Chasco Fiesta, so that was a major deal for us in this town, [00:08:49] so I was real happy for that. But I'll let Armando, who's a good friend of mine, and [00:08:54] he didn't wear his uniform today because he didn't polish his shoes, like the rest of [00:08:59] them did. [00:09:00] Good evening, folks. Armando Perez, I'm a member of the League here. Thank you so much [00:09:05] for opening your doors to us. Thank you for all that attendance. Like the Mayor said, [00:09:09] we are located down the road here in Rowan and Bailey, and our doors are always open [00:09:13] to everybody. It's quite an honor to be in front of you. We are open to everybody. Everybody [00:09:20] can come in and join us for social hours. We have events throughout the week, and you [00:09:29] will be seeing us in the parade. You see us in all kinds of events. Our young Marines [00:09:34] are also involved in a lot of community events, as well as helping us out at the League. So [00:09:41] we just celebrated our 248th birthday. It was a successful ball. Once again, on behalf [00:09:47] of my Marines here, thank you for inviting us, and we invite you to our League. Come [00:09:52] check us out. It's quite fun, and drinks are cheap. [00:10:42] Thank you for your service.
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- 7Vox Pop for Items Not Listed on the Agenda or Listed on Consent Agenda▶ 11:03
- 8.a
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Minutes - September 2023
on consentItem listed as Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Minutes for September 2023, but the transcript excerpt does not pertain to this item and instead references a banking relationship with Truist.
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[00:14:16] Ms. Mann. [00:14:17] Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor, members of the Council. As indicated to you in a communication from [00:14:25] Mrs. Dunn, the city has been in a banking relationship for several years now with Truist
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- 8.b
Library Advisory Board Minutes - September 2023
on consentAcceptance of the Library Advisory Board minutes from September 2023, presented as part of the consent or routine reports.
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[00:14:16] Ms. Mann. [00:14:17] Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor, members of the Council. As indicated to you in a communication from [00:14:25] Mrs. Dunn, the city has been in a banking relationship for several years now with Truist
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- 8.c
Purchases/Payments for City Council Approval
on consentCity Manager Mann referenced a communication from Mrs. Dunn regarding the city's longstanding banking relationship with Truist. The transcript excerpt is incomplete and no decision is captured.
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[00:14:16] Ms. Mann. [00:14:17] Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor, members of the Council. As indicated to you in a communication from [00:14:25] Mrs. Dunn, the city has been in a banking relationship for several years now with Truist
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- 9.a
You arrived here from a search for “Mike” — transcript expanded below
Recommendation of Firm for RFP23-022 Banking Services
approvedCouncil approved selecting South State Bank as the city's new banking services provider under RFP23-022. South State was ranked highest by the evaluation committee, offering an interest rate of federal funds rate minus 33 basis points (currently 5%), waived Treasury Services fees, and covered armored car services, with estimated interest income of approximately $207,000.
- motion:Move to approve the agreement with South State Bank for banking services under RFP23-022. (passed)
South State BankSynovusTD BankTruistDavid KeyKellyMikeMrs. DunnStephanie McKeeverRFP23-022 Banking Services▶ Jump to 14:26 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:14:35] Bank and earlier this year we issued an RFP to several banks with a notice of intent to [00:14:44] enter into a new banking relationship for Treasury Services. Several banks responded [00:14:51] and we do have a recommendation before you this evening and we do have two representatives [00:14:56] in attendance who I'll introduce. [00:15:00] Then I'm going to allow Mrs. Dunn to introduce the agenda item. We have David Key in attendance who is the Senior Vice President and Regional President of South State Bank and Stephanie McKeever, who is the Vice President of Treasury Management Services with the same bank. [00:15:19] And take it away from me, Mrs. Dunn, if you would. [00:15:24] Council, the city completed its due diligence in selecting a new banking service provider. [00:15:31] Sounds like it because it's clicking when you touch it. [00:15:43] Just trade it with the one next to you, see if that works. [00:15:55] Completed our due diligence in selecting a new banking service provider. [00:15:59] City issued an RFP and provided all banks. [00:16:02] I'm not sure that one's working either. [00:16:08] Try the one behind you. [00:16:10] She's just got to speak up. [00:16:14] Try the one behind you. [00:16:22] There you go. [00:16:25] A press conference. [00:16:27] Here we are. [00:16:30] We issued an RFP and provided all banks with notice of our intent to enter into a new banking relationship for Treasury Services. [00:16:37] And that was RFP 23-022. [00:16:40] We received interest from several banks, as the city manager indicated, some of which attended a pre-bid meeting held here in the city council chamber. [00:16:49] Total of five responses were received, viewed, and ranked by the evaluation committee, which consisted of the city manager, myself, and our assistant finance director. [00:17:00] The top four banks selected to make a presentation were TD Bank, Synovus, South State Bank, and Truist. [00:17:06] The presentations were evaluated based on the following criteria. [00:17:10] The approach to services and ability to meet exceeded requested services. [00:17:14] The bank's mission and commitment to redevelopment. [00:17:17] Bank and team's experience with municipalities. [00:17:20] The pricing, fees, and rebates. [00:17:22] And technical soundness of the presentation. [00:17:25] At the conclusion of the presentations, the committee ranked South State Bank as the most favorable bank. [00:17:29] South State offers an interest rate equal to the federal funds rate, minus 33 basis points, and is effective for the entire term of the contract. [00:17:38] The rate is currently at 5%. [00:17:41] The bank proposed a waiver of all fees for Treasury Services. [00:17:45] And additionally, if they are selected, they've included armored car services, which will be covered at the cost to them, or by them, which is approximately $3,400 annually. [00:17:58] So the city, we recommend that South State Bank receive the highest rating by the committee, and we recommend that they are selected as the new banking partner. [00:18:09] We did, based on the current balances within our current general account, we estimate approximately $207,000 in interest income for those balances with the rate that they're offering us. [00:18:28] We have, as she indicated, Dave and Stephanie here to answer any questions that you might have. [00:18:34] They are located within New Port Richey, just outside of our city limits, but local to our city. [00:18:43] Would you like to add anything to it? Either one of you? [00:18:46] If there are questions, we'll be happy to answer them. We'll come to the mic in a moment. [00:18:51] All right, do we have any public opinion? [00:18:55] I'll bring it back and move for approval. [00:18:58] I move we approve the agreement with South State Bank. [00:19:02] Go ahead. Do you want any comments? Mike? [00:19:06] No, it just appeared to me, comparing the proposals, that South State Bank is very aggressive, and they really want our business, particularly in their, not only their interest rate, but also the waiver of their fees. [00:19:18] So I'm happy to give them a chance. [00:19:22] Kelly? [00:19:23] I agree with everything you just said. [00:19:26] And then just some of the services that they provide are better than what we've been provided in the past. [00:19:32] I happen to work with this bank quite often as well, so I'm familiar with them and the services that they provide. [00:19:39] And I think that we'll also save quite a bit of money with them, too, since the interest rates are going to be more favorable. [00:19:46] Welcome. [00:19:50] And I'm happy to see that the city can make some money off of its cash, and this is a pooled cash account, so hopefully it'll be a smooth transition. [00:20:02] Now that the audit is finished, it gives plenty of time for the staff to get acclimated and make sure that they can start out with clean bank reconciliations, and that's always a good thing, too. [00:20:17] Well, we bought you dinner. [00:20:18] That's all I remember. [00:20:21] All those in favor? [00:20:23] Aye. [00:20:24] Aye. [00:20:25] Aye. [00:20:26] Aye. [00:20:27] Aye. [00:20:28] Aye. [00:20:29] Aye. [00:20:30] Aye. [00:20:31] Aye. [00:20:32] Aye. [00:20:33] Aye. [00:20:34] Aye. [00:20:35] Aye. [00:20:36] Aye. [00:20:37] Aye. [00:20:38] Aye. [00:20:39] Aye. [00:20:40] Aye. [00:20:41] Aye. [00:20:42] Aye. [00:20:43] Aye. [00:20:44] Aye.
