City Council - Regular Meeting

City Council regular meeting of Tuesday, September 8th, 2026. I want to thank everybody that has come here in person. It is always wonderful to see a full house of constituents and also everybody that is watching us on the live stream. So thank you all for attending. I want to start by introducing everybody that is sitting up here. On my far right is our City Attorney Mack McKellar. Next to Mack is Councilman Lauren Wise. Next to Lauren is Councilwoman Pamela Holder. Next to Pamela is Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Aaron Baker. I'm Mayor Maureen Kopeloff. On my immediate left is our city clerk,

I normally would be asking Reverend Rob Field to stand up and give the invocation, but Rob is not here. But... Hi.

Charlotte, would you be willing to give the invitation?

Amen. And while you are standing there, I believe you are the pastor at Brevard College. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Well, we are so glad that you do that, and we are so glad to have the college and the young folks as part of our community. And I want to thank you for your great flexibility as you walked into the room tonight.

Council, you have the draft agenda in front of you. Are there any proposed modifications to the agenda?

Yeah, I'd like to propose that we combine items L2 and M1. I think our discussion is probably going to be referencing one or the other, so I think it's just best if we tackle those at the same time.

Put it both under, combine them both under M as M1. Right. Okay, very good. Mr. Manager, did you have a...

Thank you. All right. All right, guys. Come on. All right. So, Mr. Manager, you are asking to withdraw item...

M3 off of the agenda. All right, council, any further modifications to the agenda?

I don't know if this is the time to say it or not, but I would like to see the agenda that Aaron proposed that we leave it as it is, L2 and what was the other one? M. He combined L2 and M1. Yeah, I would like to see them remain separate.

Okay, well, we'll have to vote on which way to go. All right. Right now, what we have is a proposal to have a modified agenda with M3, the automated license plate readers, removed, and M1 and L2 combined. Do I have a motion to approve that modified agenda?

So two nos and three yeses. So the modified agenda passes. All right. So we've got an agenda. Council, you've got the June 5th, 2026 specially called budget workshop minutes. Are there any corrections or modifications to those minutes? Do I have a motion to approve those minutes?

Opposed? Minutes are approved. You also have the minutes of the August 17th, 2026 regular meeting. Do I have a motion? Are there any modifications or corrections to those minutes? Do I have a motion to approve those minutes?

Opposed? Those minutes are approved. all right we're going to go forward into certificates awards and recognition and we have two wonderful proclamations tonight all right our first proclamation is for the 30th anniversary of rise and shine and i would like to ask Maurice Jones, the executive director of Rise and Shine, and anyone else. Maurice, that you wanted to join you up here. I don't know if you brought anyone else from the organization.

I can see that. Okay, well, that's because it's been such a great organization for 30 years. Anyways, it is my pleasure to the proclamation number 20 26-21, the 30th anniversary of Rise and Shine. Whereas, in response to public Klu Klux Klan rallies held in Brevard in 1988 and again in 1992, an interracial group gathered by social activist Fay Walker began to meet monthly for dialogue around dismantling racism, racial justice, and reconciliation. Whereas, after this coalition called Friends hosted a series of talks entitled, quote, Racism, Everybody's Problem, unquote, at Bethel A Baptist Chur

And it's always a fun event. It's one of my favorite galas of the year. You'll be there, right? I absolutely am going to be there. Yeah. Anyways, Rise and Shine is an incredible organization. I've been involved with it a lot longer than I've been involved in politics here. It goes way back. And they do such an incredible job with the scholars, just teaching them not just

But they also teach them really self-confidence and self-respect and just things that are so important for success in today's world. So it's a wonderful program that supports our children, and I couldn't be happier than to recognize his 30th anniversary, and I look forward to seeing everybody at their gala. So thank you, Maurice.

All right. And our next proclamation is for Constitution Week. And we have several members of our local Wait Still Avery chapter of the PAR coming up. We've got Sharon Powell, and we've got Nina Brown. And Nina is actually... Nina. Oh, Nina. Sorry. Yes. Oh, okay. I'll get that one. But Nina is actually the district... Are you... the second first vice regent and regent okay well so we've got the big big guys here but we appreciate um you know i was just saying that you know i see them at so many events and you know one of the things that's so important today is to teach people about cynics and

We do a video that I'll see in the schools. So that helps. That does. I mean, you have to start teaching early.

And I have my pocket constitution in the center of my desk in my office. Good for you. Thank you. Thank you. All right, we are moving into public comment. The public is invited to speak during public comment at this time on any topic unless it is a public hearing item on the agenda. Anyone who wants to speak must register with the city clerk, which is the sign-up sheet. When it is your turn, step to the podium in front of city council. State your name and address clearly. Limit comments to three minutes or less and avoid repetition. And I will give you a warning when you have 30 seconds left.

All right, Robert, what's your last name?

