City Council - Regular Meeting

January 21st city council meeting order. Can you give us a prayer pledge and fact of the day? Commissioner Smith. Our father, it's once again that we come before your presence to come first of all to say thank you for the many blessings bestowed upon us. Thank you father for this opportunity to allow us to serve as servants of your city. We ask you father that you bless all those in attendance tonight. Bless our efforts that all that we shall say and do be pleasing and accepted in your sight. And that's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Fact of the day. On January 15, 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King was an American civil rights activist and a Baptist minister who was a leader of the civil rights movement from 1995 until 1968. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States until his assassination in 1968. Just days after Reverend King's assassination, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Beginning in 1971, citizen states established annual holidays to honor Dr. King. And in 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor Reverend Dr. King, which is now observed the third Monday of January near his birthday. Fact of the day. All right. Welcome to the public meeting of the city council of the city of Apopka. Please turn off all cell phones or set them to silent. The city council permits and encourages input and comments by members of the public on all matters which may come before the council for action. If you wish to address the council this evening, please make sure you have filled out a card with your contact information and have presented it to the clerk. When called upon, please proceed to the podium and speak clearly into the microphone, stating your name, address of record, organization if any, and direct your comments to the city council and not to individual commissioners, staff, or members of the public. The council and the city staff encourages constructive criticism. However, personal attacks are prohibited. Please observe general rules of decorum and civility. Speakers and members of the audience shall refrain from rude or derogatory remarks, shouting, disruptions, reflections as to integrity, slander, abusive comments, profanity, vulgarities, and statements as to personalities. Any violation of these provisions may result in the issuance of a verbal warning, including trust warning for trespass. If

violations persist after such warnings, violators may be removed from the council chambers. All right, public comment. S

uh supervisor Dr. O Good evening. We have a used to have a lot of nurseries in this town. A lot. And they've disappeared. And we had a lot of nursery workers. We produced a lot of commerce in this town from nurseries and we also buy out of state. And when we permit vendors and landscapers that we hire to buy out of state, we are an out of the area first. We are eliminating our commerce in our city, our county, our zone, and our state. And I have written the governor and the secretary of agriculture, the FNGA, Florida Nursery Growers Landscapers Association, the mayor of the county and the board, the council recommending that we first that we get have a code or items in contracts that the vendors are expected to source in Apopka. by grown in orange,

select in the zone or get fresh from Florida. If not, they don't need to plant it here. It's not going to survive. It's not going to be successful and it's going to cost too much. And if you go with multiple layers and buy from a buyer from a buyer, you know that you raise the price up, too. I've talked to you before about Florida friendly landscaping and that's what it's all about is buying plants that survive here that are from here or compatible here. And that's the only way you're going to get them. It's get them local that have been acclimatized here in the area and are compatible here. And then you don't have to keep replacing them. and that goes along with my previous discussions. So, I want you to be aware and have this worked into the contracts and make it code that we support our local business people and that we support survivorship of plants and trees so that we're not spending our money on things from out of state when they need to be able to survive in the state of Florida subtropical and not buying desert plants. Thank you,

Dr. Moyer. Good evening, mayor, commissioners. Uh, council members, I should say. My name's Dr. Jim Moyer. I'm elected orange soil and water conservation district to supervisor. I've been in the position sworn in for about a year now. I'm what I call a top down person. I try to learn the lay of the land and the pun is attended and I've done so over the last year trying to learn the state, the county, municipal government, etc. Mr. Mayor, I'm not sure if you recall, but first time I was here, you suggested that I get in touch with the public works department. I think after a year of study and research and background that I'm ready to do that. So, if it's okay with the mayor and the commissioner and Bradley, I'd like to set up a meeting with the public works department. I did something similar in AOE. Learned a real lot and I have a lot to learn. And again, my objective now, as always, is simply to help within the scope of our authority, which is to assist, guide, and educate in implementing land and water resource protection practices. Thank you for your time and God bless all of you for everything you do.

Okay. Albert McKim Albert McKibby 360 Golden Gem Road. When I first came to the city hall, it was perhaps three or four years ago and I remember one of the first questions I directed to her mayor. I asked him a simple question and unfortunately he couldn't answer it. However, Jim hit and commissioner Becker did manage to give me an answer. It was regarding the amount of homes under construction. What they told me at that time was the maximum amount of homes that would be constructed in any one year was 500. So I want you to remember that 500 number three years ago and now I want to speak about 2015 when the city upgraded its sewage reclamation plant. At that point the capacity was 3 million gallons. We spent $60 million on bringing that capacity up to 8 million gallons. Currently the city doesn't have 8 million gallons capacity because FD prevents us from using 3 million gallons. Currently, we're asking Orange County to supply us with two million gallons because we don't have the capacity. So, the problem I have now is if we look at eight years from 2015 to 2023 and take the maximum amount of homes that we've got is 500. Then 8 years times 500 is only 4,000 homes. In the last three years, we've probably approved more than 4,000 homes. I believe it's probably about 9,000 homes just now. So, if we're

running out of capacity because we've approved 4,000 homes plus what we've done the last couple of years, how is it we continuously managing to approve new homes when we don't yet have any plan to upgrade the facilities we have? If it costs $60 million in 2015, my projection is when you do start to produce uh plans for a new facility, it's going to cost at least $und00 million. You can't afford to fix Golden Gem Road, so you don't take Golden Gem Road, but every week you continue to pass more homes. I'm not against development where where development is is sensible, but you guys don't have the capacity for sewage without this 2 million gallons per day that Orange County are going to supply you. Don't you think as you sit here today, you should be considering that we need another sewage plant and we're going to need it sooner rather than later. If we started to build tomorrow, probably it's three to four years to get that new capacity up and running. We don't have three or four years to wait when we've continuously got perhaps 10,000 new homes under development just now or at least in the planning stages of development. We have a serious problem with infrastructure in Apopka. I want to see whoever takes over the new administration at least be aware of the problems that we have. Commissioner Moore.

Good evening, mayor, commissioners. I was just reading um some emails here with regard to um the situation with the storm water improvements on Akoi Apka Road and uh going back through and we received the county received an email from Vladimir uh about 6:15 tonight. I'm a little bit disappointed in what's happening here because the discussion about a year ago was that we would the county would uh make about $1.7 million of storm water repairs to the road. This has been going on for quite a while. We didn't have a response. Um our director Ed Avanada has been very frustrated with the lack of response from your staff. And then tonight at 6:15 um the the the deal I guess is totally off. And I don't know if the rest of the commissioners are aware that there was to be a transfer of that road if the county took care of the storm water problems. And Miss Mon'nique Morris does not have time to wait. Those properties have been flooding. We're just blessed that we didn't have a hurricane this year. And now the request from you all according to this email at 6:15 is you want the county to make the storm water repairs and you don't want to take the road. So, I don't I don't know where this board is on that issue, but I would really highly hope that you would have a formal discussion about that and because I'm very concerned and I have not talked to my staff because I was sitting here reading the email in the room and I'm concerned that the county will not want to make those storm water improvements if you're going back in the deal and I think that's could be catastrophic for a few uh of your of some home. I actually think they're county um residents there along Aoya Papaka Road and I've I know many of you seen them flood terribly the last few years. And then finally on another issue that I'm concerned with uh back in 2019 uh in collaboration with

the city, Orange County and Metro Plan uh began a study to look at a complete street project along Brock Springs Road. And uh we had to wait our turn. got on a list for $5 million. And then in your budget, you have $1 million for design and you had several million, I believe it was three for construction. And uh and the project was to be divided. So the city was to take the intersection at Welch Road and Rock Springs, and the county was going to put a light at the McDonald's and do the complete street uh improvements up to Leester. uh we are ready uh we're about to again here we are again to issue an NTP notice to proceed and it's my understanding that you have all not gone out on procurement for that intersection. So I have a solution that I'd like to bring up to you which would be that with the joint planning agreement that you would all agree that the county would do all of the planning because we have Avcon ready to go. It would make the most sense to have the same uh design team, I'm sorry, give you another 30 seconds, the same design team to be able to take the entire project from the intersection up to Lester Road and then we would have to work out through that joint planning agreement uh a reimbursement policy. So, in order to get that through Orange County government, that would be three months. my understanding for you to procure an engineer could be six or seven months. So, I'm here in spite of the the first item I mentioned, I would like to see us work together so we can get that intersection at Welch going and that complete street project moving ahead. So, I'll bring bring that to your attention. I will stay here the whole meeting if you bring it up at the end of the meeting to discuss it. Thank you.

Mrs. Bone, can we get copies of that email that Yeah. Vlad sent out and specific to Ko Pakka, please. Thank you. Anybody else?

Uh, Sylvester H. Sylvester Hall, Rock Springs Ridge. Uh good evening everybody. Uh I come here every city council meeting and this is my fivey year anniversary since I've been coming to city council meeting. In those five years I probably missed 10 meetings but for the last two years I've been coming up here with this national anthem is that I'm trying to appeal to the moral conscience of the citizen of the United States of America this country. When I come up and I say we the people in the city of Apakka, in the state of Florida, and in our country, too many good people are standing by watching bad things happen and not doing anything about it, not speaking up, being completely silent, sometime being complicit with what is going on. It is time for us to stand up against hate. It's time for us to stand up against corruption. It's time for us to stand up against racism. It's time for us to stand up against greed. And it's time for us to stand up against white privilege. When we normalize the abnormal, we desensitize the truth to the point the truth doesn't even matter. We just start doing things and everything just become a formality. Just like when we write when we put our hand over our heart and we say one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And we know that's not true. But once you don't normalize the abnormal for so long, the truth don't even matter. You still say it with pride and it don't bother your moral conscience.

We got an election coming up and it's important that we get it right. When we nominate, when we pick a candidate, we must understand that principles matter, integrity matters, honesty matters, accountability matters, responsibility matters, morals matter, ethics matter, character matters, procedures matter, leadership matters, laws matter. matter. Justice matters and all God's people matters. I dare say the name Jesus because we pray before we start every meeting. God's message to his people is simple. Love thy neighbor as I have loved you. We got an election coming up where people need to come out. The last mayor election, out of the 33,000 registered voters, a little over 8,000 showed up. The mayor won with a little over 4,000 votes. That's 12% of the registered voters. So, our good people of the city of Apakka, do you not care or you just complicit with looking the other way? Thank you,

Rod Olsen. Thanks sir. Thank you. Before we go, before you speak, we need to Bradley, can can you look at the sheet? We might need to talk to Andrew before. Can you hang on just a second, Rod? Yeah, mayor, we do have a bid uh current active solicitation for field rentals, but this is public comment. So, just we do have a cone of silence that council and staff can't talk about.

Okay. So, I understand. Okay. All right. Rod Olsson, 3156 Rolling Hills Lane. 7669 pages in today's meeting packet. Most I've ever seen. Did everyone get through it? I'm talking about today the request for proposal ID number 2026- A-275WRC field rentals Northwest Recreational Complex Sports Field Rental Project. Article 9.7, which I assume the attorney just took care of as a proposal, a cone of silence regarding communication. I'm not one of not those one of those identified, and this is a commission meeting. I'm a grandparent of four children. Two are still actively involved with playing for this club. This club has paid over the last five years, eight to 17 times more than any other youth organization in the city. Central Florida Soccer Club is trying has been trying to negotiate a multi-year agreement for the past couple years. It's been put on hold. Meanwhile, the city finds five-year agreements with the other three organizations. You must immediately take action and level the playing field. Literally, if this is such a smart move for the city to bid out, why are not all the fields bid out? This RFP clearly targets Central Florida Soccer Club. Why? It's a slap in the face. They rent four fields. Has been for the last 5 years. Most you can bid on is three. Apaka Little League covers all little league, all baseball, and softball. Pays for six fields between a 148 and 222 an hour over the 5-year agreement for six fields. They use all 12. I defy anyone to try to get on a field during the week. A popc Raptors pays for one field, use four, but are paying $2.99 an hour. Pop Warner is using four fields paying a $162 an hour. All four organizations are qualified nonforprofits. No increase for football over the

five-year contract. Little league fields require 10 to 20 times the labor that the other fields do. Central Florida football or soccer facts. They serve over 500 children. Provides over $35,000 in financial assistance to the kids so they can play soccer. provides over 7,500 food items for Lavel, Rock Springs, and Apakka elementary schools. Sponsors teacher appreciate appreciation week for Level Elementary. Provide 50 Christmas giving tree gifts to Level Ed Elementary. Easy for me to say. Provides volunteer programs to fulfill AHS high school requirements. Provides free w coach and kids fall and spring training. Provides free Friday night open play. Why is Central Florida football treated differently? You, as commissioners, have the right and the responsibility to immediately engage with Central Florida Soccer Club a 5-year rental agreement in line with the other three, which would be $2.15 an hour over the 5-year period of time for four fields. Make a motion, second it, and get the job done.

Leroy Bell Leroy Bell of Popka for a Popka area concerned citizen coalition. Uh I stand today to speak about the upcoming upcoming election. You have a candidate form that you're having now at the Highland Manor that the Apopka chief I think going to be along with some other people as the moderator. And our understanding is that if you're a member of the Apaka chief, you automatically get a seat into the debate and you can send your questions in. But if you are just a regular citizen and you're not a member, you have to RSP or what RBSP and you have to wait and hope that you can get a seat once you get there and then you can pose your question. But as a citizen of Apakka, I think that if you're running for the city and we're paying tax our tax dollars, we got this VFW up here. We think that every candidate should set on a stage there and have the resident to come in in a town hall town hall setting and ask each and everyone the hard question because there's too many falsehood is going out on the campaign thing that we know. One candidate saying that the city was broke. We got one candidate saying that they built schools. When we know that that's a lie. When we know that taxes were raised in the county, a one cent search charge, that's what built the school, which was the

resident. But the candidates is taking credit trying to save face to get votes. So, I'm asking before this election, there's need to be a candidate form at the BFW some kind of way as a town hall so the people can ask the hard question so they can confront these candidate with these lies. So, is there any way for the clerk or somebody to set this up? That would be my question. You you as you ask a question. So, that's a question. Can I get an answer? Oh, so I I imagine that's to protect your li that the city was broke. That's it. Okay. Thank you. All right. Got approval of minutes. I know we had one correction. So look for a motion unless somebody's got it. Anybody from the dis or from the public need to amend the the revised minutes? Not look for a motion to approve.

No, I'll motion. I just want to make sure clarity for everybody in the audience and that are watching. The the change that was made was that it was for resolution number 2025-45 establishing meter tampering fines. Um at the last meeting, it was a vote on the minutes that are online. Uh it was it said it was carried unanimous unanimously but the motion that was carried it was 4 to1 with myself in opposition of those meter tampering fines. So just for clarity for everybody's sake so I will move uh motion commission second by commissioner Vasquez. All those in favor all opposed motion carries unanimously. Agenda review.

Yes mayor. Uh it is noted on the agenda, but uh staff staff and applicant have agreed to pull advertise ordinances number 318 uh 3118 and 3150 both uh related to the Wild Oaks development uh due to an advertisement error uh that needed correction. So they will be readvertised and brought to a council meeting at a later date. Which ones? I'm sorry. Uh 3118 land development code text amendment and 3150 comprehensive plan. They've already been pulled. Yeah, they've been pulled. This is just for information.