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- 9.b
Agreement w/Granicus RE: Website Redesign
approvedCouncil approved an agreement with Granicus, via a piggyback state-term contract with Omni, for a website redesign and maintenance services not to exceed $89,000, funded in the FY23-24 capital software budget for the Department of Technology Solutions. The roughly 12-month project will unify the city, library, and rec center sites, improve analytics, self-service features, and event calendars. Marketing specialist Alexandra Buckman was introduced as a new staff member who will help manage website content.
- motion:Move to approve the agreement with Granicus for website redesign and maintenance services, not to exceed $89,000. (passed)
City of ClearwaterCity of DenverGranicusMain StreetNew Port Richey Public LibraryNew Port Richey Recreation CenterOmniAlexandra BuckmanMs. FeigartMs. MannsRobert GreenDepartment of Technology SolutionsFY23-24 capital software budgetPiggyback state-term contractWebsite redesign project▶ Jump to 20:45 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:20:45] Aye. [00:20:46] The second item is to request your permission to enter into an agreement with Granicus for the purpose of website design and some maintenance services as well. [00:20:58] This is a project that Mr. Green has been working on for some time, and I'm going to allow him to introduce the services which will improve the resident experience as well as make it a much more attractive website. [00:21:26] So please explain the process and the result. [00:21:31] Thank you. [00:21:33] I'm really excited about this project. [00:21:37] The proposal for this project, as Ms. Manns indicated, was estimated not to exceed $89,000, but this project I think will be really great for the simple fact that I'd like to see the website provide some more information and put it out there for our residents. [00:22:04] And the one good thing about this project is that we will be getting this off of a piggyback agreement, off of a state-term contract with Omni for software and SaaS solution, which basically indicates that they'll be hosting the website for us. [00:22:22] Some of the good things out of it, we will get some real good analytics, some pre-work that has been done, and trying to work with this project is to kind of get a gauge of how residents and visitors access our website. [00:22:39] So using that information, you know, it will help us with the design and kind of like put that information out there. [00:22:49] A lot of our information currently on our website is not necessarily easily made available, but with this project, I think it will really put the city out there, provide all the information and the resources and specifically solidify a lot of the events that are going on throughout the city. [00:23:11] Most importantly, I think it also would kind of put us under one roof. And what I mean by that is essentially right now, you know, the library kind of operates a little bit separate, the rec center does, and now we get everybody under one roof, but still have the same city experience, the same look and feel. [00:23:32] And then everyone can see what events are going on at the library, what's going on at the rec center. So I think with the analytics and just really displaying what the city has to offer and this project is going to be great. [00:23:50] And Granicus has just known, you know, we already use them for other products, but they've done other city sites like Clearwater, City of Denver, they've done some other local cities, but I think this will be a great project and I'm really excited about it. [00:24:11] And the funds for this project is budgeted in the 23-24 capital software for my department of technology solutions. And so, you know, I'm open for any comments or questions that you may have in regards to the agreement at this time. [00:24:32] We need to vote on this? [00:24:33] You do need to vote. [00:24:34] Okay, because I said like, yeah, well, I just said it was in his budget, so I didn't know. [00:24:38] It is, but you would need to approve the expenditure. And I think, Robert, you might want to talk about some of the self-service features and the downloadable PDFs, the fact that we'll have more of those available on this website. [00:24:54] So utilizing this, so with this project, we're going to take the time to, one, get the impact and the help from all the city departments, as well as kind of do some standardization in regards to how people, residents, visitors, anybody coming to the site, receive information, whether it's a fillable form or, you know, kind of gauge their interests. [00:25:23] Based off of how they access the website. [00:25:25] So it's going to be pretty interesting. [00:25:28] I think it's going to be fun. [00:25:30] I think it's really going to showcase the city. [00:25:35] Do you have a timeline? [00:25:36] Yes. [00:25:38] About, they're saying about 12 months, but it could be less, but 12 months, I would say max. [00:25:46] All right. [00:25:47] Do we have any public comment? [00:25:49] I see no one from Comfort. [00:25:50] We'll bring it back for approval. [00:25:52] I move we approve. [00:25:53] Second. [00:25:56] So I've got a couple of questions, Robert. [00:26:00] I'm excited that we're undertaking this project, as well. [00:26:03] I think we've got great opportunity to improve on what we currently are working with. [00:26:09] So two questions. [00:26:11] One, I know we have, the city has an app. [00:26:15] You can download an app. [00:26:16] But does this, will this also include that application, you know, from the App Store or the Play Store? [00:26:24] So that app that we currently have is kind of separated from the website. [00:26:28] But with the new website, it makes things more scalable. [00:26:32] So nowadays, most, you don't really need a mobile app for sites anymore because they make it so scalable for your device. [00:26:40] And you get a look and feel based off of the size of your device. [00:26:45] So you don't need the mobile app as much. [00:26:47] But we will still utilize the mobile app in other ways. [00:26:51] But, no, this won't have anything to do with it. [00:26:55] It's not part of the package, right? [00:26:57] No, it's not. [00:26:58] So, and then so the second part of the question, you know, the city and our personnel and so forth, we're like a living, breathing organism. [00:27:08] We're constantly changing. [00:27:09] So as far as the updates to the website and or the app, is that fall responsibility within your department? [00:27:20] Or how do we get the updates on a timely basis? [00:27:23] Or is that part of the package deal? [00:27:25] How does that work? [00:27:26] Great question. [00:27:28] So one of the plans of ATT&CK for this project is to kind of really engage all of the city departments and have particular subject matter experts, [00:27:39] have multiple of them from each department to kind of represent that, represent the departments and kind of come up with a plan to like, you know, get timely updates. [00:27:52] There's also some features within the platform for editing the webpage that will give us notice and information to indicate, hey, this content is stale. [00:28:04] We need to do something. [00:28:05] But along with that, we'll have multiple hands on deck for the different departments to be able to refresh that content and then some of the technology that comes along with it. [00:28:20] Well, that's good to hear because, you know, I'm sure it's going to look slick and it's going to be pretty and it's going to go smooth. [00:28:28] And I have great confidence in that. [00:28:32] I think the challenge will be for us to make