City Council - Regular Meeting

Hi, sir.

See you, my friend.

Call to order? I call to order the City Council meeting of September 14th, 2026. Roll call. Mayor DePue? Present.

Councilwoman Gillis? Here. Councilman Thomas? Here. Councilwoman Dalbo? Here. Councilman Rainbird? Here. City Manager Mahoney?

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please remain standing for a moment of silence. Item two, approval changes modifications to the agenda. Mr. Manager, is there any at this time?

No, sir.

Item three, approval of the minutes. Item 3A, as listed on the agenda. Approval of regular meetings January 6, 2025. Regular meeting January 13, 2025. Regular meeting January 27, 2025. Regular meeting February 3, 2025. Regular meeting February 24, 2025. March 3, 2025. April 21, 2025. July 7, 2025. July 21, 2025. August 4, 2025. September 8th, 2025, September 22nd, 2025, October 6th, 2025, January 5th, 2026, August 3rd, 2026, Budget Workshop, August 10th, 2026. Is there a motion to approve?

Make a motion to approve above minutes.

Second, Rainbird.

Roll call. Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainbird?

At this time, I would like to stand and give Ms. Cassie an applause. You see how far back? We were 16 months.

16 months.

And she caught up. How long have you been here?

Two-ish months.

I'm proud of you.

I'm very, very proud of you. Awesome job. We appreciate it. Glad you're here. Item four, presentation, proclamations, plaques, certificates, donations. Item 4A, recognition of the Butterfly Wing Art Project finalists. Presentation.

Good evening, Council. This evening, I got two rec board members with me, we would like to basically recognize two students that participated in the art project that we had for the butterfly garden mirror mural. So we've chosen the records chosen to and we'd like to present the awards this evening.

Hello, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment and share a little background on the Edgewater Wings project. The idea started with the butterfly garden at Hawks Park, we saw an opportunity to bring more public art into the park as well as getting our local students involved. So we invited students from kindergarten through 12th grade to submit their own butterfly wing designs, with the possibility of having their artwork turned into a mural at Hawks Park. We ended up receiving hundreds of submissions from students throughout the community. After reviewing all of the artwork, our board decided that one was not enough, that we needed to do two. So we selected two designs. The finished project will feature two sets of butterfly wings, one larger set designed for adults, and one smaller set for children or even pets. One design will be painted with a selected muralist, while the smaller set will become a community paint-by-number project so residents can take a part in bringing the artwork to life. We are still in the muralist selection process, but tonight we wanted to recognize the two students whose artwork inspired these designs. I'd like to invite up Wyatt Lavender, who submitted his design as a fifth grader at Samsula Academy, is now a sixth grader at Creekside Middle School, as well as Jada Morel, who submitted her design as a 10th grader at New Smyrna Beach High and is now in 11th grade. We have a little gift for them tonight. Each winner will receive four tickets to the Crayola Experience in Orlando, as well as gift cards from Alberto's and BeFly Grab and Go. Their names will also be permanently included on the mural wall with the words Wings Inspired By, so their creativity will become a lasting part of Hawks Park and our community. Congratulations to both of them, and we thank you for sharing your talents with us.

Congratulations. We appreciate your efforts.

City Manager report. Good evening, Mayor, Council. I have a couple of things. First, to go along with Cassie doing such a great job in the Clerk's Office, I want to recognize Monique Tupin as the Team Member of the Month for August 2026. what monique served serves as the assistant city clerk but on two separate occasions she has stepped up and accepted the additional responsibilities of interim city clerk during both transitions she provided leadership and stability ensuring the clerk's office continued operating effectively and that the needs of the council our staff and the public were met Monique has also been instrumental in onboarding and training two newly appointed city clerks. Her institutional knowledge, understanding of city operations, and willingness to help others have provided important continuity within the department. What stands out most is Monique's willingness to step up whenever the city needs her. Her professionalism, reliability, and dedication have gone well beyond the normal responsibilities of her position. Thank you so much Monique for all you have done through two different clerk transitions. If you could come forward for an award.

Yay. Oh, you don't want to stand?

If you can.

Well deserved, congrats.

And then, Mayor and Council, I just had a quick update on our Volusia Echo Grant application for our city boat ramp. Our project placed third out of 12 projects that were presented to the Echo Board. Our request was for $2.5 million. um and with the ranking of three out of 12 we have a pretty good chance of being awarded this goes before the county council on october 6th for their approval and i want to thank sandy camp who is our grand administrator and all the staff that has worked on this project they have done a great job thus far and i look forward to getting the permits for the first four programs relatively soon so that completes my report

Thank you, sir. Item six, citizens' comments. This is the time for the residents to come forward with any comments they may have. Citizens' comments related to any agenda matter may be made. The time is before the council. Please state your name and address, and please limit your comments to three minutes or less.

Yes, good evening. My name is Art Slack, 3031 Umbrella Tree Drive, Edgewater, Florida, 32141. I thought that presentation of the butterflies was fabulous, that they're putting up pictures of that at Hawks Park, which is fabulous. I just came back from Lighthouse Cove and Pompano Beach, and all the way on all the towns, what I seen, all our control cabinets, For street lights and traffic signals, they all got murals on it. I brought it to the Edgewater that maybe we should do something like that, especially the control cabinets that got graffiti on it. It's possible, and it'll look a lot better than what we got running around. So give us some thought. Thank you.

Thank you, sir, for your comments.

Good evening, council members. My name is Anna Hoffman. I reside at 3104 Orange Tree Drive. I am here tonight to request a change in one of the city ordinances. It is referenced as parking on drainage or maintenance, easement, or public rights of way. I have pictures that I have submitted to all of you that shows what we're talking about. That which is exhibit one is the first area. That is the area that I am speaking about tonight and it is considered a drainage ditch and there is no obstruction to flow of water because that part sits on top of the pipe. It is even with the street. We are asking that Florida Shores residents be allowed to utilize this area for debris placement and or extra parking when necessary. We have several driveways that are very close together. If you look at exhibit two, that will show you how close some of our driveways are. It becomes a dangerous traffic hazard when we all place debris on our properties at the end of our driveways. It is also a savings on time and fuel to allow waste management to pick up in one area instead of five or more. Most of us take great pride in our properties and spend thousands of dollars to maintain our lawns and keep our homes maintained. It is upsetting to have dead grass after placing debris for less than two days. I have enclosed a list of a few of our neighbors that would like to see this changed. And we would like to allow all Florida residents or Florida Shores residents to utilize these areas. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you, Ms. Hoffman, for your comments.

Is this on the agenda?

It's not.

OK.

Thank you, sir.

You're welcome.

Good evening. My name is Tanya Plout, P-L-A-U-T. I live at 403 Wildwood Drive in Edgewater, 32132. I just received my tax proposed taxes for this year. It's the first time I'm going to be paying taxes, having rented for 14 years. my concern is as follows i have a thousand square foot thousand fourteen square foot home i've got a thirty three hundred dollar bill of which about twelve hundred is going to edgewater my concern about that is that deals with the drainage i live in wildwood subdivision uh currently I live at the confluence, if you will, of Cherrywood Drive and Wildwood. As a result, there's a big catch basin that is fed from three different directions. The catch basin is not maintained by the city, although according to my water bill, I'm paying $14 or $15 a month for stormwater maintenance. The only place the stormwater can go in Edgewater, there being no sidewalks, no drainage whatsoever, is for those culverts to be maintained. The city has not been maintaining it. We've been doing it ourselves. So we just wonder what it is we are paying for We've got a great fire department, great police department, but as far as environmental services are concerned, you all have fallen down, and we're paying a lot for it. We've been lucky so far this year, no hurricanes, and from what I understand, we may not have any. Notwithstanding that, when we have these big heavy rains, everything floods. So I don't know who it is I'm supposed to contact. Find out who's going to be maintaining the ditches, which, as I understand, is Edgewaters. I'm paying for it. I'd like somebody to contact me at 407-425-6610, 403 Wildwood Lane, and let me know who's going to clean out that catch basin, because if we have another big brain, I will tell you, It's all clogged up with weeds, and there's no way we can get into it. It has a big, heavy, very heavy metal cover on it. So I would appreciate that very much. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am, for your comments. Mr. Laracy is over Public Works. If you'd like to leave your contact information in the back, I'm sure the city manager and him will reach out to you. I'm sure there is a plan for Wildwood. Thank you. If you could leave your contact information in the back, the city manager and Mr. Laracy, who is over Public Works, I'm sure will contact you.

Mr. Laracy, he's with the fire department.

No, ma'am, he's actually at the Public Works facility now as well. Thank you.

Great fire department.

Awesome. Thank you. And it's just in the back right before you exit.

