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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-11-2024 CC MinutesSEBASTIAN CENTENNI1l CELEBRATION 1911-1011 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2024 - 6:00 PM CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA 1. Mayor McPartlan called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. A moment of silence was held. 3. Mayor McPartlan led the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. ROLL CALL Mayor Bob McPartlan Vice Mayor Fred Jones Council Member Kelly Dixon Council Member Ed Dodd Council Member Chris Nunn Staff Present: City Manager Brian Benton City Attorney Jennifer Cockcroft City Clerk Jeanette Williams Community Development Director Alix Bernard Parks and Recreation Director Richard Blankenship Contracts/Procurement Manager Jessica Graham City Engineer/Special Projects Director Karen Miller Public Works Director Lee Plourde Human Resources Director Cindy Watson Police Lt. Dino Savvidis 5. AGENDA MODIFICATIONS - None 6. PROCLAMATIONS. AWARDS. BRIEF ANNOUNCEMENTS Vice Mayor Jones announced the upcoming events. Friday, December 13 - Chamber of Commerce Finally Friday on Cleveland St - 5:30 pm to 9 pm Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 2 Saturday, December 14 - Wreaths Across America at Veterans Memorial in Riverview Park at noon. They will also be putting wreaths on veteran graves at 10:30 a.m. at the Sebastian Cemetery. Saturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15 - Craft Club of Sebastian at Riverview Park - l0am to 3pm Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24 and 25 - City Hall Closed for Christmas Holiday PUBLIC INPUT Brent Wohlenberg spoke about the imbalance in the lagoon because of too many catfish and not enough blue crabs. He explained this imbalance results in fewer speckled trout and pin fish. He said the lagoon and fishing would be improved by adding more blue crabs. Mayor McPartlan encouraged him to get in touch with the City Manager and said his input might be helpful for the Indian River Lagoon Council in obtaining grants to improve the lagoon. Frank Nolan suggested that Sebastian should have a seminar on substance abuse and have people there to offer assistance with housing. He says there is a need in Sebastian for a shelter or temporary housing when it is cold out and when it is raining. He knows how difficult it is to be homeless, and he offered assistance with running a shelter if Sebastian had one. 8. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of November 4, 2024 City Council Minutes B. Approval of November 20, 2024 City Council Minutes C. Approval of a purchase order for Terry Taylor's Deland Nissan, Inc. in the amount of $31,959.00 to purchase a Nissan Frontier pickup truck for the Building Department and authorize the City Manager to execute the appropriate documentation D. Approval of a purchase order for Coleman Fire Protection, LLC in the amount of $36,500.00 to install a new dryline at the Working Waterfront and authorize the City Manager to execute the appropriate documentation E. Approval of Resolution No. R-24-70 authorizing Staff to submit a Land and Water Conservation Grant for the design and construction of Capt. Robert Hardee Main Street Boat Ramp improvements and authorize the City Manager to execute the appropriate documents MOTION by Council Member Nunn and SECOND by Vice Mayor Jones to approve Items A through E. Roll call: Vice Mayor Jones - aye Council Member Dixon - aye Council Member Dodd - aye Council Member Nunn - aye Mayor McPartlan - - aye Motion carried. 5-0 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 3 9. COMMITTEE REPORTS & APPOINTMENT F. Citizen Advisory Review Board Vacancies The City Clerk explained that two at -large positions and two alternate positions need to be filled for the Citizens Budget Review Advisory Board. There are currently four applicants for Council to consider. Grace Reed is currently an alternate member who would like to be an at -large member. The new applicants are Scott Baker, Roy Garton, and Susan Jacob. MOTION by Council Member Dodd and SECOND by Vice Mayor Jones to move Grace Reed up to the at -large position, select Scott Baker for the other at -large position, and then Roy Garton and Susan Jacob will be the alternate members. Council Member Nunn thanked them for volunteering and Mayor McPartlan welcomed them to the Citizens Budget Review Advisory Board. Mayor McPartlan mentioned that he and Council Member Dodd were at the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting this morning and were informed that the cost of building roads has nearly doubled in the past four years. This will certainly impact the budget this year because it will cost more to do road work. It will be important to focus on maintenance and resurfacing of roads. Council Member Dodd said that last week he was at the Florida League of Cities Board of Directors meeting and they gave an overview of the Florida City Government Week activities that had taken place in October. In their booklet they listed the two best local media broadcasts on Florida Government Week and Sebastian was mentioned for a Facebook posting on how Sebastian residents benefit from our local parks. 