Skip to content
New Port Richey Online
Work SessionTue, Feb 4, 2025

Legislative roundtable set priorities: infrastructure and septic conversions, flood mitigation, US-19 beautification, and tying county grant requests to tourism impact.

3 items on the agenda · 3 decisions recorded

On the agenda

  1. 1Call to Order - Roll Call0:00
  2. 2

    You arrived here from a search for “Pinellas Trail — transcript expanded below

    Legislative Roundtable Discussion

    discussed

    Council held a legislative roundtable work session to discuss priorities including infrastructure rehabilitation (water/sewer/septic conversions), flood mitigation, communication with the county for grant funding tied to economic/tourism impact, beautification of US-19, the coast-to-coast bike trail connection, and homelessness/affordable housing. Discussion also covered DOT-approved golf cart crossings, a removed asphalt hot box budget item, and the need for better public outreach on FEMA and flood recovery resources. No formal votes were taken; council gave staff direction on legislative priorities.

    • direction:Council directed staff to pursue state/federal funding for infrastructure rehab and septic system conversions, with emphasis on tying projects to economic/tourism impact for county partnership. (none)
    • direction:Council expressed desire for better staff communication when budget items (such as the asphalt hot box) are removed between budget drafts. (none)
    • direction:Council suggested holding a workshop or neighborhood sessions to educate residents on FEMA and flood recovery resources. (none)
    ▶ Jump to 0:15 in the video
    Show transcript