Okay. Just Okay. All right. Gotcha. Okay. All right. Um presentations. We got boy two of our bands here tonight. We wanted to bring up Wava High School. Come on up. Dante Petty, give us your little presentation on your trip to New Orleans. Good evening everyone. Good evening, mayor, council, and the um residents of the city of PAKA. My name is uh Jonte Petty and I serve as director of bands at Wakiva High School. Uh this December, we got a chance to go to New Orleans, Louisiana for the Sugar Bowl. Um it was the Sugar Bowl uh battle the bands as they call it or competition um and the parade as well. Um and so we were able to take about 72 of 120 students um to see this event and to witness a great thing that they did. Um they managed to um do a field show in the conditions of about 30 30 degrees 30 to 40 degrees. We don't do that here in in Orlando. But they managed to do a great job at what they did on the field. Um, we managed to come home with a few awards um based on their field performance and the parade that they were also involved in. Um, the band received uh best overall in terms of outstanding um showmanship. The drum majors uh received best overall in terms of their showmanship in the uh show as well as the parade. And the band itself received

uh third place in their um division for their field show as well as their um parade performance as well. Um while they were there, they got a chance to go to the New Orleans School of Cooking. They got a chance to go to Migra World to make masks. Um they got a chance to see the um uh the uh square uh Jackson Square uh the World War II Museum as well as uh got a chance to go on a lunch cruise and get the uh some history about New Orleans and as well as the actual game with the Old Miss and uh Georgia and at the same time they were able to uh get some feedback, some conversations from the uh director bands from the University of Georgia. So, the kids really enjoyed it. They had a great time. They got a great learning experience. Some of them had never traveled outside of Orange County. Some of them have not even traveled outside of the state of Florida. So, they got a lot of things on this trip. We certainly want to thank the city of Apaka for the things that they've done to help support us. We also want to thank the city of Apakka in terms of the residents um as well. And we also want to do a special thank you to the Apopa High School band as they supported us as well and we supported them on their journey on their trip as well terms of support and things like that. So we want to say thank you guys for that.

Awesome. Is there is that Everybody good. Heat. Heat. Awesome. Awesome. Great. Okay. Come on up, Jeremy. Langford, come on up. And we I think you can go ahead and hit the and then he'll speak after the video. Is that good? Okay.

Heat. Heat. They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For us, it began with a vision, a goal to see the world through a new lens, and the courage to create something entirely new. But no journey is taken alone. We are grateful to all who took a leap of faith to travel and to those who helped make it possible. We say thank you. Our travelers, all of varying ages, experiences, and backgrounds, came together for a life-changing opportunity. Along the way, they learned about themselves, discovered the true depth of others, and built a new world view to reshape their lives. We truly lived the mantra, explore, dream, discover. Together, we weren't just moving forward. We were seeing the world for the very first time. As a leadership body, you spend tireless hours planning and building the bones of Apopka. You execute plans designed to ensure our residents are happy,

supported, and provided with the best possible quality of life. But as we build this infrastructure for a better tomorrow, we must also invest in the character of our young people who will eventually lead it. High school band travel is more than just a trip. It's a vital extension of their education. By stepping outside our safe walls, our students are given a rare opportunity to be vulnerable and to practice humility in unfamiliar places. They learn to navigate the world as ambassadors of our city, developing the perspective required of true global citizens. The most profound lesson of all, however, happens at the end of the journey. After exploring new horizons, these students return with a renewed sense of gratitude. No matter where their paths take them, they come home with a deeper appreciation for Oklahoma. By supporting these opportunities, you aren't just helping a band. You are cultivating empathetic worldwide citizens who are proud to call this city home.

From Florida. Another one from Florida. So, uh, oh, these guys have got the right attire for London, even though they come from Florida. I bet they don't wear those hats in Florida. I bet you're right.

But this is, um, There we have them. The Apopka High School blue dart marching band. I want to thank each of you for allowing us to come up here tonight. And to uh my colleague, Mr. Petty, I don't know where you are. Thank you, man. I get chills literally and figuratively from both of our trips. They were they were both quite cold, but uh no, it's it's a great privilege to be here in front of you tonight to speak to all of you here in the room. But um I'd like to to just share that this is year 12 for being a Popka. And in 2014 when I came, we were on a one of our many football postseason trips up to Jacksonville and two young ladies sitting behind me on the bus and they they were talking about, you know, we were stopping at the mall to to eat dinner before the game and then they said, "Oh my goodness, it's a Jacksonville mole." And I'm sitting there about to be my cynical self and say something like, "You live in Orlando, kid. Come on." But I I shut my mouth and I listened for a second and I realized it's one of those seminal moments in your lives where you realize this band is a facilitator for these kids. Music is their medium. It allows us to do things beyond teaching life. It allows us to travel. Since then we've traveled to Washington DC twice. We've been in New York City. Now traveled to London. Can't say how many thousands of miles we've racked up on cheese wagons going across the state of Florida in support of blue darter football. Um but it is it is a true opportunity of a lifetime. And just like with this trip, as you've seen in the video, um there's so many things that that that were

incredible and life-changing for the kids. You know, again, take going to New Orleans, going to London. There's so many things, but you know, you saw in the pictures, like you saw the Buckingham Palace, going to Oxford, Tower of London, and and Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, one of my favorite highlights. But it was the opportunity for our kids to interact. We were at about a approximately 2 to1 ratio with kids to adults that traveled with us. And so we were able to break it down and take an opportunity for our kids to go out and explore London in small groups as well, you know, and each day started with with a morning meeting so we could kind of get our mindset straight. And I I reminded them every day we left on a Saturday, we came back on a Saturday and I would remind them you can sleep on the plane on Saturday, be tired then, you know, enjoy this time while you have it because, you know, it's it's let's not call this once in a lifetime. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. We want to hope you take again, you know. Um but you know each day we started with that meeting and each night we'd come back for an evening meeting a reflection and hear our pearls for the day you know and it was a beautiful thing because as they would go off into small groups they would inevitably come back and share the joy of oh my goodness I got my picture on Abby Road or I went to Richmond and saw where Tad Lasso was or things like that which then it gave people things to explore the next day and so it was a true true incredible experience on that regard. Um when you when you look at it it was nearly a half million dollars for us to go. It took a lot of time, effort, planning. It was uh summer of 24. We got the invite officially a month or two later came to us and as a result of our cherry blossom parade trip in DC a couple years ago and and um you we started right then, you know, with with okay, we're doing this and we made the commitment and it was great because we kicked it off, you know, the latter part of that fall and we've faithfully raised money and done things and there's been so many people to thank who's helped us with with getting there. um you know and starting with our city and our and giving the support and also the the shout outs that we need for people to know what's going on. But we want to say thank you to that and all the people who helped us get there financially. Um one of my favorite stories was uh one of our one of our young ladies in the van and her parents, you know, said, "Well, you

need to pay half the trip um and we'll pay the other half." Well, she started baking and she ended up paying for the entire trip herself. And you know what? These are the these are the life experiences that don't come in a textbook. They don't come in cinder block walls. they come through experiences like this. And um the beauty of this now for us and I know for for Director Petty as well is we have a proof of concept. We have things we have we have uh uh memories and and footage to be able to go to our next trip and to reach out. And I say this publicly to anybody who's watching this meeting and listening. You're our stakeholders. You're our village. And we want you to be part of that as well. Half a million dollars is no feat, but what it will pay in the future, the dividends will be unbelievable because as all of us know sitting here, they are us just a few short years from now. And the more that we pour into them, the better we are as a community. And I I will never grow tired of that and the opportunity to share with them. But I I just wanted to say again a huge thank you to to everyone who was involved in making this happen. Um a big shout out to my wife Mara. She actually coordinated a trip for us. And I can tell you right now, we could literally write a book between us and Orange County Public Schools on how to do this because it's been actually, you know, I know we're in a political environment, politics aside, who would have thought sending band instruments across the pond and dealing with tariffs, getting them back would have been a thing, right? But it's it's it's amazing to see the amount of things that you have to go through, the unintended consequences, but I can tell you right now, every single point of it was well worth it. the the the the future is bright with these kids and I know with both of our bands here and and again for everybody in this room when you get an opportunity to support these kids and the things that we do, you know, in the brickandmortar schools, um I I encourage you to do so because both of our administrations, I know them personally, they're wonderful. The teachers on our campuses are wonderful and you don't get these experiences just anywhere. It takes a lot of intent and planning and so we're we're honored to do that and honored to partner with our city to be part of this. But thank you all again for the time and showcasing these two wonderful bands and we're proud to be here. Thank you. Thank you. So if everybody

all of our band parents and students come on down. We'll get a picture real quick for the chief. All right. All right. All right, everyone. Thank you. Thank you.

You're welcome.

All right, we've got seven consent agenda items. Does anybody from the DAS or anybody from the public need to pull any of those items? If not, look for a motion to approve. So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. Second by Commissioner Smith. All those in favor? All opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next up, a presentation. Barry Dunn. Good evening, Mayor. Can you hear me? Yes.

Excellent. Um, I'm excited to be at this point. I'm going to share my screen in a moment, but really the intent tonight and I'm looking for those in the room is to walk through the changes we've made to the draft um strategic plan based upon your excellent feedback a few weeks ago and see if this is to a point that you are comfortable approving it. So, mayor, anything else I need to add or anything you want to say before I pull the document up? Go ahead. All right. And I thought what I would do if it makes sense to you all and first I want to check can everybody see the document on the screen.

Yes we can make it just a little bit bigger I think for those in the bigger try to enlarge it as much as possible please. How how is that? Yep. Excellent. So really what I want to do is very quickly walk through the changes because we spent a good bit of time um at the last meeting walking through this got excellent feedback. So first you see here on this page mission vision core values we didn't hear any additional feedback. We didn't make any changes. So this is what we have there. So I'll pause to see any other thoughts on on these this evening. Nope. Go ahead.

Hearing none. I'm going to and mayor. Thank you. It's hard not being in the room to take the visual cues, but um for the quality of life focus area, you'll see here in the redline copy um we realized after the um last meeting that we needed and there's an um uh that we needed to add a solid waste objective. So you'll see here, develop a 10-year solid waste master plan to evaluate really how y'all provide that service going forward um to make sure the service delivery meets the needs of the community. um and continue to evaluate providing that high level of service. So that's a new objective that has been added to make sure that work is reflected in the overall strategic plan along with two performance measures that tie to that objective. So increasing the landfill diversion rate and then completing that master plan by 2029. So both an output measure and an outcome um to uh increase recycling, reduce um overall waste time is generated and then the master plan. So, any questions about what we've done there in the quality of life area?

Any questions? Okay. All right. Moving right along. in infrastructure and transportation. Um we got the feedback that while we had the objective around the um planning effort that's going around um with Orange County um the area wide transportation study, there really is a desire to be more intentional beyond just that project around partnering to come up with strategies um with the county neighboring cities FDOT and then CFX to create a transportation system that works for everyone and it can support the growth that is occurring. So we made that edit. So, I wanted to pause to see if there's any comments there about that change. Everybody okay with that one?

Okay.

All right. Um, additionally, um, we updated this one, a minor modification to not conduct a comprehensive water and sewer rate study, but to implement the findings of the study that was completed in late October. So, a little bit about that timing of when that was completed and when we were working on this draft. So, we made that change. No changes to the performance measures here. Um we did keep the um completing that transportation study milestone measure in because that really rolls up to that overall objective change ready to move to organizational health. So for this one there was the conversation around customer service and soft skills around training and development for um staff. So you'll see here we added in the um area around organizational development training employer retention to include soft skills um training into that objective. So I wanted to make that note. Any feedback there?

Everybody okay there? Okay. All right. And then um there's the conversation around really working across departments and breaking down silos to make sure you're as efficient as you can be and providing the service. And you know, our perspective is is that you already are doing a lot of really good things, but it's always good to keep an eye on that ball. Um, so we added this objective you'll see here through business process review and organizational assessment initiatives identify opportunities to become more efficient and work across departments. Okay. Any feedback there? Good.

All right. Um, we also had that really great conversation around your culture. So, we've added the performance measure around percentage of employees who recommend the city of Apopka is a good place to work. So, in that promoter score approach really to what is it like to work for the city? Are people recommending it? Moving on to economic vitality. Um we tweaked the very first objective um to take out the recreational activity hubs that's really covered in other parts and really focus on the commercial development and redevelopment that mixes land uses to get at that notion of people are looking for more shopping and retail opportunities in the community. Um the associated performance measure with that we had that conversation is really around the overall increase um in commercial tax base as a way to measure that over time. So any feedback on that one?

Everybody okay with that one? Okay. All right. Um we also added um the feedback around the work you've been doing uh with retail strategies. So implement the actions from that retail recruitment plan. Once again getting at that same desire that we heard from the community feedback and from you all around really building the retail environment um locally in Apopkco. Is that update good for the team? Yeah, I think so.

Okay. And then finally in safe and healthy, we made no changes. So, mayor, with that, I'll pause, see if there's any questions, any additional feedback, um, or anything else you all want to discuss um, really at this stage. But where we are is getting your final approval on this. And then the next iteration is getting it into a format that is glossy, high visually appealing graphics for distribution around town and into the community as well as some imple implementation work with the staff team um to make sure that this plan um lives and breathes and gets incorporated into the day-to-day for staff. All right, any other questions for Karen?

No, just I appreciate your time and and edits to this. I think is is definitely well worth um the conversation we had last time as well and I think this is long overdue and and excited to get this uh implemented and especially on employee side and and strategies to actually move our city forward. So, thank you for your efforts on this. Thank you. I appreciate that. It's been a fun project so far. Any other questions for her? All right. Will this be going on the website? Sure. Okay.

Yeah. Anybody from public wish to speak on this one? Uh Christine Moore, 141 South Central Avenue. Uh I applaud you all for for working on this strategic plan. I've done quite a bit of strate strategic planning through my career and uh I was curious about the next steps in terms of who will be assigned as the champion for each of your planks and desires and then um when you'll go into the process to come up with the measurable objectives and how then finally how that report will be given to the public at least to the board in in future years. We did this uh very sensefully at the school board. It was very helpful each year as a board member to look at where we were meeting the objectives and and we it was colorcoded. We'd have green we were making the goals, red we weren't making it. And it was really an incredible tool for staff. But I'm curious if you're going to take it those next couple of steps so that you'll be able to implement the plan with fidelity.

Anybody else? Okay. All right. We'll close the public hearing. Look for a motion to approve the final strategic plan as presented by Barry Dunn. So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. Second taken by Commissioner Nesa. All those in favor? All opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you, Karen. Thank you all. Have a great rest of your evening. I appreciate it.

And also want to reiterate that um our friends over at Duke Energy made this this possible with a $20,000 grant. So, we won I know um uh the folks from from Duke couldn't make it. So, I reached out to a couple of them and so Lisa Curran could not make it and so and nor Todd. So, anyway, but they they appreciative of you know the efforts we put in and so we want to thank Duke Energy.

All right. Next up, needing me the consideration for the new inclusive playground Northwest Rec Bradley. Uh Bradley Williams, interim city administrator. Uh before you now is a business item number two for the naming consideration for the inclusive playground at Northwest Recreation Complex. Uh I did provide in the packet a handout that was provided to council um by former commissioner Aerosmith uh with some information about the individual for consideration. Um and this item is to allow discussion and consideration of that um naming. Any questions for Radley?

Um well, you know, I've gotten some feedback and I I just want to kind of reiterate when Mr. Bill Arrol Smith did come to me. Initially he was looking for a street and then at the time the park was still not completed. So I had suggested maybe the park would be a a viable uh place to uh kind of rename the park. Um and since then I have been approached and and been contacted that uh to name a park that it should be a kind of a workshop and to have others kind of submit names rather than just giving the park away. And I remember when Wild Oaks came up and they had suggested that they would name a street for the veteran. And since then, Mr. Aerosmith did come back and say that he's wanted the park. And I've gotten some feedback where there where uh some of the residents are asking for reconsideration of the park and to open it up for suggestions of other names.

Any any other questions for Bradley?