Good evening. I'm Brandon Wiley with Northwest Lineman College, 501 Pullman Road, over in the town place, Parktown Industrial Park. Wanted to just kind of introduce ourselves to you really quick. So I'm service campus president of NLC. So we are a Lyman College that was founded in 1993 in Boise, Idaho, hence the name Northwest Lyman College. And we have five campuses across the country. Of course, here in Florida, Idaho, California, Texas, and South Carolina. We're a part of Qantas Services, and we train power line workers that are coming into the industry. So we run a pre-apprenticeship program that's 15 weeks. Councilwoman Dullo was at our rodeo last week for our term last term, and then we started another term today. We opened the campus here in Edgewater in 2016, and we have the electrical line worker program. We also run an apprenticeship program, and our education model focuses mostly on knowledge, skill, and hands-on experience. We work especially here in Florida. We just mentioned the hurricanes, so you guys know how important that is to have electrical line workers. So we want to prepare them for what's coming in the industry with the growth, the data center growth, the construction in the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics say that we're going to need 10,000 or more additional line workers each year to keep up with the growth. So the Edgewater campus is becoming more than just a pre-apprenticeship program. It's also expanding its role into regional workforce development. for Qantas services operating companies and broader electric power industry. We want to make the Florida campus be more active in the city, and we want to partner with the city. We're expanding our programs. We're building a transmission apprenticeship as well. We will be one of the first in the country, and we're going to partner with some of the local high schools, And just try to get outreach into the community so that everybody knows that we're here. Because a four-year college is not for everyone. And that's what we're here for, is more on the trades. Thank you, appreciate you having me, and we look forward to working with you.

Thank you, sir, for your comments. We appreciate you being here and in the community. I would love for you to get more involved in the community, let people know you're here. This is a great step in doing that, but maybe just have a community day or post what is going on on several pages. Absolutely. Can I ask you a question?

Yes, sir. Believe it or not, I started, my first job was with Orlando Utilities in 1972. Yes, sir. Probably before you was born, but anyway.

Just a little bit.

But anyway, at that time we were experimenting with putting the underground instead of overhead. Yes, sir. And I've heard a lot of pros and cons since then about what is better. Can you give us a rundown on how you feel about overhead versus underground?

Yes, sir. So underground is going to be far more expensive to put in As long as there's no problems, it usually stays on better than overhead. But when there is a problem, the restoration time is going to be significantly higher. And it's going to be significantly more expensive to fix it. With overhead, it does tear down in storms and when trees hit it. But our crews can go out, repair much more quickly as opposed to if something happens to an underground system. And even water damages that as well. It takes a lot longer and it's a lot more expensive to fix. So your restoration times are going to be much more extensive.

Are you still installing underground in these new subdivisions or not?

I'm sorry, what was that?

Are y'all still installing underground in these new subdivisions?

Many utilities are. We just do the training for the workers. We don't actually run a utility, so we're not doing that. But many utilities are. And we do run a three-year underground apprenticeship program as well as an overhead. Thank you, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you.

Thank you, my friend. We appreciate it.

The most important linemen are not in the NFL.

My name is Sheila Bernard and I live at 3109. Sorry.

You want to just lower that a little bit? Thank you so much Sheila.

I live at 3109 Orange Tree and I'd like to make a comment about Anna. I would like for you guys to drive down the Florida shores and see how many people utilize this area that we're asking for so that you can make a fair decision for all of us. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments.

Jim McGinnis, 2607 Willow Oak Drive. I want to pour something a little different here. I'm here tonight to raise concerns about the repeated and ongoing placement of political campaign signs in violation of our city and county regulations. I fully recognize that political candidates have the right to campaign, advertise, and communicate with voters. I also believe that every candidate should be held to the same rules and standards. My concern is not simply about the signs themselves. My concern is the cost to our taxpayers and when the same rules are repeated, violated with the same individual over and over. Our code enforcement employees have a responsibility to enforce the laws and ordinances of this city. When political signs are placed illegally in right of ways and other violations, applicable regulations, city employees respond and remove them. That requires employees' time, vehicles, fuel, maintenance, administrative costs. But when the same candidate knowingly and repeatedly puts those signs back out, sometimes apparently the very next day, the cycle simply starts all over again. At what point I believe we need to ask whether our current enforcement process is actually addressing the problem. It is not reasonable in my opinion for city employees and taxpayer funded vehicles to continually spend public resources correcting the same violations over and over while the person responsible can simply replace the signs and continue the process. I'm asking the city council, city management, code enforcement, and particularly our city attorney to review what legal remedies are available when an individual habitually and knowingly violates the city's and county's campaign sign regulations. In our ordinance, allow for fines, penalties, administrative costs, and other enforcement measures for repeated violations. I believe those options should be seriously considered and applied consistently and lawfully. I am not asking the city to treat one candidate differently because of who they are or what office they seek, quite the opposite. I'm asking for equal enforcement and accountability to everyone. If a candidate repeatedly violates the rules after being notified of their signs have been removed, they should be meaningful and have the consequences therefore. So I'm asking the city to address this issue, and hopefully they'll come up with solutions. Thank you.

Thank you, sir, for your comments. I know mine will remove 25 of them for 1.35 centimeters. Thank you, sir. And several candidates' eyes still stayed up.

good evening everyone my name is gary taylor and i'm on the ownership team at edgewater fitness center as well as edgewater crossfit so something new and exciting i'm bringing to you guys tonight just want to make sure that everyone is aware of what we're doing in the community this is more for audience behind me i've got a flyer here talking about our community-wide fitness challenge that's happening and starting next week. This has been advertised around for the previous several weeks. Just want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to ask questions tonight. I'll be hanging around a little bit later to answer questions and address any issues or concerns or concerns uh anything like that later but it's still an active sign up we expect to have a lot of fun at our challenges uh this year it's fitness through the decades mayor's fitness challenges fitness through the decades so each decade we have a theme night we get to dress up have some fun and move to the music so i want uh you to be leaders of our community and hopefully participate lead by example in this challenge this makes a difference for our community we wholeheartedly support wellness health and wellness and fitness for everyone that lives in our community and beyond and so we're proud to come alongside the city to make it help make a difference here so if you can put the word out through people that you know and your inner circles it's a good opportunity for teams to be put together if there's businesses or offices and things like that that work together. You can put a team together and join this fitness challenge. Tons of fun to be had. Lots of great habits can be formed and lots of great value for the price of this. So I want you to be aware of it. I plan on talking again a little bit later tonight. I understand I can come up again just in case someone comes late. But I'm going to turn around and show this to the audience. And thank you for your time.

Thank you, sir. Sign-ups can be found on our city website along with Edgewater Fitness.

Can I do it online?

Absolutely.

No, I mean the fitness channel.

Item seven, council report. Councilwoman Gillis.

Gotta bear with me, I lost my voice a little bit. I attended several school events. I attended several TPO meetings. I attended a fundraiser for children's cancer. I attended our budget workshop. I also attended some workshops that were informational on data centers and property taxes. I wanted to shout out Diesel. I watched our mayor get reelected with 55% of the vote. Congratulations again, Diesel. I attended a Rotary Club meeting. I attended a celebration for Greg Greiner, who was a local business owner we lost who did a lot for the community. And I just wanted to highlight him again tonight. I know how much he did for the community and I choke up when I keep talking. I attended our city's 9-11 ceremony. I want to thank Gary Snyder for all you do for the city and veterans and our remembrance events. I spoke as well as Mayor Depew, Councilman Ray Berman, Councilwoman Dolbo. Everybody gave very heartfelt speeches. It was a beautiful ceremony. We laid wreaths and had moments of silence. And it was just, it's very powerful if you have not seen the steel beam from the trade centers that we have at Fire Station 55. I attended an opening day for fall ball with the Indian River Lagoon Athletic Club. I love seeing all the families out there with so much love for baseball and Edgewater. A lot of great local businesses are out there sponsoring the kids' teams. Don and Aaron Anderson do so much for the community, and Jason O'Keefe and everybody at Parks and Rec keeps the fields looking beautiful. I appreciate them very much. I met with our city manager, and I met with multiple residents I see out here tonight about issues that they were dealing with in the neighborhoods. I wanted to... Ms. Tanya, I would love to speak with you after the meeting. I just wanted to take note of that. I'm your district rep and I'd love to come out and see it and help be a squeaky wheel for you. And... I do. Now I'm going off the fly. The Lyman College is amazing. The events that you guys do. I mean, I've been to the rodeo several times. I think it's just putting the word out there what it is and that the community is welcome to it. I'll see some of the flyers here and there, but a lot of people don't realize it's back there. But it's a very cool event, and they do that three times a year. then also the mayor's fitness challenge if anybody wants to come join us i did it the last couple years as well it's a lot of fun and i love seeing the new twist he's taking on it with the through the decades just trying to get more people involved and right now that's all i've got i would like to i mean if if we're going to start talking about this later i am supportive of what miss hoffman's working forward to i mean there's a lot of parking issues in the shores and i think that would help alleviate some different issues as long as nobody has affected the stormwater That's all I got right now. Thank you, guys.

Thank you. Councilman Thomas.

Yes, I think I spoke to Mrs. Hoffman on the phone, and I got a couple of questions for her. Because she said, well, I'm going to be there Monday night, and we're going to vote on it. And I said, no, ma'am. I said, you have to have it on the agenda. And I referred you to several offices. How easy was it to, when I directed you to other people, how easy was that for you?

Very easy, actually. I was able to speak to quite a few of you. Yeah, no problems.

And didn't, before, if I remember right, talking to Jeff, didn't y'all have a bunch of cars that parked there?

Yes, we have utilized that area for many years. I've lived there myself about 25 years. And years ago, my husband and my neighbor's husband used to clear that for the city just to keep it clean. Over the years, we used it for parking. We used it for hurricane debris or if we're doing yard work, big cleanups or big projects. we would put it all in that one area so that the city, and we never had a problem. The city would always come, pick it up from that area. In the past, I've been told that as long as a resident doesn't complain, you can utilize those areas. But if you have a resident or a neighbor that complains about it, then you're not allowed to use that area. We want it fair for everybody. Either everybody uses it or nobody uses it. That's what we're asking for.