Thank you. Our next speaker is Rodney Lux.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Frankie Gordon.

Thank you, Ms. Gordon. Our next speaker is Heath Carter. Did I get that? Okay.

Thank you. All right, our next speaker is Abraham Stratton.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Sheila Mooney.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Harvey Sankey.

Thank you, Mr. Sankey. Our next speaker is Doug Powell.

Thank you, Mr. Powell. Okay, our next speaker. I'm trying to read your name. Lane Herlinger? Did I get that sort of close? Okay.

Thank you. All right, that is everybody that signed up for public comment. All right, we will move on to the public hearing. And we have one public hearing. It is a proposed amendment to the City of Brevard traffic schedule to add a stop sign on Thomas Street at the intersection with West Main Street. And I believe our city manager is gonna walk us through this.

Thank you, Mr. Manager. Council, this is a public hearing. Do I have a motion to officially open the public hearing?

The public hearing is officially open. However, no one signed up to comment at the public hearing. So I will go ahead and close. Oh, wait. Is there somebody who wants to comment? I left. I will allow that, Mr. Jones. You may comment on the public hearing. Let me give you the rules. Although I'm sure, I think after however many, I think you know it. You have five minutes or less. Okay, I'll leave it at that. Okay.

Thank you, Mr. Jones. All right. Nobody else has signed up for the public hearing. Okay. Council, do I have a motion to close the public hearing?

Public hearing is now officially closed. I will open it up now for questions and comments from council members. And we'll start with Mr. Lytle.

No comment. I will like to see things like this go to the safety committee. I'll have to understand why it's already not. I'll get that information from you at some other time, but it makes sense to me.

I have no questions or comments. Ms. Holder? No comments or questions, thank you.

Council, are you prepared to act on this tonight? If so, do I have a motion to approve the ordinance amending the City of Brevard traffic schedule?

Opposed? Motion passes. All right, moving on to the consent and information. The following items are on the consent agenda. One, resolution in support of the roadless area conservation rule. Two, capital project amendment, Hillview Mills Avenue culvert repair, $350,000. Three, proclamation number 2026, TAC 23, childhood cancer awareness month. Four, Rosenwald Community Advisory Board Meeting Minutes, May 21st, 2026. Five, Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes, July 15th, 2026. Six, Rosenwald Community Advisory Board meeting session notes July 16, 2026. Seven, Finance and Human

Opposed? Consent agenda is approved. Moving on to unfinished business. The first item is the proposed amendment to the City of Brevard Unified Development Ordinance, Chapter 17, and the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 70, Fats, Oils, and Grease Regulations. And I believe our Assistant City Manager, David Todd, is going to talk to us about the FOG.

I feel like I'm pretty familiar with this one because we've looked at it in committee and we've talked about it a number of times. I think this could be a great program for Brevard and I really don't have any additional comments about what we've talked about before.

Ms. Holder? Trying to find again how it affects the taxes in your presentation.

That's what I was looking at. Okay. Okay. I don't have any questions, sorry. Mr. Baker.

Yeah, just want to thank everybody for their work on this. I know it's kind of a dense document, so I know a lot of work went into it. And I'll just repeat what I said last time. I think just encourage staff to really have some proactive outreach to the restaurants and the food service providers we have in town, including the college and other places like that. I know you've already done a little bit of that, but I think just that communication is going to go a long way to not only getting compliance, but also getting it and keeping our restaurants happy with us and not upset. So keep up the g

Thanks for the work on this. The one thing that I would request is a 12-month report, penalties, inspections we've done, and any business impact that it's had, just so we can stay on top of that. And then, obviously, an education-first posture here before any penalties are assessed. Yes, sir. Thank you.

Council, do I have a motion to approve the Unified Development Ordinance and the Code of Ordinances amendments as presented? Do I have a second? Second. All in favor? Opposed? It's approved. All right, we are moving on to new business. And that is the menu of options for surplus fund 82, the Rosenwald Fund dollars. And I believe city manager is going to walk us through this.

Yes. The tax rebate program is something that we have been trying to put in place for the last two years. We were not able to fund it last year. However, this year there was a grant opportunity with Dogwood. Health Foundation for a collaborative grant and the city joined with the Haven the Cove sharing house and Pisgah illegal and has put in a grant application for $500,000 it would be dispersed across those different organizations but the city's portion of that grant is is $60,000 specifically for the tax rebate program. $30,000 a year for the next two years. Today, this afternoon, I attended

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Okay. Well, Council, I'm going to open it up for comments and questions. And we'll start with Mr. Lytle.