    Auto-transcript · machine-generated, may contain errors

    [00:00:15] The work session today is based on legislative roundtable discussions and you were supposed to enter your suggestions prior to the meeting. [00:00:29] So yours are on hold until we decide what's going to happen here. [00:00:35] So I think the first three are by you. [00:00:40] Matt, would you want to go ahead and start a little discussion about the infrastructure rehab, what you're really looking for there? [00:00:46] Yeah. [00:00:48] So I'm always I'm always about, you know, trying to make sure we keep our backbone of the city in good shape, which is our infrastructure. [00:00:57] So anything to do with rehabbing infrastructure or new projects that we can get help from the state from the septic systems conversions. [00:01:05] You know, if we have any any kind of let's stay on. [00:01:08] Let's stay on the first one first. Oh, this one at a time. [00:01:11] So we can all put in input into what you OK. [00:01:14] So what infrastructure is like, you know, all our water, sewer, all that stuff. [00:01:20] I mean, so we deal with, you know, as a city. [00:01:23] And you're looking for us to continue the investment reimbursement. [00:01:26] Yep. Do you have things that you want to suggest that are things that you think where we might need more input or more as a council? [00:01:36] I mean, I'm sure that there are areas and things that are already identified of needing rehab. [00:01:45] So go after those opportunities and try to get help from the state from that. [00:01:49] I mean, they tend to those projects. [00:01:52] I know right now the septic system is a big one. [00:01:56] And, you know, those are those are things that that they look at, you know. [00:02:01] So so as far as, you know, let's just stay on the infrastructure rehab. [00:02:06] Is there ways that you want us to communicate to the city to communicate to us? [00:02:13] Debbie or team to communicate to us? Is that what you're looking for? [00:02:17] Right. And I and I did. You know, I did. [00:02:19] When I turn these in, I just speak with Miss Mann's about it. [00:02:22] So any any any projects we have with our infrastructure or water or sewer places that we need to rebuild, we know is bad. [00:02:30] We know it's getting old. Those are the ones I want to target. [00:02:34] So are you looking for more advanced notice? [00:02:38] Maybe that'd be a good question because sometimes we get it when it's a problem, but they've already been addressing it sometimes. [00:02:45] Is that is that fair? You've been dealing with it, let's say with Robert or something, and then you come to us. [00:02:50] So what happens? I mean, I'm trying to figure out here what. [00:02:53] Well, we have typically a plan and then we have problems that occur that we need to respond to. [00:03:02] So there's usually two different tracks. Yeah. [00:03:05] I mean, if it just happens, you've got to respond to that right away. [00:03:09] That's not something to be looking at, but it might identify an area that needs to be rehabbed, redone. [00:03:15] So that would be definitely on the list. And I'm sure I know Robert's here. [00:03:19] I'm sure he has a long list of projects that he knows we've got to get to eventually. [00:03:25] But anytime we can speed that up and get more done with help, that's, you know, better for all of us. [00:03:31] Does any one of the other three have any input on this? Sure. Yeah. [00:03:35] I'm happy to just jump in and say, in the sense of infrastructure and rehab, [00:03:42] there is just a substantial amount of money that's been dropped into Pasco County for the rehab part of it, [00:03:51] for them to use in the recovery from hurricanes here. [00:03:57] And I know I've spoken with Alan Bittlecrum, who I see him often with the Regional Planning Council [00:04:06] and the conferences that he goes to, and he brings generally a good group of county staff with him. [00:04:13] So a number of you guys are working with county commission and get used to some of the staff that are there. [00:04:20] Transportation is an infrastructure as well, you know. [00:04:23] And one of the things he said to me is if there were projects in the city that had an economic impact, [00:04:31] which then I look back to you, Kelly, because of the tourism board. [00:04:35] And so if there are things that we could do from an infrastructure standpoint that also support and encourage tourism, [00:04:46] then given the breadth of the county, if any of you all have been at meetings with city and county, [00:04:55] they always have like eight members of different county committees that are all there. [00:05:00] At least eight. [00:05:01] And they're like from various aspects, from planning to public works to utilities or whatever. [00:05:10] Even lawyers. [00:05:11] So to me, I think the good thing about talking is that we can say we really need to take advantage of that. [00:05:22] And we've often seen the county as one who kind of holds things back from us or keeps them away from us or builds things farther away. [00:05:33] But I know there's funds out there. [00:05:36] So there has to be some outreach by the city to ask for help. [00:05:41] The county just got a lot. [00:05:43] Just got a lot. [00:05:44] In fact, I got calls from a couple of people asking how they can figure out how to help them spend it. [00:05:49] And I do think that if we tie it into something tourism related, [00:05:53] that