So you're not asking to park cars there?

No, also if we have a party or something, right now if we have a party on our block, My neighbors come to me since I have a U Circle driveway, huge. My other neighbor has a U, and that's what we do now. Now, I mean, I don't mind that, but I don't think it's fair that my neighbors have to come to me to have a party so that they can park vehicles on the street.

Every day.

You know what I mean? That's what we're looking for.

Okay.

Thank you. Thank you, ma'am.

That was it, Mayor.

Thank you, sir. Councilwoman Dalvin.

I attended the YMCA's end of the year celebration for the summer program. It was a lot of fun, and I thank them for all they do for the community and the volunteers for giving their time. At Veterans Park recently, Riverside Conservancy started their first phase of the oyster restoration and seagrass project at Veterans Park. The project will rejuvenate the Indian River Lagoon's ecosystem while protecting its shoreline, and it's great to watch them in action. I recently spoke at the LEAD, Southeast Volusia Chamber Leadership Program Government Day. It's an amazing program, which I attended a couple years ago, along with Diesel and Charlotte. It began in 2021. Each class has around 20 leaders participate. These leaders experience connections, participate with people, places, and issues shaping Volusia County. Through nine weeks of hand-on learning, participation gained with a deeper understanding of our community while building valuable relationships with other leaders. Program topics include Local government and tourism, economic development, education and workforce development, law enforcement and public safety, human and health services, environmental impact, agricultural and nonprofits and volunteerism. This week, I believe they're going, the environmental impact and they're going to the wastewater facility here in Edgewater. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, become involved in your community, or prepare for a future leadership opportunity, the program provides connections and insights to help get you there. And the application process starts in April, and the program runs August to October. And I did attend the Northeast Lineman's College. The rodeo was a lot of fun. Very impressive how quickly they go up and down those poles. And one one quick, fun note that they met with fire chief earlier this year to partner with Edgewater to provide electrical safety training to our first responders. As Edgewater begins to move forward distributing those underground lines. So I want to thank them for investing in Edgewater and appreciate all they do. And let's get the word out. We have this amazing college right here in our backyard. I also attended the September 11th ceremony at the Fire Station 55. It was a very moving ceremony and well attended. For those who may not know, as Charlotte mentioned, the steel from the World Trade Center, terrorist attack 25 years ago, is placed at Station 55 and anyone can visit at any time. I'd like to thank everyone involved and a special thanks to Gary Schneider for officiating the ceremony. And let us never forget. And it's this time of year, the upcoming veteran, Veterans Day coming, that we've created a yearly ceremonies tradition of choosing a veteran of the year. And I wanted to see if I can get consensus of council to begin that process, possibly starting, you know, gathering some names together and coming back in October and bringing our names and discussing it and deciding who's going to be our veteran of the year for the November meeting. I just wanted to see what everyone's thoughts were on that.

Absolutely.

That's all I have. Councilman Rainburn.

Good evening, Edgewater. The linemen college is a great thing. Those are jobs that aren't college degree jobs. I have three college degrees. I don't use any of them in my current job. AI cannot replace a lineman. And like I said, guys on Sunday football, those ain't linemen. Those guys are linemen. And those are the most important ones in my house because what was it 2004 the three hurricanes had us yeah collectively down for like a month yeah i would have paid 200 for a dry towel and all of a sudden an fpl no it wasn't fpi i think it was pike came down and got our little our little section back up thank god so you guys do not go unnoticed We just don't have time to say thank you every time they save us. The oyster restoration project is awesome. I guess it took a while to get underway. We're in a situation where hopefully it'll take root. The man in charge of it is a local resident, Mr. Bob Chu, he's a professor. He's overseeing this right now. He's got a more resilient freshwater resilient Seagrass that they're trying because we have a little more fresh water in our area than the average intercoastal and The oysters help clean it up. Let's hope it comes back The way it used to be the seagrass used to be like a foot from the surface of the water over here So that is a great thing We went to the Crime Stoppers dinner. And for a department our size, for a police department our size, this was to nominate an officer that we think was exemplary service throughout the year. And Chief, what was the size of our category? How many officers? But it was how many officers under 150? Well, Edgewater's officer, Sergeant Castellano, was the recipient of the Officer of the Year award that night. And what he did was, just like we're trying to do here in Edgewater, establish standard operating procedure that we've never had before. He helped to streamline some of the processes we have here and make things flow a little bit easier. So Sergeant Castellano, that's the way to represent Edgewater, thank you. The 9-11 ceremony was very painful. The 25th anniversary was a little hard for me to do. I lived up there. My condo was 33 miles from ground zero, and there was a big missing part of the skyline. But like, I'd like to reiterate, let's not forget, everybody over 35 remembers where they were that day. I sure do. Mr. Mayor, how are you feeling? Great. Congratulations. I look forward to being part of this team, continuing the hard work to help right the storm, fix the stuff that needs to be fixed. We've been working on it. We can't get to everything all at one time. It's probably the most important thing. I was elected to help with this flooding problem that we have. We've had some neglect going on. Just, if you guys can bear with us a little bit, we are starting standard operating procedure. Now I'm pretty sure that if you were to ask the city manager what's being worked on, he can probably tell you now. We can't get everywhere at once. We have been faring better than we used to. We didn't fare too bad about, what was it, three weeks ago when Beach Street was under three feet of water? We all are very nervous when it rains like that. And I'm sure you are too. We're all in this and we wanna fix this. We all live here. We all have houses that could be at risk. But we're aware of it. We're doing what we can with what we have. And it's gonna get better. We're learning, we're in a learning curve. We're doing some replacement. Jeff Laracy, as you know, has now stepped in. Jeff, what do you got, five jobs now? yeah the man doesn't sleep but we're making some changes for the better to serve you and hopefully as we go along everything will be Hope Aesthetic, let's call it. We're going to do what we can. We're aware of your situation. And I believe there's a project for over there, wasn't there?

Our stormwater engineer evaluated Wildwood Subdivision, and we did start some covert work in there, but we had to change locations.

That's all we got, Hedgewater. Correct.

We're going to try to make you all proud. Correction to one of your statements. You said he's not everywhere at once. That man covers the ground like the dew. I've never seen anything like it in my life. And I'll give it a little dissertation later on about what he does. But, you know, we got a team now, buddy. So let's work with it.

It's a learning curve, folks, but we're getting there, I promise.

Thank you, sir. I want to thank the residents of Edgewater. Very blessed, very grateful that I'm going to be here for the next four years. I want to thank all my dear friends and family. And I'm very grateful that Edgewater residents seen through the ridiculous political attacks. It has been ridiculous. Still unfortunately going on in our city at a different race, but that's okay. I think Edgewater will see the good and prevail. I want to thank our residents and thank you so much. Edgewater does run on diesel. I attended our 9-11 ceremony. It was great to speak to the only accredited Chamber of Commerce in our area, the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, who serves our community. Great, great chamber. Leadership class and program, I also wanted to reiterate that I was at the Crime Stop dinner. I want to thank our great officer, the one officer of the year. We'd love to honor him at a council meeting as well. One of the few that were chosen through the Crime Stoppers nonprofit. It's always a great event to honor our police officers. I enjoyed going to a Florida League of Cities event where I attended several seminars learning on home rule. I do have some concerns. Like it or not, the city of Edgewater is growing. There's been a lot of people moving here, and not necessarily you don't see that in Florida Shores, but it's there. It's present. There's homes that are being added throughout the years and still being added. I think there's 75, a lot still. When you look at HOAs and you look at things like that, there's several common areas. When I go down Unity Tree, it's dark, there's several dark vehicles. You can't see them, and you gotta swerve last second. As the residents stated that brought this forward, there are multiple vehicles that utilize this parking space and there's multiple residents that do put debris here, overflow debris. A lot of our residents do use their areas, but it's not necessarily enough. And I do know you stated that there is an ordinance against it, Mr. Manager, but there's people that are just parking right in the middle of the road at night on several streets. and work vans and everything else. I would like to see an ordinance move forward with consensus of the City Council that you can utilize a common space area and St. John's Water Management 110% if any residents or cars go through, you know, behind that little white barrier. But I think that that's there to show where the stormwater really starts. Now, let's face it, during a hurricane, of course, that that may overflow there. But I would like to see ordinance move forward that you could utilize that space up to Two vehicles, because I think a lot of areas, there's really only two vehicles that can fit there. There's driveways, you know, that utilize the side spaces as well. So, you know, St. John's Water Management came through there, but there's still driveways in those areas. So I'd like to see an ordinance before that you could use this area for overflow parking for two days versus utilizing the road. and any kind of excess debris could go there. And yes, there's some residences that stood up and somebody saying, oh, it's a small majority. Oh, they're listening to the small majority. No, it's not. Multiple people utilize this space. I know that I have it. I live on a retention area or grew up on a retention area. We've always utilized it. There's never any problems. The neighbor across the street from the childhood house that I grew up at, has a driveway. Luckily, we've been blessed that led all my good friends when they would come over and we need overflow parking and a house across the street still utilizes it every weekend to park there. But if you don't have a nice neighbor, like like her, she's been great. Let's her neighbor is that area. Then you're talking in different situations. I'd like to see ordinance move forward and call it the common space area.

I give consensus to move forward with that too.