Okay. Well, I think the the conversation that was brought up previously, I think a few meetings, is that I I don't think it's anti-naming. It's let's create a standardized process as we move forward. I think is the goal here. So, um, which I know that staff had I know most of the commission had recommended that's staff's kind of option to move forward with and I know that we just haven't had that. So I think we should be honoring everybody that has served our country in some way or another um and has passed away in that capacity. There should be a process in place that we are um naming those that have sacrificed everything for us. So, um I think let's create a standardized process and that should be in the works is what I think we should be doing next. But there was questions for that as well that I've received of what's the process if they have a loved one or or a family member or what whatever it may be a person that they care about that they want to honor. What's the process? And I don't I didn't have an answer for them. So, I think formalizing that process I think is very valuable to to move forward.

Mr. Smith, I'm ready to make a motion. Anybody else? Okay. All right. Listen, we're not we're not anti not naming the park. It It's just that I know I've been reached out um and said that they have suggestions of other names and we don't have a process. I did ask uh our intram uh chief administrator and he did send me an email saying that there was a policy for naming streets but not parks. Is that correct?

Yeah, I provided some information in the co in the code that references how to name streets. I'm sorry. I provided information on references in the code of ordinance in the land development code on how streets can be named and it was about streets but it was not actual buildings or parks. Well, that's renaming. That's what I think. No, no, it was an actual for streets also. Renaming streets. That's a different process. Yeah, but there was nothing for parks or buildings.

No, correct. Well, I think too I mean can we I agree as a as a commission that if this not if but should this get approved even so what regardless of what happens with it let's create a process let's have staff let's direct staff to create a process so we don't have to come back to this discussion is that something we can agree to or well let's let's get the we'll open up for the public first and then we'll come back and look at what that looks like. Okay. Want to speak? Okay.

Leroy Bella Papra. I'm 100% 12 year disabled veteran myself. Sylvester Hall disabled veteran. My whole family, maybe a third of my family, father, brother, military. I I I really I'm really compassionate about the veterans, but you got to understand that we the veterans not the only one that live in the city of Apopia. And if there's a process for the streets, as uh the interim said just a few months back last year that they was trying to rename Herman Road, if you remember, Aerosmith and the process was a lady came out of I think it was Altoont I believe she came out to Alimont to make this recommendation to put Aaron Smith name on the street in Apakka and the process was going through that. She couldn't do this because she didn't reside in the city of Apopka. I agree with Commissioner Vasquez that we need a workshop on it. Do a workshop on it and then let's have one blanket process that should be the park should be the same process as the street. We have a veteran, a bronze star veteran that in my opinion, me and him didn't get along too good, but he's a bronze star and served this community for 20 years on that dasis and I think almost 30ome years as a school teacher. Correct. And what did we do with him?

You build a building up here on Sixth Street on Lorenza William Park. Another man that served on this das for 20 years. Then you slap uh uh Billy Dean name on the building. Two people at one place. Why can't we separate things and honor people have served here? And I don't think if you don't live in the city of Apakka, you don't get to make re recommendation about naming zip. Anybody else? When I say um Sylvester Hall popped up, when I say procedures matter, when we normalize the abnormal, we desensitize the truth to the point the truth doesn't matter anymore. So, I'm trying to make it make sense for me because it don't add up where we can just come up and say, "Oh, I want to name this park and I recommend this person." And we have no guidelines of doing it. Just make it make sense to me. And these are the things that I talk about when you're talking about leadership. Make it make sense. All the thing that Mr. Bill brought up make it make sense. And I know everybody up there consider theirel intellectual in uh individual.

So how can these things be happening in front of the public? We're just going to say hey I want to name the park after this person. There's no guideline. There's no procedures. There's no how about coming up with a database. We have some great historian from as the city will pop those name in a hat. So when we come to we have something like this we got names already pulled from names that's already been vetted that we stand proud for the individual and the city of Apo it's very simple process but when we don't do the normal things then it turn into all of reaction reaction we doing everything on reaction because we have no plan in place so again I say procedures matters Integrity matters. Accountability, all these things matter. So, moving forward, when we say we're going to do something, let's do it. We mentioned the workshop. When we had the incident about naming the street, this should already been a done deal. We should have already had that process in play. So, we'll have a guideline to go by. Thank you. Albert Mckame 3603 Golden Gem Road. Week after week, month after month, year after year, we come here and we see lack of procedure. How much time do we waste at city council meetings because we don't have procedure? We need a procedure. We're talking about committing to naming streets.

It may be politically expedient sometimes to mention things and it may be politically inexperienced at times to mention things. But let's not forget we have a firefighter Austin Giran who lost his life in service to this community and we should be discussing how we treat that because in speaking to his parents they still don't have any closure. If we can't provide closure for a family who lost a son to the city of Apopka, then that's in my opinion is what we should be looking at early on and procedures and how to do that is something that that need to be set in stone.

Anybody else? Okay, Bill, come on. Thank you. I had not anticipated um people looking at it personally taking it out that I don't live in the city of Apopka. Um actually it's the this past year is the first time in 70 years I haven't lived here. Um I've served this community well. I feel um I served on this commission 39 and a half years. I'm ask not asking for something for myself. I certainly didn't expect veterans to speak against it. I served in the US Army. Um unfortunately, Roger was not able to still be here to have the benefits that a lot of veterans have. It's it's very it's embarrassing. I do believe we need a policy. Um, Commissioner Vasquez, you had your opportunity to bring out policies uh quite a while ago and we'll just leave it at that. But anyway, it um I think what I'm inclined to do is just withdraw this request. I'm not sure that I want something named after Roger in this community, but I want y'all to do your process, get your procedure straightened out, and um possibly somebody else can recommend it that uh is not as politicized as I am. And uh like I say, it's it's embarrassing, but uh I think that's what I would suggest at this time, and I appreciate it.

So when I first brought it up to you, I did bring it up to you when it was first presented to me and we had the conversation. Um, and at that time I did ask for a polic Um, remember I had asked for how was Jason Dwali Parkway named and I did get some information but it didn't really show how it was named. Yeah. And in that discussion um I do recall mentioning that the best route would be to bring it to the council meeting and have a discussion to get further direction on that. Right.

Yeah. And at that time as Mr. Arrow, Bill Arrow Smith when he spoke the first time um and I know I had said to him that it just the timing was just not right. There was a lot of contention um not just on the day but in the city and it wasn't just the right time to bring it up. And so um be between that time and now I had gotten some emails. I got one email uh one from Dr. O that she gave me an entire list of different veterans that she had posted on different streets and I did tell her that u Mr. Bill Arrow Smith did know about it, but he wanted something with more significance. And at that time, I kind of aligned the park with Jason Dwelli. Uh, but after doing some research and receiving some phone calls about um that we should have an advisory group, an advis an advisory committee to kind of create a a a policy. Um, and it it it doesn't want to I don't want to take away from uh Mr. James Roger Griffin. And I will say this because my husband is also a Vietnam vet and my husband is a recipient of a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. So I am very big on Vietnam vets. He gives a lot of his time to Vietnam vets. I'm also a mother of an Iraq combat veteran and he served also in the Afghanistan. So this has nothing to do with being anti veteran. It just has to do that there are residents in our community that have

reached out to me and and said that it was unfair to just give one name for the park when there are so many other veterans and other first responders within our city that um have passed away. And of course and I will mention um our young firefighter Austin Duran who lost his life in the service for the city of Apaka. And that was a name that came up um more than one time that uh some of the residents felt that his name should be considered. Okay. So, we may not have a policy in place, but we do have a procedure in place. And that procedure is the same it was when we named the Billine Community Center, the Lonzo William Park, was that this council or a council voted in order to name those parks or that building. And so, that was the procedure even though that wasn't a policy. And so, I think that same procedure is still in place even at this time. And so therefore, I would move that we name the uh all-incclusive playground after James Roger Griffith. Do we got a motion? Do we have a second?

And I just want to say that uh just to kind of piggy back off what Commissioner uh Smith was saying is that procedurally we have I guess as a council has from the diet discussed naming parks and there wasn't a policy in place. So until there's a policy pull in place, I'll follow the procedure. So I second his motion. Got a motion by Commissioner Smith, second by Commissioner Anderson. All those in favor? All opposed? You're either forward or you're against it. Well, it was brought to me originally, so I will go for it. We got Mr. Nesa, I responded as unanimous.

Okay. All right. So, we got unanimous vote. Thank you. Thanks, Bill. All right. Nonprofit grant program selection committee recommendations.

Good evening again. Rather Williams, interim city administrator. Uh the next item on the agenda here is the uh nonprofit grant program selection committee recommendation uh for the awards for the FY26 grant application window.

City of Apakka's nonprofit grant program was developed to provide assistance to school organizations, booster clubs, and nonprofit organizations committed to supporting youth at risk individuals and senior focused initiatives in the Apakka community. The program's first grant application window for FY26 opened on October 1st, 2025 and closed on October 31st, 2025 at 4 p.m. in the afternoon. Total of seven applications were received uh from the following organizations. Um Apakka Innovation and Technology Academy, 5,000 requests with 100% match. POP Women's Club, 5,000 requests with 100% match. Inspiration and change, Inc. 500 or $5,000 request with 100% match. Main Mission Foundation, Inc., 5,000 request, 100% match. Meeting at the Well, Inc. 5,000 requested, 100% match. Open Heart Farm, uh, 20,000 requested, 75% match. And Salt Outreach, Inc., 5,000 requested, 50% match. Uh the nonprofit grant selection committee met at the Apocity Hall on Thursday, January 8th, 2026, 3M for a public meeting to score all the received applications. The results of the scoring are up on the screen and provided in the staff report and the committee has uh recommended award for all seven applications.

Is it just Oh, okay. These were the ones when they actually sat down, too. You score them? Oh, yeah. This Yeah, maybe. Yeah, we we This was This was left over. Left over. Okay. Okay. Okay. We'll leave that. Sorry. No, you say it was

Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, those should have been picked up. Blank pages there. Uh uh the recommended awards total $32,000 uh with the funding for the nonprofit grant program approved in the FY26 budget at $100,000. Uh so that means if all grants are awarded tonight, the remaining funding would allow for the opening of a second FY26 grant application window in April of this year. uh as at the last uh as at the first committee meeting um in addition to providing award recommendations, the committee also provided some additional recommendations uh to help improve the program as we move forward uh as this program continues to um grow. Uh first, the committee would like to conduct a workshop for nonprofit organizations to learn about the program program and application process prior to the next window. uh which we can certainly establish that. And the committee would also like to have our staff, city staff complete the technical review of all just the checklist items on the application uh prior to their committee meeting. That'll help improve the speed of their committee meeting and efficiency for the process. So uh we do have uh uh Miss Lena Potter, our chair of the committee here, and I do see uh Mr. Sylvester Hall, who is a committee member as well. So, I don't know if Lena has anything to add. Um,

well, while she's coming up, really what I would like to do is to get to the the the two news outlets here in Apopkas, probably at least a paragraph on each one of these that we can, you know, so we can promote what what they do. I mean, it's while we've got the the name, I know I know most of them, but it'd be nice to for people that don't know them, maybe they want to volunteer, maybe want to donate money. So, it just be nice to have that, you know. Sure. Absolutely. So we can put a um a brief uh summary from each of the applicants from their applications. Put it on our website and then yeah that that would be great.

So as Radley says um this grant committee is a work in process. So, this was our second time and each time we find little things that um are helping to make the process go a little smoother. At the um first committee meeting, we wanted to actually see the applicants and be able to have them tell us a little bit about their organization. So, we added a five-minute presentation and six out of the seven groups did do a five-minute presentation and that was very helpful because it it put a face to the organization. Um, it enabled us to ask them some questions so that we could flush it out a little more than just reading what they put on paper. um the recommendations that we made this time to have staff review the applications, what we're finding is that um sometimes they're missing something or um like for instance, we had one applicant that instead of sending their certificate of insurance, they sent their insurance proposal. So, it had everything, but it didn't actually have the COI where if somebody just kind of lays eyes on that before it comes to the committee, it can be a phone call and and we can have everything in line by the time we meet. And then we found also, especially with some of the newer, smaller nonprofits, this may be the first grant that they've sought out and they don't they're not really familiar with the process and they don't know some of the jargon. And so when they're asked for a financial disclosure statement, they're writing up something, but it's not actually anything that has meaningful figures. So we're having to ask them to come back and add that in. So, we think a workshop would be really beneficial for the applicants and also

just to get the word out there because, you know, the city is providing this grant opportunity, but we're not getting the doors broken down by applicants. So, you know, we need to get the word out there and maybe make the process a little less intimidating for some of these newer, smaller nonprofits. But all in all, I think it's a great program. The applicants are great. As full disclosure, I'm a member of the Apakka Women's Club, so I recuse myself from um scoring them, but um it's interesting um to see all these groups and the good that they're doing out in the community. And I think it's a great idea to have a little blurb in the paper so that the community knows what these organizations are doing and what opportunities are out there for volunteering.

Great. Thank you. Thank you so much for that feedback. The workshop that you're you're referencing, it would be like a pre-application workshop. Correct. Right. Just kind of

session. Yep. Yep. Just to come and say this is when the applications are going to be available. This is what's going to be expected of you. If you don't understand what that is, you know, you can ask questions and and we or maybe pro we could we as the committee or the city could provide some examples of what exactly this is what a financial disclosure statement is. this is what your certificate of insurance looks like. And um make sure your certificate of insurance is actually in the name of your nonprofit. So those types of things just so that um when they do submit the application, we're not having to go back and say, "Oh, you know, you didn't do this quite right. Can you resubmit this?" And by the time it comes to the committee, everything should be all the ducks in a row and it should just go very smoothly.

Awesome. Thank you, Mr. Williams. Who want who on staff could kind of help facilitate that with a with a committee? So, we will be transitioning this to our grant um our grants uh team in the finance department. Um so, now that we've kind of gotten through a couple cycles here, um we'll continue work. I'll continue working from my office with the finance department to kind of transition that to the grant side and um get that set up for this next cycle. Perfect. Thank you. Thanks.

So on the on the only thing on this on this sheet that you had the business item, can you just list your committee me the committee members because you just have committee uh the committee recommended but there's no names. Yeah, I can include that as we move forward. Yeah. Um it's the same um it's like membership for planning and zoning and yeah I can certainly out minutes you name all the commissioners that are present and you know you have the attorney you have that just have yeah if you'd like for the record I can update that for the staff report and then moving forward we can make sure that's included. Okay. Thank thank you.

All right. Um anybody else from the public want to speak on this one? Not close the public hearing. for a motion to approve the nonprofit grant program selection. So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. Second, second by Commissioner Smith. All those in favor? I. All oppose. Motion carries unanimously. Next up, Tilly Services Territorial Transfer Agreement with Zelwood Vladimir.

Good evening everyone. Uh Vladimir Simonoski, public works director. Mayor, commissioners, what we're bringing to you tonight is the request for approval of a utility service territorial transfer agreement permanently assigning portable water service rights to the Terabona and West Place plant developments to Zelwood Water Users Incorporated.

I'll wait a little bit. I apologize for that. Didn't realize there's more people moving out. So basically in summary, the proposed utility services territorial transfer agreement establishes the terms under which Zwood water users incorporated will provide perpetual portable water service through Terabona plant development which consists of 104 single family units and the adjacent Wesley Place development which consists of 26 single family units both located outside of the corporate limits of the city of Apka. Although the city is generally the execut the exclusive provider of portable water within sections of unincorporated Orange County boundaries, the city currently does not have water infrastructure in the vicinity capable of serving these developments and has no near-term plans to extend such facilities. Zwood Water UR Zwood Water users operates an existing water treatment facility immediately adjacent to the project area and has confirmed sufficient capacity to serve all proposed residential units to facilitate timely development and ensure availability of portable water service. The city agrees to permanently relinquish its rights to provide portable water service to the subject properties, allowing them to be incorporated into Zelwood water user service territory in perpetuity. The developers will be responsible for all costs associated with designing, permitting, and constructing the necessary on-site and off-site infrastructure to connect to Zwood water user system as well as execution of a separate main extension and water use agreement with Zwood water users. The agreement also provides that zel that zwood water users will supply irrigation water to the developments until such time as the city has reclaimed water reasonably available at which point

irrigation service may transition to the city. Additionally, a middle reading a middle reading agreement is included as an exhibit requiring zood water users to provide monthly water usage data to the city so that the city may accurately bill wastewater service charges. The agreement contains standard provisions related to notice, interminification, attorney's fees, venue severability, and mutual draftsmanship and has been reviewed for legal sufficiency. When it comes to funding, as I said earlier, no direct city capital funding is required. All water infrastructure costs are responsibility of the developer with ongoing utility service provided by Zwood Water Users Incorporated. Before we move to recommended motion, I'm here to answer any questions you may have.