we're also going to then bring on the Florida sports coast to help, too, because they have funds coming in as well. [00:05:59] And I think that we can tie in a couple of things together in that respect. [00:06:04] I don't know how much infrastructure you would count the boat ramp and some of the things that are planned for the property. [00:06:13] We just bought the property the county has up there. [00:06:15] But there's the perfect example of a county-city project, and I don't know what. [00:06:21] Agreed. [00:06:22] And I think maybe I'm leaning a little off of it. [00:06:25] But when you said rehab, I just had to say they know there's rehab money out there. [00:06:30] They're already talking about partnering with us. [00:06:33] They did the famous planning thing, and what rang a bell with me was that they said it has to have an economic tie to it. [00:06:41] That could include the downtown. [00:06:43] You know, that could include some of our conversion into stormwater utility or downtown [00:06:49] to free up more space or create more parking opportunities, whatever it might be. [00:06:56] So I think it's a really important and a good topic. [00:06:59] I'm glad you brought it up. [00:07:01] It might even be able to help us with Grand Boulevard. [00:07:04] Is that possible? [00:07:06] Yeah. [00:07:07] Absolutely. [00:07:08] The bike trail, even. [00:07:09] The bike trail, and that brings the tourism thing, too. [00:07:11] And we all know Catherine Starkey is very big on the bike trail, so I think that she would help push that, too. [00:07:18] Her husband's a pretty tall guy. [00:07:20] She probably listens to him. [00:07:21] That coast-to-coast trail, you know, I've got a bunch of little flyers that I picked up at the Main Street program last year from the state. [00:07:30] And all you have to do is look at that trail going from Titusville to Orlando and through to Hernando and comes all the way, [00:07:39] kind of like those game shows where they're watching the coin to see if it hits the jackpot. [00:07:44] You know, it's like coming all the way across, and then once it gets to the Suncoast Parkway, then it heads to Hillsboro. [00:07:51] But if it's coast-to-coast, I'm telling you, we've got Starkey Park, our own park, our own bike trail. [00:07:57] And we have the Pinellas Trail. [00:07:59] That's a Pinellas Trail they're connected to to get right to the coast and even to the beaches if they want to or to Tarpon and all of that. [00:08:05] That's also, back to you saying, coordinating with the county. [00:08:07] Yeah. [00:08:08] You know, once we get out of our five square miles, we're going to need the county. [00:08:12] Yeah, we just show them what a big piece of it we are and how, from their own explanation years ago, [00:08:19] West Pasco was going to reinvigorate starting at the corner of Main and 19. [00:08:25] They made a circle there, and I think you'll recall that was where they were going to put their intentions, [00:08:32] and they ended up with some kind of a little complex of commercial properties that wasn't really very, you know, sexy. [00:08:40] But I think we've got a wedge on that, and they have money. [00:08:46] And they talk millions when we're sitting around scraping for a lot of shit. [00:08:52] And they just get like $58 million or something? [00:08:54] Yeah. [00:08:55] Yeah, I wasn't sure if that was – I guess I didn't read into it too much, [00:08:58] but I was thinking it was like reimbursement money for the money like they've already spent or something, [00:09:03] which they've spent a lot, you know, like we did too. [00:09:06] So I was thinking that's what it was. [00:09:08] I wasn't thinking it was like new money, but I may be wrong. [00:09:12] I think there's some categories that they're allowed to do to help to reinvigorate the communities that were destroyed. [00:09:17] So it's worth finding out. [00:09:21] If you don't put your name in the pot, you're not going to get anything out of the pot. [00:09:24] Exactly. [00:09:25] There's a lot of different areas you could go for infrastructure, [00:09:28] but, I mean, I tend to lean deeper towards the bare bones stuff because, let's face it, economic development, you know, [00:09:35] you can tag it with it. [00:09:37] Yeah, it looks good, but, you know, if your water's not working at your business, you know, that's impacting your business. [00:09:42] Water sewer roads. [00:09:43] Economic development is, you know, being impacted, so the basics, you know. [00:09:48] I was going to say, tires aren't pretty, but they are pretty basic. [00:09:51] Yeah. [00:09:53] Do you have any comment? [00:09:55] Full disclosure, when I proposed this issue, legislative, the idea of having a legislative workshop, [00:10:05] I was referencing legislative workshop as one of the examples for a communications summit. [00:10:12] My mistake, because the agenda obviously does clearly state that, I was under the impression before we could get to legislative topics, [00:10:20] a larger conversation like I referenced our school board just did about how we want to do communication going forward, [00:10:27] and in that conversation Matt had referenced, instead of trying to knock out seven legislative policies in one workshop to break it up, [00:10:35] he said one, I think one or two a session. [00:10:38] That being said, I should have looked at the agenda and developed a list. [00:10:42] I have my own list. [00:10:43] It's not