You know what else, Mr. Mayor? This second picture, there's a lot of this Where I live in San Remo, there's a lot of this where if a car parks, can you, do we want to let the people see this picture? Do you want to put it? There's a lot of spots where, like I have a neighbor right across the street from me that's always having company, and they park where the grass is. They're right behind my driveway. So if I ain't watching what the hell I'm doing, because I'm old school, I don't need a backup camera, but if I'm not watching what I do, There's always, there's a 50% chance that somebody's right behind me when I got to pull out. So I got to start early and make like a question mark so that the next one, the one after that, when you get, when you get focused. But this is, so this is all over. This is, a lot of people have this. If you park where that grass is, you got driveways. He's going to come out right into a car. He's going to come out into a car. There's got to be, A lot of our streets are five pounds of crap in a three-pound bag, you know? But I agree with the mayor. This just looks just like my house. And it'd be nice if we could do something.

Well, luckily, you have the cul-de-sac as well at the end that people can utilize.

Don't tell that to my HOA. I can't park back there.

So staff can do some research. The east-west cuts there are tied to a St. John's water permit for when the roads were paved. This particular complaint on Orange Street has been going on for about since 2022. It's a cross complaints between neighbors. I know there was some legal action brought as well. But with that aside, let's staff do some research and see if there are any solutions to additional parking in community areas. The request I saw also included dumping. of refuse and storm debris. There's a lot of issues there too, but we can definitely put some data together and do a presentation.

Thank you. Can we have the presentation and potential ordinance at the next meeting?

We can definitely have the, well, the next meeting is the 28th, so I'd say no to that one. By October 6th, I can say that we will have it by the November meeting for sure.

I just want to say, I don't think anything we do should impede the city or any of the trucks or any of city or county access.

It seems like a very simple issue, but it's complicated, like most things.

It's not just them. I mean, when you go down to Florida Shore Street at night, pick one, the Unity Tree, I know there's five vehicles that are on the street at night. So... Unfortunately, comments have closed. There will be comments at the end. But there is, you know, it's not just them. It's a problem in Florida Shores. And I'm not trying to sound this way. It's no secret we all know this. Florida Shores was not really thoroughly thought out. There are several HOAs that do have common space. So we had to figure something out. So we'd like to have that sped up because it is becoming more and more and more of a problem.

While we're on this subject, one of my pet peeves is these lawn maintenance guys. I mean, they pull right in the road. They don't try to pull off a little bit on the grass so you can go around. I mean, they pull up there and block the road. I mean, and this is very, very common in Florida Shores. I think you'll all agree with me. So I think that needs to be addressed too. If they're going to do their work here, maybe we need to pass a license for them to block our roads, if they're going to. Because they block them, you know.

At least it's during the day. Huh? At least it's during the day where, you know, because we don't have, our floor shores, it's dark.

Yeah.

I agree with you 100%.

Maybe you could add something to that effect in there about these lawn services.

Great.

At least tuck in your mirrors.

So we're working towards a solution. Item 8, consent agenda. All matters listed under consent agenda are considered to be routine by the... I didn't know that was on the agenda. Mr. Wright. Senator Wright. I don't see it. Mr. Wright, how are you? Thank you for coming. Did you have some comments you would like to say? I don't think I had communication with you, but I think Councilwoman Davo did, but we're glad you're here. So sure, if you have a presentation, I wish it was on the agenda so it would give you the proper notice of being here. But State Senator Tom Wright, we appreciate your time. Thank you for being here. If you have a presentation, we'd love to hear it.

I don't know if it's a real presentation.

I just wanted to share with you what's going on in the state with the flock cameras and the concerns that our law enforcement have throughout the state. And so I understand that you've made a decision to immediately remove them from your city. And what we're working through our Florida State Sheriff's Office, Mr. Sabatini. We're working with FSA and Jared Perdue from FDOT, and we're trying to, if you will, get a state, say, turn them off in 30 days, but don't take them down. Because I have all kinds of statistics that tell us how important these cameras have been since they were installed and how many crimes that they have if you will, been able to close. And so that's really what I thought. I was asked to just come and give you my opinion on what I think we should do. I don't think that any law enforcement agency needs to rush into removing them. Remember, what is proposed is on state public roads anyway, whether it be on a state sign or whether it be on a state right of way. If it's on city streets or private streets, there's nothing in there. So it's an overreaction from a few people that are saying that it's a Fourth Amendment violation. And yet, that has never, ever been proven in any court in the land that it is a Fourth Amendment violation. I have a lot of statistics on that here. For those of you that aren't aware of how they work, those cameras can only look at licensed They're not like you see on TV where they're going to be able to do facial rec of the driver and tell you what they had for breakfast and what color their eyes are. It only looks at the license plate. And if that plate is put into the program as a plate we're looking for, for whatever reason, could be a criminal, could be somebody that has kidnapped somebody's daughter or son, and it'll flash that and here in volusia county i don't know if you're privy to it or not but we have a building that's known as vc3 and a vc3 all of these cameras feed into that one building and it's not marked as a sheriff's building and once the those they read about a thousand tags a minute just quickly through there and then when they find one that they're looking for then it lights up bells and whistles goes off and they can go and pick up that vehicle Many crimes have been stopped because of those cameras. Cameras have been around for almost 30 years. So all of a sudden, we're getting a lot of pushback from a very small group of people. When you look across the United States, there are seven examples where law enforcement officers unfortunately use the camera information for their own personal reasons. In Florida alone, we have 53,000 sworn officers. If all seven were from Florida, what would be that percentage? No matter you're a police officer or you're a butcher or you're a car salesman or whatever you might be in your profession, there's always one or two bad apples. And I think that we're going to be losing a very, very critical tool that our law enforcement use every day to help keep us all safe. So my reason for responding to her request is that don't rush into it. I think flock cameras is a, first of all, it's a brand name. A lot of people are thinking flock meaning like a flock of birds, and it happens to be a brand name, as you all know, for the cameras. And they can come back on the community and the county or the city and say, hey, you have broken your agreement with us. One city is already facing a $90,000 lawsuit because they said, oh, we're not going to use your cameras anymore. They put them up. in good faith, so I would be careful to make sure with your legal counsel that if you're gonna do that, that you're not gonna put yourself in another jeopardy with taking down the cameras. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them. That's the only reason I'm here was to share that because I was asked to come and share the information.

Thank you, sir. Thank you for your public service and your opinion. It's truly appreciated. Thank you so much for making the drive, and we understand you're near the end of your term. Wish you were there for another 20, but we appreciate you.

You're trying to kill me, aren't you? Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you so much.

Item 8, Consent Agenda. All matters listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be acted upon by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless discussion is desired by a member of the City Council. In which case, the Mayor will remove that item for the Consent Agenda and such will be considered routine and separately. Is there a motion to approve the Consent Agenda?

Let me see here. I want to talk about 8B.

Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda excluding 8B?

I make a motion to approve the consent agenda excluding 8B.

Second. Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Councilman Thomas?

Yes.

Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes. Item 8B. Approval of mitigation credit agreements and payments for the boat ramp project, SRWMD number 76181-7. Mr. Mayor, I mean Mr. Councilmember.

I wanted to take this moment to... applaud our staff on what they've been doing with our new boat ramp down there. I met with the city manager last week and there's, what do you say, there's like 17 projects that's asking the county for money and that project was number two. The reason it was number two is because when the county staff came over here, not only did they have our representative, they had the city manager, the police chief, the fire chief, you name them, who was all there.

the parks director. We had our high water vehicle out there to give them transportation to the river. We did a presentation for them. It was very well received.

We gave them a ride on the The high water buggy down there, they were impressed with that. And they liked it. So I just wanted to give kudos to our staff to move that, you know, I mean, number two in the county, that's good because we need that boat ramp. So I just wanted to give them kudos to that.

Thank you, sir. Is there a motion to approve item 8B?

I make a motion to approve. Make a motion to approve consent item 8B.

Second. Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes. Item 9, public hearing ordinances resolution. Item 9A, resolution number 2026-R-29, annual fire assessment fees. Staff report.

good evening mayor and council bridget bass here finance director for the city of edgewater this evening the resolution 2026 r-29 the annual fire assessment fee city council approved the first year of fire services assessment in fiscal year 23. that was imposed against real property for the purpose of paying for fire protection services City Council reimposed the fire services assessment for fiscal years 24 through 26. Staff is recommending continuation of fire services assessment for fiscal year 27. Preliminary fire assessment resolution was approved at the July 20th, 2026 council meeting. Fire assessment fee will be imposed until discontinued or changed. The residential fee is $50 per resident. Commercial, industrial and institutional is based on the rate per square foot capped at 97,000 and that's 3 cent, 1 cent and 5 cent for commercial, industrial, warehouse and institutional. The estimated gross revenue for fiscal year 26-27 is $731,570. The estimated exempt buy-down is $38,858. For collection cost, estimated net realized revenue is 641,771. Motion to approve Resolution 2026-29. Thank you, ma'am. Open to public hearing, citizens' comments.

Council comments. When I was first elected, I wasn't for a fire assessment fee at all. And then I went and did a ride along. I did a lot of great things and a lot of equipment is needed, obviously. You know, you have to update them every year. A lot of people don't realize that. So it's truly needed. And other communities are looking at a $250 fire assessment fee. So glad we are where we are, where we can keep it affordable. Is there a motion to approve?

I had a comment. Mr. Fire Chief, how many fire calls do we go approximately a year? About 3,500. Fire calls on fire?

