On the agenda

1. 1Call to Order – Roll Call▶ 0:00
2. 2

   Pledge of Allegiance

   Roll call taken at the start of the meeting. Mayor Davis, Deputy Mayor Mothershead, Councilman Murphy, Councilman Altman, City Manager Manz, and City Attorney Driscoll were present; Councilman Butler was noted as arriving shortly.

   👤Altman👤Butler👤Davis👤Driscoll👤Manz👤Mothershead👤Murphy

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   [00:00:00] All police. [00:00:13] Mayor Davis. [00:00:14] Here. [00:00:15] Deputy Mayor Mothershead. [00:00:16] Here. [00:00:17] Councilman Murphy. [00:00:18] Here. [00:00:19] Councilman Altman. [00:00:20] Present. [00:00:21] City Manager Manz. [00:00:22] Here. [00:00:23] City Attorney Driscoll. [00:00:24] Here. [00:00:25] Councilman Butler will be along shortly. [00:00:26] Silence.

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3. 3

   Moment of Silence

   The Council observed a moment of silence.

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   [00:00:26] Silence. [00:00:32] Thank you.

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4. 4

   Approval of November 19, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes

   approved

   Council approved the minutes from the November 19, 2024 regular meeting.

   • motion:Approve the November 19, 2024 regular meeting minutes. (passed)

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   [00:00:43] November 19th, 2024, regular meeting minutes. [00:00:56] Move for approval. [00:00:59] Aye. [00:01:00] Aye. [00:01:01] Aye. [00:01:02] Aye. [00:01:03] Aye. [00:01:04] Aye. [00:01:05] Aye. [00:01:06] Aye. [00:01:07] Aye. [00:01:08] Aye. [00:01:09] Aye. [00:01:10] Aye. [00:01:11] Aye. [00:01:12] Aye. [00:01:13] Aye. [00:01:14] Aye.

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5. 5

   Special Recognition of Patricia "Patty" Spiers, Tampa Bay Water, Water Wise Award Program

   Patricia "Patty" Spiers was recognized as the first-place winner of the Tampa Bay Water Wise Award Program, receiving a commemorative stepping stone and flag. Spiers briefly spoke, dedicating the award to her late husband with whom she gardened.

   🏢Tampa Bay Water👤Jim👤Patricia "Patty" Spiers#Water Wise Award Program

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   [00:01:15] That is the end of the Weiss Awards Program. [00:01:16] Come on down. [00:01:22] If you're going to film it, you want to come around where she is? [00:01:34] It's fine with us. [00:01:37] Okay. [00:01:38] You're fine. [00:01:39] I'm talking about the family. [00:01:40] You want this. [00:01:41] All right. [00:01:42] I have something else. [00:01:43] She doesn't know this. [00:01:44] So this is showing up for you folks. [00:01:45] Actually, being the winner, there's a wonderful stepping stone and a flag. [00:01:46] So this is for her. [00:01:47] Oh. [00:01:48] This is the stone that was created for this year's Water Weiss Award winner. [00:01:49] And Pat exemplifies that just down the road from here. [00:01:50] Oh, that's great. [00:01:51] Thank you. [00:01:52] Thank you. [00:01:53] Thank you. [00:01:54] Thank you. [00:01:55] Thank you. [00:01:56] Thank you. [00:01:57] Thank you. [00:01:58] Thank you. [00:01:59] Thank you. [00:02:00] Thank you. [00:02:01] Thank you. [00:02:02] Thank you. [00:02:03] Thank you. [00:02:04] Thank you. [00:02:05] Thank you. [00:02:06] Thank you. [00:02:07] Thank you. [00:02:08] Thank you. [00:02:09] Thank you. [00:02:10] I'm just going to go ahead and close this out just down the road from here with a beautiful [00:02:11] landscape that you just watered the container plant. [00:02:12] You just said. [00:02:13] That's right. [00:02:14] And nothing else. [00:02:15] That's beautiful. [00:02:16] I want to say thank you for entering and congratulations. [00:02:17] Thank you so much. [00:02:18] Graduating, Grandma! [00:02:19] Grandma! [00:02:20] Thank you so much. [00:02:21] Thank you. [00:02:22] Thank you. [00:02:23] Congratulations. [00:02:24] Congratulations. [00:02:25] Thank you. [00:02:26] Congratulations. [00:02:27] Congratulations. [00:02:28] Thank you. [00:02:29] Congratulations. [00:02:30] Thank you. [00:02:31] Congratulations. [00:02:32] Thank you so much. [00:02:39] Thank you. [00:02:40] Thank you. [00:02:41] You want to say a few words? [00:02:42] Thank you. [00:02:43] Fine. [00:02:44] Spin around on the mic, though. [00:02:48] I'm just thrilled when Jim called me and said that I won first place. [00:02:53] I hadn't heard from him in so long, and I'm like, well, no, not even a participation trophy. [00:02:59] Participation trophy. [00:03:01] I know. [00:03:02] But then he calls me. [00:03:03] He said, I won first. [00:03:04] I'm like, are you kidding me? [00:03:05] So, no, I'm thrilled. [00:03:06] It's kind of a thing, because I lost my husband three years ago, and so this is kind of like [00:03:13] a gift to him, because we both garden together. [00:03:17] That's great. [00:03:18] Yeah. [00:03:19] Thank you. [00:03:20] So thank you. [00:03:21] Thank you. [00:03:23] Thank you.

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6. 6

   ↳You arrived here from a search for “Southwest Florida Water Management District” — transcript expanded below

   Presentation by Chuck Carden RE: Tampa Bay Water and Long-Term Master Water Plan Update

   discussed

   Chuck Carden, General Manager of Tampa Bay Water, presented an annual update on regional water supply, addressing water quality (PFAS testing), reservoir levels following recent hurricanes, the desalination plant restart, and ongoing/future capital projects including a surface water treatment plant expansion, a 26-mile South Hillsborough pipeline, and seven feasibility-stage projects to meet 2033/2043 demand. Mayor Chopper Davis discussed New Port Richey's contribution via the Starkey well field and the history of the 1998 regional agreement.