You might want to stay up here, Todd. I just want to make sure I'm following because... got lost a little bit between five and six and all that. So most of what you were discussing was six, correct? Yes, sir. All of what I was discussing is six. And so what I heard was is that if six were the option, I believe I heard that it would delay or it would redirect dollars from other projects, is that right? Did I hear correctly?

and otherwise we could try to find another source. And then if we were to choose five, would that be sort of lost dollars in work if later on we decided we really wanted to do six and find the funding for it? In other words, we pave sections with what's already scheduled, we supplement that, right, we pave. then we want to do the intersections and the complete improvements. We would have to repave again, is that correct?

OK. And 1B is two speed bumps on two separate streets. Sorry, can you explain? Four speed bumps.

and that's to prevent from redirect of traffic trying to get around the speed bump. Well, you know, first of all, a full public disclosure, I live on Carver Street, but I promise it's not because I live on Carver Street, but it is, but it does lend itself to me knowing what the issues are. If you're getting to this nice, new, beautiful community center from downtown and you want to encourage walking, Carver Street is where you're going. And today, there are lots of falling hazards. There's footprints that folks can trip over. And like the manager said, there are utility poles that have concret

Well, when we discussed this, and obviously there was some opposition, but we ended up that these funds would go to infrastructure projects in the Rosenwald fund. And at that time, and I still believe the same way is that those should be visible projects. And especially since we do have another fund specifically earmarked for sewer. I think those are the funds that we should use for this. And the $25,000 in that fund, represents a pretty small percentage, whereas in this fund, they represent a really large percentage. And I appreciate the fact that there's a lot of projects that because it's n

I'll start with a basic question. So why is... Duke Energy, a multi-billion dollar company with record profits, allowed to put telephone poles in the middle of sidewalks? You may not have an answer, but. This is a thing that happens all over the city, and I know that we have happened to run into issues with Duke asking them to move polls previously and it's like, takes an act of Congress to even get them to consider it. And then when they do consider it, they give you a price tag that's like astronomical. And I just think as a small city that's trying to do what's right for people to move arou

Right. Well, I really, I guess I feel like that sidewalk enhancement is, it's a high priority for me. I mean, I travel that way a lot and walking or driving or on a bike and it's pretty clear that the sidewalk infrastructure there is just, I mean, it's probably the worst. we've got in the city. And we're going to have to address it at some point. I understand that's not visible. And it's tough to assign dollars to something like that that's not going to be a completed project. But we do need to plan for it. And we don't have the money to plan for it right now. the on the on the house the housi

of the total that what's left in the fund I had at $20,600. So we would use that for the sewer extension. Ms. Holder?

Okay. I have lots of comments and questions. The first thing that comes to mind is, first of all, I would like to hear from the public, hear from residents about what they want. We see the six options. I can give you my opinion and my option, but is that what our constituents want? So I'd like to hear from the public. I'd also like to hear options about what we can do about the sewer extension. If this money were not here from Rosenwald, how would you address that problem? Perhaps we could go to the developer or find other ways to do it as has been done when other homes were built. So that wou

Yeah, one question first about the... HAC Housing, we were talking about time-sensitive projects. Is that not a little time-sensitive to get that funded, whatever way we choose to do it? I mean, there's gotta be a finite timeline on this. Yeah. Well, that's what I'm worried about.

Okay, thank you. So we made a very clear promise, I feel like, during our budget negotiations about what this, you know, remember this money was moved into Fund 82 from our general fund and we made a promise to keep it there for infrastructure dedicated to Rosenwald. as a commitment to that community and to the needs of infrastructure, which may or may not have been neglected over time, and so we're trying do what we can to improve that infrastructure improvement. I will also say the number, top two things that I hear about and I think most of city council hears about is affordable housing and

Ms. Holder, did you have another comment?

I do. For Emily, she's still there. She's there.

When the promise was made to provide the sewer extension, where were you all thinking the funding was coming from at that time? Because this funding was not brought up.

And it's not that you all know how I feel about housing. I feel very strongly about it. I don't disagree. But I feel like this project was already discussed and decided upon to build a housing project and provide sewer before the Rosenblum money came up. And so I'm trying to understand why we're trying to put it in there. In other words, look at other options.

And then the other issue with the million dollars that's been mentioned a couple times, I think that we need to do something to provide trust in the community. I've been told that historically there was money that was given to the Rosenwald community, a grant, correct me if I'm wrong, but they didn't see what was promised. And anybody can correct me if I'm wrong. So I think that we need to build up the trust in the community that if this million dollars comes, who is it going to serve and in what way? rather than just getting a little trash can or something. So y'all know I'm transparent, and

Okay, I understand that, but I'm going back before three weeks ago, even to last year, when we talked about building the housing in on cashiers. We weren't talking about Rosenwald money at that time.

So where was that coming from when the promise was made to provide the sewer?

I would like to see Rosenwald taken out of those options.

There's $2.4 million in the sewer fund. They could take $25,000 out of that.

Yeah, I'd like to see all the options. The sewer fund is there.