Fires only. Fire makes up about 20% of our calls.

20%. So 80% of our calls are medical.

Medical.

Medical. I wanted to bring that to everybody's attention.

Yeah, we staffed two ambulances and two engines.

Thank you. That was it.

Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve resolution number 2026-R-29, annual fire assessment fee.

Second, Rainbird. Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainbird?

Yes. On an IB resolution 2026-R-30, tentative Edgewater operating millage rate for fiscal year 2026-2027, staff report.

So I will not repeat name and department for the record each agenda item this evening. The millage, operating millage this evening, council will set the tentative millage rates and tentative fiscal year 26 budget as noticed in the proposed property tax form. Truth in Millage Notice. Volusia County Property Praiser sends this out to all property owners in compliance with Florida Statute 200.065, setting the maximum millage that the taxing authority must publicly announce, the tentative Edgewater debt service and operating levies, and the tentative fiscal year 2027 budget. Her Florida statute, including chapter 20, 200.065, provides that the city council shall adopt a tentative operating millage prior to adopting the tentative budget. The City of Edgewater is the taxing authority. Staff recommended millage rate this year is 6.33 per thousand of taxable value. This millage is held flat, but represents a 3.49% increase over the rollback rate of 6.1165. The current year taxable value for operating purposes is $2,360,128,081. This increase covers the increased cost of operations and maintenance of the general fund, including an estimated average 9.1% wage increase for the employees, an estimated 7% increase in health and dental insurance, No additional staff were added during fiscal year 27. This millage rate will require four out of five of the governing body to vote. Staff recommends approval of a millage rate of 6.33. A motion to approve resolution 2026R-30 for the tentative Edgewater operating millage.

Thank you, ma'am. Over to public hearing, citizens' comments. Council comments. It's the same as it's been for the past four years, kept at the same rate. Great job.

Excellent job.

Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve resolution number 2026-R-30, tentative edgewater operating millage rate for fiscal year 2026-2027, 6.33. Second, Rain Bird. Roll call.

Mayor Depew? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes.

On an IC resolution 2026 R-31 tentative Edgewater voted debt service millage rate for the go for parks fiscal year 2026-2027 staff report.

So this voted debt service millage rate is for the current year Voter approved debt limited general obligation for parks. The city of Edgewater is the taxing authority. The current year taxable value for operating purposes and debt service is $2,360,128,081. This millage rate is to cover the voter approved debt service for the parks at 0.1050 as staff recommended millage, and this will cover the principal and interest for the required approved debt service for fiscal year 27. Motion requested is to approve resolution 2026 R-31 for tentative Edgewater voted debt service millage rate at 0.1050.

Open a public hearing, citizens comments. Councilor comments. Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve resolution number 2026-R-31, tentative Edgewater vote debt service millage rate for the GO for parks fiscal year 2026-2027 at 0.1050.

Second, Rainberg.

Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes.

Item 90, resolution number 2026R-32, to the budget providing for appropriations for fiscal year 2026-2027, staff report.

So the operating budget resolution before you, we've stated all the reasons for the tax increase this year. The budget was reviewed with you in the June, July, and August workshops. This budget includes operational costs for fiscal year 26-27, increased operating costs and other items as previously described, City of Edgewater is the taxing authority. The fiscal year 27 budget includes general special revenue, debt service, capital, enterprise, and internal service funds. The citywide fiscal year 27 operating and capital budgets for all funds is $128,399,822. Motion requested to approve resolution 2026R-32 for tentative budget fiscal year 2627, $128,399,822. Thank you. Open to public hearing. Citizens' comments? Council comments? Is there a motion to approve?

I'm just going to make my couple of comments. I had some frustrations in Joe. I brought this up to you, but I still want to address it publicly because I feel like I'm still kind of in my feelings about it. We had the pay study come back. And I was asking for the PACE study for a while, and I know that we just kept getting told it was gonna be done, it was gonna be done, it was gonna be done, and then it finally comes back, and it comes back after we already have approved things and are moving forward. but we're told all this time that the numbers weren't back yet, and it wasn't done, and it wasn't done, and then the numbers were already rolled into it. So we had some kind of idea, and there's just some of the numbers that I just, I feel that if we would have gotten everything back sooner and all sat down, I think that we could have worked out something better for some of the employees. I think that... Some of the numbers got, you know, beefed up at the bottom and the top, but I think that there are gaps in the middle and that there wasn't enough time to sit down and work through it because we didn't get the pay study back until right before the budget came through. And then I'm also going to go on my side tangent where I'm still going to, I'm still not happy with the budget and it's going to go back to the water because you guys have the rate increase put into that budget and I'm still against that. And I mean, I because this is something that happened to me in the last month where i was able to sit and compare the numbers and i was talking to other people who had the same thing my washing machine's broken right now i'm going to a laundromat and i'm currently paying my water bill has gone down by not me doing my laundry at home more than what i am spending at a laundromat at a for-profit business and that's that's not just me that's other residents too and i'm just not still not okay so i still have issues with that budget because it's based on that and that's just

This is for appropriations for the year. I do share those same concerns. Of course, we should not have raised our utility bill, but we are where we are. I understand that, but I just want to make clear to the residents, I'm glad you voiced your concern, that this is the tentative budget providing for appropriations for the fiscal year 2026-2027. The utility bill was voted upon separately.

If I could respond. So the compensation study was done by a third party company we hired. And during that process, myself and staff do have some insight of what we believe the total number would be at the conclusion of the study as the drafts are going back and forth and conversations are being had. I was present during the last study, which was I think five years ago or somewhere in that time range, and I had no input as the police chief at that point. So this study was evaluated and then each director met with me personally to go over their entire department's payroll to make sure that the individual employees were in the proper pay grades and make sure that their responsibilities aligned with what they said they were and what we expect out of them. So that was done very transparently. And when it comes to the rolling out of the compensation study, of course, we're gonna have some people that believe they deserve to earn more. I wouldn't suspect anyone to earn less, right? So each director was instructed to meet with their staff and if there are issues, they need to bring those individual issues to me and we can look at them independently if there is a mistake in the study or if somebody's responsibilities weren't aligned properly. um so that's still uh available to whomever may have an issue with their compensation um in regards to the budget you know we have uh at a capital projects alone this year staff has uh delayed or cut 2.7 million dollars from capital projects um And I believe we cut right around $485,000 from capital equipment. And that's cutting requests from the department directors so that those were not included in the budget. We're doing everything in our power to save. And when it comes to utility rates, they are going up a total of $9.96. Um, you know, this year, uh, if we don't, if we did not gradually, we have an independent rate consultant who studied our infrastructure and our needs. Um, and one of those needs I can talk about a stormwater that had to go up around $5. Uh, per month. Um, but that is funding our stormwater master plan. So absent that funding, we can't get the design and engineering for our stormwater master plan to fix the flooding in Edgewater. I can tell you, being in this role for about a year, we have a pretty solid capital improvement plan, a five-year plan that was drastically cut to the tune of around $20 million. And all those projects loaded now are critical But now it's to the point, after this passes, if it does pass, it's about executing all the projects in our CIP plan. And I think we will be in a much better place if there's a long enough runway. We can't fix the past. But you give the sticking to a plan. You'll see later on the agenda that our police and fire unions are now locked into three year contracts with no opener, right? So historically we're in these one year deals where it opens all the time. That's a poor way to manage in my opinion. Now I can project and staff can project what our revenue is needed to fund those police and fire positions. So those are some of the things that have changed in the past year at the city, and we're really getting a solid plan, and I do think that the citizens have already started to see results when it comes to our maintenance of our stormwater system and our responsiveness to the community. So just, I need a long enough runway to have the other come to fruition, but if you have any questions, I'd be happy to ask them.

Thank you, sir. Mr. Mahoney, the results of the study, is it correct that they're not giving a flat percentage raised? A lot of it's merit-based, correct?

So it goes with time in class. So there was a floor set where every employee got 5%. So when it goes about, it determined, the company looked at our pay grades, it looked at, it's really all about timing grade and then what is the job. So, you know, you'll see some employees that a lot of our team leaders and our supervisors did get substantially larger raises than maybe an entry-level employee. That goes by how the company and our human resources department identifies the the pay grade of the individual. Everybody has a grade. So like a police officer would be P1, and then a sergeant would be P2. And there's different bands that go in that that the company helped staff create. And then if, basically if the individual Everybody got brought to MN in their pay grade. But I'll be happy to have, if you want the Evergreen to come do a presentation to explain those details to you, that's fine. We can do one-on-one meetings with Evergreen as well. But it was a very well thought out compensation study and classification study. I experienced it, like I already said, in the past, and I can tell you as a director at the time and every other director that was here, we just got handed actually nothing. Here's the raise. And that didn't go well with all the employees that you're working alongside. So this was as transparent as I think it could be. There's always room for improvement. I'll take criticism or corrective comments in the future regarding this. But overall, I think most employees are appreciative of the raises that The study revealed, and we didn't, you know, you have some cities that also step those raises in, right? So instead of making the employee whole, right, to the number that they deserve to make, you have some studies say, okay, they deserve to make 15% more, and you have city managers or cities say, hey, we're going to step it over three years, 5%. You know, but right, what we did and we're able to do is we'll be able to implement it right now, this year, year one, so there's no step. They're making what they should be making according to the study. But I want to reiterate, if there's a specific employee who has an issue with their wage, they need to tell their supervisor and director of that department, and I will personally sit down with our human resource department and the director and evaluate if it's appropriate.