   🏢Southwest Florida Water Management District🏢Tampa Bay Water🏢U.S. Environmental Protection Agency👤Chopper Davis👤Chuck Carden#15.5 billion gallon regional reservoir#1998 regional water agreement (ended 'water wars')#2033 demand: 10-15 MGD additional#2043 demand: 25 MGD additional#Cosme well field / Cosme Odessa well field#Crossbar well field#Cypress Creek well field#Desalination plant (20 MGD restart)#Long-Term Master Water Plan#PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) testing#Section 21 well field#Seven feasibility-stage water supply projects#South Hillsborough Pipeline (26 miles)#Starkey well field#Surface Water Treatment Plant expansion (10-12 MGD)#Wholesale rate $2.62 per thousand gallons

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   [00:03:26] Presentation by Chuck Carden, Tampa Bay Water and the Long-Term Master Water Plan. [00:03:34] Thank you, everyone, thank you. [00:03:42] Well, good evening. [00:03:45] I'm Chuck Carden. [00:03:46] I'm the general manager of Tampa Bay Water. [00:03:48] I'm your regional water supply wholesaler. [00:03:51] I want to thank you for having me tonight. [00:03:53] And I just wanted to take a few minutes to update you on some of the happenings and activities at Tampa Bay Water. [00:04:00] And as you know, Mayor Chopper Davis represents the city, and he's doing a fine job for you on our board. [00:04:07] Didn't pay him. [00:04:11] Our mission at Tampa Bay Water is simple. [00:04:13] It's to reliably provide clean, safe drinking water to the Tampa Bay region now and for future generations. [00:04:21] We were formed in 1998, and it ended the decades-old water wars when we were formed. [00:04:28] And it also reduced the groundwater pumping that affected the surrounding environment, especially in this county, Pasco County. [00:04:36] We are a nonprofit special district of the state of Florida, [00:04:40] and we provide the clean, safe water to more than 2.5 million people throughout the member governments. [00:04:46] The member governments include Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, [00:04:51] and the three cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. [00:04:56] And as far as I know, we are the only water utility in the United States that blends the treated water from three different sources. [00:05:02] So we use groundwater, we use surface water from the river, and also seawater out of the bay. [00:05:08] We have 163 employees, and our wholesale rate to each of the members, they all pay the same. [00:05:13] You pay $2.62 per thousand, which is a little more than a quarter of a penny per gallon. [00:05:20] New Port Richey is budgeted this year to purchase about 3.3 million gallons a day, [00:05:26] and that's just about 2% of the total system demand between the six members. [00:05:32] And since my last update to you last year, we've been working very hard. [00:05:37] We've been addressing new water quality parameters. [00:05:40] We are meeting the region's short-term water needs, and we're also trying to keep up with the long-term growth. [00:05:49] And of course, as you all are aware, the region had some bad weather and a few bad hurricanes recently, [00:05:55] but I'm very happy to say that the regional drinking water supply system, [00:05:59] we were able to continue providing water to all of the members throughout both storms, [00:06:04] despite the power losses, the wind, and the flood damage. [00:06:08] And I also know that the city staff worked very hard throughout both of the storms [00:06:12] to ensure continued water supply for the city of New Port Richey. [00:06:16] We coordinated with your staff throughout both events. [00:06:21] This graph represents the total amount of water we delivered in the year 2023 [00:06:27] and the year that just ended, the water year 2024, which ended September 30th. [00:06:33] And what's unique about this is the graph shows that both years, [00:06:37] we used about the same amount of water in the region. [00:06:40] And you could wonder and say to yourself out loud, say, how could that be with all the growth? [00:06:46] And we had a drought last year, as you recall. [00:06:49] But the Southwest Florida Water Management District issued a one-day-a-week watering restriction, [00:06:55] and that had a tremendous help in keeping the demands down last year. [00:06:59] It also allowed us to reduce the usage of the 15.5-billion-gallon reservoir, [00:07:05] which we use as our water savings account. [00:07:08] So we fill it up when we have plentiful water, and we use it in the dry times. [00:07:12] And unique to this whole system was in July, July 14th, I'll never forget, [00:07:17] I looked at the data, 2.3 billion gallons was in that reservoir, and it holds 15. [00:07:22] And our goal is to have it full at 15 by the water year ending, which would be September 30th. [00:07:28] So we were at 2.3, and we were going to need to be at 15 by October 1. [00:07:34] But unbelievably so, we made it. [00:07:37] As you know, all the rain we received, which in some places is too much, [00:07:41] but for us it was a godsend because the reservoir is full to the brim right now. [00:07:46] We haven't used it, and I don't know, we probably won't be needing it until in January or so. [00:07:52] So everything is good on that end. [00:07:54] We are beginning our dry season right now, so that is very handy to have. [00:07:58] We didn't have that last year. [00:08:00] And we also didn't have our desal plant. [00:08:02] We were down last year for the whole year. [00:08:04] It is now being started up as we speak. [00:08:07] So that's going to provide another 20 million gallons a day by the end of this month. [00:08:12] Regardless of the source, we supplied our members all of the water quality that's suppressed, [00:08:17] all the drinking water standards that the federal government sets. [00:08:24] We are also taking steps to ensure that we keep pace with the new water quality standards. [00:08:29] You are probably all familiar with polyfluoroalkyl substances. [00:08:34] You know them as PFAS. [00:08:36] They're called the forever chemicals, and they're in everyday products that we use. [00:08:43] We had to test last year to see how much PFAS was in the region and to what amounts, [00:08:51] and the EPA set a standard in the spring of four parts per trillion. [00:08:56] So we did all our testing, and we did find one area that was just over the limit of four parts per trillion in the Brandon area. [00:09:05] And we're also right close to that limit at our surface water treatment plant. [00:09:10] And so we've hired a consultant, and they're looking at presenting recommendations to our board early next year. [00:09:18] So by March or April, we might be ready to show our board some results [00:09:23] and some recommendations of some treatment options we can use. [00:09:28] Beyond water quality, we're also focusing on increasing the quantity that we have to meet the growing needs. [00:09:35] We have two major projects that are in the works. [00:09:38] One is to expand our surface water treatment plant by another 10 to 12 million gallons a day, [00:09:45] and that expansion is currently in the design phase. [00:09:48] We are going to start construction in July next year, and the completion is scheduled for 2028. [00:09:57] And at the same time, we're also designing a new South Hillsboro pipeline. [00:10:01] And this pipeline is 26 miles long, and it will provide additional water from our regional facilities in Brandon [00:10:09] down to the fast-growing South Hillsboro County area. [00:10:12] And that pipeline is also scheduled to be complete by the end of 2028. [00:10:18] But the growing demand means we also need to look to the future and secure new water supplies. [00:10:24] So our demand projections show that we need