Any questions for Vlad? Anybody from the public wish to speak on this one? I had a couple questions on this one and we spoke about some of this yesterday. Uh, and I appreciate the time that you spent with me is that it it's kind of fast forwarding some of this agenda here is that we're saying that we aren't able to provide service to this because it's about a mile from the closest service that we currently provide. But then we're requesting grant funds or technically a loan that'll turn into a forgivable loan I guess that is two plus miles away to connect to Mount Dora's water. So it's I guess what is our goal here? It's do we not have capacity? Do we have capacity? Is it too far? Is it not too far?

It yes at this point it's not about a capacity. It's about the availability then basically how near the water system is uh on the north side we have at the basically the water system is right now extended all the way to the intersection of Kelly Park and Round Lake as you can see on the screen I believe and that's about 1.2 two miles away from the connection point to these two developments. On the south side, the water man is currently at the intersection of Ponen and and Golden Gem. And that's about just below two miles away from the point of connection. And that area that is in yellow highlighted, that's actually a Zwood water users utility service area. So basically, they're adjacent to their service area. and Zwood water users expressed interest for them to be connected to their system as they're servicing also the school which is right next to

Zwood Elementary. Okay. Zwood Elementary. And then it said in there and we discussed this and I I don't know if you were able to get an answer on this one that they have to provide us updated uh fees that they'll be charging but it sounded like it was that they're charging us. So what I guess what fees are are they required to provide to us that they'll be uh that they'll be sending to us? I I think that's related to the uh metering. It's basically they will be pro I believe that's your question right? They will be providing how much water it

it's under the the time of performance and termination. So it's page nine of their their contract. Looking at the entirety of the packet, it's page 323 out of 769. And it specifically says, "ZWu shall notify the city of any additional additional or increases in the charges provided herein at least 60 days prior to implementing the charges. Such increased charges shall automatically become due and payable unless within such 60 days uh and the city provides written notices EWU that it desires to terminate this agreement due to such increase in price and it goes on from there. So, it's it it appears that it's it's a charge to us that we have to agree or or or not agree to. And I guess what are those charges? Well, they will be charging the two developments for water and reclaimed water. They will be they will be submitting the data so we can assess the waste water.

Sure. And I and I have that. So that that's they they have the meter reads and the rereads and and they have a whole section for that in charges section, but this one is specifically stating the city itself and that the city could effectively terminate this agreement due to the increase in price. Correct. So I'm just trying to understand and again we did discuss this yesterday. So I don't want I don't want anybody to think that this is like a a a random question. This was brought up yesterday. So I just want to make sure that we have some understanding of the expectations on our part because this will be the only project that is like this for our municipality. Correct.

I I think the intention of this is because this is part of the exhibit B which is the agreement for meter readings and other related services. I think the intention of the of the agreement is to allow the provision for which was already explained in the in the utility service territorial transfer agreement that both parties have rights within the 60 days. if there's disagreement with the increase of the utility rates to be able to to terminate the agreement which in this case will apply only for water and reclaim water and for reclaimed water until of course the city extends the reclaim water system

but it wouldn't I I guess and let's walk through this I guess a little bit we would there would be no benefit to us to cancel this because if they're not charging if that's related to a fee that they're not charging to us it it's exclusively to us reading. I mean, we'd still have to service the sewer water there.

Yes, sir. So, Commissioner, I have not uh reviewed this agreement. Um, but what I can tell you uh just by taking a look at it here and and looking through it, I do see some charges that ZW you'll be charging the city uh under section two. um not for initial re looks like for she'll provide meter readings at no charge for initial meter readings. Um but there is a charge uh of $15 for rereads um some meter testing charges and u some some payment um some due information. So just going through this, I do see some charges that are identified that that ZW personnel will be charging to the city and that may very be well what it is uh addressing here. Okay. And think and I apologize again that that I guess you haven't been able to to review this in its entirety, but we there would be no desire for us to ever cancel this agreement. Correct. Or I mean, we really couldn't because we'd always have to provide sewer to these properties.

Correct. But I I don't believe sewer is included here. It's only for water and rec. They only do water. Sewer will automatically be serviced. I understand. But if we cancel this agreement, we don't know how much to charge for sewer. That's correct. So I I understand that this isn't about sewer, but it it does impact how we would charge. So again, I'm just trying to understand the agreement because this is the only one we have, correct? We have no other neighborhoods that are similar to this kind of agreement that another uh utility is taking over partial partial services because we're basically partnering with them to correct

to share information and data. I just want to make sure we're getting it right that down the road we're not in a a tough position. I mean, it's just a thought. I'm just trying to think of I, you know, worst case scenarios there that however this may work. Um, because I'm sure we'll have some some hiccups as as we kind of progress with this of who's in charge of replacing this or fixing that if that breaks or this breaks. So, um, just trying to get ahead of that. Well, Zwood water users will be fully responsible for but not for the sewer side. Yes. No, not on the sewer side.

Right. So that's just what I'm saying there that that and again similar to like the meter tampering fines and all that. How do you apply who broke a sewer pipe or something and who's responsible for paying for it? And I know that's not this exact agreement but it does impact us in that capacity. With sewer once everything is accepted and goes to the city it's going to be like any other development. Basically the city will take the respons but the difference is we just don't have the water component to it. So correct it's just I just want to make sure that again we're covering all the bases there. Um, did we have I know attorney hand you didn't review this. Did we have uh attorney Shepard review it? Yeah. Yes, this was reviewed by uh uh attorney Shepard. Okay. So, we've got his sign off. He's comfortable with it.

Yes. Okay. Thank you.

All right. Any other questions for Vlad? Anybody from the public wish to speak on this one? Uh just real quick for some of the uh Sylvester Hall uh some of the question that Commissioner Nester was asking. It seemed that we really don't have a good grasp of what's what's going on and and um here again I keep saying procedures matters. Procedures matters. when we get up here and we present something and we struggle to give answers that that clarifies everything for everybody who's involved. That's an issue and that's a concern and these things need to change. Anybody else?

And I just want to clarify something in regards to staff. I know sometimes speaking with staff is it's not that they don't understand. I don't have clarity in what they're presenting. I think they just want to be careful about the material they present because I we speak with staff. We have meetings with staff and they really do understand a lot of things they're presenting. So I don't want us to you know the takeaway is that staff doesn't know what they're doing what they're presenting. I think that from speaking from speaking with staff it's that they want to be careful about what they say. Go ahead. I'm not going to talk over people. I'm not going to be talked.

Albert Mckame, 3603 Golden Gem Road. Earlier tonight, I said week after week, month after month, we come to city hall meetings and things don't really appear to be that commissioners fully understand what's going on. That's not the fault of the commissioners. Commissioners continuously tell me they're not engineers. They don't have the experience. But commissioners, you know, is it common practice for things to come before the commission that are not fully understood? Are we making sure that we have access to attorney? Do we require a full-time attorney? Do you feel that you're adequately represented by a part-time attorney?

Anybody else?

Okay. You know th this is a downright shame. Favoritism. Yes, it is favoritism. You got a problem with me? No problem. You set up and play these games. You sick them. You make people sick to their stomach. Here it is. Just because even with this thing right here, what's going on? We don't know exactly what's going on. We got one commissioner talking about how great the staff is this that this that. If the staff were that great and a breast on what's going on, then everybody need to know. We're the ones that going to be putting the bills and stuff for the people to go out and repair stuff. Yes, it is. If something break and the city is partnering with these people and the city send people out to fix pipes and stuff, you're not it's not coming out of your pocket. It's coming out of the pocket of the resident from taxpayers money and you sit up there and shake your head or all I got to do is get up here. Maybe maybe people in live in the city have to come up here and cry and maybe then they can get some recognition. We got I'm glad there's election coming up. I thought I'll never say this is one candidate that's in here I I never thought I would vote for but I pray to God that the city of Apaka would vote for Sammy Ruth. Anybody else? Okay, we'll close the public hearing. Look for a motion to approve the utility services territorial transfer agreement with Zelwood Water.

So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Smith. Second. Second by Commissioner Anderson. All those in favor? I. All opposed. Motion carries unanimously. Next up, ordinance number 3140. Second reading.

Ordinance number 3140. An ordinance of the city of Apakka, Florida, amending the future land use element of the Apakka comprehensive plan of the city of Apka changing the future land use designation from in progress to residential very low suburban for property owned by Lincoln Douglas Haynes and Lauren Elizabeth Haynes located at 10:30 East San Piper Street comprising of 1.79 acres more or less providing forever building complex and an effective date. Any changes? Anybody from the public wish to speak on this one? Not close the public hearing. Look for a motion to approve.

I'll be I just want to notify I'll be recusing myself again from this one uh due to somebody in my brokerage um selling this property before and I will be recusing myself. So need a motion. So move. Okay. Motion by Commissioner Smith. Second. Second by Commissioner Anderson. All those in favor? I was three. All oppose. Zero but two recusals. Commissioner Nest and Mayor Nelson. Next up, ordinance number 3141.

Ordinance number 3141, an ordinance of the city of Apopka, Florida, changing the zoning from T transitional to RCE, residential country estate for property located at 10:30 East San Piper Street, owned by Lincoln Douglas Hayes and Lauren Elizabeth Haynes, comprising of 1.79 acres, more or less, providing for severability, conflicts, and an effective. Any changes, Bobby? Okay. Anybody from the public wish to speak on this one? Not close public hearing. Look for a motion to adopt ordinance number 3141. And I'll be recusing myself from this one for the same reason. As well. So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. So

second by Commissioner Velasquez. All those in favor. I got three in favor and two recusals. Motion carries. Next up, ordinance number 3147.

Ordinance number 3147. An ordinance of the city of Apopka, Florida, changing the zoning from T transitional RSF-1A residential single family estate and MUSGT mixeduse eastshore gateway to PD plan development district for certain real property generally located east of Vic Road, east of just Jason Dwelli Parkway, north and south of Ponan Road, south and east of Pitman Road, and east of Palm Summit Drive. owned by Palucci Acres LLC comprising of 618.36 acres more or less providing for severability conflicts and an effective date.

Any changes Bobby? Anybody from the public wish to speak on this one? Not we'll close a public hearing. Look for motion to

Rob Holdson 3156 Rolling Hills Lane. Uh start with a question then I'll have a comment probably. The road improvements on Anan are going from where to where and what's happening on Vic with this proposal.

Somebody from the team want to come up?

Elisa S with Shhats and Bow on 300 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801. Um, with respect to the Ponkin Road improvements, there will be road um, improvements within the development area which runs along uh, the north and south side of Ponkin. We've discussed a roundabout. We've discussed street lighting, a trail, and right-of-way dedications. Does that answer that first question? Does it go all the way to Vic and does it go all the way to It goes from Vic all the way to Jason Dwelli. So it's on both sides of uh Ponkin Road within the black area or the red as you can see. So it goes from Jason to

I'm looking at way understood. You need you need to come to the mic. Come to the mic. So we got it on record.

As I was looking at it, it looked to be between go going the improvements were between Vic and either Pitman Drive or Plymouth Sto. And I'm trying to get the determination on that. So, the property runs, if as you can see on the uh black um diagram, it runs from Vic. Well, actually, it runs a little bit further to the east. So, it's on both. It's within the Ponkin Road improvements are within Ponkin Road where the property is adjacent to Ponin Road in terms of right-of-way dedications. So it'll run from just east of Vic Road all the way to Jason Dwelly on both sides and then it will any rightway dedication would continue on to the extent the project is adjacent to Ponan.

Thank you for that clarification. And then then it refineses what I'm saying. We're going to be adding 2500 cars and this is going to look just like Jason Dwelly. We have a cutout going the development and that's it. 2500 more cars in addition to the what 2600 out of at least half of uh out of 1300 at least out of Rock Springs Ridge. You have nice wide area. You got a roundabout and it where do they go? They go back to two lane road. This is crazy. Anybody else from the public? If not, close the public hearing loop for a motion to adopt ordinance number 3147. So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson, second. Second by Commissioner Smith. All those in favor?

I. All oppose? Motion carries unanimously.

Next up, ordinance number 3151. Ordinance number 3151, an ordinance of the city of Apopka, Florida, amending chapter 54, retirement systems, article two, general employees retirement system by amending section 54-23, contributions to provide for an increase in the member contribution rate, amending section 54-24, benefit amounts and eligibility. to provide for an increase in the retirement benefit multiplier amending section 54-32 minimum distribution of benefits to adjust the required minimum distribution age providing for codification providing for severability providing for conflicts and setting an effective date

John any changes changes

anybody from the public wish to speak on this one Rod Olson, 3156 Rolling Hills Lane. Uh, I emailed all of you on January 8th because the meeting the 7th ran late. I had a commitment to Papa High School. Couldn't express myself at that point. First, I want to thank all the city employees for their dedication, hard work, service to the community. They deserve and I support competitive wages, benefits, and retirement plan. That said, I respectfully recommend delaying ordinance 3151 to the 2026 budget cycle so the council can make a decision based upon complete, accurate, and independently verified information. Empower provides actuary services to all three of the city's pension plans. Last year's audit had 62 underpaid, 44 overpaid. That's 106 people weren't paid properly. We need to be looking at the accuracy and the oversight issues with who's running the pension. At the last meeting, administrators indicated that there was 300 $430,000 impact to the budget. stated in in the plan that somewhere between say that was funded somewhere between 80 and 90%. Well, I did some homework. We are underfunded in the three pension plans by $21.7 million. It's a liability to the taxpayers. Before committing additional taxpayer dollars, the council should require an independent audit to verify these numbers. It is also concerning that multiple budget adjustments have already been made. The first quarter budget you approved today is 36% off. The projected

annual 31% off. That's that's spitting into the wind with a budget process. That's crazy. If you, the administration, if the administration, the mayor, and the commissioners really cared about the employees, it would have been part of the last year's budget. We asked you all, did that represent everything that was covered? Yes, everything's covered. We got everything. You didn't cover employee pensions. That is sad state of affairs. We need to look at it. What? We need an audit and we need to have a survey. Should the pension be 3%, 4% or 5%. You don't know because you didn't do that homework. That's homework every business does. We need to audit it. As I indicated, we need to look at what's the what's the answer to 21.7 million. In the private sector, employers typically match 1 to 5%. In the city's pension plans, we as taxpayers fund three times whatever the employee puts in. Yes, there's limits of what they put in, but we fund three times. This proposal should proceed to the standard budget process, which means moving it to the next budget year where it can be fully vested. Where the heck was the city? Was the commission when this budget item came up? It wasn't in the budget. It should be in the budget. Again, I don't I don't withhold anything with regard to the work that the people do in the community. Appreciate everything you do, but there's got to be a process and we're not doing a process.