sure that our data is accurate and up-to-date because no matter how good it looks, if we click on it and it's not accurate, [00:28:41] it's not the right phone number, it's not the right person, it's not the right dates, then it's not. [00:28:48] So I know that will be a challenge for not only your department but for all those who are involved in this. [00:28:53] But it will be critical that we do so. [00:28:57] Yeah, no, that's awesome. [00:29:00] And looking forward to this, you know, a lot of times, I mean, I've had, you know, trying to find things or look for things and I've even struggled a little bit. [00:29:09] And most people, you know, they give up after so long. [00:29:13] I mean, it's just not in their face. [00:29:14] And, you know, sometimes they give up, especially our seniors and stuff. [00:29:18] And, you know, they want that big button there, like, I don't know if you remember the jitterbug phone with the big buttons, you know, so they could easily access it. [00:29:25] In the events portion, too, I was just talking to a group today, they felt like they weren't getting all the information for the events. [00:29:33] And now that it's all in one place, we can make sure that they can find it easily. [00:29:37] So, no, I really like it. [00:29:40] Yeah, I love it. [00:29:42] I love the idea, too. [00:29:43] We definitely needed to do that. [00:29:44] But I do have a couple of questions. [00:29:45] So public records, will those be able to be accessed on there and downloaded and printed? [00:29:51] So not from the website, but I don't want to kind of spoil things, but there's some things. [00:30:00] is coming in the future with another software that kind of will link to it to provide that [00:30:08] ability for public record. [00:30:11] Okay, and then for the calendar for updates, will organizations such as Main Street be [00:30:17] able to put their events on there as well so we can kind of have everything going on [00:30:21] in downtown on there? [00:30:23] Because right now, even if we put the library and the rec center, all those events on there, [00:30:29] we still get complaints from businesses that they don't know what's going on because some [00:30:33] of these other organizations have events. [00:30:35] Will they be able to post on there as well? [00:30:37] So one of the plans of ATT&CK is with us boosting our marketing and having a city marketing [00:30:44] person, a library, and a rec center. [00:30:47] We actually have been in collaboration with kind of discussing some of the plans and kind [00:30:53] of coming up with like a committee somewhat to kind of make sure that we cover those types [00:30:59] of events and things like that, and kind of collectively leading the charge together with [00:31:07] a united front and making sure that everybody's represented. [00:31:10] Okay, thanks. [00:31:13] No, I think the top... [00:31:16] No, let's move on then. [00:31:17] Yeah, no, the top... [00:31:18] Well, yes, I mean, yes. [00:31:19] The timing of a one-year time frame is probably typical of what it takes to put all that together. [00:31:32] But to the points that have been made about the calendar and the marketing and the hirings [00:31:37] that we're doing to try to get that done, I would expect that with our own existing [00:31:42] website that we could see the chance to try to get to where we want to get to get better. [00:31:49] So I wouldn't expect that we would wait a year for increased collaboration with respect [00:31:57] to our events and our outreach and our marketing, and I'm sure that that's the case. [00:32:05] I just think it's really, really important to unite these three, because when I came [00:32:10] aboard in 13, I think it was, there was territorial opinions about the library, territorial opinions [00:32:16] about the rec center, and there was city. [00:32:19] And so there was no unity there, and I think this is probably a major, major step. [00:32:24] Even though they've started to work together over the past years, there's still not that [00:32:28] unity of all working together. [00:32:30] I mean, they may be behind the scenes, but we don't see that calendar, let's put it that [00:32:34] way. [00:32:35] But that calendar is so important, and it's just not for Main Street. [00:32:39] I think the businesses, if they're not, they want to promote their business, if they know [00:32:44] to get, everybody can get with the city and say, put me on the calendar for my particular [00:32:49] event instead of having to go through Main Street. [00:32:51] So if we sell it out to the businesses in town, I think it's going to be really, really [00:32:55] good, and it'll keep our marketing person busy, very busy, because there's definitely [00:33:01] a lot of businesses going on, things are going on, individual businesses. [00:33:06] So I'm really looking forward to it, and you know, a year will go by in a minute. [00:33:11] I was going to say something real quick. [00:33:12] Oh, I thought you were going to shut me out. [00:33:14] No. [00:33:15] No. [00:33:16] I over-talked Pete that night. [00:33:17] Well, it might be really cool is on the website, if you're able to put a button on there, you [00:33:21] know, submit your event, and they could upload a flyer, or do something like that. [00:33:26] I mean, you know, obviously you'd have to screen them a little bit, there's no telling [00:33:29] what kind of crazy events you'd get, but you know, we could look at them, but it'd be an [00:33:32] easy way for them to submit them. [00:33:34] Well, that could be submitted to the marketing department, who could then verify it. [00:33:40] If you'll allow me just to interject a bit, Ms. Feigart has already taken the initiative, [00:33:45] and we meet with groups on a regular basis, and I don't know if you do that monthly or [00:33:50] quarterly now, and we assemble all of the events from all of the event organizers, and [00:33:58] we now are publishing a more comprehensive list of events. [00:34:03] We'll continue that practice going forward, and we will publish it on the website, and [00:34:10] we want to always retain editorial control on our website. [00:34:16] We do not want to allow anyone to enter information onto our website. [00:34:20] That's not what I was saying. [00:34:21] That's not what I was saying. [00:34:22] They submit it, and then you look at it, but one-stop shop, and one place you submit it [00:34:27] for everybody, and it goes in one place. [00:34:29] Yes. [00:34:30] Certainly. [00:34:31] Yes, because we did really have three places that it went over the years. [00:34:35] Yes. [00:34:36] I think we're both saying the same thing. [00:34:39] Also, it might be an appropriate time for me to formally introduce Alexandra Buckman, [00:34:46] our marketing specialist, who's in attendance this evening. [00:34:49] She's been on the staff a couple of weeks. [00:34:51] She took some photos this evening, but she has filled that role for us and is doing a [00:34:57] marvelous job, and if she could just wave and say hello. [00:35:02] Like we can't find her in the audience? [00:35:04] You could, but for the viewing public, she is a great addition to the staff, and I'm [00:35:16] very proud to have her. [00:35:19] She'll also be fielding the content of the website entries that are submitted by the [00:35:28] departments to make sure that what we have looks like it comes from a common pen and [00:35:34] that it is well-written. [00:35:39] Thank you very much. [00:35:40] Is there anything else? [00:35:43] All those in favor? [00:35:44] Aye. [00:35:45] Aye. [00:35:46] Those opposed? [00:35:47] Nothing. [00:35:48] Moving on, Fire Station 2, construction project, change order one, budget amendment.