another 10 to 15 million gallons a day by the year 2033, [00:10:31] and then a total of 25 million gallons by the year 2043. [00:10:37] So in November, last November, the board approved seven projects to go into what we call the feasibility stage, [00:10:45] which is further studies to see are they feasible and are they technically sound and economical. [00:10:52] And so we've just started that. [00:10:54] There's seven projects you can see on the graph there from north to south, and they are spatially diverse, [00:11:00] and they also use different supplies, including fresh groundwater, brackish groundwater, and surface water and additional seawater. [00:11:10] These projects will be studied for the next two years, and then we'll bring them back to the board, [00:11:15] and the board will choose one or several to meet those demands that I talked about into the future. [00:11:23] We also continually analyze our system hydraulics in our emergency scenarios, which was very timely in the last couple months. [00:11:31] So we're looking at that. [00:11:33] We kicked off a plan that we update generally every 10 years, but we look at it yearly. [00:11:38] But it helps us to address the capacity issues with our pipelines, [00:11:43] and it also makes us look at resiliency and reliability issues and levels of service out 20 years with our member governments. [00:11:51] So we've had initial meetings with all the utilities, and we will be working all next year, [00:11:57] and by the end of next year we should be in front of the board with a revised report [00:12:01] and may have some additional capital projects to help us going into the future [00:12:06] with the weather issues that we've experienced with droughts and the hurricanes. [00:12:12] That was just a brief overview, and I know you're very busy here at the city, [00:12:17] and we're very busy at Tampa Bay Water, and we are committed to serving the community every day, [00:12:22] and I'm happy to take any questions. [00:12:31] I just want to say that I was one of the proud six people to sign that agreement in 1998, [00:12:36] and the percentage of use of the city at 2% would cause me to maybe reflect on the fact that we probably [00:12:51] I'm anticipating that we supply more than 2% into the system because one of the entrees for us was the Starkey well field, [00:12:58] which was purchased as part of the original agreement. [00:13:03] So I'm just curious how much water our water department produces that is contributed into the bigger system [00:13:14] or that comes out of the Starkey well. [00:13:16] I guess we have our own point, but the water resource for the region, New Port Richey, [00:13:24] I believe hopefully is more than a 2% contributor into your entity. [00:13:30] Yeah, I'm not sure of the numbers. [00:13:32] I do know that we supply about 4 million gallons out of Starkey to the city, [00:13:37] and we buy back 2 million from the city. [00:13:41] They treat it for us, and so that's how that arrangement works. [00:13:45] But the bigger well field that's in the original Starkey well field I think is also maybe part of our original. [00:13:54] But in any case, so we are a contributor, and I would also like to suggest that the water use education is an important role. [00:14:08] I don't know that you all have in your budget for that, but I think that there are some opportunities [00:14:14] that are in the city that are coming from the city of St. Petersburg. [00:14:19] I also noticed interestingly that there was no pipes or their member, but I didn't see any well fields there, [00:14:27] and I know they have their own water supplies as well, how much of the Tampa Bay water they use. [00:14:34] You're talking about the city of St. Pete? [00:14:35] Yeah. [00:14:36] Well actually, when we were formed in 1998, all of the members sold all of their well fields to us. [00:14:42] So the six members do not own any of the well fields. [00:14:46] They own some treatment plants. [00:14:48] The city of St. Pete owns the Cosme treatment plant, but we own the Cosme well field. [00:14:53] We bought it from them, just like we bought Starkey well field, and all of the well fields. [00:15:00] We purchased them to make, you know, to end the water wars and stop the, you know, the infighting and going across borders and bringing water back to the home base. [00:15:10] So the chart that I saw that looked to be primarily Pasco, Hillsboro, and into East Pasco, was that a chart of your proposed additional construction that you had there? [00:15:25] Let me see if I can go back a little bit. [00:15:28] It had all the circles in it. [00:15:30] Yeah, maybe you can, to slide nine, please. [00:15:39] That one, I think. [00:15:40] Yeah. And so, that's actually the, there's actually another slide that's probably better. [00:15:49] This one. That was the water quality nodes that I was showing you. [00:15:54] Right. [00:15:55] This is the existing system, and then you see the circles with the alphabet all the way through F. Those are new projects that we're looking at. [00:16:04] And so, you can see that we're actually, in A, we're looking up in Eastern Pasco. [00:16:09] Right. [00:16:10] To site a facility. [00:16:12] But the other stuff, the blue lines are actual pipelines that exist, and then you can see all the well fields. [00:16:18] They're in a lighter green shading. [00:16:23] My point is that you don't see a whole lot of lines at all into Pinellas or St. Pete. [00:16:27] So, you have their well field, which they owned well fields in Crossbar as of St. Petersburg. [00:16:35] Yeah, that was Pinellas. It owned Crossbar and then Cypress Creek. [00:16:39] But where the C is there, there's the Cosme Odessa well field. That used to be owned by the city of St. Pete, and they owned section 21 just to the right of it. [00:16:49] We own that now, since 1998. [00:16:51] But just interesting graphic, because it shows the water coming from our counties and from the counties outside of Pinellas to supply them. [00:17:01] I kind of followed this. [00:17:04] I never expected to be mayor when I came here in the 80s. [00:17:07] I never expected to be on Tampa Bay water either, but I did follow the water a lot when I came here and what was going on. [00:17:15] And Pasco County owned the most property in the county itself. [00:17:20] Number two was Swift Mud, number three was Pinellas County, and number four was St. Pete. [00:17:25] They owned more property than anybody else up here. [00:17:28] Individuals. [00:17:29] And it all had to do with water, and so when they came all together in 98, like you said, the water wars, that's settled it all down. [00:17:36] But they were pumping from us, taking it down south. [00:17:39] Yeah, and all the permits were up for renewal in the 90s, and the district declared they were cutting the permits pretty much in half for everybody. [00:17:50] So going in alone, you were going to have to figure out how to get your own supply, because they were going to take away the groundwater. [00:17:58] So going in together saved everybody. [00:18:01] And I hear back in the early days, St. Pete was not happy when they joined because of the cost they had to incur. [00:18:09] They had very cheap water when they had their own facility, and then they all came together, all of you, and their rates went up quite a bit. [00:18:16] And so it's a regional, all-in-together approach that's worked for over 26 years now. [00:18:22] Coming up on 26 years. [00:18:24] Well, congratulations, and thank you for coming. [00:18:26] And thank you for signing back in the day at the aquarium. [00:18:30] I happened to work here at the agency back then. [00:18:33] I've been here since 93, and I didn't get to go to the aquarium, but I'm still here. [00:18:38] So thank you so much. [00:18:41] I appreciate it.