10. PUBLIC HEARINGS —None 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS — None 12. NEW BUSINESS A. First Reading on Ordinance No. 0-24-21 - Amending the Citv of Sebastian Code of Ordinances. Section 2-33(h)Bl — Additional Meeting Procedures Adopted: Procedures for Public Innut: Scheduling a Second Reading/Public Hearing for Final Adoption on January 8, 2025 The City Attorney read the title of proposed Ordinance No. 0-24-21. At the November 20, 2024 Council had discussed amending the time limit for public input. The proposed ordinance as written would decrease the time limit from five minutes to three minutes, but provides for an option to extend to five minutes by a majority affirmative vote of the City Council. Council Member Dodd asked whether an extension of time should be limited to five minutes or if Council should have the discretion to extend a speaker's time as they see fit. Vice Major Jones agreed that Council should not be limited by a set time if they decide to extend a speaker's time. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 4 Council Member Nunn agreed with removing the five-minute time limitation when Council decides to give an extension of time. MOTION by Council Member Dodd and SECOND by Vice Mayor Jones to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 0-24-21 giving a speaker an initial three minutes and the option to give an extension of time which is at the discretion of Council. That modification will be made and the second reading of Ordinance No. 0-24-21 will be set for January 8, 2025. Mayor McPartlan asked if anyone from the public wanted to speak, and no one responded. Roll call: Council Member Dixon - aye Council Member Dodd - aye Council Member Nunn - aye Mayor McPartlan - - aye Vice Mayor Jones - aye Motion carried. 5-0 B. Consideration of purchase orders for MWI Corporation not to exceed $80,000.00 to provide repair services for submersible pumps for the Stormwater Division and authorize the Citv Manager to execute the appropriate documentation The Public Works Director explained that there are three submersible pumps at the Stormwater Treatment Facility. One pump had previously been pulled in order to be serviced and was rebuilt 10 years ago. The other two pumps have been in service over 20 years and have now been pulled and need to be rebuilt. The replacement cost of one pump is $140,000. It will cost a total of $80,000 to for the rebuilding and refurbishment of all three pumps. These pumps are used to lower the levels of the canals and empty excess water into Stormwater Park to prevent flooding within the City. The City Manager pointed out that they had originally budgeted $38,000 because that was the anticipated cost, but when the pumps were pulled, they found excessive damage. The difference needed would come out of Discretionary Sales Tax (DST) Reserve Funds. Mayor McPartlan noted the wisdom of getting this maintenance work done now rather than waiting until it becomes needed and urgent. Vice -Mayor Jones asked how much longer they expect the pumps to last after the refurbishment and if the service provider can provide a guarantee that they will work for a certain period of time. He noted they should plan for future costs because Sebastian must be protected from flooding. The Public Works Director said he will have more information about the life expectancy of the pumps after they can assess the pump that was rebuilt 10 years ago, which is currently the only pump that is working. However, they will keep this particular pump in place until the other two pumps that are 20 years old are serviced, rebuilt, and reinstalled. Council Member Dixon asked how frequently these pumps should be assessed for preventative maintenance. She notes that going 20 years without pulling them was a long time. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 5 The Public Works Director explained that it is a big deal to pull a pump. It requires cranes and he believes it cost about $6,000 just to pull the pumps to assess them. He assured Council that Staff does check on how the pumps are functioning on a routine basis. They will have a better gauge on how often pumps should be pulled after the rebuilt pump is pulled, and he will get back to Council with that information. MOTION by Council Member Nunn and SECOND by Council Member Dixon to approve the purchase order for the repair services for the Stormwater Division submersible pumps. Mayor McPartlan asked if anyone from the public wanted to speak on this matter. Roy Garton asked if MWI Corporation was the only repair company that was considered. Was there a bid on the work and did anyone have a lower price? Is this a company the City typically works with? The Public Works Director responded that MWI was chosen to repair and rebuild the pumps because they were the company that had designed and installed them. Roll call: Council Member Dodd - aye Council Member Nunn - aye Mayor McPartlan - - aye Vice Mayor Jones - aye Council Member Dixon - aye Motion carried. 