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Fire Station No. 2 Construction Project – Change Order No.1/Budget Amendment
approvedCouncil approved Change Order No. 1 and a corresponding budget amendment, both not to exceed $129,131, for the Fire Station No. 2 construction project. Additional grout (545 cubic yards vs. estimated 200–300) was required to stabilize the subsurface of the 1.19-acre site at Marine Parkway and Grand Boulevard. Funds will be transferred from the grant-partially-funded Fire Station 1 building partnering project.
- motion:Approve Change Order No. 1 not to exceed $129,131 and corresponding budget amendment for the Fire Station No. 2 construction project. (passed)5–0
northeast corner of Marine Parkway and Grand BoulevardCentral Florida Testing LaboratoriesSpring EngineeringRiveraRobertChange Order No. 1Fire Station 1 building partnering projectFire Station No. 2 Construction Project▶ Jump to 35:53 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:35:53] That's correct. [00:35:55] Mr. Rivera will present the agenda item, and it does contain two items, as you indicated, [00:36:03] Mr. Mayor, a change order and a budget amendment. [00:36:06] Mr. Rivera. [00:36:07] The change order is in the amount not to exceed $129,131. [00:36:13] Like you said, in addition, we're asking you to approve a budget amendment in the same [00:36:19] do not exceed amount. [00:36:21] As you are aware, the fire station project began in June of this year. [00:36:26] It's located on the northeast corner of Marine Parkway and Grand Boulevard. [00:36:31] Prior to the construction, Florida, or Central Florida Testing Laboratories was a subconsultant [00:36:38] under Spring Engineering who designed the project. [00:36:43] They worked closely with them to go ahead and do a subsurface survey, and they came [00:36:48] up with an estimate of 200 to 300 cubic yards of grout that was needed to stabilize the [00:36:55] subsurface. [00:36:56] When they started the process, it ended up being 545 cubic yards. [00:37:02] I'd like to say that it doesn't happen often, but in a lot of cases, it isn't uncommon. [00:37:11] We're dealing with a piece of property that's 1.19 acres. [00:37:16] You can remember most of your subsurface material here in Florida is lime rock, honeycomb shape, [00:37:23] with a lot of caverns. [00:37:25] What they will do with a lot of this analysis, they will get the GPR out to begin with, [00:37:31] which is ground penetrating radar. [00:37:33] They will take and cover the whole site. [00:37:36] What that does is that will pick up different areas where they think there are abnormalities [00:37:42] to where there could be voids. [00:37:45] Now, the ground penetrating radar might be only going 10 feet. [00:37:50] Who knows what's beyond that? [00:37:52] What they will do is they will take and they will pick the certain sites where they think [00:37:57] those voids are at, and they will start to do some core sampling. [00:38:01] That's how they get their estimate. [00:38:03] Now, when you start the process, obviously, you could have some areas that the ground [00:38:09] penetrating radar didn't show up. [00:38:11] That's going to create additional grout material. [00:38:15] Or you could also have where you're in your pumping process create voids that open up [00:38:20] underneath what you thought a cavern was only about two or three feet. [00:38:26] The point I'm trying to make is it does happen, especially here in Florida. [00:38:32] This is over an acre site. [00:38:34] Once you begin the process, you pretty much have to go with it to the end. [00:38:40] It worked with them. [00:38:41] They were very involved. [00:38:44] Each city staff, construction staff, as well as the engineer, agreed that we needed to [00:38:48] get this done. [00:38:52] With that, the budget amendment, we have the Fire Station 1 building partnering project [00:38:58] that you're aware of. [00:39:00] That is partially funded by a grant. [00:39:03] We're still in the grant process. [00:39:05] We feel very confident that we can transfer some of that money over to go ahead and take [00:39:10] care of this change order. [00:39:12] Then by the time we start the other project, we'll probably be moving into the following [00:39:18] year to where we can go ahead and supply that money there. [00:39:23] With that, we would recommend approval of the change order and the budget amendment. [00:39:29] Do we have any public comment? [00:39:31] Seeing no one come forward, we'll bring it back for approval. [00:39:37] Move we approve. [00:39:38] I'll second. [00:39:40] Go ahead. [00:39:41] Robert, just one question. [00:39:43] When they go considering the grouting of the site, are they taking into consideration the [00:39:49] location of the building and driveways, or do they go ahead and stabilize the entire [00:39:54] site? [00:39:56] We have to have some retention area and so forth, and green space, right? [00:40:03] You incorporate both options. [00:40:05] In this case, it was, okay, let's stabilize the site. [00:40:09] We've got a lot going on there. [00:40:11] We want to make sure that we're safe with what we're doing. [00:40:15] We went ahead and chose the option, let's stabilize the whole site. [00:40:20] They knew what the footprint of the building was and the driveway and the waves. [00:40:27] I don't have any other questions. [00:40:29] I'm glad they found all of that before we started working there. [00:40:35] Had to be done. [00:40:40] All those in favor? [00:40:41] Aye. [00:40:42] Aye. [00:40:43] Those opposed? [00:40:44] 5-0. [00:40:45] Moving on.
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- 9.d
2023/2024 Street Improvement Project Task Order No. 1 - Engineering Services
approvedCouncil approved Task Order No. 1 with Florida Design Consultants for engineering services (design, bidding, and construction phases) on the 2023/2024 Street Improvement Project, in an amount not to exceed $150,250. The project covers Grand Boulevard, Parkway, and streets in the Sims Grant area, designated as paving cycle seven.
- motion:Approve Task Order No. 1 with Florida Design Consultants for engineering services on the 2023/2024 Street Improvement Project, not to exceed $150,250. (passed)
Grand Boulevard from Sims Lane to Broadway AvenueParkway from Grand Boulevard to U.S. Highway 19Sims Grant areaFlorida Design ConsultantsKellyMattMr. RiveraRobert2023/2024 Street Improvement ProjectPaving cycle sevenTask Order No. 1▶ Jump to 40:46 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:40:46] 2023-2024 Street Improvement Project, Task Order 1, Engineering Services. [00:40:54] As indicated in the title, the purpose of the agenda item is to assign a task order to Florida [00:41:02] design consultants for the engineering services associated with the [00:41:07] 2324 Street Improvement Project, which would include design, bidding, and construction phases of the project. [00:41:15] The amount associated with those services would be an amount not to exceed $150,250. [00:41:30] And Mr. Rivera will discuss for you the specifics related to that phase of the project. [00:41:40] So the streets that we've selected, basically we've got the first two are collector roads. [00:41:46] It's Grand Boulevard from Sims Lane to Broadway Avenue, which is on northern city limits. [00:41:56] Parkway from Grand Boulevard to U.S. Highway 19. [00:42:00] The remaining streets that we have on the list that you've got are in the Sims Grant area. [00:42:07] That's north of the town. [00:42:10] This is what we would consider paving group cycle seven. [00:42:17] I'd like to say that the engineer that we use, and you'll see the $150,000. [00:42:30] That is about 10% compared to our total project. [00:42:35] I know you all are aware now that we're all dealing with your engineering services with what your construction costs are. [00:42:59] Is there anybody in the audience who would like to come up and speak on this item and not bring it back for approval? [00:43:08] Second. [00:43:12] As always, well-documented, well-performed presentation. [00:43:20] You know what my question is, right, Robert? [00:43:23] Cycle seven. [00:43:29] Is this the end of the first cycle? [00:43:34] Cycle seven. [00:43:35] We're all the way through the city. [00:43:37] No, we're not. [00:43:38] There's like 20. [00:43:39] We've got a 20-year. [00:43:40] I know, but 20 years. [00:43:44] I understand that, but I guess what I'm referring to, [00:43:48] I know that we graded streets out, right, and we were bringing them all up to a certain level of service. [00:43:55] Correct. [00:43:56] And then our cycles would start more on a geographical rather than here, there, and others so that we would hopefully do that. [00:44:03] So are we into that range yet? [00:44:06] You're in the cycle two, then, if you look at it that way. [00:44:09] The first five cycles were included. [00:44:11] The streets were included in the paper handling. [00:44:14] Correct. [00:44:15] After the fifth year, then we started to assess those on the geographic area. [00:44:20] It would be some streets that have deteriorated more rapidly than what we had graded them at the beginning. [00:44:28] You could see where we've got one area and you could say, well, why are we doing that? [00:44:37] The goal was to get us to a point where we could maximize our dollars [00:44:43] rather than have the contractor crisscross over town that they would work in one area and move on. [00:44:51] That way we'd get a bigger bang for our dollars as far as per square foot paid or so forth. [00:45:00] Okay. No, they're not coming back to River Road for a while. I hope not. Kelly? No, I'm not leaving. Matt? I'm good. [00:45:09] All those in approval, for approval, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed?