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7. 7Vox Pop for Items Not Listed on the Agenda or Listed on Consent Agenda▶ 18:53
8. 9.a

   Board Re-Appointment: Allan Safranek, III, Land Development Review Board

   approved

   Council reappointed Allan Safranek, III to the Land Development Review Board for a three-year term running through December 3, 2027. He has served on the board since July 2021.

   • motion:Move approval of the reappointment of Allan Safranek, III to the Land Development Review Board for a three-year term through December 3, 2027. (passed)

   👤Allan Safranek, III#Land Development Review Board

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   [00:30:00] Mr. Sophranick has served on the Land Development Review Board since July of [00:30:05] 2021, and he has served well on the board. Our recommendation is to renew his [00:30:17] term for a three-year period, and if you approve the renewal, his term would span [00:30:24] through December 3rd of 2027. Do we have any public comment? Not seeing Alan here, bring it [00:30:32] back for discussion and vote. I'll move approval. Okay. All those in favor signify by [00:30:40] aye. Aye. Those opposed? Thank him again for us.

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9. 9.b

   Recreation and Aquatics Annual Membership Drive

   approved

   Council approved the annual Recreation and Aquatics Center membership drive with a 20% discount for residents and 10% for non-residents, running December 9-23, 2024. Discussion expanded to a forthcoming fee analysis and Councilman Altman's longstanding push to pursue an interlocal agreement with the county to join its public recreational service area.

   • motion:Approve the annual membership drive with 20% resident / 10% non-resident discount, running December 9-23, 2024. (passed)5–0

   🏢Recreation and Aquatics Center🏢YMCA👤City Manager Mance👤Councilman Altman👤Councilman Butler👤Mayor Davis👤Mr. Julian#Annual Membership Drive#County ad valorem recreational tax#Interlocal agreement / county recreational service area#Recreation and Aquatics Center fee analysis

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   [00:30:44] Certainly. Recreation and Aquatics Annual Membership Drive. It's the time of year [00:30:50] that we conduct our annual membership drive, and Mr. Julian will speak to you [00:30:57] about the sale and the timing of that for this year. Mr. Julian. Thank you very [00:31:05] much, City Manager Mance. Good evening, Mayor Davis and City Council. Thanks for [00:31:10] the opportunity to present on behalf of the Parks and Rec Department. The request [00:31:14] before you is, before the City Council is to review and improve a discount of [00:31:19] 20% off for residents, as well as a 10% off for non-residents of the annual [00:31:23] membership to the Recreation and Aquatics Center in the form of an annual [00:31:27] membership drive. The additional request here is to approve this year's annual [00:31:32] membership sales dates. Around this time every year, the Recreation and Aquatics [00:31:36] Center conducts a membership drive. Last year, we were [00:31:39] successful in selling 214 memberships to the facility. However, we will be [00:31:44] conducting a fee analysis this year to determine the appropriateness of our fee [00:31:47] structure and sales opportunities in future years. The discounted rate for the [00:31:53] annual membership drive prioritizes City residents, and the pricing breakdown for [00:31:58] each category is included in your packet. The membership drive will be held for a [00:32:03] two-week period, beginning on Monday, December 9th, 2024, and ending on Monday, [00:32:08] December 23rd, to retain existing members, as well as to encourage new members to [00:32:14] enroll. At this time, the recommendation before the City Council is to approve [00:32:18] this item. Thank you. And I can answer any questions you have. [00:32:22] We have a public comment. Seeing no one come forward, bring it back for [00:32:29] discussion and vote. I'll move to approve. Second. [00:32:34] Any other comments? Yeah, I'm just always excited by these membership sales and any way we can provide quality of life services to our residents. I was [00:32:42] particularly excited to see that there would be a fee analysis happening. I [00:32:46] know that in years past, when I was at the Rec Center, the fees changed, but I [00:32:52] wasn't sure if that came as a result of a fee analysis. And so, looking forward to [00:32:56] seeing the results of that and how it might inform the larger conversation [00:33:00] that Councilman Altman has raised in the past about how we structure fees at the [00:33:04] Recreation Center and if they fit the vision and in the long-term plan of the [00:33:09] City and providing those services to our community. So, if the City Manager [00:33:13] would, is that an in-house one or are we going to have to approve it as a [00:33:17] Council? You will have to approve entering into an agreement to have the [00:33:21] study conducted. Great, so I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, I just, membership [00:33:28] drive is always a good thing. Anytime we can offer a discount to our residents, I [00:33:31] think that's awesome. Anything else? Just, it's not up to the motion, so maybe I'll bring it up [00:33:38] under consent, but related to the comments on the fee analysis, I'm [00:33:42] spending money to tell us that we're the only one of the recreation facilities [00:33:48] in the county that charges a membership fee, while I'm hopefully been waiting for [00:33:55] a long time to pursue the ability for us to join as a public recreational [00:34:01] facility and receive serious amount of money from the county, that there needs [00:34:08] to be analysis done on that. So, this is something that we should be starting, I [00:34:15] think, sooner, bringing something to us to do with fee study, so we could look at [00:34:19] that and then have it come back to us and paying money for it, when we have a, [00:34:24] I have a strategy that I plan to pursue, and the strategy is to make those [00:34:33] fees the same $5 fee that everybody else pays and to see us receive a few [00:34:38] million dollars into our general fund. So, if we did an initial fee study to see [00:34:44] how much could we get if the county would create a service area and give us [00:34:49] our share of the tax money that we're already paying and others around us are [00:34:54] paying, I would like to see that number so that it could be compared to the fees [00:35:00] we're collecting now, to see how big a gap that is, because I think if we see [00:35:05] that number, it might encourage us to go that route and try to create that [00:35:13] opportunity to increase our recreational facilities through that partnership, and [00:35:19] I know you talked about partnerships the other day, I think this is a great place [00:35:22] for us to start. So, I don't want to pooh-pah a fee analysis, but those [00:35:27] analysis look at what people charge at fitness centers around, or, [00:35:33] you know, what the private sector charges are, but the public sector [00:35:39] charges in our county are $5. Their facilities are nowhere near, in many [00:35:44] cases, the quality of our facility, so we might compare ourselves to a more of a [00:35:51] commercial type operation, and any information is good, so I don't want to [00:35:55] pooh-pah analysis. I'm just not sure how much money we would spend for someone to [00:36:00] continue to do a fee analysis if we are going to, you know, proceed forward [00:36:07] with the service area request to see what their response is, and maybe the [00:36:13] answer is it's good to have that analysis in front of us, so I'm not [00:36:16] saying no, but I'm just saying I appreciate you brought up that project, [00:36:22] and I hope that it acts in concert, and there's a recognition that that is [00:36:27] something to pursue. To your point, I was talking about the longevity of [00:36:32] there not having been done a fee analysis, and how this can contribute to [00:36:36] that larger conversation of what we plan to do for the future, so not [00:36:40] necessarily speaking to the excitement, just so we're not flying blind, so to [00:36:44] speak. I mean, we could say what the county is paying, but I'd like to know how it [00:36:47] compares to our YMCA's, or comparable cities of the same size, with the same [00:36:52] square foot, and the same amenities facilities, and what they're doing, if [00:36:56] that's what the fee analysis will entail, or if that's the direction council gives [00:37:00] for it to entail. I think we have a little bit of wiggle room there. We'll [00:37:05] see when it comes before us, and then we can negotiate and go from there. I'm just [00:37:09] excited we're talking about rec center fees now, whether it's to charge more, to [00:37:13] charge less, or to get to a model that actually serves our residents the way [00:37:17] it's supposed to. Well, that's great, and I think the bottom line is any analysis [00:37:21] is not only what is the average that someone pays, but what are the number of [00:37:26] people that go, and what's the total revenue that it generates, versus what [00:37:30] revenue we could generate to expand our recreation, which is really my goal, [00:37:35] because I think it's our goal to be a quality-of-life city, and to have the [00:37:39] best we possibly can. So yeah, I'm happy to go along. I just don't want to [00:37:45] have this initiative lost in the shuffle, so thank you for bringing it up. [00:37:49] Mr. Mayor, if you'll allow me to respond to the comments advanced by Councilman [00:37:53] Altman and Councilman Butler as well. We will define the [00:38:01] scope of the analysis that will be conducted, and we'll share that with you [00:38:06] in advance of releasing that to any consultants that might bid on a project. [00:38:14] And in addition, Councilman Altman has brought up on several occasions the [00:38:20] concept of an interlocal agreement as it relates to our Recreation and Aquatic [00:38:24] Center, and we'll be advancing that early in the first quarter of the next year. It [00:38:29] won't be lost, certainly. Appreciate it. I just think the dialogue, you know, Pete's been [00:38:34] talking about it for a couple years, and I just think that this is the time [00:38:38] to, you know, put it on the table. Let's deal with it and see if we can get [00:38:43] anything out of the county. Any cooperation from the county? Well, we'll certainly continue those [00:38:48] discussions with the county. This is the time when we're trying to decide our [00:38:51] fees, too. And Mr. Mayor, to that point, because the county did approve a [00:38:56] recreational tax, which was an ad valorem tax, which surprised me, and then when it [00:39:02] came time to put the budget in, they made it a zero tax. But they have it on the [00:39:06] books as an approved method of collection, so to your point, now's the [00:39:11] time to fit into that model if they're making one and find out what it is. So I [00:39:15] think we can learn a lot just from that communication with them, and they would [00:39:21] be foolish not to try to accept our system into theirs and allow us to [00:39:26] still have our autonomy. Yeah, and I was gonna say, I mean, I know we've been [00:39:32] talking about this for years and years and years, trying to do something [00:39:35] different, and I'm glad we're finally making a little bit of progress on a plan to see [00:39:40] what we can come up with, and looking forward to see what it says. Thank you. [00:39:48] I guess that's all the favor signify by aye. Those opposed, five nothing. Approval of the