Okay, thank you. We have additional comments. Mr. Lytle?

Yeah, I just, you know, I want to try to reiterate in case... Folks didn't hear my first comments. $25,000 on an $88,000 budget is a pretty large percentage. I'm terrible at math. I'm sure somebody knows what that is. $25,000 on a $2.4 million budget. I'm not sure why we're even discussing it, to be honest. Take it out of the fund that water sewer is meant for water and sewer. And if all you need is $25,000, I'm not sure why it needs to come out of anywhere other than the water and sewer budget. It's not like there's $500,000 shortfall where we need to find other areas. $25,000 taken out of th

Madam Mayor, may I make, sorry, I know this is around Robin.

I just, I do want to say that in terms of this 2.5 million water sewer, I want to remind people that we are on the cusp of a $80 million wastewater treatment plant. So I don't know what the percentage of 80 million and 2.5 million is, but not to mention that we also would love to, we're looking at a new water intake because we only have one water intake plant. So not to mention the, David, I don't know how many miles of underground infrastructure we have to maintain in terms of sewer and water right now that we just finished mapping. and have found multiple issues with. So I think it's a bit d

All right, well, we've had quite a good discussion on all of the options that the manager has put forward. As the staff report said, there was no action requested tonight. This was for information and discussion and to give the manager an idea of where people's position was. So you're not looking for any actual motion or vote this evening, is that correct? That's correct.

Okay. Very good. All right. We will quickly move on to our last item of new business, which is the appointment of at-large member to the Acoustic Trail Advisory Board. And I believe Mr. Lytle is going to present this.

Sure. The Acoustic Trail Board met. We have... Vacancies on the board we had applications from great great two great candidates that submitted And we decided that given where we are In the process for the acoustic trail board that mr. Joseph Moore Was The strong the strong candidate that we'd like to put forward so we're asking for that that appointment for Mr. Joseph Moore to fill that seat.

Council, do I have a motion to appoint Joseph Moore to the Acosta Trail Advisory Board? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. Open it up for any other discussion. Ms. Holder? No comments. Mr. Wise?

You know, the name is strangely familiar, so I feel confident in this.

Motion passes. All right, that is the end of new business. We will quickly go through final remarks.

Oh, yes. All right, and we will go ahead and we will start with Mr. Wise.

I'm basking in the love and I just... Ms. Holder.

Okay, I'll take his time. That wasn't the implication. I don't have many, but I do want to say thank you, Chief. Thank you. I know that took a lot because when a leader makes a decision to do something, and we have to go back on it. It's not without clear thought, the process of letting go, but also the process of realizing what the people want. And you did both. Thank you. To the the $2.5 million to Lawrence Point, the $25,000 in Rosenwald, I hate to keep beating this horse, is only, it's about 1% of that 2.5. Am I right? I'm not a good mathematician. But it's not that much money for money to

I will say amen to that. But I also am going to speak on that a little bit further and say that the existence of this Rosenwald Fund and what we did tonight was essentially like a budget exercise. And I think everybody up here is aware that like the most painful things we do all year are budget exercises. And now we're talking about a budget exercise for a single, a neighborhood and a neighborhood with a history of being underfunded by the city. And all of, you know, I mean, that's putting it very lightly. But it makes these conversations extremely difficult and hard and tense. And it creates

And he asked so many good questions, and we learned a lot through that process. But here we are at the end. I think, again, the chief did such a great job about informing us about the issue. But beyond that, she had policies written and ready to go that I am comfortable saying would keep the citizens of Brevard safe and that our officers would handle that in a good way. But as I learned more about this, I mean, these are not just cameras connected to a server or a server that's located within the police department. You think of them hooked up, they're feeding into a tape machine somewhere like

I discussed it today with their vice chair.

Okay. Just wanted to say that publicly. Still waiting on a response on that. And that is all I have.

Yeah, I see tonight as a positive. We're elected to challenge each other. We're not elected for groupthink. And when we challenge each other, it allows us to get to decisions that are best, right? So I see tonight as a complete positive and there's no one, right after this meeting is over, if we can go quick enough, I will have coffee with everyone. Also, I grew up in Rosenwald. I rode my bike every weekend. Mo, we rode together all the time to Franklin Park. We played football by the library. This whole town is all of ours, and I see myself as a citizen of Brevard. And my thoughts about tonig

We have a closed session, yes. Madam Clerk. Nothing for me. Thank you. Mr. Manager.

all right well i too want to thank chief wenzel and i want to thank the public because one of our priorities as your elected leaders and our staff is to hear what people have to say and we go out of our way to give opportunity to the public to come to us in different forums and express your opinion. And we do listen. That is so important. And yes, it is we the people. And that was demonstrated, I think, very clearly with the public input session that we had such wonderful turnout at. as well as people coming here tonight prepared again to speak. But your elected leaders listened to you, we hea