City Council - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. Will Chaplain Denise

Thank you. If you would like, bow your head in prayer.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time we can gather together as a community. Lord, we ask that you bless our community, Lord God. Bless this place that we call Ocala, where we live and we grow together. Father, give wisdom where wisdom is needed for decisions that need to be made. Because, Father, you are all wise. Lord, we now ask you and we invite you into our presence. And we thank you that when you are invited, you always come. In your son's name we pray. Amen.

Thank you. It is now 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, and the meeting of the Ocala City Council is called to order. Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Marciano? Here. Mr. Musley?

Here.

Ms. Dreyer? Here. Mr. Hilty?

Here.

Mr. Mansfield?

Here.

Mr. Bethea?

Here. We have two new employees. When I called your name, if you would, if you would stand. April Stark with electric, and Lori Brown, growth management. Welcome to the Ocala City family. The clerk will provide the public notice for this evening's meeting.

The September 1st, 2026 City Council meeting was publicly noticed on July 22nd, 2026 on the City of Ocala's website. As a reminder, public comments and presentations are limited to three minutes unless authorized to extend beyond that time by the Council President or majority of Council. All materials for the Mayor of City Council must be given to the attendant staff for distribution. Prior to speaking at the podium, please state your name and address for the record. And to maintain order, speakers must be recognized by the Council President. PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES AND ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR THE DURATION OF THIS MEETING.

THANK YOU. ITEM 4A IS A PRESENTATION OF THE MAYOR CITIZEN RECOGNITION AWARD TO HEAVEN COLON.

All right. Every month we recognize citizens doing outstanding work in our community and heaven. Is it heaven? Heaven is doing great work, so I'd like to read your nomination. Throughout the year, Heaven offers free classes to raise awareness for domestic violence and mental health, breast cancer, autism. She gives free classes twice a month at Howard Academy Community Center in connection with the Community Home Project. These classes help promote physical wellness, create a safe and encouraging environment where community members can come together, build confidence, and improve their overall health. Heaven has supported many causes. Twice a year, she promotes an event for domestic violence. Several times a year, she promotes events to raise money for Bobby's Bikes for Children to receive bicycles for Christmas holidays. That's awesome. That otherwise would not be able to afford them. She also feeds families and has gifts for children who do not ask for bicycles. Heaven inspires us all to give. That's so great. Her commitment to serving others extends beyond health and fitness. Heaven has sponsored fundraising events to support disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Philippines, and other communities devastated by natural disasters. Her compassion and willingness to take action during times of crisis demonstrates her genuine concern for people both locally and globally. It is my honor to recognize you as the Citizen of the Month. Thank you for your heart and all that you do for this community. It does not go unnoticed. Would you like to say a few words? Sure.

All right.

Thank you. It's an honor to serve our community. And I appreciate all my amazing students who are here today and those who could not be here today. And I look forward to hosting more events and anything I can do for our community. Thank you.

No, X should be in the center of you too. So come over a little bit. Yeah, there you go. Thank you. All right. Three, two, one. Three, two, one.

ITEM 4B IS A PRESENTATION OF THE CONSTITUTION WEEK PROCLAMATION TO HARLEY DENTON, THE REGENT OF THE O'KELLER CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

Proclamation for Constitution Week. We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves as posterity to ordain. and establish the Constitution for the United States of America. Whereas on September 17th, 1787, the delegates to the federal convention in Philadelphia met for the last time to approve these familiar words above now enshrined not only in our nation's basic instrument of government, but also in the hearts of our citizens. Whereas the Constitution of the United States, the guardian of our liberties, embodies the principles of limited government in a republic dedicated to rule by law. Whereas it is the privilege and duty of all Americans to commemorate the 239th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States of America with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Whereas it is fitting and proper to accord official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary and to the patriotic celebrations that will commemorate Now, therefore, I, Ben Marciano, by the virtue of authority vested in me as the mayor of Ocala, Florida, do hereby proclaim September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution Week. In the city of Ocala, I urge all citizens to study the Constitution and reflect on the privilege of being an American with the rights and the responsibility which that privilege involves. And witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Ocala, Florida, to be affixed this first day, September 2026. Thank you, ladies, for doing this. Would you like to say a few words?