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10. 9.c

    Approval of Florida Department of Law Enforcement SAFE Grant

    approved

    Council approved acceptance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Supplemental SAFE (State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication) Grant in the amount of $33,365.29 for police overtime and equipment to combat illegal fentanyl activity, along with a corresponding FY 2025 budget amendment. Council requested follow-up information on results achieved with the prior year's grant.

    • motion:Move to approve the FDLE SAFE grant in the amount of $33,365.29 along with the corresponding FY 2025 Police budget amendment. (passed)5–0

    🏢Florida Department of Law Enforcement🏢New Port Richey Police Department🏢Pasco County Sheriff's Department👤Cochin👤Crystal👤Ms. Manns#Chapter 119 (public records exemption)#FDLE SAFE Grant#FY 2025 Police budget amendment#Mutual aid agreement#Supplemental State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication Grant

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    [00:39:57] Florida Department of Law Enforcement SAFE grant. This is actually the second [00:40:02] year of a grant that was solicited by the Police Department and received. It's [00:40:08] supplemental, and Chief Cochin will tell you a little bit about the grant. Thanks, [00:40:13] Ms. Manns. Mayor, Council Members, so the request before you is to approve the [00:40:17] Florida Department of Law Enforcement Supplemental State Assistance for [00:40:21] Fentanyl Eradication Grant for police overtime and equipment to combat illegal [00:40:26] fentanyl activity in an amount of $33,365.29. As you may [00:40:32] remember, back in October 17, 2023, the Council approved the first [00:40:39] SAFE grant award in the amount of $99,364. We've had a lot of success with that [00:40:44] grant, you know, in combating this epidemic, and there is actually good [00:40:49] news across America that the opioid deaths are decreasing. Now, we don't know [00:40:54] if that trend is going to hold. We sure hope it does, but that's a good sign, but [00:40:59] we always must remain vigilant. We have to remain vigilant with this crisis, so [00:41:04] these resources with our partners, with our state partners, FDOE, of course, the [00:41:09] Pasco County Sheriff's Department, the biggest thing here is that we all do [00:41:12] this as a team. We all network together from the City Manager's Office to the [00:41:16] Chief, to the Command Staff, to our Detective Division, who actually [00:41:20] administers this grant. We're all just, we're all doing a great job of bringing [00:41:24] a lot of resources to combat this. This grant, as you know, will pay for officers [00:41:28] overtime, provide equipment, provide monies to allow specifically trained and [00:41:32] equipped Newport Ridge Chief Police officers to combat this fentanyl [00:41:35] epidemic. Additionally, FDOE will provide resources and manpower to assist our [00:41:40] Police Department with strategic drug interdiction operations. The SAFE grant, [00:41:45] again, the supplemental SAFE grant, will greatly benefit our community by [00:41:48] targeting fentanyl dealers, that's who we're going after, people are selling [00:41:52] this stuff, with the goal of eliminating them from our jurisdiction. The City [00:41:56] Attorney has reviewed this grant and the contract, along with the mutual aid [00:42:00] agreement, and approved them both as to form. Our recommendation is that you [00:42:04] approve the FDOE SAFE grant in the amount of $33,365.29, [00:42:09] along with the corresponding budget amendment that allocates SAFE grant [00:42:13] funding slash expenditures into the FY 2025 Police budget, and I'm available for [00:42:19] any questions that you may have. Any public comment? Seeing no one come forward, [00:42:24] we'll bring it back for discussion and vote. Move to approve. Second. [00:42:31] And every little bit we can get to help is going to definitely improve our [00:42:36] community, so that's awesome. Do you have to submit back to, is this one of those [00:42:42] grants where you'd submit anything back to the state, show in progress how the [00:42:46] money's being used? Because I would just like to, instead of creating a redundant [00:42:50] process where counsel receives something, I'd just like to see what the grant's [00:42:53] been going towards, seeing how it's been used, because you said it's been very [00:42:57] successful, and I'd love to see how that's been characterized. So if the [00:43:01] city manager could prepare something for counsel, just to see how those monies are [00:43:05] being used, especially since the state believes that we need more, that's great. [00:43:08] It means we're doing something right, so I'd like to know what that is. So thank [00:43:12] you. Just the specifics, because I think the Police Department's doing a [00:43:15] wonderful job, and when I speak to people, I like to be better equipped to [00:43:18] get into the... So your question is, how has this money been used in the first [00:43:23] grant? Well, it lays out overtime, equipment, but what that actually looks [00:43:27] like, and what that translates to, what that overtime has achieved, what the [00:43:30] equipment... So we've taken about a thousand pills off the street, served two search [00:43:34] warrants, arrested five people. We brought at least three or four people before [00:43:38] federal court on federal gun charges. We also seized a bunch of weapons. The lift [00:43:43] team has also been involved in this, but FDLE has been involved in this, so a lot [00:43:49] of the other stuff we cannot talk about publicly because it's still being [00:43:52] investigated, it's still being worked on, and that is confidential under 119, but as [00:43:58] you know, as I just said, the first safe grant has been very successful, and [00:44:01] you get a thousand pills off the street, that's saving lives. Right, and we just [00:44:05] in this memo, which is what the public sees, it doesn't say a thousand pills [00:44:08] were taken off the streets, and you know, the things that get people talking is [00:44:12] the photos of police officers standing next to the illegal guns that [00:44:16] they got off the street, or the illegal drugs they got off the street, and so [00:44:19] being able to go back to constituents and say, look, yeah, not only did the state [00:44:23] approve this, and it's state funds, but this is what the result is, that's very [00:44:28] helpful, and so thank you for laying out some of those numbers. I appreciate it. [00:44:38] Yeah, I mean, anything we can do to beef it up and, you know, fight this, the more tools [00:44:44] you have, the better off you are, so thank you. [00:44:48] Crystal, can you find a way to spend the money? All those in favor, signify by aye. [00:44:54] Aye. Those opposed, five nothing.