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- 9.e
2019 Fleet Maintenance/Utility Purchasing Warehouse & Storage Building Construction Project – Engineering Services Task Order No. 1
approvedCouncil approved Task Order No. 1 with Stroud Engineering Consultants Inc. in the amount of $155,200 for engineering services tied to the redesigned Fleet Maintenance/Utility Purchasing Warehouse & Storage Building. The redesign reduces building size and revises plans after the original project came in over budget; Hennessey Construction is expected to return with a guaranteed maximum price proposal.
- motion:Approve Task Order No. 1 with Stroud Engineering Consultants Inc. for $155,200 in engineering services for the Fleet Maintenance/Utility Purchasing Warehouse & Storage Building project. (passed)5–0
Hennessey ConstructionStroud Engineering Consultants, Inc.MikeMr. RiveraPete2019 Fleet Maintenance/Utility Purchasing Warehouse & Storage Building Construction ProjectCRP documentEngineering Services Task Order No. 1▶ Jump to 45:15 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:45:16] We have five nothing, moving on. The 2019 Fleet Maintenance Utility Purchase [00:45:24] Warehouse and Building, Storage Building. This is an Engineering Services Task [00:45:29] Order and it is to Stroud Engineering Consultants Incorporated in the amount [00:45:36] of $155,200 for Engineering Services associated with design and construction [00:45:46] phases of the City's Fleet Maintenance and Utility Purchasing Warehouse and [00:45:51] Storage Building. This design and construction services is the direct [00:45:57] result of the reduction in the size and the change in the plans and [00:46:02] specifications that are warranted as a result of the fact that the project came [00:46:09] in originally over budget. And Mr. Rivera, I'll let you tell the rest of the story. [00:46:20] Because it leads us into that valued engineering phase. So just to recap real quick, if you [00:46:28] remember in January of 2023, we had presented the RFP to award to Hennessey [00:46:36] Construction, construction services on this project as well as bidding of the [00:46:42] project. And so we've been working with them schematically to reduce the size of the [00:46:50] building. We took a look at some of the low-hanging fruit as far as the roof [00:46:54] lines to see if we could make that at one level, redesign the stormwater site [00:47:01] plan, as well as some of the materials that we had originally selected to use [00:47:07] for the original design. If you remember, COVID totally threw everything out of whack when it came to the price of steel and a lot of [00:47:14] construction material. So a lot of things change fluently in this project. Now that all of that has stabilized, this is what [00:47:24] we're doing. So when we do that valued engineering, after you get to the point where you say, okay, this is what we want, now you've got to take that engineering [00:47:32] from those construction documents ready for you so that Hennessey Construction, in this case, can take and send out to their subs and have them bid on the project. And then what will happen is, we're hoping that we would be able to bring to you a proposal from Hennessey Construction for the construction of the building and the site at what we would call a maximum [00:48:02] guaranteed price. We're telling you, hey, this is what it's going to cost you. We're taking all the risk in today's market. If it comes in lower, you get the benefit of the lower price, but we're telling you right now that it's not going to cost you any more than you think it will. And so for that to happen, we've got to approve this task order for those engineering services, as well as some of the construction management. [00:48:31] The project is identified in the CRP document. [00:48:38] Is there any public comment? Seeing no one come forward, bring it back for approval. [00:48:47] Move for approval. [00:48:48] Is there a second? [00:48:49] Second. [00:48:51] Go ahead. [00:48:52] I don't have anything. [00:48:54] Mike? [00:48:56] Yes, sir, I don't have any questions. [00:48:57] Pete? [00:48:58] I think we're early in the process. I'll be curious as you get closer to actually getting construction to understand the strategy with respect to whether you'll be moving equipment or what will happen with the functionality of the space. [00:49:15] I know when this building was built, it had been built first, but we moved the library out of its space from the old city hall when we moved over here so that that building could be remodeled. [00:49:29] So I'm sure you're thinking through that, but if you're going to need additional space or find temporary space to operate out of, I'm not sure. [00:49:36] But it's probably premature to ask that question. [00:49:39] It's not. We actually have done an assessment on that, and so basically the new building will be built about 10 feet off of the existing structure, and we will continue to operate out of the old structure until the new one is completed. [00:50:02] Go find the skeletons at that point. [00:50:05] Thank you. [00:50:06] I have nothing more. All those in favor, signify by aye. Aye. Aye. Those opposed. We have a five-nothing. [00:50:14] Now go to the Solid Waste Single Haul or Program Overview.
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Solid Waste Single Hauler Program Overview
approvedCouncil discussed staff recommendations for implementing the single hauler solid waste program, including direct billing (separate from utility bill), quarterly billing for residential and monthly for commercial/HOA, billing the property owner rather than tenant, and a March 2, 2024 start date. After debate, with Deputy Mayor Manns opposing in favor of utility bill integration, council approved the staff recommendations.