5-0 C. Consideration of Amendment Two to the Agreement between the Citv of Sebastian and Conlon Landscavin2, Inc. to amend the scope, increase the unit price, and authorize the Citv Manager to execute all aunrooriate documentation The Contracts and Procurement Manager reviewed that the City approved a bid from Conlon back in 2023 for a five-year contract to handle grading of swales in conjunction with roadway paving. There was a provision for Conlon to dump excess dirt from the grading work onto City property. As the work has moved along, the City realized that they could not handle the amount of excess dirt that needed to be placed somewhere. The City has asked Conlon to take the dirt and dump it off site. They are willing to do so, but the current price of $16.50 per linear foot will increase to $19.50 on January 1, 2025. For reference, when this project was put out forbid in 2023, the second bid considered was $29.00 per linear foot. The City also sought a third bid in 2024 and that bid came back as $40.00 per linear foot. Even with this price increase to $19.50, this is still a good price from Conlon to do the swale work. This price is more than what was budgeted for, but it can be handled with the Discretionary Sales Tax (DST) Fund Reserves. Council Member Dodd asked where the excess dirt had been placed on City property. The Contracts and Procurement Manager said it had been placed at the Airport debris field, but this area has now been tagged for development and the excess dirt needs to be removed. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 6 The City Manager explained that there are parties interested in leasing this portion of the Airport. The Airport Manager had asked for the excess dirt to be cleared from this area and Conlon has been now driving additional mileage to dump the excess dirt outside of the City. The City Manager stated that he is confident there will be lease agreements on those areas in the Airport in near future. Council Member Dodd asked if we have been reimbursing the Airport for the use of the space. The City Manager said this space has been utilized as the City dumping area location, but there was not a formal lease agreement. Council Member Dodd noted that the last two things that have been approved tonight have decreased the DST Fund Reserves by $215,000. He asked what the balance will be in the DST Fund Reserves after these expenses are handled. The City Manager said that the Public Works Director did have conversations with the Finance Department and it was determined that the DST Fund Reserves was the best way to handle the discrepancy. In the budgeting process, it will have to be considered how the DST funds can be recouped in order to build the DST Fund Reserves back up. Council Member Dodd said he would like to see more information on the transmittals detailing what the impact will be on the balance of the DST Fund Reserves when DST Fund Reserves are being used. MOTION by Council Member Dodd and SECOND by Council Member Nunn to approve Amendment Two to the Agreement with Conlon Landscaping to amend the scope and increase the unit price of removing excess dirt. Mayor McPartlan asked for public input, and there was none. Mayor McPartlan asked the City Manager if this excess dirt could be viewed surplus property. The City Manager stated he had spoken to the City Attorney and this is not a concern. Roll call: Council Member Nunn - aye Mayor McPartlan - - aye Vice Mayor Jones - aye Council Member Dixon - aye Council Member Dodd - aye Motion carried. 5-0 13. CITY ATTORNEY MATTERS The City Manager stated that an opinion was received via email from the attorney, Mr. Mai, regarding an undisclosed matter and she will be bringing that to Council in January, along with a Resolution. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 7 14. CITY MANAGER MATTERS D. Debris removal The City Manager updated Council on the final costs for debris removal after Hurricane Milton. The City has used Crowder Gulf for debris removal, and North Emergency Management has been the debris monitoring company. There were 13,693 cubic yards of vegetative debris removed from the City which was mulched and taken to Sebastian River Farms at a cost of $7,669.69. He stated that 97% of the debris was from public right of ways and 3% was from private roadways or HOAs. There were 159 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris that were taken to the Indian River County Landfill at a cost of $628.25. The debris removal cost was $206,105.82 from Crowder Gulf and $51,933.50 from North Emergency Management. The total debris removal cost for Hurricane Milton was $266,337.26. The City Engineer has already been working on submitting the documentation to FEMA, and it is expected that FEMA will cover 100% of these items. It is possible that FEMA may not reimburse for the 3% portion that is from private roadways or HOAs. That was is only about $7,000, but if it is not reimbursed, the City may decide not to pick up debris within HOAs after the next storm. Council Member Jones asked if it really takes five years to be reimbursed by FEMA. The City Manager confirmed that it can at times be quite a lengthy process. Mayor McPartlan also reminded Council that FEMA can sometimes come back and revisit things five years later as well. E. CRA Sentic-to-Sewer The City Manager asked for direction from Council since there