Thank you, sir. This hasn't been done in a while, right?

It's been several years.

several years is there a plan to like not forget our workers and like is there going to be like a plan review every year or every two years or you know I mean moving forward it shouldn't come down to where okay the city employees are a little upset because they're feeling forgotten is there going to be a regularity to this

Well, every year we set wage increases. We recommend wage increases to council. So last year, every employee got 6%. 6%. 6% last year.

That's pretty good. I work for the number four Fortune 500 company in this country, and I get 2% every year. But I get it every year. Sometimes I get three if I bust my butt and somebody notices, but 2%, I guess that's the average COLA of this country. I think Social Security gets, what, 2.5%. But out of the gate, though, five.

Yes, correct. Everyone received 5% this year. Everybody who has been here for two years received 11% over those two years.

Thank you for that.

Can I also ask a question? Since utilities was brought up, what would happen if we did not do the increase?

Yeah, we would not be able to fund our capital improvement projects.

Stormwater?

Right. And you know, wages, the raises.

I want to keep everybody in mind. This is for resolution number 2026. Dash are 37. Go ahead.

It wouldn't be able to fund our capital improvement project resolution 2026 are Thank you, ma'am.

Okay. Thank you.

Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve resolution number 2026-R-32, tentative budget providing for appropriations for fiscal year 26, 27, and the amount I have 128 million and I don't have the rest. Bridget, sorry.

Resolution 2026 R-32 for tentative budget for fiscal year 2026-27 for $128,399,822. Thank you. For the amount of $128,399,822. Second. Roll call. Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? No. Councilman Thomas?

Yes.

Councilman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes.

Under 9E, resolution number 2026-R-37, internal revolving line of credit from Fund 001, General Fund, to Fund 448, Stormwater Utility Fund. Staff report.

All right, Mayor and Council, the resolution before you is for an internal line of credit. What we ran into this fiscal year is that because we were so blessed to have some of the grant and appropriations opportunities, those are reimbursement based. And so we spend the money before we get the money back. And so that actually ran us low on cash in that particular fund. So what we're recommending before Mayor and Council this evening is to have an internal loan of internal line of credit available so that if we drop a low in that particular fund, we can do that transfer from general fund to 448. City of Edgewater may utilize the internal financing between the funds to address temporary cash flow needs. It authorizes the establishment of an internal revolving line of credit from general fund to the stormwater fund. The revolving line of credit would allow the advances and repayments to occur as needed, determined by the city manager and finance director. Any outstanding aggregate principal balance not to exceed $2 million at any time. Interest would be calculated monthly on the average monthly outstanding balance using the average monthly Florida prime one day SEC yield. The resolution also provides for the necessary budget adjustments for fiscal year 25-26. Fund 448 Stormwater Utility Fund shall repay all principal and accrued interest as fund cash balances become available. The line of credit shall remain available until modified or terminated by City Council action. So the recommended action this evening is to approve resolution 2026R-37.

Thank you. Open a public hearing, Citizens Commons. Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve resolution number 2026-R-37, internal revolving line of credit from fund 001, general fund to fund 448, stormwater utility fund.

Second. Seconded by Councilman Thomas, roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilman McGillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes.

I'm not now resolution over 2026 dash r dash 38 September amended budget for fiscal year 2025 to 2026 staff report.

All right. So this resolution before you this evening is for amending our current fiscal year 2025 26. The city of Edgewater amends the fiscal year 25-26 budget by revising the budget and total pursuant itemizations contained in exhibit A of the resolution. An additional detailed schedule was attached to the budget resolution this evening. Total budget amendment is for $311,970, of which $134,300 is for transfers to capital projects and internal service funds for accounting controls. The total increase in expenditures was $177,670. For the increase in expenditures, $7,370 is covered by a donation, $36,000 used for special law enforcement trust funds, and $134,300 use of fund balance, with $26,300 of this amount potentially reimbursable by FEMA. The budget amendment includes mitigation credits related to the permitting of the boat ramp project for $108,000 that was discussed earlier this evening, Hawks Park netting repair from Hurricane Ian, $26,300. Back to school supplies bikes that were funded through donations, $7,370. The police department was able to secure two canines at a significant discount for $36,000 using special law enforcement trust funds. Staff recommendation to approve resolution 2026 R-38, herein referred to as September amended budget for fiscal year 2526. Thank you.

Over to public hearing, citizens' comments.

Robert DeVoe, 232 North Richwood Avenue. My question is for the ladies with the numbers and with you guys. How much dollar amount was given to as tax breaks to new businesses, subdivisions, or anything else for the last year?

We don't do that. It failed. I can tell you right now. The business initiative that was put on the ballot has failed. City of Edgewater does not give any kind of tax initiative.

They gave no tax breaks to businesses? We don't do that. Park Town Center or anything else, those guys?

Nothing? In the past, but it has failed. It failed on the ballot. So nothing this year? In 2024. Nope. Okay. but i want to remind you i know you have questions but this is just the time to address the council we're not supposed to go back you all go over the budget stuff and then you all explain it among each other and we have a question it's kind of hard for us to go all the way to the end well we've had multiple i'm not trying to budget special meetings and multiple citizens comments time i understand that you have questions i do but this is your time just to address us okay And after the meeting, if you have any other questions you'd like to get answered, we're more than happy to. Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve resolution number 2026-R-38, September amended budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026. Second. Roll call.

Mayor Depew? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainbird?

Yes.

I want to be clear in my statements as well. There was a business tax initiative that was put on the ballot in 2024. It was, I believe, renewed in 2014 or so. It failed. So we do not give any kind of tax credits to any kind of business, especially not developments.

item 9g resolution number 2026-r-39 southeast economic development joint meeting staff report mayor council this is a resolution to authorize the city council to participate in a joint public meeting with the city of new smyrna beach city council the city of oak hill city commission and volusia county council for the purpose of discussing and acting upon matters of mutual interest

related to economic development in southeast volusia the meeting is held on it will be held on october 14th 2026 at the brain center in new summer beach staff recommends approval thank you sir open a public hearing citizens comments council comments i think this is fantastic and i'm happy to see the um all the cities in the county come together to discuss important issues that that affect everyone so i i appreciate this

I think the chamber doing this anytime the cities could get together is great. It's the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, a great accredited chamber in our area. I also just want to say I hope that we continue to do this more than just once a year and see what initiatives we took.

Who attends this? What's the... Rainbird's famous saying, water don't stop it.

City of eyes. It doesn't.

It's the city of New Smyrna, city of...

I mean, so council, we...

In the county council.

So we could ask questions and present our concerns rather than writing them in and sending them in. It's going to be us. Okay, cool. I'll get a thicker notepad.

Is there a motion to approve? What is the date of this? It was October 14th. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve?

Make a motion to approve resolution number 2026-R-39, Southeast Economic Development Joint Meeting. Second.

Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes.

Item 9H, First Rating, Orders Number 2026-0-17, Amending and Modifying the Schedule Impact Fees, relating to Chapter 21, Land Development Code, Article 17, Development and Impact Fees. Staff, report.

Good evening again, Mayor and Council. The ordinance before you is amending chapter 21 land development code for the impact fees that were reviewed this year. On September 22nd, council adopted ordinance 2025-0-7. This was the most recent incorporation of annual modifications to various fees, costs, surcharges, administrative cost fees related to the ordinance, code of ordinance, land development code, and various administrative cost fees. City staff worked with a consultant, Brian Mance, who is actually here this evening in case questions come up, to perform a study for the existing stormwater impact fees and the sewer capital charges or connection fees. The result of this study was presented at the workshop held July 20th, 2026. Updates were reviewed at the workshop on August 10th, 2026. The results were incorporated into the ordinance before you this evening, 2026-0-17. This will require a unanimous vote from mayor and council. This is basically growth paying for growth. This will help us move forward with the stormwater master plan, sewer treatment plant expansion. Again, Brian Mance is here if there are specific questions related to the impact fees, but the recommended action this evening is motion to approve ordinance number 2026-0-17.

Thank you. Over to public hearing, citizens' comments. Council comments. The rate that we're raising our impact fees, always needed. Is there a motion to approve?

Make a motion to approve the first reading, ordinance number 2026-0-17, amending and modifying the schedule of impact fees relating to chapter 21 of the land development code.

Section.

Roll call.

Mayor Depew? Yep. Councilman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes. Item 9I, second reading, Ordinance Number 2026-0-14, Request Annexation Parcel of ID 7430-04-12-0070 from Volusia County and the City of Edgewater. Staff report.

Mayor and Council, this is the second reading. I have Ryan Solstice here if you have any questions.

Thank you. Over to public hearing, citizens' comments.

Good evening. Steve Buswell with Parker Mitchenburg & Associates. I'm here to answer any questions you have on actually this item and the next two that are kind of attached to it, which is the rezone and the comp plan.

Thank you. And your consultant for two? It's for the developer. So you dealt with our impact fees, or is that a separate consultant, Ms. Bridget?

No, this is the second reading for annexation.

Oh, okay. I thought she appointed him as a consultant. Okay, thank you. Citizens' comments? Council comments? Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve the second reading, ordinance number 2026-0-14, request for annexation of parcel ID 7430-04-12-0070 from Volusia County into the City of Edgewater.

Is there a second? Second, Rain Bird. Roll call.