Anybody else from the public wish to speak on this one? because our citizens and our employees deserve more. Now when when you got the residents coming up and speaking and giving intellect, giving more intellect than they're receiving, that's a problem. And it's been that way for a while. And it's continuing to be that way. So when we ask for simple solutions and we always hear well when some people come up they offer solutions and they're very polite about what they're seeing. Well I've been here for over five years watching Mr. Olsen talk about the schools and the issues that they have and providing solutions. I've been watching Abby come up here and providing solutions. So when they come up here and they give great solutions that nobody even take heed to. Matter of fact, the mayor can't wait till you stop. So they say, "Okay, next. Let's move on." This is valuable expertise that's coming from your community. That's what make a community great. the people that live in it. When you put all their ideas, their experts, their their expertise, their experience, their visions, their voices, that's how you raise a community. That's how you bring a community up. But when the residents come to you, you shut them down. And if you don't like them, you really shut them down. But you can tell the ones that you like because you have int you have dialogue with them. Whether it's wrong or right, I've been coming here for five years, never mentioning anything for myself. Period. It's coming up here standing up for the

ones who are too afraid to come up here and speak for themsel. Standing up for what's right, standing up for principle. That's what you all should be doing. And when any resident come to you with the ideal to do process improvement for the city that betters the community, it should be met with open arms. It should be looked into. And as the process will improve the quality of life for the citizen, it should be adapted. It's just that simple regardless of who it come from. So I'm asking you again, please do better. And I'm asking everybody who hear my voice during election cycle, we have to do better with our elected officials because it's our fault. We elect each and every one of you. Period. So we can't complain about what we elect. And then when I look in this room now, I look at the amount of people that come here. We give y'all a blank check. our tax money. We give you a blank check and very few of us 33,000 registered voters come here to see what is being done with our money and then we cry about when things happen and we have no control of.

Anybody else? Well, come on.

Good evening again. My name's Dr. Jim Moyer. I'm an accountant by profession. Many several decades ago, I was the municipal pension auditor for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And I just want to say I have a deep deep respect for actuaries. It's a very specialized uh field of study. I worked with them every day. I also worked with uh attorneys who specialized in pension and so I just want to convey that uh I haven't done any specific research as to the topic but I just want to make the point it's a extremely specialized area. Thank you for your time and God bless.

Okay. Anybody else? Not we'll close the public hearing. look for a motion to adopt ordinance number. I just want to kind of address I've written several emails on behalf of different residents to include Rod Olson. Um so if I can have John Hansen come up and kind of explain because I have written some emails and sharing the concerns of the residents.

Mayor, commissioners John Hansen, building official. Um don't know where he got his numbers from. Don't really care. Um, I got my numbers tonight. I got with um Frank, our pension administrator. He assured me it is funded at 90.45% as of today where he got I mean, more power to him, but I'm telling you, I got off the or got an email from him at 640 and that's what he assured me. And Commissioner Nest, we talked about the cost of it for the employees plus the city. I mean, I we're asking for a quarter of a percent. Police and I I don't want to bring this up, but police and fire, where was all all this asking these questions when when they were going for their enhancements? They've had four two each. Type it on the board.

Talk to us. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just Yeah. Make sure it's directed at us. I'm a little Yeah, but they had four enhancements, two each. I was here for two of them. There wasn't people up here, you know, we're all public servants, police, fire in general. And this is the first one we've ever had in the 20 years that I've been here. The first one. And it's not a big one, but we wanted to get something to show the employees how we feel and how we want to keep them employed at the city of Abopa.

W if you wanted to add anything. Go ahead. Only thing I I would add Blanch Sherman finance director again this a financial impact analysis was completed by the actuary and again I stand behind the actuary and the numbers that they provided and the financial impact associated with that and we do incorporate pension contributions and everything in our budget. This is a change that has occurred after the budget was completed and so we'll have to incorporate it in the budget in the form of a budget amendment. Nothing prohibits this council or the pension committee from making changes in the benefits, you know, outside the budget process. Okay.

I I have two two quick questions and thank you for that and thank you for both for spending time with me yesterday uh and discussing in detail before. Uh how are we funding this our the city side? Where's the money coming? End up coming out of reserves. Out of reserves. Okay. And then the other one was the um there's a lawsuit of some sort or there's looking at the overpayments, underpayments. What's the status on what's going on with that?

I was going to have that under my mayor's report. Just I just had a a conversation. I know that Susan, did you get all the information to the attorney? So, we got all the information to our So, we got we have a pension at pension attorneys which represent the pensions. This is a city attorney that's representing our pension plan. So it's and that pension attorney he thinks within the next two weeks we'll have um some kind of a a what he feels like is is responsibility of empower. So we should know in the next maybe not the next commission meeting but for sure by the the following we'll have some information as to what what their respon empower's responsibility is for the under and over payments uh to our pensioners and then it and I think we discussed this yesterday as well the the payment to that attorney is coming out of city funds correct not out of pension funds

correct should it would it be more proper to come out of no pension funds or like service fees and then be repaid paid by empower. I mean that's the pleasure of the council. If you want it, we can go to the pension committee and ask them would they be willing to to make that payment. I mean but I think it was decided that it will come out of the city funds as I understand it. Because we we're the ones that hired I mean it's hired the attorney. Yeah. Yeah. So, and and and there might be and there could be a point where the city pension attorney is is at odds with the pension pensions attorney. So, there there needs to be a separation. So, I think that was the

that was your objective. Yeah. Yeah. So, that's the reason we we thought it more proper to have our own the city have hire a pinion attorney. So, and that one is that the one we spoke about yesterday, that one line item. I think it is the 8,0007,000 somewhere in there. No, like $600. I I still need to get that answer for you. Okay. We just we just had a bill for an hour and 1.6 hours for We have a bill to an attorney for 7400 7500 something on the dispersement report. Okay. So, yes, that we thought it was the pension, but I guess it's not. So, yes, if you can give me the information on who that is, then um that'd be interesting. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay. All right. Any other questions? All right. Not look, I'm got to recuse myself on this vote since I'm a part of the general pension. Looking for a motion to adopt ordinance number 3151. So moved. Got a motion by Commissioner Nea. Second. Second by Commissioner Anderson. All those in favor? I.

And one recus will be in the mayor. Okay. Next up, ordinance number 3152. Ordinance number 3152, an ordinance of the city council of the city of Apakka, Florida, amending chapter 78, utilities of the Apakka code of ordinances by repealing section 78-23, industrial and commercial pre-treatment guidelines, and creating division 1.5 industrial and commercial pre-treatment guidelines providing for codification, conflicts, severability, and scriveners errors and setting an effective date. So changes no changes. Okay.

No changes. I just have one question and I appreciate it. And we spoke briefly about this last time this came up. The the sludge hauling that we paid 400,000 we'll say plus or minus. Uh pretty good memory there. A little bit there. Yeah. So So don't didn't we at one point have a facility that took care of this? Uh no. We we never had a facility. We do have a facility that was built during the plant expansion. Okay. Never utilized uh I think you're talking about Bioolids thermal dryer that's down there, but that was never uh placed online. I don't think it was. So, we have the facility. We just didn't kind of retrofit or make it

well. I don't think it was it was cost effective at the time to to do it. Uh I think what was going on at the time I was in Semino County at the time but there was talk from from uh DP that they was going to have to everybody's going to throw to a class doublea bioolids and I think during the 2016 plan expansion they thought well hey we're going to get ahead of the curve here we're going to have this uh thermal dryer that'll make the bioolids and stuff and do and I think at the time Anubia had that that facility up there in Zelwood they were doing the same thing and so I think that was part of what the staff was looking at doing what had happened at the time that did not come to fruition uh the state. So um uh so again that that was but at time they had already done moved forward and had it built down there.

Would it make sense at all to start looking at bringing that actually online to save because this I assume is going to keep increasing cost to us. Would it make sense to invest in that so that we can save this money over time and possibly uh monetize it in some capacity as well? Um, you know, that is something we we did look at. I know even I think up to a couple years ago, I would say I think Vlad had done some numbers on that and it wasn't cost effective at that time and uh I mean we certainly could run that again with the with like you say the cost going up and if that was something that you know we felt uh would would work. I know we did have some when we during the even initial startup of trying to run that thing, there were some some real problems and we just kind of stopped stopped right there and never did uh put it online.

Okay, understood. Thank you for answering that. I appreciate it. Yeah.

All right. Okay. Got a Anybody from the public wants to speak? Albert McKime 360 Golden Gem Road. It's interesting that several of the projects that the city paid a lot of money for, including Lust Road, were never brought online. Uh my question is I recently did an audit of the Lust Road facility and discovered that all the water treatment tanks and chemical uh injection systems had been removed from Lost Road. Are we certain that all the equipment that isn't been used at the sewage plant is still there to be used? Has any of it been sold off? What happened to the equipment that was at Lost Road? Was it sold off? Was it scrapped? Was it used somewhere else? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Okay. Anybody else want to speak on this one? All right. Not look for a motion to Are you able to speak to that though? That equipment certainly will. Please let me assure you, put it on record. None of the equipment was sold off out there at Lust Road. There is equipment analyzer and stuff. They they sat there and set stagnant that we used at the facility down there on Cleveland Street. We have instruments ready to put in place out there if we put that online. So, we would just have to everything's still there. It's just maybe update some things, bring new things in.

Some of the instruments I'm saying to reach turbidity analyzer and stuff, we have took some of those from there and used in other places because it's just sitting there. It's not online. We have spare parts to put those analyzers right back in place if we want to bring put the plan up. Okay, good to know. Thank you. Okay. All right. Looking for a motion to approve ordinance number 3152. So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. Second.

Second by Commissioner Velasquez. All those in favor? I. All oppose. Motion carries unanimously. Next up, resolution 2026-02. Resolution 2026-02, a resolution of the city council of the city of Aapka, Florida, amending the budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2025 and ending September 30th, 2026, providing for a budget amendment.

Thank you, Susan. Um, good evening, Blair, chairman, finance director. Budget amendment 2026-02 amending the budget for our carry forward items which are projects that have started in prior years and we're moving that funding into FY26 so that staff can continue working on those projects. The total amount is around 79,589,618. There we go. This um slide demonstrates the amount per fund general fund in about 8.5 transportation impact fee fund about 4.3 utility operating fund about 4.9 that is in regards to the dollars that have not been obligated and we're trying to move those forward. That's about 29,258791 in regards to the POS that have been issued. Um the amount and I may hopefully I ain't flipping that. The amount is 4.9 for the general fund. Transportation impact fee $18 million 982. Fire impact fee and police impact fee that's 5 million. This is the funding down at the bottom the 50 million. I apologize the POS are at the top for the fire impact fee and the police impact fee. Basically that is the design money that we have set aside for the public safety building. So, and 403 we have about 12.2 million. The details are included in your packet. If you have any questions, just let me know. Any questions for Blanch. Okay. Anybody from the public wish to speak on this one? Not. We'll close public hearing. Look for a motion to adopt resolution 2026-02. So,

got a motion by Commissioner Smith, second by Commissioner Anderson. All those in favor? I. All opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next up, resolution 2026-03, Emerson Park. Resolution 2026-03, a resolution of the city commission of the city of Republica, Florida, accepting the dedication of a rightaway located in the Emerson Park subdivision for public use and ownership and providing for an effective date.

Thank you, Susan. The Emerson Park Homeowners Associated Association, I'm sorry, previously requested that the city accept dedication of the rightway serving the Emerson Park subdivision um to facilitate capital improvements for the roadway and to finance such improvements through the imposition of a special assessment. The work has been completed. We're now at a point that we need to transfer the road over to the city and that's what this qu request is before you. Any questions? I know we have one maybe one speaker want to at least talk about it just a minute. You good?

Okay. Yeah, we had a dedication yesterday. So, that was that was good. All right. Anybody else from the public wish to speak on this one? If not, we'll close public hearing. Look for a motion to adopt resolution 2026-03. So moved. Got a motion by Commissioner Nesa. Second. Second by Commissioner Vasquez. All those in favor? I. All oppose. Motion carries unanimously. Next up, resolution 2026-04.

Resolution 2026-04. A resolution of the city of Aapka, Florida relating to the state revolving fund loan program. Making findings. Authorization. Authorizing the loan application for SRF project number WW482D. Authorizing the loan agreement, establishing pledged revenues, designating authorized representatives, providing assurances, providing for conflict, severability, and an effective date.

Thank you, Susan. Um the staff, we submitted requests to um FD for state resol state revolving funds. We were awarded or basically authorized to submit a loan request in the amount of 19,166 for three projects that we had listed. The lift station generator for 1 million, the vertified clay pipe replacement for 12 million, and the rehab of the wastewater reclaim reclamation west plant for 25 million. We were authorized to submit a loan for 19,166 for all of those projects and is 100% forgivable. We do not have to pay that back, but we do have to use it on the three projects of listed. We don't have to use it on all projects, but we do have to use it on those projects listed. And this at this point, the next step is to submit the loan application, which is due on March 12th. So, I'm asking to proceed with this resolution so we can proceed with that effort.

Any questions for Blanch? I just have one quick question and and we discussed this yesterday is it's a loan so it's going to be a debt on our balance sheet. Well, but it's forgivable. So, I I guess what would disqualify the forgivableness? That was the question I'd asked yesterday. And again, I don't think um we would have anything as long as we complete the loan application correctly. And I do have Misty Taylor and Joel Tindell, our financial adviser and bond counsel here for any more detailed um questions, but I don't foresee anything unless we don't complete the loan application correctly. Well, I think if we don't complete the the project, then it would be Well, I mean, no, he's saying not getting the money. I thought

No, I think we'll get the money, but what makes it forgivable? What what would disqualify us from Yeah, that's like a grant. If you don't spend it, then you have to send it back. And so then what project? So there's are we going to match because it's 38 million total of these three projects. I know that's not a required match. So I'm using the wrong terminology there. 38 million total of projects. What are we prioritizing and how are we prioritizing that?

Well, based on discussions we were talking about pursuing the rehab of the um wastewater west plant. That's about 25 million. And I did talk to our city engineer and he said the 25 million is a cost that was provided by one of our engineers, Tetro Techch. And so that's a valid number. So we do have a $6 million gap there. So we would have to incorporate that in our rate study in our rate model and update it, which would not be a problem. Again, we're looking at our rates anyway um to do a reduction. So, the impact of that will not um impact us doing a reduction.

Well, we're adding $6 million to the need. So, I don't see how we could reduce rates while having a $6 million increase in need because we have other things that we're factoring into the rate reduction that can offset that. And then the the West plant, remind me of where that's located. just west of the east plant. It's just behind the um um city the public works main office.

Yeah, the west plant is uh basically at the apopa water reclamation facility where public services complex is the east side is the 5 million gallon a day new plant and the west plant is the rehab old plant. And what capacity would this increase it to? So right now the plant has a 3 million gallons a day capacity treatment but rehabbing it will probably take it to bring it to the new standards uh for the BMAP will probably bring it to 2 to 2.3 million gallons a day additional no it will be kind of a reduction because of the improvements for treatment

okay understand so it's reducing efficiency we'll call it a little bit but increasing its effectiveness correct Okay. And that's going to be 25 million then. That's going to be around 25 million. Yes. Okay. So, basically that's the only project that we're going to be getting done out of these three. Yeah. So, typically we're looking at uh 1 million gallon a day typically will cost at today's rates about $50 million. 50 million. Yes. Wow. So, technically we get it to 2 million. This is a hund00 million new investment compared to 25 million rehab that could potentially go to 2.3 million. So it's can be even a better saving.

Okay. So the lift station generators that's not going to happen. The clay pipe replacement that's not going to happen. It's just the west plant being rehabilitated. Correct. I mean we do have funds in in the budget. I think for the clay pipes I think we still have some. I know we have folk asbestous we do. Okay, understood. I and I had I guess our conversation I I just didn't direct the questions properly yesterday to understand that. I thought this was we're kind of hitting the low hanging fruit first and then hitting the higher stuff, but we're doing the big ticket item right now and then so we still won't have those generators or the the clay pipe. Okay, understood. Thank you.