The Daughters of the American Revolution, NSDAR, is a nonprofit volunteer group of ladies that can join together to give service to America because they are all descendants of someone who gave service to the American Revolution. And Constitution Week is very special to us. It was the Daughters of the American Revolution that first began the celebration of the Constitution. And in 1955, we petitioned Congress to make it an official celebration in September the 17th through the 23rd. It was later adopted by the United States Congress and signed into public law on August the 2nd, 1956 by Dwight D. Eisenhower. And during the month of September, and especially during Constitution Week, the Daughters of the American Revolution do a lot of things to try to promote constitutional literacy because it is the basis of our freedoms. And today we just set up our educational constitution display in the library headquarters. And so I hope you will go by and see it. Also, we give out. constitutions to fifth graders in Marion County, and it'll be about 2,500 constitutions because there are a lot of fifth graders in Marion County. We also get proclamations to publicize Constitution Week, and I encourage you all on September the 17th to be... around the city square here and listen for the bells, which will be, the bell will be rung in the First Presbyterian Church to commemorate the original bell ringing in 1787 when the Constitution was finally ratified, which was a contentious experience, but finally came to So thank you for allowing us to publicize Constitution Week, and I hope you will all reflect and study your Constitution during this time.

Thank you so much.

That's great.

Thank you.

All right, let's try to squeeze in as much as possible.

All right, here we go. Three, two, one. Three, two, one.

Item 4C is the resolution honoring and celebrating the life of Reverend Dr. Lorenzo Stanley Edwards, Sr., presented to Richard Edwards.

Right there is good. Right there is good. So I don't know how many of you knew Dr. Edwards, but Dr. Edwards was one of the former city councilmen. And he passed away a little better than a week ago. And while we're on that subject, another one of our councilmen passed away about a month ago in the person of Mr. Charlie Roos. We also lost a former police chief within the last week. So keep all of these families in prayer. At this time, we have a resolution, and it reads as follows. Whereas on August 17th, 2026, the city of Ocala lost an extraordinary man, civil rights activist, well-known pastor, educator, mentor, and a valued community leader with the death of the Reverend Dr. Lorenzo Stanley Edwards, Sr. He was also a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Reverend Dr. Edwards was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Ms. Barbara Ann Clark Edwards. This union was blessed with four sons, Richard, Daryl, Stanley, and Brian. And whereas, Reverend Dr. Edwards graduated in the class of 1955 at Howard Academy. After high school, he attended Florida A&M University, graduated from Central Florida Community College, now known as the College of Central Florida. where he earned an associate degree. He then attended the University of Florida and was conferred with both his bachelor's and master's degree and a Doctor of Divinity through Interdenominational Theological Seminary and whereas from 1986 to 1995, Reverend Dr. Edwards served honorably as a dedicated council person for the city of Ocala, representing District 2, demonstrating integrity, vision, and a steadfast lifelong commitment to the welfare of our community. And whereas Dr. Edwards served as a pastor for 50 years at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in downtown Ocala, guiding and nurturing the spiritual growth of their congregation. Reverend Dr. Edwards became president of the Marin County branch of the NAACP and have an extensive knowledge of African American history. In Ocala, from segregation through integration, he served as a dean at the Central Florida Community College and worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for minorities and handicapped students. And whereas Reverend Dr. Edwards was a pivotal figure of our community and residents sought to him, the embodiment of honesty, compassion, integrity, confidence, and profound knowledge. He served with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the well-being and equality of our community. He was and continues to be a role model to countless individuals. And whereas Reverend Dr. Edwards has left an indelible mark on our community, his unwavering dedication, veracity, and service to others resonate deeply in the heart of the community, instilling a sense of gratitude and respect for his dedication and contribution to his profound influence to us all. Now, therefore, the Old Keller City Council and Mayor do hereby honor and celebrate the life, service, and enduring legacy of Reverend Dr. Lorenzo Stanley Edwards Sr., and extends our heartfelt condolences to Reverend Dr. Edwards' family. And it's signed by all these council members and the mayor. Do you have anything you want to say, sir?