Mayor Depew? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? No. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes. On to 9J, second reading, Orders No. 2026-0-15, Request for Small-Scale Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment for a Parcel Located on the east side of Taiton Boulevard, south of Josephine Street, from County Urban Low Intensity to the City of Edgewater Low Density Residential with Conservation Overlay Parcel ID No. 74. 30-04-12-0070, staff report.

Second reading and staff recommends approval.

Thank you. Over to public hearing, citizens comments. Council comments.

Can I just get clarification on conservation overlay? that's not necessarily permanent that's just in the plan we're trying to meet this but if we can't meet this we don't have to correct yeah the conservation overlay is it does have some teeth to it um it does require an ea it requires more fact finding it's really a fact finding tool within

future land use element. On this site, there are some wetlands that the applicant will preserve as part of the development application for the three lot subdivision. So that conservation overlay puts that kind of onus on them once it's identified. Essentially, the overlay is just that. It says there could be environmental resources on a given property in the city. If it has that conservation overlay, staff require of the applicant to provide an environmental assessment outlining birds, bees, and then if there's any wetlands on site.

I wanted to get that clarified, not just for this, but moving forward. Everybody sees, oh, conservation overlay, it's not as binding and great as it looks.

Yeah, there's certain wetlands, right, that the city, like hydric swamps, for example, is one that we will preserve, but it's not as expansive, and applicants do have the right under the code to utilize, you know, St. John's River Water Management District for permitting for wetland mitigation.

Thank you. Could I ask a question? Under this ordinance, Each applicant must have so much open space. And when I was mayor, I remember going in looking at the plans And their, their open space was nothing but a bar pit was no high ground are in the new ordinance. Are we making them leave some high ground along with a wetland?

Yeah, so the current code requires 15% of the site to be tree preservation. And then when the wetlands are over a half acre in size and contiguous to other wetlands, city staff require them to place those into conservation. That is inclusive in that 15%. Typically, though, with most PUDs, they're about 20% to 25% open space on top of the 15% plus the 20%, 30% for stormwater. So it's definitely in there. In this particular case, this is a three-lot subdivision, 4.7 acres to 5-acre tracks. So these are more like rural estate lots going behind Tatum Boulevard.

but we are making sure that they're leaving some high ground along with the wetlands. Correct, yeah. Okay, good deal.

I'd just like to say, you know, anything can go in there with much more density, so I'm happy to see there's only three homes at almost five acres apiece. I think that's a great win.

Yeah, I'd like to point out just on the other side of the canal in New Smyrna Beach, you know, New Smyrna Beach has a townhome development coming in here. You know, this property is almost the same size as that one. So I think it's a great example of, you know, this is three lots. It could be a townhome.

And the easement to potentially expand the width of the board canal. Correct. Correct.

Right. We're being gifted some land, correct? Correct. Make access to the canal. Correct. The Gaborie Canal access would be easier.

Correct. And, you know, the end goal there is for city staff to acquire property along the entire Gaborie Canal so that in the future we can make improvements.

This is something that... A little bit of a side tangent here, but it pertains to this. This is a better thing than it could have been. But what comes to my mind is what you just pointed out just on the other side. Water knows no boundaries. We're doing everything we can to like stop this stuff, folks. We need the surrounding areas to do it too, because if we're making actions like this, Ryan, this was great. It could have been how many units?

I think the original proposal was something north of like 14 or 15 lots in there.

Okay, so... We're doing what we can, but we need to see the towns that neighbor us, the town that neighbors us. We need to see a little bit more on their end, too, because we don't want to be the receiving end of their. Thank you. Just to throw it out loud.

Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve the second reading, ordinance number 2026-0-15.

Second, Rain Bird.

Roll call.

Mayor Depew? No. Councilwoman Gillis? No. Councilman Thomas?

Yes.

Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rain Bird?

Yes.

Item 9K, second reading, Ordinance Number 2026-0-16, Request for Rezoning for Volusia County R3A Residential R2 Low Density Residential Conservation Overlay Partial ID 7430-04-12-0070, Staff Report.

Second reading, the same parcel discussed over the last two items. This is a rezoning.

Thank you. Citizens' comments? Council comments? Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve the second reading, ordinance number 2026-0-16.

Second, Rainbird.

Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes.

No. No. Okay. All right.

Councilman Gillis? No. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes. Item nine, aye. Second reading, ordinance number 2026-0-20, unanimous council vote prior to sale, transfer, or conveyance of city hall property. Staff report.

Second reading, no changes. Staff recommends approval.

Thank you. Open a public hearing. Citizens' comments. Council comments, I think this is a great thing. This is an outcry from the residents that they wanted to see this property protected and making sure it's in the public hands. This is a good way to do it.

Absolutely. Appreciate it that we updated it to unanimous.

Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve the second reading, ordinance number 2026-0-20, unanimous council vote prior to the sale, transfer, or conveyance of the City Hall property.

Second, Rainberg.

Roll call. Mayor Dupuque? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes.

Item 9M, second reading, Orders Number 2026-0-21, Permanent Moratorium on Acceptance Processing Review Approval Instances of Development Orders, Development Permits, Building Permits, and Related Land Use Approvals for Data Centers, Hyperscale Data Centers, Artificial Intelligence Data Centers, Cryptocurrency, Mining Facilities, and Other High Energy Data Processing Facility. Staff Report.

Second reading, and I'll refer to Mr. Sabatini if he has any comments.

Great ordinance.

Thank you, sir. Open to public hearing, citizens' comments. Okay. Council comments. I appreciate this ordinance. I'm glad it's moving forward. It was an outcry from our residents to make sure that we're not going to have this in our community. This isn't the type of development we want or need in our community. Very glad that the council came together and did this ordinance. I think it's a great step towards the future for my generation because we don't know the long-term health effects of data centers and we do know it takes a lot of natural resources that we have.

Mr. Mayor, if I might. This is great, but I just want to point out that the county just did something. The definitions are not only not vague, they're beyond vague. They're non-existent. What is a hyperscale? I mean, how do we gauge this? The size of the property that it sits on? I think the county is coming up with wattage used. This is great, I really don't want it either, but I don't think the language is strong enough because any lawyer in this country could come and pick this apart and say, well, this ain't hyperscale. You didn't define hyperscale. I mean, I'd like to, I'll vote to approve this, but I think we need to do something better. We don't have the room, as we discussed before, guys. We don't have the room, we don't have the resources. None of us want this. But moving forward, other places that do have the room, got to make sure they have stronger language than... It's just words. There needs to be, like, measurements because, you know.

In the ordinance, it is pretty strong, but Mr. Sabatini, do you have any kind of comment?

What I would say is you could always, listen, you could always, it's a good concern. Obviously, it's an important concern. You could always tighten the language and make it stronger. but I would tell you that I don't think any applicant is gonna come to this city and attempt to put a data center in with the widespread coverage that we have with this ordinance. Basically, this blocks almost any type of application. You do bring up a good point, which is if somebody really wanted to gain systems or a way to get around it, but I think it's extremely unlikely, especially considering the limited land that they have to try to come up with. it would be very dissimilar. I mean, most of the cities where these are being approached, they have much, much more open wide rural spaces where they can do larger sets of buildings.

And keep in mind, sorry to interrupt, I think it is still going to the ballot as well. It is. To be in the city charter.

Yep. So I would say, respectfully, I think this does protect almost any type of application coming in, but I think it's a very important concern, and I will definitely monitor to see how we can strengthen it going forward.

Happy to see us moving forward with it in general because I know there's no plans for anything right now, but I mean, there's so many things that happen at the state level where they come down and say, well, if you didn't have a law in the books before, that you can't pass one now. So I think it's a step moving forward to protect our area.

So if somebody's in their house and they're mining crypto, it's this cryptocurrency mining facility.

No, because the way we define data center has to be the primary purpose. It says that building a group of buildings, the primary use to house computer system servers, telecoms communication, data storage centers, cloud computing infrastructure. So it's defined so solely that if it's one use within a residential unit, it wouldn't take place.

Fair enough. Just trying to find breaches.

No, no.

Trying to make sure we're watertight.

And I appreciate this ordinance. And when it goes to the ballot in November, the residents will definitely decide. They'll speak out and let us know where they stand. And I'm pretty sure I know where that's at. So I do appreciate this ordinance where we're at today. There's no room for it.

And why is this here, folks? Why is this here? Because in the past we made a moratorium against building and it got delayed and it got delayed. And in that 60 days that it was delayed, Mr. Solstice had like 150 applications came in for buildings knowing that there was possible moratorium coming. Yeah, so we're doing this now to stop a data center company from coming in here before the November ballot and putting an application in. and for the rest of the people that are going to see this on the camera i recommend if you don't want this done you do something like this to make it happen now don't put it in the ballot because uh they're looking absolutely great point is there a motion to approve very glad we're doing this i make a motion to approve the second reading of ordinance number 2026-0-2

21, permanent moratorium on the acceptance, processing, review, approval, and issuance of development orders, development permits, and related land use approvals for data centers, hyperscale data centers, artificial intelligence data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities, and other high energy data processing facilities.

Is there a second? Second, Rain Bird.

Seconded by Councilman Rain Bird, roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rain Bird?

Yes.