Okay. Well, we think we'll we'll we'll come in under the 25 million. We're pretty pretty confident that we'll be under 25 million. So, we'll Mr. Sherman's look does not echo that same sentiment. I don't know that came from Vlad. So I asked that same question that the mayor is asking here of Vlad. So I'll let him answer that. Okay. So So these are the latest numbers we got from the consultant that it's going to cost somewhere between 20 and 25 million. So we estimated let's say 25 million. Yeah. Still use% of those funds. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So we still wouldn't have anything left over. Yeah. Okay. Understood.

I just want to make sure I'm I clarify that because I know that we're we're we are indeed working on a rate reduction and this impact if we have to go with that 25 million will still allow us to have a rate reduction even though it will show some increase. So I'd be I'm going to be interested to see those numbers. It's coming how quickly that's changed from 14% increase to now reducing it somehow over a few months time. Okay. because we do have to update the rate model for all of this. Okay. Okay. Any more questions probably for Vlad on projects? No.

Public comment. When we get money for nothing and we don't have to pay it back, it always concerns me a little bit because potentially we spoke tonight about two projects that were never fully commissioned. What I would like to know, are there any conditions or terms in the contract that would expose us to liability if we fail to get this plant up to standard or within the time that it's supposed to be done? Is this truly no liability loan? Anybody else from the public? Okay. If not, we'll close the public hearing. Look for a motion to approve the

I think she would Were you going to respond? She already No. No. Okay. Cuz I saw you come back up to the L. Okay. Look for a motion to approve resolution 2026-04. So move. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. Second. Second by Commissioner Velasquez. All those in favor. All opposed. Motion carries unanimously.

Next up, 2026-05. Resolution 2026-05, a resolution of the city of Aapka, Florida, relating to the state revolving fund loan program, making findings authorizing the loan application for SRF project number DW 4082C, authorizing the loan agreement, establishing pledged revenues, designating an authorized representative, providing asurances, providing complex severability and effective date.

Thank you. And again, this is um the drinking water portion of the state revolving loan fund loan. And with this particular one, um the loan amount will be in the amount of 35,139169 of which 50% is um forgivable 17,569584. We have several projects listed in this um request. 20 million for the Gross Embarker plant expansion, 16 million for the Golden Gem water treatment plant, 200,000 for generators at Plymouth Regional, 200,000 for a generator at Grossenbarker, 3 million for inner city connection with Mount Door, 300,000 for inner city connection with Orange County. Same as before, I compared the projects here with what we already have in our rate study that is already accounted for. And we do have 17 million for the um golden gem uh water treatment plant and about 2 million I think in debt for Genbacher. So based on what we already incorporated in our rate study and the forgiveness component of this, we should be able to do the gross embarker plant expansion and the golden gem project without having an impact on our rates.

Any questions for Blanch? Uh I do. Okay, I see. So you're saying we have 17 million already built into our rates into the model plus the other six million as well from the previous no the six million on the is not into in the rates not on the previous what I'm saying is we'll have to update the rate model to incorporate that but because of some updated projections and new revenue streams we still will have a net reduction in our rates. Okay. Again, interesting to see that. Ma'am, uh the the 50% uh forgivable is that based on

it's just 50% regardless of what our loan amount is. So, it's not like if we only spend 17 million, we have to match it with 17 no matter what. Okay. Gotcha. I just I didn't know if we just stay at 17, it's all forgivable then. Okay. Understood. So, it's going to be the Gross and Bacher plant at 20 million as a priority and then Golden Gym Water Treatment Plant as a priority. And then, do we have the And I I apologize for not asking this yesterday, for the Golden Gym Water Plant, water treatment plant, do we have the land already to put that on or do we have to purchase that land or obtain it in some capacity? And again, I apologize for not asking this yesterday.

Yes, we we have the land. We're looking at a 3.7 million gallons a day capacity. basically will require two ground storage tanks and uh uh it's going to be unmanned facility. It's going to be like the other like northwest like um Schiller Oaks and Plymouth Regional and Mount Plymouth. So only the Gross and Bucker water treatment plant is a main facility. Okay. So it's not a huge footprint then. Correct. Yes. So it'll fit on that. Is it what is is our golden gem site about 100 acres? 110 total is 100 acres. Okay. And that'll fit on there. It's going to fit on that uh northwest side just below the entrance road. Okay.

So technically we need about five to six acres there. Okay. And then we have that already even with the easement of the power lines going through that. Correct. Okay. Yeah. It's going to be it's going to be on the west side of the power line. Understood. Yeah. Closer to the road. Yes. Closer to the road. Okay. Thank you. Mhm.

Any questions? Any other questions for staff? Okay. Not public hearing, public comment. This is going to be a Albert 360 golden 360 golden gemro. This is going to be a a plant for drinking water. It's my recollection that we received a $ 1.5 million grant from uh Orange County from Mayor Demings. Uh do we still have that grant? Did we return the grant or how does that

That was from Congresswoman Demings. Demings. Congresswoman Demings. I remember seeing the the photograph of you accepted a check in there. Do we still have that? Is that applicable to use on there? Will that save us some money? Did we use that already? Yeah, we that's that was for the tank. Yeah, that that was just completed. It's a it's a 1 million gallon ground storage tank at the Northwest facility. Just just north of the fire station number five. It's a reimburse for golden gem though. I don't think so.

But it's a reimbursement type grant and we haven't until it's finally completed and goes through the inspection. And that's when we are requesting that reimbursement. Okay. If that's the one for the one that's just complete. Come on, Rod.

Oh, Rod Olsson, 3156 Rolling Hills Lane in Apopka. All these grants and funding, all this makes me nervous because we habitually have been turning back funds that we haven't used and then it's reduced. We need to know who's responsible for this, who's going to be monitoring to make sure it's being we're spending the money and at least a quarterly basis. You need to have a system or procedure. Thank you, uh, uh, Mr. Hall. With the ask of procedure to follow up to make sure on a quarterly basis we're measuring that so we don't find ourselves in the position, oh, we got $17 million to match it, but we didn't spend it and it's gone.

Anybody else? No. Close the public hearing. Look for a motion to approve resolution 2026-06. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. That one's Oh, I'm sorry. 05. I'm sorry. Yes. 05. Got a motion by Commissioner Anderson. Second. Second by Commissioner Smith. All those in favor? I. All oppose. Motion carries unanimously. Next up, resolution 2026-06.

Resolution 2026-06. A resolution of the city council of the city of Aapka, Florida, establishing a policy authorizing the advancement of city funds to the mayor or city commissioners for legal expenses and certain noncriminal actions or proceedings, providing for conditions of advancement, reimbursement requirements, limitations on funding and administration, providing for an effective date.

Thank you. Andrew Handel, assistant city attorney. uh our office was directed to create this resolution. We can go to the next slide here. Uh what you'll see in the presentation are the five points of the resolution uh and what it entails. So the purpose of the resolution is to create a formal policy that authorize the advancement of uh city funds to cover legal expenses that are incurred by the mayor and this commission in certain noncriminal actions uh while ensuring that reimbursement uh to the city would be required if the official is not successful in that action. Uh this section number two is the applicability. Uh once again this is only for this board. Um and uh we see language including but not limited to um once again specifically this doesn't apply to any type of criminal actions but we're looking at ethical uh investigations proceeding under chapter 112 Florida's ethics statutes any legal challenges to the officials qualifications to hold elected office. uh any internal investigations uh regarding conduct uh on the city level and allegations or violations of the city charter that are civil or administrative. Again, this is including but not limited to. So there may be other actions that uh this does not exclude. Uh the big uh distinction is that we're talking about civil uh as opposed to criminal. Uh when we go on to section three uh we see what uh is required for authorization of the advanced funding. Um this is approved by the city council. Um and uh any type of a proceeding it must be arising directly from the individual's performance in their official duties uh or relate to their qualification for office. How it works? The official would submit a written request to the city administrator

describing what's going on, what type of a proceeding it is, and the relevant information specified herein. Uh also providing a cost estimate. And at that point, it would be brought to the city council and placed on an agenda for a vote uh by the majority at a public meeting and reviewed at that point in time. Uh as far as limitations for the funding go, $5,000 is the ceiling. Anything in between um could be uh specified depending on what what is needed and and requested and that would be voted on of course by the by the commission as well. As far as conditions and reimbursements, a written agreement is required. Uh, attorney Shepard also drafted a draft agreement that's included in the packet uh that that details essentially uh you know these uh these points in here and um what the official would be uh agreeing to should they accept one of these advances. Uh the embersment agreement would detail the amount of the advance. uh make it clear that the official will be responsible for reimbursing the city if in a final decision or settlement uh that the official was not successful in that proceeding. So in other words to uh uh to keep the funding the official does have to be successful and I'll get more to that in just a moment. The city can recover the funds by any lawful means including offset against compensation similar to a wage guardment that would be owed to the official in the future. uh and the official would provide documentation verifying that the funds were in fact used for what they requested for solely for legal expenses uh in defense of the uh approved matter. Uh definition of successful for purposes of the resolution successful in the action means that the allegations or charges are dismissed that the official exonerated or otherwise the official prevails prevails pardon me on the merits. If indeed the official is uh

determined not to have been successful by the parameters I just mentioned, then the official be responsible for returning the full amount of the advance uh to the city and that would have to be repaid within 30 days of the final determination uh unless the city council approves some sort of alternate repayment arrangement. Finally, uh we have a section on administration. Uh once it's been approved by council, the city attorney would review all requests and agreements for compliance with law and uh the policy before presentation to the city council. The finance department maintains complete accounting records for all advances. So the money is all accounted for and this is all done on an ad hoc basis. Any approval or denial for an advance does not set precedent. Everything is looked at individually as it comes forward and is brought before council. And that is the uh those are the details of the resolution. As I stated, you also have an agreement to review as well. Uh happy to assist in answering any questions that I'm able to.

Okay. Any questions? I had I had written an email on behalf of um uh a telephone call that I received and also an email actually two emails and uh uh attorney Cliff Shepard did respond to them and um I have the responses here from the questions that were the inquiries that were sent to me and I sent on behalf of the residents. Uh the other thing that I wanted just before I came here under section two where it says you you want to share with us what oh what what it was that I Okay was

uh okay that was okay let me get through this thing authorizing the advancement of city funds to Commissioner Anderson for her defense against a lawsuit filed cont contesting her residency Will this policy apply to the recent civil lawsuit filed by the mayor to contest the resident of his opponent? And the answer was no. The other question presented in the civil lawsuit filed by the na by the mayor. He also named the apopa city clerk in the lawsuit for failure to verify residents residency requirement. And uh Cliff Shepard wrote, "This is not accurate. Miss Bone was not sued because of any errors she committed. She was sued as a necessary party to the lawsuit because she's a Papus supervisor of elections and a required party to the lawsuit. She has no personal liability and the city attorney. I will be representing her in her official capacity to simply assure the court that we will comply with any valid court order concerning the election. My question here, the proposed policy scheduled to uh be reviewed for approval does not include employees of the city since the city mayor included a city employee in his personal civil lawsuit. Will the taxpayers be footing the bill for the defense on behalf of the city clerk in the lawsuit? And he goes on to say that he explained that what I just

read, what he said. Most importantly, since the proposed resolution 2026-06 will require a presentation to the public and vote from the council members, our commissioner Anderson and mayor allowed to cast a vote since both elected officials are parties directly involved in an active civil lawsuit in their capacity. his response. Neither I or the Florida Commission of Ethics will respond to a question from someone other the council member him or herself about the council members proposed conduct. This policy avoids the use of either the commission on ethics or the city attorney's office for political purposes. C Florida Administrative Code Rule 34-6.002 and then I ended the uh email respectfully forwarding for clarity in this delicate matter scheduled to be heard before the commission tonight. Request a response in an email before tonight's me meeting and shared and please share with the rest of the council members. So I appreciate that Mr. that Cliff Shepard did respond and again these are questions that were that I asked on behalf of residents that that uh written to me. Um so those are the the questions and those those were the inquiries and these are the responses.

So because I just want to say because I actually was named in that email I actually have my attorney here that's going to address uh the council on my behalf. Um, and just to be clear, the mayor, from my understanding, the mayor and I are not the only person that have pending um, potential lawsuits. They're also, from my understanding, commissioners here that possibly have ethics complaints as well against them. So, it's important that if we're going to discuss the mayor and myself, we also discuss other commissioner possibly have ethics complaints, too. So, I guess the question is, but I'll let my attorney actually address it. So, Phil, could you please come up and address? He's going to speak on my behalf. So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Any other questions for Andrew?

The only question I have, uh, in the resolution, it states, uh, not to exceed $5,000. Uh, is that an appropriate fee for a lawyer? $5,000 sounds awful cheap. Uh, certainly lawyers can cost more than $5,000. Yes. As far as the range, of course, that is uh that is set by by the council and as what the council deems appropriate, but I have I have no advice on the uh the amount. All right. Okay.

You had stated uh attorney hand that you were directed to come up with this. Your office was who directed you to do that? Um Mr. Williams through the direction of the mayor's office. Okay, understood. And then this was from my understanding speaking with Mr. Williams, this was in response specifically to a letter from uh Capro from Attorney Capro.

Yeah. So it is in a specific and that was sent December 15th if I'm not mistaken. Um so that that's what was kind of the the impetence for this the cause of this. Is that accurate? So, we received a letter, reviewed it internally, um, and checked the, uh, checked for policy on this since it was a requested in advance. We did not find a policy, so asked the city attorney's office to uh, craft that for us. Okay. Okay. Thank you. All right. One other question. So, are there other municipalities that have a similar resolution?

Uh, there are some u, of course, there there are other municipalities. It's not uniform that that all do, but I am aware of of some that do. All right. Anybody from the public wish to speak on this one?

Leroy Bell or Popka. This man this this is outrageous. You are elected officials and You come to sit on the dasis to represent the citizens of Apopka and you do it in a manner with integrity. Now, anything sh falls short of that. Whether you get off or you found guilty, you need to be responsible for your own bill. Because if it's a citizen out there, if something happened to them and they get charged, the city ain't coming to their rescue. And uh Commissioner Nelson just asked and said that uh Commissioner I mean the city uh and uh the city manager, he's the one that started this inquiry. But if you remember a while back they had an ethic violation on the map for lying. Then the mayor comes up and the mayor bring it to the city council to ask for a vote for for himself to be reimbursed with city taxpayer money. This make this make no sense. We see how that the dasis might are set up. Whatever this man in the front seat want, you guys give it to him. So all somebody got to do, Commissioner Anderson, Commissioner Smith, or Commissioner Bass, all you got to do is come up and you want a lawyer, all you got to do is make a motion and you got to you got the vote to pass it. That make no sense. Why don't man it it just Why are you

browbeating the residents this way? If you wasn't so corrupt, you wouldn't have to do this. You're the one that filed the lawsuit. You're the one need to pay for it. And whatever baggage you bring up here about where you stayed or where you didn't stay, we didn't we didn't hire a lawyer for you. You hired a lawyer. You need the pain. Albert Mckame 3603 Golden Gem Road. Sylvester Hall comes here and preaches every two weeks that procedures matters, ethics matter. Well, it's not that long ago that the residents came to you and suggested that we really needed to have the city clerk look at who was putting in documentation to the city. And we wanted you to have a policy put in place whereby driving licenses or documentation was checked. This part on 2B, we wouldn't be discussing today if you'd listened to your residents. We wouldn't be discussing this today and finding that yet again we have another lawsuit similar to the one that we wanted 18 months ago. If you can suddenly approve a policy to supply funding to commissioners, why can't you supply a policy for the residents for you to check or on your behalf to check on our behalf? Who's actually legally entitled to run for office?