Yes, we want to give all glory and honor to God, number one. for all the things that he has done, that he even allowed my father, Reverend Dr. Lorenzo Stanley Edwards Sr. I want to also thank the city councilmen for the allocation of usage of facilities and also the police department and others who were allowed things to take place. He, my father, His legacy will go on. His legacy will go on. There are some unfinished business that we have to take care of here on our end. God working things out up there on that end already. But there are some things here we are still looking forward to. We're looking for some things to take place which I won't announced as of yet as well as the thing as far as the monument from the church that he passed up for 50 years and I'll hold it off for right there but we are waiting on some other things to take place to continue his honor and his legacy amen so we want to thank you and we appreciate you and God bless you all We have family, cousins, in-laws, in-laws, cousins, cousins, also his pastor. And I've never seen Ira, but they are shaking while he was holding a mic.

I want to take a picture.

All right. But we really thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Niece Darlene, Niece Lisa, Sister-in-law Wanda, nephew Boris, wife, hello, my wife, and the pastor, and this wife, Reverend Dr. Alexander. Amen.

Amen. Squeeze in as much as you can. Three, two, one. Three, two, one.

ALL RIGHT, ITEM 5A IS THE PRESENTATION OF HEALTHY O'KELLER ANALYTIC REPORT BY JEAN HOUSER, FOUNDING PRESIDENT, CREATIVE SPRINGS, LORI DEBIT, BRAND STRATEGIST, CREATIVE SPRINGS, AND DEBRA VALLEZ, COO, MARIN COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT.

Good evening. I'm Deborah Velez. I'm the Chief Operating Officer at the Marion County Hospital District. I have some friends with me.

Yes, I'm Jen Hauser, founder and president of Creative Springs.

I'm Lauren Debick, brand strategist for Creative Springs.

so we're going to talk to you guys about healthy ocala and i first want to say anytime i get the opportunity to partner with mayor ben marciano it's always a privilege he has the he's definitely a servant leader and we all know this about him and anytime i get a phone call from him i am quick to pick it up and if i can't pick it up i certainly will return his call later on we work together and we partner with him we are actually honoring uh mayor's fitness challenge last night at our board meeting and i don't know if you guys know this but there's a initiative he does with the school system to get kids healthy and active and over 17 000 students are impacted by the mayor's fitness challenge this past fiscal year so kudos to you mayor so He has the passion to help the wellness and the mental health of our community. And the hospital district, we are poised for the same thing. We are looking out for the wellness of our community, health and wellness of our community. So we had the opportunity, if you guys remember a little while ago, 211, the platform, the digital platform, as well as the phone platform, the 211, all of that. went away about a little over a year ago. So we were a little concerned in our community about what's going to happen, what's going to replace that. So in speaking with the mayor, we came up with this Healthy Ocala project. And so we're going to talk a little bit. If we can go to slide two. You're controlling it. Okay.

Go to slide two. Next one.

So we're going to talk a little bit about Healthy Ocala. And so the first thing that we did was the mayor had a group of individuals that met together when he first came into office. And we were talking about different initiatives to do around healthy and about a healthier Ocala. So the first thing that we did was the logo, as you can see up in the right hand corner, is the Healthy Ocala logo. So if you see that everywhere, that's the brand of the Healthy Ocala. Then we decided to dedicate some social media. We work with Creative Springs at the hospital district. We outsource all of our website development or social media and that type of stuff with our great partners at Creative Springs for

How many years now?