Item 10, board appointments. None at this time. Item 11, other business. Item 11A, SP 2605, request for major site plan approval to construct a 28,320 square foot indoor outdoor pickleball recreation facility with a yoga studio and related site improvement for the property. Located at 2945 West Park Avenue. Staff report.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The applicant, Joseph Hopkins, first submitted for a site plan on March 27th of 2026. The applicant has undergone three reviews by the Technical Review Committee and our third party engineers, Ed Cohen and Associates. City staff, the Technical Review Committee, and the third party found that the major site plan is in compliance with the city's comprehensive plan. land development code, and mixed-use plan unit development agreement. The site plan illustrates the proposed 28,320 square foot indoor-outdoor pickleball recreation facility consisting of a primary proposed building that contained indoor pickleball courts and an auxiliary building complete with a yoga studio, outdoor seating, parking, and on-site stormwater retention. The development incorporates the required landscape buffers, which is demonstrated on sheet L1 of the landscape plan within the site plan. This is included on both Airpark and West Park Avenue. The applicant is meeting all of the parking requirements. applicant is providing for the 50 by 50 foot triangle dedication for that intersection improvement later on which will be found later on in the agenda and the applicant is also building the trail extension for the city on air park with that city staff is recommending approval and we'll be happy to answer any questions regarding the proposed development

Thank you. Two questions. Will storm water be self-contained or will it go to the Massey Canal right behind the facility?

So the site is in pre-development it's 3.88 acres and it does currently drain to that canal and then post-development it'll still drain to that canal. However, the runoff in the 100-year storm in pre-development is 8.86 CFS. In post-development, it's down to 7.99. The applicant is retaining 1.64 acre feed, or sorry, 1.09 acre feed, or about 355,000 gallons of water on the property.

355,000 gallons. Thank you, sir. The second question is, what could have went there?

Well, originally it was zoned light industrial. And unfortunately, our light industrial, I have to clean that up and get to it. But our light industrial is kind of our nuisance district. We throw all the stuff we really don't want, pot chops, strip clubs, everything. and plus businesses we put in light industrial so um it's one of those new nuisance categories that we kind of use um it needs a cleanup but yes it could have been a number of things including light industrial and or a strip club thank you sir appreciate it citizens comments okay council comments

I was just concerned with the amount of concrete getting poured over there on that area. You've got sensitive neighborhoods behind it that experience a lot of flooding. It's close to Wildwood as well. Just, I mean, the Park Avenue corridor, that's just, I wasn't happy with it on the first reading, and I'm still not happy with it.

I'm not pro-development at all, but I'm very proud of what is going to go there because it will be tied into the trail system and that's what we need in our community. We could have had anything there, from a strip club to a large light industrial facility. I'm glad of that. Wildwood does flow to the Gaborne Canal, I believe. Massey Canal does have a lot of issues. Obviously, it's no joke and does flood in that area, but 355,000 gallons, I think, is a lot of self-contained water. Not very many developments do that, and this is not a housing development. This is already cleared land. It's already there, already cleared, so we're not taking thousands of trees and just killing them.

I think it's also important, too, that the applicant for the fill that they did bring in, staff had them removed. So the applicant is bringing in 6,685 cubic feet of fill. We had them make a cut on the site adjacent to the canal worth 7,153 cubic feet. So they're cutting an additional 500 cubic feet off the site.

Thank you, sir.

You sure you don't want to make a car wash?

I think we need another Dollar Tree in that quarter. Dollar Tree.

I think it'd be a good addition. Personally, I've never seen a pickleball, but here's a great sport. When my son-in-law came down recently to stay with me, he got up and wanted to go play pickleball. Well, I guess we, do we have a pickleball court or something? He went there and there was nobody there. So he went to New Smyrna and played. But I think that would be a good addition. And where it's going, I think it would be good.

Is there a motion to approve?

I make a motion to approve SP 2605, request for a major site plan approval to construct a 28.320 foot indoor outdoor pickleball recreation facility with yoga studio and related site improvements for the property located at 2945 West Park Avenue.

Second, Rain Bird.

Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilwoman Gillis? No. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilwoman Dalbo? Yes. Councilwoman Rain Bird?

yes item 11b rv 2026-01 request to consider the revocation of oakwood cove development agreement repelling ordinance number 2008 0-13 in the amended restated residential plan unit development rpud agreement recorded on 04 10 2017 in official recorder book 7383 page 343 3437 as well as any other pud agreement amendment not formally recorded for the 11-0.66 acre property located at partial ID number 37344 slash 06 slash 06 slash 0010. Staff report.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The request before you tonight is the revocation by city staff as the applicant of the Oakwood Cove Development Agreement Repealing Ordinance number 2008-0-13 in the amended and restated Residential Planned Unit Development Agreement recorded 4-10 of 2017 at the official records book of 7383, page 3437. The proposed development is originally located along Old Mission Road. It's 110.66 plus or minus acres. The amended and restated PUD within Section 3, denoted as the duration of the agreement, developers' failure to initiate construction by July 5th of 2018 may result in the termination of this agreement. The city at its sole option may extend the duration of this agreement. City staff first received a preliminary plat and construction plan submittal on April 27th of 2023. The applicant last submitted on November 26th of 2024. The applicant failed to submit an updated transportation impact analysis and a proportionate fair share agreement between the developer, Volusia County, and the city of Edgewater. City staff have reached out to the applicant who informed the city they are no longer pursuing the application and no longer have a contract on the property. City staff sent a certified letter to the property owner both on June 22nd and again on August 24th. To date, city staff have not received any comments from the property owner. Public notice was mailed within 500 feet of the subject property and posted city staff are recommending a motion to revoke the oakwood code development agreement in compliance with failure to sorry in failure to comply with the development agreement thank you sir open a public hearing so this is comments

Council comments. Very glad we're revoking. I think it's a great thing because there was several flooding concerns in that area due to the development near there. I think it's a good thing that we're taking this step. Thank you, Mr. Solstice and everybody in your department for making this happen.

Good job, Mr. Ryan. Yes. This is a great catch. Moving forward with this, this is something that we need to address. I've been on planning and zoning. These guys are probably seeing it too. We have three planning and zoning gentlemen here today. Thank you for coming. We're getting stuff dusted off from the 08 collapse. And this stuff's been sitting there. And if I understand correctly, there's no time limit on some of these. moving it is correct some of them run with the land prior to that Florida statute change so some of them are vested basically forever so now what we're doing today doesn't stop anything but it takes it out of that one year flood plan and puts it up into our hundred year flood plan and you get to set different you get to move the bar differently now

Yeah, I think, so what this does, to explain to the council, what this does is it says to the applicant that because of your failure to comply with the development agreement, we're no longer going to accept this PUD. What that means is you'll have to come back in and renegotiate with city staff and meet the council's goals and objectives that they have now if you want to develop the property under that future land use, which they still have. Now, the end goal here is obviously for New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, and the county to focus on improving Old Mission Road, improving the stormwater along Edgewater Canal, and that whole system under Massey Road. And we believe that Oakwood Cove, considering the property is about 80% wetlands, could be a great opportunity for the three agencies to work together.

I think it's fabulous. And when I had my meeting with Joe, we talked about that. What could this property be? And it could very easily be a stormwater retention in the future at some point, working with the city of New Smyrna in the county. So we don't know, but it could be.

And I think this is also a very environmentally sensitive PUD, and I don't think the PUD in the past really took that into account. This is the headwaters for the Turnbull Creek that flows north into New Smyrna Beach. So all that land that New Smyrna Beach is buying all the way down the Turnbull Creek right now, this is a critical part of that because this is the headwaters for that area.

Correctamundo.

Is there a motion to approve?

Make a motion to approve. Oh, where are we at? We're on 11D, thank you. B, thank you. Okay, RV2601. I'll leave it at that.

Is there a second? Second. Second. Roll call.

Mayor DePue? Yes. Councilman Gillis? Yes. Councilman Thomas? Yes. Councilman Dalbo? Yes. Councilman Rainberg?

Yes. Item 11C, partnership, discussion of partnership to renovate the Artillery Park Monument staff report.

Mayor, Council, the Elks Veterans Program is seeking to partner with the city to renovate the Artillery Park Monument at Veterans Park. The proposed project goals are to preserve an important piece of our community's history, honor our veterans, enhance community pride, and improve the appeal of a valued public park for both residents and visitors. As part of this effort, there will be a donation of up to $800 towards the renovation project. I believe Mr. Mike Case is here on behalf of the Elks to answer questions or add additional comments.

Thank you. Yes, thank you. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, council, city manager, staff, and citizens. I'm Michael Hayes. I am the exalted ruler slash president of the Edgewater New Smyrna Beach Elks Lodge at located 820 West Park Avenue. This is exciting news to start the partnership with, and as we are dedicated to the veterans, that this is one thing that we can enhance over some years to come. So our first mission is to enhance the Artillery Memorial, the cannons there, we would like to get that all cleaned up, sandblasted, repainted, do beautification around that, and that would be phase one. We will be receiving grants or applying through grants through our organization, through the National Foundation. uh to receive grants annually to upgrade that even more if you saw the ai pictures of that um right now we don't believe there's electric 100 for the whole area or irrigation system so i'll be working closely with the director of parks and recreation mr o'keefe to enhance that services every year i'd just like to thank you guys for that opportunity for us to grow within you and to again serve our veterans and to remember what all the men and women who serve for us so any questions i'll be glad to answer

Thank you, sir. Great thing. Are there any further citizens comments? Council comments?

I want to thank the Elks Lodge and Mr. Hayes for all that you do for the community, the veterans.