- motion:Motion to adopt staff's recommendations on the waste haulers billing process (direct billing, quarterly residential/monthly commercial, bill property owner, March 2 start). (passed)
River RoadTyler TechnologiesChrisCrystalKellyMannsMarlo JonesMikeMr. RiveraPetersMarch 2, 2024 implementation dateSingle Hauler ProgramSolid Waste Collection System OrdinanceTyler ENCODE billing system▶ Jump to 50:15 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:50:18] The agenda item is to get you to have a discussion related to the adoption of the single hauler system, specifically about some of the methodology that we need to employ in order to get the single hauler system in place. [00:50:46] And in that respect, there are some decision points that need to be made or decisions that need to be made so that the administration knows how to go forward. [00:51:06] So in that respect, Mr. Rivera has put together a PowerPoint to help us guide the rationale that you'll need in order to make the decisions that are necessary so we know how to go forward. [00:51:24] So why don't you go ahead, Mr. Rivera. [00:51:28] So just to recap where we left off, on September 5th at your regular meeting, we did or you did approve the second reading of the application to the Solid Waste Collection System Ordinance. [00:51:43] This basically incorporated the single waste hauler system within it. [00:52:02] Staff did recommend that we assess the customers for the service. [00:52:10] Council did not agree with that and told us that they wanted us to come back and offer them another method that they could choose from. [00:52:22] And so when we sat there and took notes through the whole meeting and we also took in some of the comments from residents, the items that we came up with were several on the billing process. [00:52:36] We had utility billing or direct billing. [00:52:39] We had monthly billing or quarterly billing. [00:52:43] We had do we bill the owner? [00:52:45] Do we bill the tenant? [00:52:47] What about homeowners associations, property owners, tenant, those types of things? [00:52:53] And then we wanted to take a look at that start date again. [00:52:58] And so when we came to the utility billing versus the direct billing, we recommended that direct billing be used, which would be separate from the utility bill. [00:53:11] The ability to go ahead and charge for the service separate of the utility bill made more sense. [00:53:21] And then also one of the things that we ran into is that we had a dumpster. [00:53:29] It was hard to go ahead and say, okay, was the owner, was the tenant, who was responsible? [00:53:39] When it came to billing frequencies, we actually took both of the two time frames that we were talking about. [00:53:48] We recommended residential services be billed quarterly. [00:53:52] And that basically seemed like the simplest route to go. [00:53:56] It's an industry standard. [00:53:58] All the residents now in the city of New Port Richey pay quarterly. [00:54:04] And then, I mean, they have the option. [00:54:07] I know some people probably pay for the whole year all at once. [00:54:11] But the point is, is if you get billed, it's a standard quarterly bill. [00:54:16] And then also the cost is a little bit lower than if you had monthly bills. [00:54:21] Now, when we looked at the commercial services, we recommended that they be billed. [00:54:25] And HOAs are commercial as well. [00:54:28] We recommended that they be billed monthly. [00:54:31] Their level of service changes so drastically and frequently that your true-ups doing it quarterly would probably affect the businesses as well as the city would have more of an impact on them. [00:54:45] And so then we looked at the billing process. [00:54:48] I know that was discussed. [00:54:50] You really only have two choices, your owner or your tenant. [00:54:55] We come before you and recommend that we direct bill to the property owner simply because you have that extra avenue of uncollected fees. [00:55:05] If the tenant leaves, you're pretty much stuck with the bill. [00:55:11] If that property is owned by somebody, you can try to get the money from them. [00:55:16] If you can't, then you still have that option to lien the property. [00:55:23] Homeowners Association, there were homeowner residents or presidents that came in here and were concerned about, hey, what about them? [00:55:33] Some of the HOAs that had curbside pickups, we had agreed that those would be individual residential charges. [00:55:41] But then there were other HOAs that maybe they had 150 condos and they were using a dumpster for their services. [00:55:49] And so how we accommodated that was to allow those HOAs to register with the city finance department so that they could override the general billing and come up with that equitable methodology that I think Crystal has proposed. [00:56:10] And then finally, our startup date, we had talked to you about the January 1st startup date, but there is training that has to be in place with the Tyler system. [00:56:19] We really want to do a extensive outreach to the residents so that they know what's coming down the pipe to be able to generally give it one more shot to answer any more questions that people may have about the system. [00:56:35] And so the March 2nd deadline is what we would propose that we implement in the program. [00:56:44] And so with that, we'll take any questions or comments that you may have. [00:56:49] We are doing an approval on this tonight on the staff's recommendations. [00:56:56] Correct, that's what you need to do. [00:56:58] Any public comment? [00:57:05] Marlo Jones. [00:57:17] The comment I would like to have or I would like to say is we are now almost to December and you're trying to figure out how to implement this. [00:57:29] Kelly, we still never seen that list of 22 people that you said were for this. [00:57:34] A majority of the residents in the city did not want this. [00:57:37] We did not ask you for it. [00:57:39] It was something that your city manager's office came up with. [00:57:42] And if a majority of the residents did want this, produce the data. [00:57:46] You waste our money on surveys about euthanizing ducks in this community. [00:57:51] Why didn't you put a survey up on this when you all figured out what you're going to do behind closed doors months before bringing it to the public? [00:58:00] Now we're here and you're trying to figure out how to bill people for it. [00:58:04] How come you didn't have this plan prior to taking away people's choice? [00:58:10] And you say we're a democracy. [00:58:12] Once again, one or two people hold all the power here. [00:58:16] The city council is powerless. [00:58:19] Also, I would just like to state for the record, I know most of you are stalking me on social media. [00:58:26] I would like to say, Mr. [00:58:29] Excuse me, sir. [00:58:30] We're addressing this subject. [00:58:31] It's a business item. [00:58:33] Okay. [00:58:34] Please sit down, please, sir. [00:58:37] Please sit down, sir. [00:58:39] Thank you. [00:58:40] Please sit down. [00:58:41] Please sit down. [00:58:42] Thank you. [00:58:47] Would anybody else like to speak? [00:58:54] Excuse me, sir. [00:59:00] Anybody else in the public like to speak? [00:59:03] Seeing no one else come forward, bring it back to council for approval. [00:59:08] I'd like to have a comment if I may. [00:59:10] Well, we'll have that if we can't get to it, then we'll have the comments. [00:59:15] Do we have approval? [00:59:19] All right, go ahead. [00:59:20] Would you comment? [00:59:22] I think that the experiences that I'm aware of [00:59:30] and the promotion that I've done to try to get this to be on the water bills is to save money. [00:59:38] So when you bring these proposals together and talk to us about what we should do, [00:59:46] it would be nice if we could have a discussion amongst ourselves. [00:59:49] I mean, the experience I have is that the