About five years now. And so then we worked on creating a resource directory because it's needed, a one-stop shop, a place for people to go to be able to access the resources within the community. And then we have... Different than the 211. 211, I'm not sure if you are realized, but a lot of those services are outsourced to different communities. They're not people that live local. The hospital district has dedicated one of our staff members. She's with us today, Sarah. And Sarah vets every single resource that goes on the Healthy Ocala website. She calls them. She talks with them. She makes sure they're real people, and it's a real resource within our community. So that's something that we have dedicated to this cause that the mayor has brought to our attention. digital advertising and marketing collateral. I don't know where you guys want me to put this, but we have rack cards that we've created and it has a QR code that will bring you to the website. The website is located on the hospital district's website. That was something the mayor and the hospital district spoke about that we'll be able to live on well past our time, my time at the hospital district in retirement and well past when he becomes governor or president or whatever he decides to do in his political career. But It is. We've passed this out to fire rescue, law enforcement, hospitals, whoever wants these RAC cards. We have them available. You can contact info at mchdt.org. You can get... We've purchased a lot of them. I'm going to leave some here. I don't know where you guys want to put them. And then... I'm going to, we have the, you guys have all participated in the elected officials challenge on our AMP app. We've linked the Healthy Ocala website to that. We're working on potentially in the future on creating an app so that we'll also have the app platform. So the hospital district puts in about So far we spent $44,000 on this initiative. The mayor has chipped in $10,000. So we've got $54,000, and I'm going to pass it off to these ladies here because they can tell you exactly what has happened with those funds and how it is impacting our community. Thank you.

Awesome. So as Deb mentioned, you know, our main goal with this program is there are so many good resources out there. We want to get awareness. We want to make sure that these resources are getting in front of the people of Marion County. So we put together a marketing funnel like we do for our clients, all with the goal of reaching Marion County residents. One of the things that we know is that Marion County is on Facebook and Instagram. We can reach over 95% of the population on those two channels. So we were very strategic, very focused, utilizing those two channels as well as connected TV. So I'm going to walk through some numbers, some data about how we're doing. As Deb mentioned, we started with our initial concept of what is this design? We partnered and we helped develop this look, this feel that fits in to the branding. Really, overall, we know that Marin County is rooted in this belief that wellness starts with the individual, but it flourishes when there's community around you and there's accountability and there's others cheering you on, which is why we have this brand of healthy Ocala. That's how we came up with this logo identity. Getting into some of the data here. Our display ads, which we run on Facebook and Ground Truth. Ground Truth is a platform where we run connected TV. I'll show you some of the main channels in a moment here. We saw in the last nine months, so this is October 25 through June 26, we saw just about 750,000 impressions. An impression is the number of times someone is seeing this content. So we know it's super important folks see this. They see it again. It resonates. And then they actually engage with it. They take action on it. So we're really proud that folks are seeing our content over 83,000 times a month. And then the video content, they're seeing 107,000 impressions, which is just about 12,000 impressions monthly through our TV initiative. So for social media and digital advertising, we're managing, as I mentioned, Facebook and Instagram. We know we can reach our audience through those two channels. You can see they're well-branded. We're reaching the different audiences through this content. Our goal is that when the content hits someone's feed in Marion County, they recognize it, they're excited about it, they want to see and engage with that content. For connected TV, you can see the channels where our video ads are showing up. These are mainstream channels. These are not secondary. I mean, this is Hulu, ESPN, HBO Max. These are where people are spending their time and watching. So we want to connect with them where the people are. So I just want to show this as a good depth of where our content is showing up. And overall, so the website that Deb mentioned, this resource directory is on the Marion County District website. And this is a searchable feature. So they can put in the resource they're looking for. And all of the programs, I think we're over 250 listings on there now, which are all vetted. And we have a list waiting of folks that want to get on there as well. We saw in this last nine months, over 30,000 folks, which is a session, went to this resource directory, which is over 3,000 a month going to this resource, compared to the previous nine months, where it was only 983 folks a month going. So we are seeing massive traction of folks going to this resource and utilizing it and getting the resources they need. That increases a 228% increase nine months to nine months. So we're really proud of that. That is showing you the effectiveness of this program. And just some interesting data for you. We love our data at Creative Springs. Some of the most visited categories on this resource directory are, besides the homepage, which is that 19,000 sessions, housing and utilities, behavioral health, food and clothing, accessible health and wellness, and seniors. Those are what folks are searching for most frequently, and then you can see down the line. So lots of good categories being visited and helpful data, I think, as we look into where to put resources dollars in resources in the future. And then Deb walked through the collateral, so this is some more print of that as well, but we've got these stationed all around Marion County for folks that maybe don't have the digital aspect. So overall, this just summarizes the data. What I want to draw your eyes to is that on the far right, that increase over last period from the previous nine months, our display ads saw 73% increase from the previous nine months. Our video ads, 109. So it doubled its impressions. And the website, again, blew it out of the waters. We had over 228% increase. So we are seeing really, really strong traction. And we are very excited for what is to come in this next year with this program, which is where I'll hand it to Lauren.