Um, Sylvester Hall, it's actually I'm just sitting over there. It's actually a sad day for Apaka. It's a sad day for the city of Apaka. Just to sit here and listen to these proceedings, listen to everything that's going on, listen to what's being discussed. It's really a sad day for Apakka. And we're lucky maybe 500 to a thousand people turn on YouTube and watch these events. We're lucky because it will it will shed a light on a popular that most people don't know exists. And when you're talking to an audience or when you have an audience, you never know what is the experience in the background of that audience that's listening. When I say something is if it's about a you know being electrician and I have no knowledge of electrician it'll go over everybody head when we normalize the abnormal we desensitize the truth to the point the truth doesn't matter anymore how challenging it is it to prove your qualifications to run for any seat. I mean, the qualifications are basic, the requirements are very basic, but we don't turn this into where we need lawyers to do basic things. That's why I said make it make sense. It's very cut and dry and it's very basic. and we have the ID process and the technology to prove it. So when I come up here and I politely keep saying it because I see the bigger picture and I know what's going to bring about change. So when I say these things

to you that principles matter, integrity matters, honesty matters, accountability matters, responsibility matters, morals uh morals matter, ethics matter, character matters, procedures matters, leadership matters, laws matters, and justice matter. And all God's people matter. I say those things to you because it's like training in the military. We have to do it redundancy over and over and over and over to make it set in for you guys. So, I'm hoping I'm hoping one day your moral conscience will get the best of you and you'll leave and guide in the best interest of the citizen that you are sworn to serve, not yourself. Thank you. Rod Olson 3156 rolling hose lane. Uh couple things and a couple questions. I guess I'll look at it. 6779 pages or 769 pages. I I apparently missed this amenda item on the agenda, but I did read a little bit and it's $5,000 per event. So if one of you has five events, that's five times 20 20 that's $25,000. The city has I'm assuming this is a question. The city has general and professional liability. Is that correct? Nod from the mayor. Yes. Then you are covered. You are covered in the performance of your duties. If it's outside that then we have no business. The city has no business in providing you money. He's with him.

I was wonder if I could bar some. I got some things I'd like to take care of and y'all are happy passing around among yourselves. I'm totally against this. Y'all are elected by the citizens of this community. You knew what you stepping into. We voted you in to be good stewards of this community, to be good stewards to us, to the laws. We've been stuck to stuck to pushed on. But our firefighters, our police officers, our building department employees, they don't have legal representation. They can be sued individually along with the city, but if they get a lawsuit against them for something they've done wrong, not criminal, they can get sued. And y'all are coming up here as elected officials wanting this position and y'all want us to pay your legal fees. And this looks like it's already preset. the attorney sitting here with a bill in his hand and waiting for the and the mayor stopping him for saying anything till after the vote. How rigged is that? Okay. It ain't our responsibility where you live, you don't live. If you break laws, you break laws. And then you want to pay for y'all's ignorance. Think about a fire paramedic out on the scene of a car accident. One little mistake. What's wrong? All of a sudden he's got a civil suit against him. The city's going to go over there and say, "May I wish you a lot of luck because y'all ain't going to do a damn thing about it." Or a police officer, pull someone over, something might not go right. Not saying

you shoot them or anything else, but something minor happens. Good luck on your suit. Hope you'll be back Monday to go to work. Y'all are idiots. And the biggest one sitting right there in the middle of you. We already paid for his little clubhouse meeting over at uh whatever that is where all the little elected officials go to. Tiger Bay. We paid for his lawsuit of $400 something dollars and now we're getting ready to pay up to $5,000. That's already pre-planned, sitting here waiting to go. Just rubber stamp it. Y'all need to think about the rest of the employees. The ones who work butts their ass every day for the water people, the road construction, building departments. You need to think about them. And you're up here.

Anyway, pitiful. Anybody else? You want to take a break? Yeah. Okay, we need to take No, no, he's We have one more. No, we need to finish this halfway through. This needs to be Commissioner Smithy.

I'm sorry. I'm just going to take one moment just as a bystander because, you know, this is my first city council meeting and I find it absolutely enthralling. I had no intention of staying, but um you know, I watch the social media and I see all the all the stuff. Um and I try not to get caught up in the negativity because I really love the city I live in. I love the students I teach at Apakka High School. Um I love the people I work with. I I hear a lot of great people in this community with some fantastic ideas. Um, and I really appreciate uh, Commissioner Neesa for all the questions he asked because I don't know half of what you guys are talking about, but his questions give me the opportunity to kind of get it. So, I appreciate that as a citizen because honestly, I'm sure they're all in documents and I could access them, but, you know, I have my own world, too, raising uh, twin 18-year-olds trying to go to college. So, um, one thing I want to speak to is one thing that we can all agree to is we're all human and we're all fallible. Um, not one of us can stand here and say we're infallible. One thing I think we can all agree on is that we all deserve mutual respect. And when we teach our children, when we teach all those band kids that sat here how to respect each other, I might not like you, but you deserve my respect until we vote you out or we decide other things, right? Um, so I don't think this is a good idea because as a teacher, if I have a legal expense, I have to take a loan out for 29% from BMG loans through the teacher county and pay it back. we get up to $5,000. That's what we get. Um I don't know any I'm sure there's other president for this. I I don't know of it. Um I don't think $5,000 is enough to pay for a lawyer either. I think you know most of us could have enough credit card room for that or whatever. But I think this needs some revision as as a

person that's sitting here just looking like if you if you're going to give someone money then you got to charge interest to pay that fund back because somebody else is going to need it. and or you know in teacher land what we do is we decide hey someone might need sick days and they might not have them so we have a sick leave pool that we donate to maybe you guys could have a legal pool you all donate to and have an account if you feel that's necessary um there's other ways to go about this I don't think as a citizen looking at this this just feels sketchy and I I'm just saying that as respectfully as I can seem right it it maybe needs some revision and maybe needs some Um, I respect what you all do. I respect all the opinions in here. It's been great listening to you and I thank you for the treat. I've really enjoyed it. Um, because it is very I don't think this will be my last meeting because I really do enjoy um I love buying cars, so I love the haggle. So, I I do enjoy that you guys are all trying to make this a better place for my children to come back to when they come back as adult, for my kids that are in our schools. I really appreciate that. So, just thank you so much for everything. Okay. So, will you let's take a fivem minute break with Commissioner Smith and we'll be right back and we'll wrap up with the attorney.

All right. All right. Call the meeting back to order. And before you get started, I wanted our attorney just to a couple of comments that were made that that we need to try to clarify. You talk about employees and and their their coverage under under our the city's policy. Just I know you want to be pretty broad, but just to

Yes, sir. by uh by under Florida law, it's uh within chapter 111, actually 111.07, uh municipalities are authorized to provide a defense for employees uh that are sued within the official scope of their duties. Now, uh municipalities can decline to provide that defense um and and often do if there's bad faith, malicious per purposes, or something that's alleged in those uh in that manner. Um but ultimately if the employee prevails uh at the end of the litigation then the city is obligated to pay for the defense. Uh so the defense is provided. Likewise that uh also encompasses officials elected officials who are um essentially stand in the same shoes.

So so be clear employees are covered by our insurance policy if if in the in their line of duty under normal circumstances. I haven't examined the insurance policy, but but yes, and and they're obligated by law to the city's obligated to provide that defense. Uh and okay, if there's prevailing and u will provide it if there's not some sort of criminal or some other offense that's alleged, it's completely civil. Yes. Okay, great. Thank you. Are you sure?

Yeah. Yes, sir. I know. Philip Capro, 5200 South US 17 US Highway 1792, Castlebury, Florida. Um, Mr. Mayor, commissioners, um, I was in fact the person that that started this pro process by sending a letter to, uh, city attorney Shepard. And the reason is uh as your deputy city attorney just shared with you all, reimbursement to a commissioner or a mayor or anybody else that works for the city upon prevailing is non-discretionary. You all have discretion under the statute to say go fight it and then come back. However, as I pointed out in my letter, which I believe you all have a copy of, um, there's precedent in the state of Florida, particularly under a case called Thornberg versus City of Fort Walton Beach from 1990. So, this is not new, that Florida courts have long recognized that public officials are entitled to legal representation at public expense to defend themselves against litigation arising from the performance of their official duties while serving a public purpose. They went on to state that the purpose of this common law rule is to avoid the chilling effect that a denial of representation might have on public officials in performing their duties properly and diligently. This entitlement to attorney's fees arises independent of statute, ordinance, or charter, including that of 1107. What that means in lay people's terms, you all are elected officials. You all make a princely sum of a little over $1,000 a month. All of the citizens in this city have the ability to file a suit against any one of you at any time for any reason. It doesn't matter if it's a meritorious claim or a non-marritorious claim, and this is not the place to vet that out. So, I'm not going to be discussing the merits of

Commissioner Anderson's claim. Now, suffice to say that obviously I believe that that she will prevail. The issue is it is not reasonable. In fact, it's the opposite. It is burdensome and chilling to ask a commissioner to come out of pocket to defend themselves against a spirious allegation simply because somebody didn't like the outcome of an election. It's not right. I agree with almost everything that was said in part from each person tonight. It is outrageous. Procedures are important. It is a sad day. This shouldn't even be a discussion for this chamber. You should want to protect the people that have been elected to do their jobs. Once they are exonerated, you have no discretion. You're going to have to pay it. So, why would you impair somebody and force them to have an ownorous burden to take care of things? Now, I agree. Whoever said 5,000 isn't enough, I completely agree with that. Um, and it won't be. It won't be in this case. I can I can promise you that. I can tell you that Miss Anderson is current with her with her obligations with me at this point. I can tell you that in an ethics complaint, maybe $5,000 will get you there. I will also tell you that if this case goes all the way to trial, Commissioner Anderson is probably looking closer to $25,000 or more. And unfortunately, in this particular case, the plaintiff is an attorney that has an attorney as a relative as well. So, they have a war chest in that their time is free for them. It's not fair. I would urge you all to understand that. And by the way, one more thing. Somebody

said there wouldn't be a lawsuit if you all had done your job. First of all, I believe you did your job. But more importantly, I can also assure you and the people of the city that if Miss Anderson was denied her opportunity to sit, there would still be a lawsuit. It would just be a different direction. Finally, this type of this this this procedure when put in place one, I don't think it should be taken on a case-by case basis. That makes it a popularity contest. And if you have an unpopular commissioner, that's not fair to them. It should be a yes or no. If there's a case that's brought against them, they should be entitled to get it. There's a procedure in place to recover if in fact they are not successful. That's better than a circumstance where the city for example pays I'm sure for you all to attend Florida League of Cities. Is that correct? So if if they pay for somebody to go to the Florida League of Cities and that person doesn't show up, do you go back to the commissioner and say, "Hey, pay us back." No, you don't. And there's no method in place to do that. Here at least, there is a there is a clear obligation to return those funds. And it's not just lost. either it's money you're going to have to pay anyways or it's money you're going to get back. So, I would ask you all to set your personal feelings aside, use reason. I understand that the citizens feel very strongly about what they see as a waste of taxpayer dollars. The state of Florida is very clear on this. It is nondiscretionary once she is victorious or he is victorious or they are victori whatever whoever it is that's up there. It could be a group of people. It could be an individual. If you are successful, you are entitled to get your fees indemnified. Why make them suffer on the way? They're already having to suffer the world of public opinion where we are not going to try this case. We're going to try this case in a courtroom.

Thank you. Okay. Thank Thank you.

Okay. We'll close the public hearing then. Um let me let me start out. I've got a couple examples I I do want to share and and then we'll I'll let everybody else weigh in. So, I served in the legislature as y'all know for eight years and and had a good friend in the legislature who was of of means. I mean really well well means and he was sued by the federal government who we know have unlimited capabilities and even with his basically unlimited means he got to the point where he could no longer fight even though he knew he was he was he was innocent he couldn't afford the fight so he ended up settling the case that he didn't he didn't he hadn't didn't have to um he wasn't found guilty but he wasn't found innocent and the only reason he did that is because he he couldn't afford to keep the fight going so this is somewhat of that I mean at some point you you you you resol whether you've got a lot of money or a little money at some point you're going to exhaust the funds you have that you can to pay to fight for another day so I want to go back and then we'll go A couple other examples I've got I got so when I got into office there was two there were two um ethics violations against the former mayor. One of them um he was found guilty on and he paid paid the restitution. The other one he was found not guilty and guess what? He came to city council and you know what I did? Voted to to pay have his his uh his court cost and and attorney fees paid back. I did that. I go fast forward. I have an ethics violation. Well, Commissioner Smith had ethics violation. 50. Everybody agreed to pay for his his attorney fees. I come forward with an

ethics violation. I'm found not guilty. And I got two members that vote against me getting repaid even though I was found not guilty. It makes no sense. either you're not guilty and you pay the money back or you're or you're found guilty and you end up you you pay those those attorney fees. And so we we we need to be consistent here that you know we've got this this job for for the pay that you guys make as as commissioners. You need to have protections. I mean, there's no doubt that that this job every day is can can be trying and difficult and the pay that you you you get a lot of times not not deservingly. So, I think we, you know, the policyy's good and if if we need to raise the number, I'm fine with that. You know, we we just rad we just came up with a number. We didn't have any real basis for the number, but if it needs to be higher, and it sounds like that's, you know, Commissioner Smith brought up, maybe it needs to be a higher number. But I can tell you, you know, to serve in this this position without adequate protection that you can fight the fight to the end if you know you're not guilty is is something that you ought to have that that representation. And so I think as we move this, you know, as we talk through this this um resolution, I think it's we need to protect not only this council, but the next council and the council after that so they have the protections they need if if they're being um unfairly um you know, discriminated against and sued and and and taken to court. So with that, you know, any other comments or be happy to

I think the resident spoke pretty clearly on some expectations and I think maybe we need to postpone this, tighten up the language a little bit and instead of fronting money, it's reimburseable upon success. It covers exactly what you said. There's no limitation if it's 5,000 or whatever. It covers the expense upon being successful.

So, let me just be very clear and I only can speak for and just as resolution. I'm going to talk about my personal experience. So, in regards to my attorney already spoke, so I don't want to do any I'm not actually I'm not going to talk about my defense because this is about kind of what's going on now. I support this wholeheartedly. Um, and I I just have a question for the council. Is there anyone else that's currently facing any type of ethics complaints or anything? Not me. No, not that angle. Commissioner Smith, are you? No. Okay. Commissioner Esther, are you facing any ethics complaints, right? I am. Okay. So, and let me just clarify that too. Is that anybody at any time, similar to what your attorney said, anybody can sue anybody for any reason, whether they're it's fact-based or not. So, um I wasn't finished. Whatever comes with that,

I wasn't finished. I don't plan on asking for reimbursement just like I've never been reimbursed by the city for any of my experienc. Thank you. So I wasn't able to speak finish speaking. In addition to that um I think it's important that um that we move forward with this obviously in addition to that that that amount um be increased and that maybe we can get a recommendation from the attorney. What's an average cost of of of legal fees if someone has to go to trial? I know it can range from, you know, Yeah, that's that's not a number that um I know that I I can provide for, you know, this this covers a number of different types of proceedings.

I I don't have a number that I could give you. Each one is an ad hoc case that's that's very different. So, why don't we just postpone this? Tighten up the language a little bit. Increase to a number. Everyone's either We are not I'm not recommending to postpone it. Now, you can do a motion to postpone it, but I will I move a motion to move forward with it. Yeah. Well, let me just say um when the ethics complaint was filed against me, um I knew I was innocent and so did everybody else. But I still had to hire a lawyer.

Yeah. to go to Tallahassee and uh I paid my own legal fees. But once I was found not guilty, I came back in the city reimburseed me for my legal fees. Now, fortunately, I was able to do that. Everybody's not able to do that. I I I know of another elected official in another city that a lawsuit was filed against her. She went to court and end up having to mortgage her home in order to pay legal fees. and and that that's just not the way it ought to be for a public servant that's serving in a position that's been elected by the people that should have to put up their homes or take out equity in their home in order to to defend themselves when um when they're found innocent. And as a attorney said that if the individual is found innocent, we got to reimburse them anyway. And so all this resolution is doing is giving them the funds in advance and then should they be found guilty then they repay the funds. Uh they employed by the city and so uh we're going to get the money back one way the other. Uh so because of my experience and and and the reason why I knew about the other person because when I was going to it, they came to me and they talked to me and and and gave me some good advice. But an elected official shouldn't have to mortgage their home or take out equity in their home or or whatever or take out a loan to defend themselves when they're serving the public. And and we keep talking about these are taxpayers dollars. Well, we're taxpayers as well. So, these are our dollars also.