necessarily policy focused. [00:10:45] So to talk to infrastructure, I would just put a spin on what Matt suggested about the $585 million [00:10:52] and say if that is new allocations and they're expected to also get reimbursed in a year or two, [00:10:57] that's awesome that they're going to have that bucket of money to pull from. [00:11:02] Completely agree with the idea of connecting our trail to Pinellas and then, of course, the other aspects of that. [00:11:10] My big thing with infrastructure would be, Matt, are you including flood infrastructure in there? [00:11:16] Would you say that? [00:11:17] Yeah, that's all part of it. [00:11:19] Other than my mind goes to flood infrastructure, road dieting, but also something the mayor has brought up in the past, [00:11:26] which is the beautification of 19 and what that looks like. [00:11:29] I think it was Councilman Altman or maybe the city manager that had brought up in the past about them closing down one of the turn lanes, [00:11:37] FDOT, on US-19 where that McDonald's is going towards leaving the city limits south. [00:11:44] They closed that down because they thought it was a dangerous left hand right where the Publix is. [00:11:50] To me, that's infrastructure and that has an impact on our city and just making sure we're updated on that. [00:11:57] Infrastructure is a very broad category. [00:11:59] I'd say Grand Boulevard and everything that's going on on that road there. [00:12:04] I'm going to try to tie this into the conversation I was trying to have, which is for infrastructure, for example, [00:12:11] when we talk about repaving roads, one of the things that came up was in our budget, [00:12:16] we had allocated funds for this concrete mixer machine. [00:12:23] I don't know the formal name of it off the top of my head. [00:12:25] It was allocated in the budget, but it's my understanding that that probably won't be happening now during this budget cycle. [00:12:31] I was just curious, when do we as a council get informed about some of those budgetary changes? [00:12:37] Because we approved a budget that had it in this year's capital line item. [00:12:42] I'll get the line item number for you if you're not familiar with what I'm talking about off the top of your head. [00:12:48] To me, if we're talking about infrastructure, we can plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, [00:12:52] but then if the plan's not being implemented and we're finding out on the back end, [00:12:56] then we're having to pivot publicly while city staff might have already known about it privately for a longer time. [00:13:04] I'm going to try to just connect these to my communication topics. [00:13:09] That's the glaring one there is changes in our budget that impact infrastructure that somehow has not yet been communicated to us. [00:13:21] Do you want to go anything more on the septic? [00:13:25] No. [00:13:27] Well, septic is kind of a lot of things entailed with it, but any kind of septic systems, [00:13:35] especially if they're near our water and stuff like that, the leaching into our waterways and that kind of thing, [00:13:40] those should be first priority, and there is money, I know. [00:13:44] I was going to get a hold of Mike Moore and see if he could kind of look at some different programs that might be out of state, [00:13:51] but I know they have federal and some state programs to try to do these conversions and get them back on a regular system, [00:14:00] so I think that's important for our environment. [00:14:03] Especially with having a river running through our town. [00:14:06] Correct, yeah, and it leaches. [00:14:09] It definitely does, but that's all I really have on that. [00:14:14] Anybody else want to ask? [00:14:16] Just quick, Bertell brought up that intersection there by Marine Parkway? [00:14:20] Yes. [00:14:21] So whatever happened with the golf cart crossing there? [00:14:25] I have Mr. Rivera here, and he can address both the suggestion that we're not purchasing a concrete mixer machine and the golf cart crossing. [00:14:37] So the first one is the asphalt hot box for the Street Department and General Fund? [00:14:42] Yes. [00:14:43] That was submitted in the first draft of the budget, and it was removed on the second draft, and then you all approved it. [00:14:55] It wasn't removed. [00:14:56] Right, correct, but it was in there in the first one. [00:15:00] When I get the 360 page budget, when something like that gets removed, is that something [00:15:06] that staff can highlight so we're not having to compare budget one? [00:15:10] My recollection is that I don't remember that being brought up as being removed or moved [00:15:14] over because I took a keen interest in that. [00:15:17] In fact, I mentioned it during the first reading as being important and during the second reading [00:15:23] it wasn't highlighted. [00:15:24] To my recollection, I would have made a stink about it, it wasn't highlighted as being removed [00:15:29] so, in my mind, that's a communication error where, yeah, I could have looked at the line [00:15:35] item and see what got removed but, I mean, you guys know what you're removing or changing [00:15:41] so providing some sort of summarized, hey, we took this out. [00:15:44] Trying to meet a budget. [00:15:45] What's that? [00:15:46] Trying to meet a budget, you know, we only have so much money. [00:15:50] Right, but when you click the delete button on the computer, it takes