Thank you, Jen. So how are we doing this? This is a quick snapshot of what we're doing to get those numbers. We are doing four social media posts a month on Facebook and Instagram, as Jen mentioned. We are doing the video advertising on Meta and Connected TV. So thank you, Mayor Marciano and your team, for continuing to send that video content. We know it performs so well. Display advertising, programmatic display ads, and then the projects like the flyers, the rack cards, and some different graphic design items. So when it comes to key insights, I'm not going to go through this slide. But what I want you to take away from this, number one, video. We work across so many different industries. And no matter the industry, video is the top performer. So that's why it's so important to have that fresh video content, because people love engaging with it. And then also, foundation for future growth. People are busy. We were at a conference two, three weeks ago, and the average time span, attention span, has dropped to 1.2 seconds, down from five seconds. So it is so important that we are staying consistent in front of individuals in Marion County about the healthy Ocala messaging, which sets up the foundation for what we want to do this next year. expanded video marketing. We know that that content is amazing. And Mayor Marciano, we love your videos, but also user videos, testimonials, people who have used this program before. We believe that based on our research and strategy, that would perform really well. So that's one of our strategic priorities for this next year. Also strengthening that social presence, that consistent posting, keeping in front of people, letting them know these resources are available. Something else that we do with the social media is we look at the comments and we look at the feedback every single month when we do the analytics. We know what categories the citizens are asking for, and then we'll act on that. I believe senior resources, veterans were some. social listening categories that came up. So we're taking that feedback directly from the community and putting that onto the resource directory for them. And then expanding that digital reach. Again, consistency, that content, just staying in front of people to let them know that this is a resource that is literally at their fingertips, whether they're at their computer or at their phone. So at this point, we would like to open it up to any questions or comments about Healthy Ocala.

I'll make a comment quickly, if you don't mind. When you first rolled this out, I think you may have come before us one other time, right? I actually had a meeting with somebody whose child was self-harming, and she didn't know who to contact. So I was able to send her the link, and she contacted somebody through the behavioral health options that you provided. So I'm super thankful that you at least have made it easier for us to connect people and definitely our citizens just by themselves. Yeah. Thank you for doing that.

I would just say this is one of the things I'm most proud of, that I've been able to work with the hospital district and Creative Springs. I mean, lives are being changed from this. We talk about health, mental health today is, I think it's one of our biggest issues our country's facing. And it's sad to hear the numbers that are going to the site because it obviously means that people need help, but people are getting help. And I do think we're changing lives. So I'm very grateful for the work that we've done together. I'm grateful for the hospital district support. You guys have been my biggest supporters in helping to get some of these initiatives done. But I know that we are changing lives. And I just want to thank you guys for all that you're doing on it. Thank you for all the support from council to get this done.

Thank you, guys. Thank you for the city of Ocala for always partnering with the hospital district as well.

Absolutely. Thank you, ladies.

Simply outstanding. Thank you. Thank you. Item 5B, the presentation of the United Way of Marion County 2025-2026 Outstanding Campaign Coordinators Award to Christopher Ramos and Artania Brunel.

Well, it is my honor to recognize our staff for just the work that you're doing. And again, it just, one of the things that I love is that I do believe we have the, our staff in the city have the heart to serve and you guys have gone. Over and beyond last year. So I'd like to recognize Chris Ramos and Natanya Brunel. Did I say right? Are you sure? Okay. Who were recently named 2025-2026 Outstanding Campaign Coordinators by United Way Marion County. Chris and Natanya put tremendous amount of time and energy into leading the city's United Way campaign this year. They organized luncheons, brought our employees together, found some really creative ways to give back something to the entire organization to be part of. And you guys even got me in a dunk tank, which I'm not doing again this year. Of course, one of the highlights was our United Way where our employees had a chance to have some fun while raising money for a great cause. And apparently part of serving our community this year is including giving everyone the opportunity to throw a ball in a dunk tank at the mayor of the dunk tank. Greg, what are you talking about? I'm still not sure whose idea this was. All right. All right. Thanks, Chris. And it has certainly paid off. Under their leadership, City of Ocala employees raised an incredible $92,278 for United Way of Marion County and the programs and services they provide throughout the community. Let's give them a round of applause. Chris and Natania, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. Thank you for your time, energy, and heart that you put into this campaign. And thank you to all of our city employees who participated in the give back. This is a great example of what can happen when our employees come together, have a little fun, and support the community that we're all proud of. Thank you guys so much. Do you want to say a few words or no?

