City Council - Special Meeting

meeting of May 26, 2026 at 5 30 p.m. We'll go ahead and get started with the pledge and invocation. So if you'll join me in standing.

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

Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for another beautiful day in the city of Lake City. And Lord, thank you for everybody who's up here on this dais. And help us to make great decisions for the citizens of Lake City now and in the future. And Lord, thank you for all the men and women who bravely sacrificed their lives to protect our freedoms in this great United States. In your name I pray. Amen. All right. Ms. Sykes, will you please call the roll?

Councilmember Jernigan?

Present.

Councilmember Harris? Present. Councilmember Young? Here. Councilmember Carter? Present. Mayor Walker? Here. City Manager Rosenthal?

Here.

City Attorney Martin?

Here.

Chief Butler? Here.

ladies and gentlemen the lake city council has opened its public meeting and since 1968 the city code has prohibited any person from making personal impertinent or slanderous remarks or becoming boisterous while addressing the city council yelling or making audible comments from the audience constitutes boisterous conduct such conduct will not be tolerated and there is only one approved manner of addressing the city council and that is to be recognized and then to speak from the podium failure to abide by the rules of decorum will result in removal from the meeting we'll now move to approval of the agenda So approved, Mayor. Second. Thank you both. Any further questions, comments on the agenda? Hearing none, all in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed, like sign. All right, agenda is approved. We will now move to public participation and persons wishing to address the council. I have no slips. I do not believe that there is anyone here who's wishing to address the council looking up. I see none. So we will now move on to a close public comment. We'll go to new business and straighten to resolutions with city council resolution number 2026-057. Mr. Martin, I'm going to ask you to read these by title since they pertain to contracts.

All right, thank you, Mr. Mayor. The first resolution you have before you is resolution number 2026057, a resolution of the City of Lake City, Florida, authorizing the execution and delivery of the form of attached loan documents between the City and the State of Florida Department of Commerce. for a loan through the Rural Community Development Revolving Loan Fund Program, Section 288.065 Florida Statutes, and the principal amount of $5,500,000 for costs for the acquisition of the wastewater treatment plant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park in Columbia County, Florida. making certain findings of paramount public purpose, providing net utilities revenues to pay the indebtedness, providing for the rights, securities, and remedies for the holder of the promissory note, making certain covenants and agreements in connection therewith, and providing for severability and an effective date. Mr. Mayor, should the council wish to adopt this resolution, an appropriate motion would be to adopt resolution number 2026057 as read by title only.

thank you mr martin uh do we have any questions comments uh from the dice or would anybody like to make a motion to adopt city council resolution number 2026-057 by title only

Mayor, I make the motion to adopt Resolution Number 2026-057. Second.

Thank you both. Do we have any further questions or comments? Hearing none, Ms. Sykes, will you please call the roll?

Ms. Young? Yes. Mr. Carter? Yes. Mr. Jernigan? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Mayor Walker?

Yes. Now I'll move on to City Council Resolution Number 2026-063. Mr. Martin? Yes.

uh thank you mr mayor council members you have before you resolution number 2026-063 a resolution of the city of lake city florida approving those certain easement assignment and deed agreements between the city the columbia county board of county commissioners and warehouser company and its affiliates In furtherance of the closing of the acquisition of the North Florida Mega Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant contemplated by the agreement approved by Resolution 2026043, making certain findings of fact in support of the city approving said documents and instruments, recognizing the authority of the mayor to execute and bind the city to set agreements and instruments, recognizing the authority of the vice mayor to execute and bind the city to set agreements and instruments in the absence or unavailability of the mayor, directing the mayor or vice mayor as appropriate to execute and bind the city to set agreements and instruments repealing all prior resolutions in conflict and providing an effective date. Should the council wish to adopt this resolution, an appropriate motion would be to adopt resolution number 2026063 as read by title only.

Thank you, Mr. Martin. We don't have anybody signed up for any of these items, so I'm skipping public comment on them unless somebody walks in and fills out a card. So we will move directly to City Council Resolution No. 2026-063, questions, comments, and if anybody would like to make a motion to adopt City Council Resolution 2026-063 by title only.

I make the motion that we adopt Resolution No. 2026-063. Second. Thank you both.

Do we have any further questions or comments? Hearing none, Ms. Sikes, will you please call the roll?

Ms. Young? Yes. Mr. Carter? Yes. Mr. Jernigan? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Mayor Walker?

Yes.

Now moving on to City Council Resolution number 2026-067.