five seconds to [00:15:54] say, hey, we removed this. [00:15:55] That's fine. [00:15:57] We do call out those items. [00:16:00] I don't recall if we did or not but, typically, we will, you know, if we've got an item like [00:16:06] that, we'll sit there and we'll let everybody know what it is but I'm not, I don't recall [00:16:10] if it wasn't. [00:16:11] I'll double check that. [00:16:12] Maybe we didn't talk about it and I'm having a relapse of memory here but it's just something [00:16:15] that I learned about recently that I was caught off guard and I figured if it came up during [00:16:21] a meeting, I would have not been caught off guard so I'll... [00:16:24] It was included in the first draft but removed in the final one that you all had approved. [00:16:30] And then to answer your question with the golf cart, that was approved by DOT. [00:16:36] Tonight we actually have, or I don't know if it's tonight, no, it's the next council [00:16:41] meeting we're coming to you with the street projects. [00:16:44] All of that worked because we're going to have to do some major redesign of the intersection [00:16:49] for DOT. [00:16:50] We had to do that for DOT to approve the golf cart crossing. [00:16:53] So we're going to include that in our street project with AJAX paving if you all approve [00:16:59] that. [00:17:00] So it'll be part of the street improvement project. [00:17:02] Since we're on that, is DOT addressing Main Street yet? [00:17:09] Not at this time. [00:17:10] Is there a reason, I mean is it us or is it them, or is it both? [00:17:19] They have reasons. [00:17:21] They don't believe that the conditions warrant a crossing there and they wanted to allow [00:17:31] our two approved crossings to at least exist for a couple of years trouble-free before [00:17:42] they considered a third location in the city. [00:17:45] Correct. [00:17:46] It's weird because like ones in, you know, golf might be the middle of the city, Trouble [00:17:52] Creek South, and then Main Street would be the north side. [00:17:54] So there's a lot of places, you know, a lot of houses up north. [00:17:58] They also look at the intersection, how complicated it is and the turn movements and the potential [00:18:04] for the vehicle conflicts. [00:18:07] And so that's one of the things that they really were concerned about when it came to [00:18:12] Main Street. [00:18:13] So we focused our energy on the two other intersections and we have to do some extensive, [00:18:20] we've got to actually reduce one of the turn lanes on Marine Parkway to be able to get [00:18:25] them to approve it. [00:18:27] So like this man said, we did talk with them, they said well come back to us and a couple [00:18:33] years after we can collect all of the data on the two that we've approved. [00:18:38] I ask because yesterday I watched two golf carts cross on golf like they're supposed [00:18:42] to cross on golf, but then they stayed in the right turn lane on 19 all the way down [00:18:46] to Marine Parkway. [00:18:47] To turn on Marine Parkway, I'm like, that just defeated the whole purpose. [00:18:51] That's just the stupid stuff. [00:18:58] Matt, go ahead with the flooding then. [00:19:00] Yeah, this is obviously a more complicated issue, but this, I mean, as a city, it's really [00:19:06] hard for us to really make a big den and it's going to take help from state and federal [00:19:12] government too. [00:19:13] And we only have these issues when we have flooding and then we get the FEMA involved [00:19:18] and the 50% rule and then they say, oh, you can't rebuild it unless you elevate it. [00:19:24] And for the amount of money that's out there, for the amount of homes that are flooded, [00:19:28] it's just, it's doing nothing. [00:19:32] So I think our state and federal leaders need to really invest in it and as a city, yeah, [00:19:39] we can do some ourselves, you know, whether it's, you know, maybe one or two homes a year, [00:19:43] a grant or a low income, a low interest loan or something like that, that be able to get [00:19:49] people on Avenue to actually do it, to get them out of the mess. [00:19:54] And it's hard. [00:19:55] My neighbor was very lucky. [00:19:57] His house was over the 50%, couldn't rebuild. [00:20:01] So he didn't know what he was going to do. [00:20:04] So he ended up applying for a program, I think it was a federal program, and they knocked [00:20:10] down his house and they're going to build him an elevated house for real cheap, low [00:20:14] interest. [00:20:15] So I mean, it really saved him where he was going to have to walk away from it. [00:20:19] And I know there's so many other people out there that have the same problem. [00:20:22] So this is, you know, we can tackle some of it ourselves, but it's going to take a lot [00:20:27] more help and we're going to have to get others involved in that. [00:20:30] Do you think a thing that we could do would be better inform the public of the programs? [00:20:38] Not only federal, but state? [00:20:40] Right. [00:20:41] We need, well, that and need more money and more programs, you know, to fund it. [00:20:47] There's just not, you know, a lot out there that I've seen or talked to people about. [00:20:52] I think part of it is informing them of the program. [00:20:54] So I mean, I spent a lot of time during the last couple of months sending out just FEMA [00:21:00] information that people didn't have, and they had different numbers, there's a