Sure. Real quick. My story about the dunk tank, someone was going to play a prank and put a lot of ice in there last year, so luckily they didn't. But there's always next year. That's right. So obviously we're up here and we're accepting the award, but we wouldn't be here without obviously the staff here who donated their time and their money throughout the year, last year, to help us get to that goal of $92,000. So I just want to say thank you to all of our staff across the city and a special thanks to Electric because without them we also wouldn't have made it. And obviously, Otanya, too. She's a great organizer. And I'll keep it short, and that's really it.

So thank you, everybody. I don't want to drop these. That's hers. And that one's yours. And let's get a picture. Did you want to come up?

Chris, do you want to go in the next picture? Three, two, one. One more. Three, two, one.

Thank you.

5D. I want to make sure I ain't passed nobody. 5C is the presentation of the Florida Public Relations Association Government Team of the Year Award to the Public Information Office.

You got a big team. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congrats. Congrats. All right. I'd like to take a moment to recognize the Public Information Office, which was recently named the Government Team of the Year by Florida Public Relations Association, receiving the Gold Pinnacle Award. That's an amazing accomplishment. I know firsthand how much this team does for our city, whether it's keeping our residents informed, promoting our programs and events, working with our departments, or simply making sure that we are telling Ocala's story the right way. They are consistently working behind the scenes on behalf of the community. And I got to tell you, in the last year that I've watched, I think you guys have been tremendous. And our city is so well informed. You guys are doing amazing work. Our public information office is led by Greg Davis. And I'm incredibly proud of the team he has built. And they continue to produce. You guys are doing amazing work. Additionally, during the conference, they received this award. Missy Barrett graduated from the leadership FPRA program. And Greg was sworn in as the FPRA State Executive Board Vice President of Professional Development. It is great to see members of our team not only doing great work in Ocala, but also being recognized as leaders in their profession across the state. On behalf of the City of Ocala, congratulations to Greg, Misty, all the team members on the work that you have done. We are truly proud of you and you're making a great difference in our community. And honestly, I would be lost without you guys. So thank you so much. Would you like to say a few words, Greg? Sure.

uh really at the end of the day this is a team effort we all work very hard at this i say this all the time this is the best job i've ever had and that's because of the support of the city staff um also too i want to shout out janine in the back where she was with us for the fpra conference she's been a great mentor to me but uh chris pete and the city council and the mayor this is also a recognition of all of you and your support of us every single day so thank you so much for doing that for us and uh we hope to continue to bring more awards and recognitions to the city

Anyone?

So who's taking a picture?

5D, THE COMMUNICATION UPDATE FROM THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, GREGORY DAVIS.

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER GREGORY DAVIS HERE WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE. As usual, here's our earned media from March. As you can see, continuous stories are being told, but I want to bring your attention. This is also only publications that are going out into news media. This is not including the social media stories. We're seeing a lot of social media stories telling our story now. So even when I'm not putting out a press release, I can put something out on Facebook or Instagram. and several news outlets will cover it on their social media outlets as well.

So this is only for specific to local media such as the Gazette, Star Banner, and so forth.

Here's the update to our social media platforms and our followers. You'll see in the next slide in a second, but we're going up about 3,000 followers every six months. So that's a good upward turn for our social media. And as you can see there, so 2,000, I believe it says 800, yeah, 2,811 followers in the last six months. So like I said, we're going up about 3,000 every six months, which is good. Also, our Instagram following has gone up 1,000. So our Instagram is starting to catch some traction. So we're starting to get that younger demographic getting involved into our social media and knowing what's going on in our local government. These were the top posts over the last six months. On the left, you'll see the cultural arts taking over with their Sand and Sun Festival. That posted very well. As you can see there, it reached over 175,000 people. On the right, you'll see another cultural arts post. It was actually a reel done by our own Misty Barrett, where they were covering the Retro Sounds Motown concert.