And so, it's it's an opportunity for us to to do something that's going to make a difference, not just for this one individual, but for anybody that sits on this dis in the years to come should this resolution pass. Can we have him removed from the chambers? Yeah, that's two. you. It just It's out of order. Mayor, point of order. Let's bring this back in.

There's a process in place if if that is what's needed. Offer the warning and then you take care of it. You We've created that um that process. The language that's in here is a little ambiguous, too. So again, if we can just tighten up the language and reimburse with not a cap on the 5,000, I think it takes away the ambiguity of it being more salacious than maybe it needs to be.

And what language are you suggesting we tighten up? Well, it it's what gets interesting is that the city attorney has to review it to possibly make an opinion on if it makes sense or not. I don't really know. And then the council has to then approve that and then is there some issues there with that? And then also, how is the payment made? Is it paid directly to the commissioner? Is it paid when invoices are created from the attorney? Do they then have to become a vendor of the city? There's a lot of gray area here that I think we can tighten that up. It would make the residents feel better.

I think we have an open discussion now. So, whatever suggestion we should make it now. Andrew, what what do you see anything that needs to be tightened up? Well, I'm I'm happy to discuss uh you know, each one piece me. I'm just opening up the the actual resolution itself.

And then to be honest, I'm not huge into doing it on the fly like this and I don't want to try to negotiate this right now. I think if we just postpone it one meeting, we can basically have some dialogue with the attorney one-on-one. Make sure everyone's comfortable and then also understand the financial process of this as well. Who's getting paid? How is it getting paid? Who's making the proof that it's getting paid to where it's supposed to? There's processes that aren't in place that we had can't be answered yet.

We received this on f when was this uploaded ratly this document uploaded on Friday. So if we had any questions or wanted anything added at that time we should have emailed the attorney. This is not the time now on the DAC say let's postpone it because you have questions. If you had those question you had suggestions you should email the attorney then. I understand your position. Well, I think we can we could we wanted to approve this one like it is and it is come back and and if you want to adjust it, we can we can do another resolution next council meeting. I mean, yeah, I move to approve the resolution as is. And if any wants to amend it next meeting, bring it back forward to be amended the next meeting.

Got a commotion a motion by Commissioner Anderson. Oh, wait a minute. Um Andrew, should she be The attorney cannot comment on that. That was already written in the response. Well, to be clear, if we want to be if if it's a conflict for me, it's a conflict for Commissioner Anastic because he had the ethics complaint. You also have, you know, so it's not for me because I'm not asking for reimbursement. Well, I haven't asked I haven't asked for reimbursement either. Your attorney letter just did. No, he asked that's a letter. I haven't asked for reimbursement yet. So, that's just a general policy. That mean anybody's on that policy mean they can't ask for um for advancement. Okay.

Attorney, what do you think? I mean, well, I I can't comment on the uh the conduct of other council members when asked about Well, my attorney is here. Attorney Capo, could you advise me if I'm able to um Okay. So, you reached out to them. You reached out to them. Me personally, I did not. They would not talk to me because I'm not Oh, the point. Okay. Commissioner Anderson, if you're ready to I mean, I'm I What I'd rather do is you recuse yourself and and see if we can't get the votes without you. That's what I'd like. I'll recuse myself for now.

Okay. Okay. Looking for somebody to make that motion. So move. Motion by Commissioner Smith. I'll second it. Got a second by Commissioner Velasquez. All those in favor? I. We got four to with one recusal by Commissioner. I did not vote for that. Okay.

Okay. So, three, so three for it. One against it and one recusal. So, one recusal was Commissioner Anderson. The no was Commissioner Neesa and three affirmatives were Velasquez, Nelson, and Smith. Okay. All right. Okay. Okay, city council reports. Mr. Smith, why don't you get us started?

Uh, first of all, want to thank the city of Apaka, the Apaka Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff Department for all they did to make the Martin Luther King parade a success and for all those that participated in the parade as well. Uh, the parade was a great success. We had seven bands uh that was in the parade. uh probably the most we've had in the 17 years that we've been doing the Martin Luther King parade. So, we appreciate all the support that we received. Um I did have a a question in reference to uh Commissioner Moore brought up earlier in reference to K Papa Road. Uh it was my understanding at one point that the funding was available to fulllane corpa road from the hospital to monro and then that the county then was going to take care of the drainage from modern road to to hath is that correct

here's yes commissioner uh the bill to raise grant that was change the name right it's for improvement of Okoya Papka road from Harmon to South Hton road uh road the project

uh from Harmon to Hum now the section currently between 13th Street and Hotton is still in the county the section in the city that was uh transferred I believe uh November of 2024 it's from uh 13th Street down to just past Lake Cutter Exchange, which is just before the ramp on uh um State Road 429. So, that has been transferred to the city. So, I talked to Orange County Public Works today. They're doing a currently they have scheduled for January 26 till February 2nd there's going to be a repaving resurfacing of the section from Harmon to the south to the entrance to Emerson Park which is in front of the hospital. That section was as part of the agreement for the transfer. It was supposed to be resurfaced by the county. So that's going to happen in a week from now. Uh the section that we were discussing is a project that the county has between 13 and past BRO road all the way to Hton Road that is related to the storm water improvements and the few homes there. They sit in a low area where the wetland is it just straight across Bretro Road

and they have been slated from about a year ago. So they're ready to start the construction on it. We were thinking that we can potentially include it in this design, but that's going to take a little bit longer time and they really want to solve this problem. So we looked at all the potential opportunities there. It seems like the rightway is not sufficient to widen that to four lane. That's why I send that email to our county counterparts and actually to proceed with their project and we will pay $175,000 for the reimbursement for the relocation of our utilities. Then down the road once we start the design on our part we're going to include the design past 13th Street all the way to Hton Road and that's going to include probably widening to maybe three lanes total with some medians because there's nothing more that we can do there. The rideway is so limited. It's only 60 foot compared to 120 to the south. So really that section is very critical. Uh there's nothing that can be gained on the north side. Uh there's a new development, Northstar Logistics. They already have two ponds on that side. So we really can't get any rideway on the north side. any rightway that potentially we can acquire is going to be on the south or the east side which are businesses that have been there for a long time including some of these homes that the county is trying to resolve the problem with flooding. So we're looking together at a long-term solution. We just didn't want it to stifle the county plan to actually complete their part of the work. So, so what you're saying the county can go ahead and do the drainage portion,

correct? On that section, correct? Yes. Drainage, but not storm water. Well, that's where we're that we're

Yes. So, so they're going to be taking they're going to be piping some of the ditch, but eventually there's no storm water pump, right? So all the water will be pushed to kind of bubble up to the north past the area that is actually affecting it where the wetland is. And those individual five or six homes I believe they're there. Although when you look at the Orange County property appraiser, there's probably totally of 16 parcels, but there's only five or six homes. They're inhabited currently. So again, we're looking together with a count. We're working together with the county. There's a long-term solution to this long-term plan and eventually it will come to fruition and we're hoping that we can incorporate at least we will do the design past that point of 30th Street where the borderline is currently and then going all the way to the north past Bretro and along the curb to Hutton Road when we get into Michael Gladen and then we head to the east

because the that the land on the on the end of of Bradshaw has flooded out. You know, we think there's money, some of the federal disaster money that will go toward condemning that those properties there so they can make a proper retention pond. So, the retention pond just doing the, you know, the storm water without a a much bigger retention pond, we really haven't really haven't accomplished much. So, that which is the county's part of the Yes. the agreement. That makes sense. you were.

Yeah. Because really the race fund it needs to I think it was uh sometime in September of 2029 where the project needs to be ready by then and then then the money will be allocated and it will be available till sometime September of 2034. So it will take some time for the whole process. So, so you're saying it's going to be 2029 before that four lane from the hospital to home mean to to to Martin uh to 13th Street. Yes. But in the meantime, the county can go ahead with the drainage. The county will proceed,

correct? The county will proceed with their plan. They already have a contractor uh acquired for that. Everything's been approved on their side. They just going to break ground probably very soon. I would say probably within a month. All right. Thank you.

Um and then the last thing I have is that the last city council meeting I also asked if we could uh rename Fifth Street um after Austin Durant the firefighter. So I still have that proposal I would like to present. Here's here's our the problem with that one is we've got the now we got Halls on Fifth, we've got Fifth Street Merchants, we've got it. So what if we went from Park Avenue that way

that way? We just So we'd have to do I think it's what the 70% of the the residents have to or property owners on the road have to when that what rather would 70% yeah I don't remember offh hand exactly but yeah we'd have to go through that process. But I've got no no problem. We could we can sure find out if that's a um possibility for sure. Yeah. Appreciate it. That's all I have.

Okay. Commissioner Nesa. Yes. Uh Monday we had an incredible Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade. So much fun. Uh my family and I got to do it twice. So that was how much fun we had with it. And it was cool to see my kids finally be of age to um to enjoy it as well. So that was really cool. And just seeing the smiles and the fun and the clapping. The bands were incredible. Uh so that was really fun and it was great to see everybody out there. Maybe the Was that the biggest one ever? Yes.

And well attended. It was it was a great event. So, um, thank you for all that put the time and energy into making that happen. That was really good. Um, then the only other thing was just, uh, my office hours, uh, just reminder, every Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., uh, here at city hall, um, talk about anything that, um, you feel makes the city better that we can do better. I usually take, uh, 30 minute appointments or feel free to walk in. That's what a lot of people do is just walk in um, just to discuss whatever they need. And again, if you feel uncomfortable for any reason, me at city hall, completely understand. I'm happy to uh meet you wherever you are comfortable. That's it. Thank you, Commissioner Velasquez.

Uh well, we had the tree climbers at the legend of the geysers over at Camp Rewire. Spent a Saturday, a few hours with them there and uh and they come every year and uh I really appreciate that our city um gives them that facility. uh they have a good time, the competition, it really uh strengthens their abilities to kind of go out and do rescues and things like that. So, um we we had them for the weekend, of course, the Martin Luther King uh Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade and uh of course it was a big success. It was it was much larger this year. This is the largest I've seen it and it was a nice day and we all appreciate uh the ministry alliance for hosting this every year. Um I wanted to just kind of offer my congratulations to our economic director, Miss Antronetta uh Forbes. You know, I keep up with you even on the social media with LinkedIn and all the awards that you have gotten and I just want to say thank you for everything you're doing in our CRA. It's very successful.

Uh we have the Noah Catz public meeting. Just a reminder, that'll be on Monday, January 26th at the Apo Community Center. And that starts at is that six o'clock? 6 o'clock.

And then if you can't make it on that day, it'll be two days later, Wednesday, on January 28th at Kelly Park School. and that has to do with the transportation which is something that's very important to a lot of our residents here in the city. This will be an opportunity for them to uh provide an input. Um, also, you know, I kind of follow the social media and I just wanted to um congratulate the retirement of K9 Rule. Uh, five years of service, uh, his handler, Sergeant Doriso. D, how do you pronounce his last name? Doriso. Yeah. So, just congratulations to the K9 on his retirement. And then congratulations to uh Sergeant Weissup and Corporal Rodk Rudek. And that was the graduation uh from the Southern Police Institute Command Officer Development uh course. Is that right? I saw that. And that's pretty much it. Okay, Commissioner Anderson. So, uh, I kind of echo everyone's the MLK parade was an amazing event. Uh, thank you for the Apocalyp Minister Alliance and Monique Wors for actually putting on the parade. Um, I just want to address something. So, to be clear, to answer your question, mayor, did I receive any type of um, advice or did I reach out to the Florida Ethics Commission? I actually did. That's why I actually moved. So, I'm going to read from the from the commission what their opinion was in regards to that. Commit council member Anderson, you ask whether you may vote on a matter that will allow the city to reimburse you your legal fees, legal expenses derived from public capacity. Normally, the voting conflict law found in section 112-31433. Florida statutes would prohibit a public

officer from voting on any matter that will um to special sorry it's kind of small to special private gain or loss. There is however and give me a second. exception to the rule found in section 123155 Florida statute. It says no public officer shall be prohibited from voting on a matter affecting his or her salary, expenses or their compensation as a public officer as provided by law. In commission of ethics opinion CEO 88-46 the commission opinion that where the common law provides that a public officer is entitled to representation at the public expense in a lawsuit arising from performance of official duties while serving a public purpose. They may vote to allow reimbursement without violating the voting conflict law. Thus, you may violate on you may vote on the reimbursement of your legal fees if the lawsuit arises from the performance of your official duties while serving as a public um purpose. Please let me know if you need any further information. This was from the executive uh the deputy executive director of general counsel Steven Zitzky who gave that opinion. So, I was able to vote. So, I just want to just clarify that.

Well, no, I tell you they're they're great because they they and they stand by their and they stand by their opinion. So, just to be clear so the public can know that I wasn't reckless when when I actually made that motion. It's cuz I could do it. But I still, you know, just out of caution, I still removed myself from that vote. Um, with that being said, um, that's actually all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, they they are really responsive. They'll they will then I had one where within three hours I had had the answer I needed. So, they they will they will respond immediately to, you know, public officials. All right. Uh Bradley, anything?

Yeah, just one real quick uh uh update. I did send an email uh this evening before the meetings began uh with some information. I know I spoke at the agenda uh review meetings with you about uh Orange County Board of County Commissioners uh considering uh moving forward with the local government infrastructure sales tax initiative. Uh again, they're in the process of that. Uh they have um uh requested technical assistance from the Trust Republic Lands to help assess the current um state of of potential um sales tax uh initiative. Um so that email just kind of highlights where the county is at. Uh the ask of the city right now is for staff to kind of prepare some broad areas that uh we could utilize this additional funding if it were to go to ballot and be approved and also our capital project list that we have currently and upcoming uh that projects that would would uh be uh beneficial for the city to utilize that funding for. So uh we're looking to get that information back to the county by the end of the month. Uh as more information comes available in that process. I will certainly share that with you. Uh they are looking to move pretty quick. Uh the trust for public lands is looking to do their I use the rest of this month in February to conduct uh some research uh do polling and surveying in March and uh provide an update to the Orange County uh board of county commissioners by late March around that time frame. And the in the email also did provide the link to the county commission uh section of the meeting where they had a presentation on this last Tuesday. So just want to provide an update to you and we'll share more information as it becomes available.

Thank you, Bradley. All right, just a couple quick things. Uh we've got a fundraiser Friday at Friday night um at the market, farmers market on Fifth Street. um got an Eagle Scout project that I think she came forward to the city council a while ago about a dog obstacle course that she's going to be putting in at the

at our dog park. So anyway, if you get a chance, come out between 6:00 and 9 um Friday and and meet meet her and see what they're what she's going to be putting in the uh the dog park. So be a good thing. Second thing is uh Saturday sounds uh will be this uh this Saturday 5 to 7. So come out. It's the spasmatic. So 80s music should be a good time. And then February 7th will be Saturday Sounds with After Five. And they were they were the band that played New Year's Eve here on 5th. And then last, I want to thank shout out to my my good friend over here, Virginia Street. Um she made the uh peach cobbler for our our homeless. Uh we we sheltered them on on Thursday and and Sunday. Also, shout out to First Baptist. Sent some volunteers. The Word of Life sent some volunteers. Trinity Baptist sent volunteers. First Presbyterian sent volunteers. And a big shout out to um one family church who provided the facility for for the the u the cold shelter. So, thank you to all our church folks that that helped make that possible. And so, thank you all and have a good night.