whole list [00:21:04] of numbers to call for FEMA, who do you call for what? [00:21:07] And I worked with Lisa Eager helped me on some of those resources, but I think maybe [00:21:12] it's just putting together even a workshop for residents to go over some of the resources [00:21:18] and how they can contact those resources and who to contact and based on what their needs [00:21:23] are, you know, the best avenue for them to take, but being able to have somebody to explain [00:21:27] those resources to them, because just given most of our residents, just giving them a [00:21:30] phone number or an email address or a website doesn't really help them. [00:21:34] They need some help. [00:21:35] I mean, and that's obvious since having Robin doing the FEMA applications at the library, [00:21:42] she's still got people calling her. [00:21:44] She was there today. [00:21:45] Yeah, she's still got people that she's working with because they just don't know what to [00:21:48] do, and you can't just leave them hanging, and there's really no help out there other [00:21:53] than what we're providing, and I think maybe some kind of a resource session to kind of [00:21:58] educate them on the resources available. [00:22:00] Can we go into neighborhoods and have meetings in neighborhoods? [00:22:03] We went into a few neighborhoods where there were association groups, but we didn't do [00:22:10] anything comprehensively and invite all affected parties, but that's something we certainly [00:22:17] could do. [00:22:18] Yeah, well, not only that idea, but I think that what kind of percentage, I want to say [00:22:24] attendance, because when you say you put stuff together, sitting puts something together [00:22:28] like this and then no one comes. [00:22:31] Was there a high percentage, a medium percentage, a low percentage of those two HOAs, or for [00:22:36] lack of a better term, that you went to? [00:22:39] Was the attendance very good? [00:22:42] It varied, depending on the neighborhood, and the Harborview area was very high attendance [00:22:50] and participation, Leisure Lane, Van Doren, very low. [00:22:59] What about off Green Key? [00:23:00] Did you meet with those people? [00:23:01] About medium participation there, but I think it's a benefit to have a session, and now [00:23:11] that we have sent out the substantial improvement letters, and we know who those property owners [00:23:18] are, and we can invite them directly. [00:23:20] Yeah, if we can send them the letter to invite them, I think that you'd have a decent turnout. [00:23:25] Like I said, Robin had quite a few people at the library that she helped with FEMA applications [00:23:29] that still are struggling, and I think that we would get... [00:23:31] What was the project where you had all the posters up here? [00:23:34] What was that? [00:23:35] I forgot. [00:23:36] All of the what? [00:23:37] Posters up here? [00:23:38] What was that project? [00:23:39] CRA. [00:23:40] CRA, was it? [00:23:41] No, it was a CR. [00:23:42] Well, we've done that a couple of different times. [00:23:43] Not too long ago, a few months ago, we had some, but I mean, I thought that through the [00:23:47] couple hours that people just kind of flowed in and flowed out, so maybe... [00:23:51] SWOT analysis and everything? [00:23:52] Yeah. [00:23:53] Well, it was just... [00:23:54] Was it Grand Boulevard or something? [00:23:55] They stick around the projects they like, or identify things. [00:24:00] But I'm just maybe not sure, because the attendance came from all over the city, so I just thought [00:24:05] that that might be a way to approach it, instead of just sit here and listen, you know? [00:24:09] You know, they can... [00:24:10] An interactive town hall type thing? [00:24:11] Yeah, right. [00:24:12] Yeah, if you have people here to answer the questions, but yeah, have them set up in different [00:24:16] areas and they can go over and talk to whoever they need to talk to. [00:24:18] I think that's a good idea. [00:24:20] I just thought it was more interactive that day when I saw that. [00:24:24] I don't know if you all saw it, but today, I think tomorrow through the weekend, we have... [00:24:33] There was a notice that at the old Schwartz's Hardware on Grand Boulevard, there is a FEMA [00:24:40] or somebody there to give advice, and I think that was for commercial or for business improvements [00:24:46] or something. [00:24:47] So pushing out those kind of announcements, certainly that may be something the library [00:24:53] that's already engaged can find a way to make sure we push it out from the city. [00:24:58] Because people always appreciate when the city, you know, sends them to the right place [00:25:04] or gives them something they can... [00:25:08] Debbie and I talked about this earlier today. [00:25:10] She sent a letter out and people only read what they wanted to read in the letter, you [00:25:14] know? [00:25:15] And they only thought... [00:25:16] They didn't read the whole letter, so, you know, sometimes it's not how much you write, [00:25:20] but what you write, you know? [00:25:22] Sometimes I write too long. [00:25:23] Yeah. [00:25:24] No kidding. [00:25:25] I had someone convinced that they wanted millions of dollars in the Publisher's Clearinghouse [00:25:31] and I had three appointments and they were going to hire me to help them with their million

    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.

  3. 3Adjournment25:35