Mr. Mayor, if we could jump back, I wanted to point out one thing on Resolution 2026-057. Sure. under the definition of promissory note on page two of the resolution there is a blank after the term exhibit where it references that the promissory note is in the form of the exhibit blank to the loan agreement attached as a composite exhibit here too. The exhibit reference will not be made until after the documents are compiled after execution. So that is intentionally blank and it would be filled in once an exhibit designation is given to that promissory note. So I just wanted you to know that's not a typo. It wasn't left out. It's intentionally that way.

Thank you, Mr. Martin.

All right. Thank you.

Now on to resolution number 2026-067.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Council members, you have before you resolution number 2026067, a resolution of the City of Lake City, Florida, authorizing the execution of the closing statement, officer certificates, and closing agreements in furtherance of the closing of the acquisition of the North Florida Mega Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant contemplated by the agreement approved by Resolution 2026043, authorizing the expenditure of funds as represented on said closing statement in furtherance of the closing of the acquisition of the North Florida Mega Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant contemplated by the agreement approved by Resolution 2026043. making certain findings of fact in support of the city, authorizing the execution of said documents, recognizing the authority of the mayor to execute and bind the said documents, recognizing the authority of the vice mayor to execute and bind the city to said documents in the absence or unavailability of the mayor, directing the mayor or vice mayor as appropriate to execute and bind the city to set agreements and instruments. authorizing and directing the city manager to take such actions as are necessary and proper to give effect to the expenditure of funds authorized hereby, repealing all prior resolutions in conflict and providing an effective date should the council wish to adopt this resolution. An appropriate motion would be to adopt resolution number 2026A67 as read by title only.

Thank you, Mr. Martin. Do we have any council questions, comments on the resolution for closing documents for this transaction?

Mr. Mayor, I move to approve City Council Resolution 2026-067. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Thank you both. Any final questions, comments? Ms. Sykes, will you please call the roll?

Mr. Carter? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Mr. Jernigan? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Mayor Walker?

Yes. All right. And now we move on to a different subject, City Council Resolution number 2026-064 on the FAA grant. Mr. Martin, will you please read this one by title?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Council members, you have before you a resolution 2026-064, a resolution of the City of Lake City, Florida approving that certain application for funds from the Federal Aviation Administration Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Grant for T-Hanger Taxi Lane Rehabilitation and Drainage Improvements at the Lake City Gateway Airport. making certain findings of fact in support of the city, applying for such grant funds, recognizing the authority of the city manager or his designee to submit such application, directing the city manager or his designee to submit such application, repealing all prior resolutions in conflict and providing an effective date. Should the council wish to adopt this resolution, an appropriate motion would be to adopt resolution 2026064 as read by title only.

Thank you, Mr. Martin. Do we have any questions, comments, or would anybody like to make a motion on city council resolution number 2026-064 by title only?

Mayor, I'll make the motion on resolution number 2026-064.

Second. We have a motion to approve and a second. Thank you both. Do we have any final questions or comments? Miss Ixley please call the roll.

Miss Young. Yes. Mr. Jernigan. Yes. Mr. Carter. Yes. Miss Harris. Yes. Mayor Walker.

Yes. All right very good. Now we'll that ends all of our new business for the night and our reason for calling a special meeting so we'll go into comments by council members beginning with you Vice Mayor Young.

I'm good.

Thank you. Councilman Jernigan.

Just a couple things. The police checkpoint, just want to let the chief know and the city manager know that they were very professional when they did the checkpoint over this past holiday. The fire department Went by there, and they're A on it now. You're talking about A class. They're a very good fire department here in Lake City, so I'm proud of those guys. The softball team, they brought home the gold. They had the state champs. Columbia High School and I just wanted to suggest and recommend to see what the board felt like if we could get a sign that says state champs on the city limit sign as you're coming in or going out I think they got that down there and like late Butler somewhere in that area I would like to see something like that I say I you know but The other team, they fought hard, but we fought a little bit harder and came back with the goal. So I want to congratulate those ladies for doing such a great job. And that's all I got, boss.

Very good. Thank you, Mr. Jernigan. Up next, Councilman Carter. Thank you, Mr. Carter. Councilwoman Harris.

I'll hold it for the next meeting.

Thank you, Councilwoman Harris. I'll shadow those statements on the softball championship. I think it's a wonderful and honorable thing they did for our city. Good job on this FAA grant, a 1% match on this. uh airports constantly developing in a positive way and i want to thank our state level partners the budget was just put through for approval by the governor and they they worked hard for us fingers crossed that everything goes through and nothing's vetoed but chuck brandon and jennifer bradley did us proud and hopefully we'll have something great to report on that in the coming meetings but that's all i have tonight thank you everyone and have a wonderful evening