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11. 9.d

    RFQ 24-026 Award - Professional Engineering Services/City Engineer

    approved

    Council approved the staff ranking of firms responding to RFQ 24-026 for Professional Engineering Services/City Engineer, with Colliers Engineering and Design Inc. ranked first and Forefront Architecture and Engineering second. Council also approved the engineering services agreement with Colliers Engineering, effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, with a not-to-exceed amount of $60,000. The Mayor suggested future consideration of having a council member participate on selection committees for major projects.

    • motion:Motion to accept the staff ranking of firms for RFQ 24-026. (passed)
    • motion:Motion to approve the engineering services agreement with Colliers Engineering (Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025; not-to-exceed $60,000). (passed)

    🏢Colliers Engineering and Design Incorporated🏢Forefront Architecture and Engineering👤Debbie Mance👤Mr. Rivera👤Ms. Mann#Land Development Code#Professional Engineering Services / City Engineer#RFQ 24-026

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    [00:45:00] Q24-0264, Professional Engineering Services, a city engineer. [00:45:06] The Land Development Code sets forth the appointment of a city engineer on an annual basis, and [00:45:12] it's that time of year. [00:45:15] Mr. Rivera led a request for qualification for city engineering services, and he'll present [00:45:22] the agenda item to you this evening. [00:45:24] Thank you, Ms. Mann. [00:45:25] This is two items that we're requesting your approval on. [00:45:29] First of all, to approve the rankings, and then approve the agreement that is attached [00:45:35] in your packet for the engineering services. [00:45:38] As Ms. Mann said, the city engineer is a contracted service. [00:45:43] We had two firms that submitted for the RFQ. [00:45:47] We did our interviews on October 2nd and October 3rd. [00:45:51] The firms were evaluated on the following categories. [00:45:55] Number one, understanding the city's needs. [00:45:58] Number two, overall ability to execute services. [00:46:01] Three, experience and qualifications. [00:46:04] Four, past performance and reference. [00:46:07] And then finally, five, location of firm and staff assigned to the city. [00:46:14] Based on those RFQs submitted and the information that we obtained, staff ranked Collier's [00:46:21] Engineering and Design Incorporated as the number one firm, and then Forefront Architect [00:46:26] in Engineering. [00:46:28] Should you approve the ranking, then we would also, again, like I said, recommend the attached [00:46:32] engineering service agreement with Collier's Engineering. [00:46:36] The agreement will commence January 1st of 2025. [00:46:41] It will expire December 31st, 2025, and it would also include a do not exceed amount [00:46:48] of $60,000 for those services over the term of the agreement. [00:46:53] And with that, we would recommend your approval. [00:46:55] Do you have any public comment? [00:46:59] Seeing no one come forward, we'll first look for comments on the ranking and the vote. [00:47:07] I need a, somebody would like to propose we accept the ranking. [00:47:14] I'll make the motion to accept the ranking. [00:47:16] Okay. [00:47:17] Second. [00:47:18] Any comments? [00:47:19] No. [00:47:20] No. [00:47:21] No. [00:47:22] No. [00:47:23] No. [00:47:24] No. [00:47:25] No. [00:47:26] All those in favor, signify by aye. [00:47:27] Aye. [00:47:28] Aye. [00:47:29] Okay, and then the agreement. [00:47:30] I'll make a motion on the agreement to approve it. [00:47:35] Second. [00:47:37] On this one, I will make some comments, and only to say that I would like to see, and [00:47:43] I know I've asked for us to have the ability to in some way have a city council involvement [00:47:51] in some of these major discussions, whether they be an architect or a major project. [00:47:56] And when I look at the RFP, the teams that examine and determine the ranking for the [00:48:05] county or the school board, they all have a specific sort of outline of who would be [00:48:13] on that ranking committee. [00:48:15] And I would love to see the mayor have the opportunity to appoint or to have us have [00:48:21] a member of the council on some of these if we're willing to do a little bit of that work. [00:48:32] And not by way of distrust in any fashion, but just to say, you know, from a best practices [00:48:37] standpoint, a U.S. engineer serves us as well and can come to us to answer questions. [00:48:42] And particularly if we're doing a major project or a major construction project, it's nice [00:48:48] to have one of my colleagues maybe to attend those listening sessions and to have that [00:48:56] sort of angle of approach on the – and understanding of the methodology sort of. [00:49:02] It gives us a little bit of a view inside the system, and it's very common. [00:49:10] So I would like maybe, Debbie Mance, if you would consider maybe talking about that with [00:49:16] us sometime in the future as we look at how some of these major – because this is a [00:49:22] chartered position and one that is a little different considering that it's a city engineer [00:49:30] or a large architect for a farm for a design concept or something. [00:49:37] I've just seen it in RFQs and RFPs and many other places, and I would like to introduce [00:49:43] that as a way to get us a little involved in the leadership of those projects. [00:49:49] This is an annual process, and as indicated earlier, it is required in the Land Development [00:49:55] Code that we do this one time per year. [00:49:58] So the council is welcome at any point to participate or in any form in the preparation [00:50:07] of the RFQ or P or to participate in the interviews or to ask any questions of staff. [00:50:15] And I think it's – sometimes it can just be one appointed member, you know, who might [00:50:19] be interested or might have the ability to have some knowledge and look at it from the [00:50:25] policy side of things as well as internally. [00:50:29] It just seems to be a practice I see, and I would like maybe for you to consider that [00:50:34] in some of the major multimillion-dollar sort of projects that we take on. [00:50:41] I'm good. [00:50:45] I think the mayor loves having the ability to appoint people, gives them more work to [00:50:48] do, so. [00:50:49] Sign up, please. [00:50:50] Sign up, please. [00:50:51] All those in favor, signify by aye. [00:50:53] Aye. [00:50:54] Those opposed? [00:50:55] Aye. [00:50:56] Nothing. [00:50:57] Ratification of the PVA union contract.