are approximately 92 properties in the CRA District that do not currently have the ability to connect to sewer service. The septic leakage is affecting the health of the Indian River Lagoon. It has been brought up in the County meetings last October or November 2023 at the North County Library, and the County has agreed to handle the installation of the infrastructure and the permitting, but they have asked the City to be willing to fund the material costs. The cost estimate from the County has been $85,000 to $87,000, but he knows it will be higher since this estimate does not include a manhole cover that is necessary in one location. He expects the cost to be closer to $100,000 but this will create the infrastructure to get the CRA District connected to sewer service in the near future. The funds would likely have to come from General Fund Reserves. There is $125,000 in the CRA Budget that is allocated to septic -to - sewer projects, but he would like to reserve those funds to be used as a match for the $3 million grant that has been applied for in order to help Sebastian residents with septic -to -sewer issues. The County Utility does not use operating funds from existing customers to pay for future expansion projects for private properties, but they are willing to use operating funds to cover public infrastructure. The County would like a partnership with the City of Sebastian to move this project forward. The City will also have to work with the County in regard to easement access. In summary, the City Manager was requesting whether Council would like him and the City Attorney to work with County Staff to bring back a formal document that states the City would allocate up to $100,000 in funding to cover the material costs only for septic -to -sewer in the CRA District and the Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 8 County Utility would create the infrastructure for properties in the CRA District to be connected to sewer service. Council Member Dodd asked if the County is trying to recoup costs that they will incur by assessing the properties in the CRA. The City Manager said the County has communicated that they will not assess property owners for the installation of the infrastructure in the CRA District, and he will ensure this will be formalized within the written agreement. Residents will still have to pay for the connection from their property to the sewer infrastructure, and that is why the City is also pursuing grant funding in order to alleviate that burden on residents. Council Member Dodd asked if the grant the City Manager is referring to is one that requires 95% of properties to be connected in order to receive the funding. The City Manager said he could not confirm that right now, but he does not think the grant requires a 95% connection. Council Member Dodd stated that Council had already decided two years ago to mandate connection to sewer service in the CRA District within a year of the sewer infrastructure being put into place. If the City has mandated this, they will have to be willing to use Code Enforcement to go after people that do not comply with the requirements once the infrastructure has been created. He also pointed out that the City cannot afford to come up with the cash to connect properties without grant money so he does not want the City to rely on grants that depend upon compliance from property owners. He has concerns about the City paying $100,000 now for connection materials, but the actual costs may double by the time the County begins building the infrastructure. He wants the County to have a plan with a timeframe they commit to in creating the septic -to -sewer infrastructure for Sebastian, including consequences if timeframes are not met. He is not confident this project will get done unless the City remains involved in the process. He does not want the $100,000 to morph into a cost of $250,000 and for the job to still be incomplete several years from now. Council Member Nunn agrees with the City Manager and City Attorney working with the County to come up with a plan with specific timeframes. He said if we say we care about the river and the environment, then we have to get this done. If we are not willing to pay for the materials, the County can turn around and blame us for not getting the septic -to -sewer connections in place. The City Manager appreciated the feedback. He also pointed out there are 13 projects for expansion in the CRA District that need to happen for every property in the CRA to be connected. Seven of those 13 projects do not require easements, so those projects can begin immediately once an agreement with the County is in place. Vice Mayor Jones said this is also a priority for him and it is important that they move forward with it in order to protect the river. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 9 Mayor McPartlan expressed agreement with moving forward and the importance of specific dates and timeframes being put within the agreement, as Council Member Dodd had mentioned. Council Member Dodd clarified the agreement should show the County is committed to completing this. Perhaps the first seven projects can be started immediately, but there should be deadlines for the easement questions relating to the other six projects. It should contain timeframes for contacting the residents and conducting any needed public outreach, probably by the City, so that residents understand the benefits of being connected to sewer. Council praised the City Manager for his diligence in working on this and assured him that they would do their part to move this project forward. F. Centennial Celebration The City Manager praised City Staff for their efforts through all of 2024 and particularly on December 8, 2024 with the City's Centennial Celebration. He said the turnout on Sunday exceeded his expectations. He thanked Council for their support in celebrating the City's Centennial. He also wished everyone a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year. 15. CITY CLERK MATTERS The City Clerk said she had a great weekend with everyone in Sebastian during the Centennial Celebration, and she also wished everyone a Merry Christmas. 16. CITY COUNCIL MATTERS Mayor McPartlan agreed that City Staff have worked very hard and for that reason he wanted Staff to have December 23, 2024 off from work, and Council enthusiastically agreed. The City Manager expressed appreciation on behalf of City Staff. He explained that City Hall and Public Works will be closed and essential workers that are still needed that day will receive some personal time for the hours they work on December 23, 2024. G. Council Member Dodd wished everyone a Merry Christmas and encouraged them to stay safe if they go out of town. H. Vice Mayor Jones reminded everyone this is the final meeting of Council in 2024 and wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. He really liked how Staff made the Centennial Celebration a success and he noted the contributions of the City Clerk's Office. Mayor McPartlan also shared Merry Christmas and Happy New Year greetings. He let everyone know that New Year's Eve is his birthday. He said he was exhausted by Monday after all the weekend activities. It was extremely cold for the Light Up Night event. The Pearl Harbor Observance Day was fantastic. He noted that the sound for the event was amazing and that Staff has come a long way in making events run well. He wished they had more candy to throw from the float at the Christmas Parade and jokingly said that Teddy Roosevelt was throwing out two fistfuls at a time. He was amazed at how many people came to the Regular City Council Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024 Page 10 Centennial Celebration. He would like certificates to be given to everyone who participated on the Centennial Committee because they did such a phenomenal job. He enjoyed it so much that he could not imagine it being any better. J. Council Member Nunn echoed the sentiments of how wonderful the Centennial Celebration was. He enjoyed the fireworks and was worn out as well with all of the fun activity. He noted that while there was a Centennial Committee that did a lot of the planning, many Staff members implemented those plans. He commended the City Clerk and all of the Staff members for the amazing job they did, which was all done on top of their regular job duties. When he was on the horse carriage and heading down the road, he was amazed to see how many people were already down at Riverview Park and waiting to see the Clydesdales. He said it was really exciting and a warm experience to see that our residents cared about the Centennial Event. He wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. K. Council Member Dixon mentioned how blessed they were to have perfect weather for the Centennial Celebration. It was a great turnout. Teddy Roosevelt was definitely a hit. She was amazed by his role playing and the amount of knowledge that he had. She enjoyed seeing the Clydesdales. Everything worked out really well, and it was a great celebration. She wished everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and cheers to the next 100 years! 17. ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Vice Mayor Jones reminded everyone that December 20, 2024 is the Sebastian Police Department's Christmas Movie Night. They will be showing Rise of the Guardians at Riverview Park. Free popcorn and hot chocolate will be provided. Also, the 2025 Citizens' Police Academy begins February 6, 2025. Applications for the Academy are due on Friday, January 17, 2025. Applications can be picked up at the Police Department or citizens can email Officer Bill Jursik at 1ursik@,citvofsebastian.org. The Citizens' Police Academy will meet Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. from February 6, 2025 to April 24, 2025. The Academy will teach citizens about patrol operations, police K-9 units, community policing, and criminal investigations. Vice Mayor Jones thanked the Police Department for putting on the Academy. Mayor McPartlan said that the Citizens' Academy is a great experience. You get to visit the court and the jail, but you still get to go home that night. 18. Being no further business, Mayor McPartlan adjourned the Regular City Council meeting at 7:04 p.m. Approved at the January 8, 2025 Regular City Council meeting. Mayor Bob McPartlan ATTEST. 4je� Jbbnette Williams, City Clerk = i