commercial properties in areas that the cities do manage, [01:00:00] are being handled by the provider. [01:00:06] And there's probably some reasons for that, [01:00:08] because there could be additional pickups [01:00:09] or extra services needed. [01:00:11] And the whole commercial service business [01:00:16] is a little different. [01:00:17] And so for us to put the additional burden on the city [01:00:22] staff to deal with all those nuances, [01:00:25] I'm sure the phones ring in garbage collection companies [01:00:30] with all kinds of requests and changes and that kind of thing. [01:00:34] The commercial property can be extracted from this process. [01:00:38] And it doesn't stop our agreement [01:00:41] to require the single holder and to require the analysis that [01:00:45] could be done on their part. [01:00:47] So I think if you're getting some extra time, [01:00:49] and it's obvious that you're going to need it, [01:00:51] that there should be some discussion about that. [01:00:56] We had a lot of people come into this. [01:01:00] They came in of their own volition. [01:01:03] And they came in with some questions, [01:01:06] like how much are we going to charge a vacant lot? [01:01:08] Are we going to charge a vacant lot? [01:01:11] I think what you need to know now [01:01:13] is what process you're going through. [01:01:14] So I hope that those discussions about setting those fees, [01:01:19] if they are in the minds of the staff settled, in my mind, [01:01:25] I think they still need to be fees that match what we've [01:01:28] told them from up here, which is this [01:01:30] is going to be less expensive for them, [01:01:32] or this is going to be something that's more convenient, better [01:01:35] for us to maintain, and manage to make sure [01:01:37] that the entire city is covered. [01:01:41] The cost of additional mailing, it [01:01:45] hasn't been suggested what that's going to be. [01:01:49] The additional entry on a monthly bill [01:01:52] to have somebody pay monthly, there [01:01:58] may be enough savings to do that. [01:02:00] So you come to us to tell us what your experiences are, [01:02:03] but we don't have any experience. [01:02:06] And you tell us what best practices are, [01:02:07] but my knowledge is that best practices [01:02:09] have been to do monthly billing on utility bills. [01:02:15] And it goes as much to what effort limited staff [01:02:19] in a finance department has, because I'm learning that, [01:02:22] that there is a lot of daily work, budgets, reports, [01:02:26] analysis, requirements. [01:02:29] So I know we're taking on a bigger effort from a staff [01:02:33] standpoint, and this argument that we [01:02:38] aren't going to collect from the renters who are moving out [01:02:41] and leaving us unpaid is best served by us really [01:02:45] working on that client base. [01:02:47] And I know the problems that we've [01:02:50] had with renters and the way in which we're [01:02:52] doing our water bills. [01:02:54] So if we took our water bills and made the owners responsible [01:02:58] and figured out legally how to do that, [01:03:00] that wouldn't be an argument to send a separate bill. [01:03:05] Collections are not easy. [01:03:06] I know when I got here, we had outstanding bills, [01:03:10] and that was a big issue for you, Mr. Mayor. [01:03:12] I remember when you were a councilman concerned [01:03:14] about how many old outstanding unpaid bills there were. [01:03:18] So I'm just saying, when you put that bill on a water bill, [01:03:23] that bill is part of that collection activity. [01:03:26] It's not another collection activity. [01:03:30] And if the reason for this recommendation [01:03:36] rests on some of these arguments, [01:03:38] they're not supported by any data. [01:03:42] It's just what you want to do. [01:03:44] And maybe if it's a software that [01:03:46] can't be done, if the billing department can't functionally [01:03:50] do that, the comments that were made about we [01:03:53] don't know who the owner is, we do know who's using water, [01:03:57] and we know who needs service. [01:04:00] And we know when that water's turned off and on. [01:04:03] And that's a hard job. [01:04:06] I know how difficult it was in the billing collection [01:04:10] to manage that job. [01:04:12] Putting this bill on there and just assuming [01:04:16] that folks are not going to pay, or that we lose money [01:04:20] because they don't pay, we don't pay. [01:04:29] We should have an agreement with the provider [01:04:30] that we're doing our best. [01:04:32] If we don't get paid, they don't get paid. [01:04:34] So we're not maybe every month, as you [01:04:38] look at the services that are provided, [01:04:41] our agreement with the provider should be, [01:04:44] we're doing you a big favor. [01:04:46] How do you think the garbage companies, [01:04:47] when they're collecting and sending out their bills [01:04:51] and the renter moves, how do you think? [01:04:54] Do you think they're experiencing losses more [01:04:57] than ours or less than ours? [01:04:59] I don't think so. [01:05:00] It's the same situation. [01:05:02] So it's a business. [01:05:04] And I appreciate the analysis or the idea [01:05:10] that what I've been promoting continues [01:05:12] to be rejected without much discussion or any data [01:05:15] to say why. [01:05:18] There's money to be made. [01:05:22] One of my arguments was we were going to save postage. [01:05:24] Now we've got postage. [01:05:26] We got mail. [01:05:27] We got return mail. [01:05:29] You're doubling the return mail that [01:05:30] comes into the finance department, [01:05:32] the billing department, with unknown addresses. [01:05:35] And that could be, and there's problems with owners as well. [01:05:40] Owners getting the mail. [01:05:42] Owners paying the bill. [01:05:46] I think it's much to do about nothing. [01:05:49] And I'm not sure why. [01:05:51] But if the reason is the software company can't support [01:05:54] it, then the Tyler Technology ENCODE system [01:05:58] is alive and well. [01:05:59] Their billing system is alive and well in Dade City. [01:06:01] And it's working every month. [01:06:03] And a simple call comes in or something changes. [01:06:07] We certainly shouldn't lose any money. [01:06:09] And we certainly shouldn't pay the provider [01:06:11] if they're not providing the service. [01:06:14] That would include if there's an empty lot or somebody that's [01:06:17] not using it or doesn't need garbage. [01:06:21] I just think we can manage our residents [01:06:22] and provide the best service for them [01:06:24] by having one point of service. [01:06:26] And so I think this is a great complication. [01:06:30] I don't know if we've thought through the finance end of it, [01:06:34] the staffing end of it. [01:06:37] But I'm not ready to support the recommendation [01:06:41] until we've thought of it. [01:06:42] Mike? [01:06:46] Sounds like you'd like to have that. [01:06:49] You should have had a workshop. [01:06:51] You should have had a workshop. [01:06:52] You should have had a workshop. [01:06:55] Could you have him? [01:06:57] Don't let him back in, please. [01:07:00] You're going to have him leave. [01:07:01] Albert. [01:07:01] Everybody's here. [01:07:04] Mike, thank you. [01:07:05] Good night. [01:07:06] Please, please, thank you. [01:07:08] Please escort them out. [01:07:09] Please escort them out. [01:07:11] Debbie. [01:07:11] And stop talking to me on social media. [01:07:13] Me too. [01:07:14] Thank you. [01:07:14] Mr. Peters, Ms. Manns. [01:07:17] Before they go, and they won't listen maybe anyway, [01:07:21] but the reality is I was part of the proponent, Ms. [01:07:26] Manns, on this process. [01:07:27] So the idea that this was unknown is a fallacy. [01:07:32] We've talked about this for a long time, [01:07:34] and it's got to this point. [01:07:35] And I think we're all in agreement [01:07:38] that it's the right thing to do. [01:07:39] So