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12. 9.e

    Ratification of PBA Union Contract

    approved

    City Council ratified the collective bargaining agreement between the City of New Port Richey and the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA) for October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027. The agreement modifies step plans for dispatchers, officers, corporals, and sergeants with annual step movement, raises base starting salaries, increases shift differential from $0.50 to $1.00/hour, raises personal property reimbursement from $110 to $300, and extends the DROP program to 96 months. The motion passed 5-0.

    • motion:Motion to approve and ratify the collective bargaining agreement between the City of New Port Richey and the PBA for October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027. (passed)5–0

    🏢West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association👤Debbie Manns👤Joe Iappolo👤Mr. Wetzel👤Pete Altman#DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Plan)#FY 2024-2025 General Fund Budget#PBA Collective Bargaining Agreement 2024-2027

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    [00:51:01] Before I turn this one over to Mr. Wetzel, who served in a leadership role on the city's [00:51:09] bargaining team, I wanted to say that it's an honor and a privilege to work with a union [00:51:14] that acts in a manner that demonstrates their true vestige to the city and also is clearly [00:51:23] committed to the principles of mutual benefit bargaining. [00:51:26] I wanted to thank Corporal Joe Iappolo, who serves as our lead in the local union, who [00:51:33] was standing in the back of the room for most of the meeting, but has stepped out at [00:51:40] this time. [00:51:41] But he does a very effective job as our local union leader, and we were able to reach a [00:51:50] tentative agreement with them. [00:51:52] I know most of you were able to participate in our shade session related to our ongoing [00:51:59] discussions with the union, but I'll allow Mr. Wetzel to bring you up to date on the [00:52:06] tentative agreement that we've reached. [00:52:08] Thank you, Ms. Manns. [00:52:09] Good evening, Mayor. [00:52:10] Good evening, City Council members. [00:52:13] The request before you this evening is for City Council to vote affirmatively in favor [00:52:18] of ratifying the proposed collective bargaining agreement between the City of New Port Richey [00:52:22] and the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association, better known as the PBA, or the [00:52:28] police union. [00:52:29] For the period spanning from October 1st, 2024, through September 30th, 2027. [00:52:36] Discussion highlights of this item and agreement after several months, as Ms. Manns stated, [00:52:42] of respectful discussions and meetings with members of the PBA's negotiating team. [00:52:47] Staff is pleased to present to you a proposed final agreement with respect to the collective [00:52:51] bargaining agreement for the terms as indicated just above. [00:52:56] A brief summary of the terms and conditions that have been agreed upon by the union and [00:52:59] the city negotiating teams are as follows. [00:53:02] Again, I apologize for a little bit of length here. [00:53:04] There were several items that were involved in this agreement. [00:53:07] First and foremost is language. [00:53:09] There is a clean-up and updating of language throughout the agreement, where such language [00:53:14] was either outdated, listed in the wrong article, or no longer revelant to current practice. [00:53:20] PBA representatives, we agreed to recognize and increase the number of union alternative [00:53:26] representatives from one to two. [00:53:29] The grievance procedure, provide consistent language throughout that article and increase [00:53:34] the number of days in which to respond to a grievance at each step by five days. [00:53:39] The response time will now be a consistent 15 days. [00:53:43] Second to that item was, again, an arbitrator will be limited to considering only those [00:53:48] issues and articles allegedly violated that are presented at step two. [00:53:54] The next item is regard to the pay provisions, the wages. [00:53:58] This obviously was the longest and probably the most detailed conversation that we had [00:54:03] in coming to reach this agreement, which is not uncommon in any type of usually negotiations [00:54:08] for a new agreement. [00:54:10] With regard to the pay provisions and wages, the step plan, the step plan for each classification [00:54:16] has been modified and changed. [00:54:18] In addition, the new step plan will allow for movement each year between steps rather [00:54:22] than every two years under the previous plan. [00:54:25] The new step plan for each classification will be as follows. [00:54:30] Dispatchers, there will be a 13-step plan with annual movement between steps based on [00:54:35] anniversary date. [00:54:36] Officers, there'll be a 14-step plan with annual movement between steps based on anniversary [00:54:42] date. [00:54:44] For the corporals, there'll be an eight-step plan with annual movement between steps based [00:54:48] on promotional anniversary date. [00:54:51] And lastly, the sergeants, there'll be an eight-step plan with annual movement between [00:54:55] steps, again, based on promotional anniversary date. [00:55:00] The base starting salaries for each classification was increased in this agreement to make the [00:55:05] City of New Port Richey more competitive with surrounding municipalities and agencies. [00:55:10] The increase of the base starting salaries should assist with both recruitment and retention [00:55:14] of staff. [00:55:17] The next item under the wages was slotting. [00:55:20] Again, this was an issue that, again, there was multiple discussions about. [00:55:25] Again, we come to agree to a slotting process for existing bargaining unit members only [00:55:31] that were employed as of October 1st, 2024. [00:55:35] The slotting process will place a member by classification at the appropriate step on [00:55:39] the modified step plan in the proposed agreement. [00:55:43] A member will be given proportional credit for both current and previous experience as [00:55:47] a sworn law enforcement officer in the state of Florida, outside the state of Florida, [00:55:52] and or for the United States government. [00:55:55] A maximum of four steps can be credited for previous experience. [00:55:59] Rehires, if a bargaining unit member separates from the city, they must return now within [00:56:05] one year in order to be placed at the step at which they left the city. [00:56:10] Shift differential, increase the shift differential from 50 cents per hour to $1 per hour for [00:56:16] hours actually worked between 1900, 7 p.m., and 0700, 7 a.m. [00:56:23] Future wages for fiscal year 2025-2026, increases to wages within each step plan, if any, will [00:56:32] be established through re-opener negotiations. [00:56:35] The same will apply for fiscal year 2026-2027, increases to wages within each step plan, [00:56:43] if any, will be established through re-opener negotiations. [00:56:49] Next item on the wages was seniority layoff and recall, was again, excuse me, separate [00:56:54] item, separate article, seniority layoff and recall, the probationary period. [00:57:00] The probationary period can be extended for a period up to six additional months at the [00:57:05] discretion of the police chief upon written notice. [00:57:09] And the next article was miscellaneous, reimbursement for loss or damage of personal property. [00:57:17] We agreed to increase the reimbursement for the loss or damage of personal property from [00:57:21] $110 to $300 per incident. [00:57:25] In addition, the city manager may authorize an additional reimbursement payment not to [00:57:30] exceed $300 at the request of the police chief. [00:57:34] And finally, the last article or item was under pension, is the drop program. [00:57:40] Agreed to extend a deferred retirement option plan, better known as DROP, that a member [00:57:44] can elect to participate in to 96 months. [00:57:49] The recommendation from staff is for city council to vote in favor of the terms and [00:57:54] conditions identified in the proposed labor agreement with the PBA. [00:57:58] The financial and fiscal impact, the financial impact, including any additional costs associated [00:58:05] with the salary increases contained in the agreement, have already been included and [00:58:09] accounted for in the 2024-2025 general fund budget. [00:58:14] The city planned and budgeted for a 5% salary increase inclusive of related costs, related [00:58:20] costs being pension, social security, FICA, et cetera, for both regular and union employees [00:58:27] in FY 2024-2025. [00:58:30] With that, I will answer any questions or address any issues that may come forth. [00:58:36] Do we have any public comment? [00:58:38] Seeing no one come forward, we'll bring it back for discussion and vote. [00:58:41] Any questions? [00:58:42] Let's start Pete. [00:58:43] I'd like to make a motion to approve the collective bargaining agreement as presented. [00:58:49] I'll second. [00:58:53] Yeah, I think, you know, in the environment that we're in, the rapidly accelerating, you [00:58:59] know, cost of inflation and cost of, for folks to live, this is not an unusual move, even [00:59:11] though it may have seemed like a large step forward a few years back. [00:59:16] I think it's necessary for us to continue to lead in our police, the quality of our [00:59:24] policing in our city. [00:59:26] Second. [00:59:27] I'll reiterate first what the city manager said about showing some appreciation to Corporal [00:59:33] Jolie, the union lead on the police department side and to the PBA Police Union for coming [00:59:43] to the table with the HR leadership to enter into what I would say is respectful and long [00:59:50] said negotiations that ended in what looks to be a fair agreement. [00:59:56] You see some pull, give and take in the language. [01:00:00] where the grievance process was extended, [01:00:02] but then the probationary period [01:00:07] was also, has the ability to extend, [01:00:09] and then actually in the economics of it, [01:00:13] you have what is, what the city envisioned, [01:00:16] an investment, an increased investment in public safety, [01:00:20] no compromise there, the intended 5% to our budget, [01:00:23] while simultaneously creating the autonomy [01:00:26] that was necessary for our police department [01:00:29] to get what they believed was fair [01:00:31] in terms of how that 5% was given across those three ranks. [01:00:37] I do have one question related to the dispatch. [01:00:40] It was brought up, oh, and thanks again to the city manager. [01:00:43] I didn't get a chance to attend the shade session, [01:00:46] so she took the time to meet with me [01:00:48] so we could go over some of this. [01:00:50] The dispatch position, do you anticipate any re-openers [01:00:54] or changes to the agreement when this shifts over [01:00:58] to a mutual agreement with the county on dispatch, [01:01:02] or will this still represent [01:01:03] the one dispatcher we'll have here? [01:01:05] We will have more than one dispatcher here. [01:01:08] There'll be more than one. Employed here, yes, [01:01:10] and there won't be any need [01:01:11] to re-open the contract at that time. [01:01:14] With the agreement that's taking place with the county? [01:01:19] There won't be any need to re-open our contract. [01:01:21] Okay. Yeah. [01:01:22] But thank you for asking. [01:01:23] And just to reiterate what Councilman Altman said too [01:01:26] about the quality of policing [01:01:28] which translates to quality of life here, [01:01:29] and one thing I kept writing down was strategic advantage [01:01:35] and what we have here in New Port Richey [01:01:37] and our police chief as well, [01:01:39] in that at the end of the day, [01:01:41] working underneath strong leadership [01:01:43] and someone that's gonna have your back and defend you [01:01:46] and do what I think is necessary [01:01:49] to provide safety to our community, [01:01:52] we have that in our police chief, [01:01:54] and so while this is making us more competitive [01:01:56] in terms of salary, [01:01:58] I think overall the leadership of our police department [01:02:01] is something to want to enter [01:02:03] and is a strength in our recruitment as well. [01:02:08] Yeah, so we definitely need to make sure [01:02:11] that we're taking care of our officers [01:02:12] who are taking care of us, [01:02:14] and I think that that's really important. [01:02:16] We wanna have a healthy, great community. [01:02:20] We have to take care of them, [01:02:21] and the only way to do that is to have a great police force [01:02:24] and you can't do that if you don't pay them. [01:02:26] You know, we had a long time that we were having officers [01:02:29] that were going to other counties [01:02:31] and going to other facilities [01:02:33] because we weren't equal in pay, [01:02:36] and so if we can get our benefits and our pay equal, [01:02:39] we'll be able to keep those officers, [01:02:41] and as we all know, it's cheaper to keep an employee [01:02:44] than it is to keep rehiring new, [01:02:46] so I think that it's a great step in the right direction, [01:02:49] and thanks to everybody who negotiated this, [01:02:52] and I know it was a lot, [01:02:53] worked really hard to come to this agreement, [01:02:56] but I think it's a good, fair agreement. [01:02:59] Yeah, I was very happy to see [01:03:00] that we increased the starting pay for new officers. [01:03:04] It really helps a lot with, you know, [01:03:06] getting new hires and people coming to the city, [01:03:08] and also with retention, [01:03:10] because we know when we get them here, [01:03:11] they're gonna love it. [01:03:12] They're not gonna wanna leave, [01:03:13] so we just gotta get them here. [01:03:18] It's just the concentration on public safety [01:03:20] that's real important, [01:03:21] and I hear from the citizens all the time [01:03:23] how happy they are with the police department, [01:03:25] so, you know, if the police department's happy [01:03:28] in their positions, [01:03:29] then the community's gonna be happy, [01:03:31] so all those in favor, signify by aye. [01:03:33] Aye. [01:03:34] Those opposed, five nothing. [01:03:36] Communications, we'll start with you, Pete.

    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.

13. 10Communications▶ 1:03:38
14. 11Adjournment▶ 1:17:30
15. 8.a

    Purchases/Payments for City Council Approval

    on consent

    Consent agenda item for approval of purchases/payments.