to the overall, we're forcing this on the community. [01:07:43] I just want to say I'm all in with your recommendation, [01:07:47] with the fact that this is something we've talked about, [01:07:50] and I can recall that for many, many years. [01:07:53] I'm sorry, Mike. [01:07:54] Yeah, so I think everyone's excited for us [01:07:59] to move forward as one hall. [01:08:02] And some of your comments, you made counsel, [01:08:06] maybe we'd go back to that September date, [01:08:09] and maybe we could solve all these problems [01:08:11] by placing this on the edge or on tax rolls. [01:08:15] So that certainly would have been much simpler. [01:08:21] People who pay their mortgages monthly, [01:08:23] they're paying it monthly. [01:08:25] And maybe that's something we can revisit after this year. [01:08:30] Maybe we can do that for next year. [01:08:32] But I think that the staff has looked at this. [01:08:40] They know we're moving this way. [01:08:42] They've done some analysis as what [01:08:45] they can do as far as billing both ways. [01:08:48] And I have full faith that they've made the decision [01:08:52] that we can go forward, and this is their recommendation. [01:08:58] For most folks, it's going to be kind of a status quo. [01:09:03] Most people pay quarterly, and we'll pay quarterly. [01:09:07] And I don't know if there's, like you said, [01:09:14] there is trouble with collections. [01:09:16] We have that from time to time. [01:09:18] Why would we necessarily compound it [01:09:20] without having a recourse? [01:09:22] And here with the property owner, [01:09:23] there would be that eventually recourse. [01:09:27] I think our property owners and our landlords, [01:09:31] for the most part in the city, are responsible. [01:09:35] Many of them have more than one property. [01:09:38] I think we had one of our landlords here [01:09:41] at a previous meeting who spoke highly in favor of this. [01:09:45] And so I tend to go ahead and support [01:09:50] the staff's recommendation on how [01:09:53] we go forward with this process. [01:09:57] Yeah, I kind of agree with Captain Peters on that. [01:10:01] Not discrediting anything you're saying. [01:10:04] I mean, I'm in a position where I can't say, no, [01:10:08] this is the better course, or that's the better course, [01:10:11] because the staff and how the city does their billing [01:10:16] and stuff, they know how that runs [01:10:18] and what's going to be more efficient [01:10:20] or what's not going to work in their process. [01:10:25] So I mean, I kind of have to lean towards the staff [01:10:27] to make the best choice and recommendation to us. [01:10:31] So if we need to change something later, [01:10:35] like he's saying, then let's do that. [01:10:37] But I think for the sake of moving forward and getting [01:10:41] this done, we probably need to just go along [01:10:43] with the staff recommendation and, I guess, [01:10:46] not hold it up anymore. [01:10:48] We're already pushing the date out now to March. [01:10:53] Yeah, I agree with moving forward with it as well. [01:10:55] It's been pushed out long enough. [01:10:57] But I do think that there's a lot of pros and cons [01:10:59] about whatever direction we take. [01:11:02] There's going to be pros and cons on all of it. [01:11:05] But I think we have to move forward [01:11:06] to get the one hauler. [01:11:07] We all know we want the one hauler, right? [01:11:09] So we need to move forward with that, [01:11:11] because that's the biggest part of this, [01:11:12] is we don't want them tearing up the new road we just [01:11:15] got on River Road, right? [01:11:16] So we don't want that to continue. [01:11:18] So I think that we need to move forward. [01:11:20] But I think that if we have struggles with that this year, [01:11:23] looking at the admiral arm taxes maybe for next year [01:11:26] is an option. [01:11:26] I mean, there's a lot of other options we can look at later. [01:11:29] But I think that we need to move forward with something [01:11:31] because the original reason we decided to go to a one hauler [01:11:33] still exists. [01:11:35] And I think that we have to fix that issue. [01:11:38] I'll take your, Pete, you've got some great points. [01:11:42] But the problem is I'll throw my particular situation in. [01:11:45] First of all, there's like 46% or 45% rentals in this town. [01:11:49] So if you're addressing the owners, [01:11:52] and the owner could change residents, [01:11:56] tenants on a regular basis on every couple of months [01:11:59] or whatever, depending on the quality of their product. [01:12:01] So I kind of lean towards that way. [01:12:04] And right now, in my situation, I rent. [01:12:06] And my landlord's part of my rent that I have trash pickup. [01:12:10] And it's not a condo or anything. [01:12:11] It's a duplex. [01:12:13] And he has separate pickup for both of us in the duplex. [01:12:19] So I like that because then if the landlord says [01:12:25] then he's going to have to pay it, [01:12:27] the person that's paying the water bill, [01:12:29] that's why I agree with the separation of the two. [01:12:32] Sure, it might cost us a few more dollars. [01:12:34] But with that 46% rental or 45% rental, [01:12:38] they're the ones that are getting the water, most of them. [01:12:41] Probably 80%, 90% are getting the water. [01:12:44] Then the trash is going to be there for them [01:12:47] no matter whether they're there or not. [01:12:48] So I kind of support that. [01:12:50] So I'm looking for a recommendation or approval. [01:12:56] I've got another question if I can. [01:12:58] Yeah, Mayor, I wonder if maybe Chris [01:13:00] can shed some light on this. [01:13:02] We mentioned a March date, right? [01:13:05] So would that mean, what are we going to see as a homeowner? [01:13:13] Am I going to see a quarterly bill starting in March [01:13:17] or a quarterly bill starting in, let's see, January, February? [01:13:20] March is a quarter, right? [01:13:23] So it's going to be in June. [01:13:24] So how's that going to play out? [01:13:27] Is it in advance or is it after? [01:13:31] My recommendation would be to follow [01:13:33] a normal quarterly calendar, our annual calendar. [01:13:37] So January, February, March is one quarter. [01:13:38] Yeah, we understand that. [01:13:39] But is it in advance or is it after the fact? [01:13:42] I recommend after. [01:13:45] But that would be up for discussion. [01:13:48] Well, but March in a break of a quarter, that's my question. [01:13:53] It is in the break of a quarter. [01:13:54] So we would follow a normal calendar quarter. [01:13:57] January, February, March, April, May, June. [01:13:58] Oh, I see. [01:13:59] So you would bill in March for the first quarter. [01:14:02] Correct. [01:14:03] I see. [01:14:03] OK. [01:14:04] All right. [01:14:04] I'm sorry. [01:14:05] OK, so that even emphasizes more what I kind of believe [01:14:10] is that it should go to the landlord [01:14:12] because the tenant could be long gone before their bill was [01:14:16] ever in services. [01:14:17] He might have taken seven weeks or eight weeks [01:14:20] and then he books. [01:14:21] And then we send them a bill. [01:14:23] He doesn't even live there anymore. [01:14:25] So yeah, I tend to stick with that then. [01:14:27] So I'm still looking. [01:14:28] You're making a proposal or just another question? [01:14:32] Still looking for a problem. [01:14:36] I'll make a motion that we adopt the staff's recommendations [01:14:41] on the wastewater, or excuse me, the waste haulers billing [01:14:46] process. [01:14:48] Second. [01:14:51] I second. [01:14:52] Any other conversation? [01:14:56] All those in favor, signify by aye. [01:15:00] Aye. [01:15:00] Those oppose? [01:15:01] No.
This text was generated automatically from the meeting video. It is not a verbatim or official record. For exact wording, consult the video or the city clerk.
- 10Communications▶ 1:15:02
- 11Adjournment▶ 1:37:32