It was a little bit of rain, but it didn't stop everybody from dancing, and they got some video of it, and people really loved it.

Also wanted to cover the mayor's social media now that we've taken over that. So the mayor continues to grow in his social media following as well. His top social post over the last six months was the video that he recently did where he did a mayor's message on the Kratom and the data centers. These are the events that we've covered over the last six months as well. Obviously, the skate park being a huge success for us when we had Rodney Mullen. That was a lot of fun for us with the skateboards and so forth. But you can see right there, we've put out a couple of press releases about a lot of big things, our most recent being the Haunted Trail returning to Fort King for Halloween this year. We've also added to our communication efforts the Truth Be Told series. That's something that we're very proud of. That's gotten a lot of hits. The best one that we've done so far is the difference between a state, a county, and a city road. So we're happy to educate the public on what's going on in our city government and continue being transparent. And that is my update for you. Is there any questions I can answer for you all?

I have none. Any questions from the public? Can you reshare that city and county post about the state and county roads? That would be awesome.

Yes, sir. I still get direct messages on Facebook on a weekly basis. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

I just want to say that Greg's done a great job with it, especially with the truth be told. I think that's a real asset to all of us. So he's done a great job with that. Thank you for all that you've done.

Thank you.

Thank you, Greg. All right. Item six is our consent agenda. Are there any items which council would like removed from the consent agenda for individual discussion or consideration?

I motion for approval of the items on the consent agenda.

Second. Are there any comments from the public? Any comments from the council? Having none, call the roll.

Mr. Holti. Aye. Ms. Dreyer. Aye. Mr. Musley.

Aye.

Mr. Mansfield.

Aye.

Mr. Bethea. Aye.

On item 9, public hearing and second reading of ordinances. 9A is the adoption of the sale of beer, wine, and liquor for on-premise consumption for Sri 03530 LLC doing business at Laquista Inn and Suites. Is there a motion?

So moved.

Is there a second? Second.

Second.

Chief Planning Official Endurance Matt Rivera. I'm getting good.

You're getting great. Good afternoon, Council. Indira Madravaran with the City of Ocala Growth Management Department. The applicant, Sri Om 3530 LLC, doing business as La Quinta Inn & Suites, is requesting a new alcoholic beverage location permit to sell beer, wine, and liquor for on-premise consumption at 3530 Southwest 36th Avenue. La Quinta is renovating the ground floor to include the addition of a 60-seat bar and restaurant. There is sufficient parking on-site to accommodate this addition. There are no churches, schools, or daycare facilities within the 500-foot radius. However, there are four other alcoholic beverage location establishments within the 500-foot radius to include El Torreo, Ocala Hilton, the BP, the Flame and Chili Bar and Grill. Comments were requested from the growth management department, police, fire, along with a legal review from the city attorney. No objections were raised. In response, OPD did compare. I'm not sure if you noticed, but there was 199 calls for service within the last two years at this location. We did ask OPD for some clarification. They said that the activity is comparable to other large hotels within the area. They indicated that the call volume is generally consistent with the activity associated with a larger hotel properties such as the Hilton. As a result, no concerns were identified by OPD that would warrant an objection to this request. Staff recommends approval and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Is there any comments from the public? Council? Call the roll.

Mr. Hilty? Aye. Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Item 9B is the adoption of sale of beer, wine, and liquor for off-premise consumption for Moormax Beverage Corp. doing business at BJ's Wholesale Club. Is there a motion?

So moved.

Second? Second. Ms. Manry-Barron, you are back up.

INDIRA MAJORVARIAN AGAIN FOR THE RECORD, THE APPLICANT MORMAX BEVERAGES CORPORATION LLC DOING BUSINESS AS BJ'S WHOLESALE IS REQUESTING A NEW ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LOCATION PERMIT TO SELL BEER, WINE AND LIQUOR FOR OFF-PREMISE CONSUMPTION AT 7030 SOUTHWEST 59th AVENUE. BJ's includes a 2,200 square foot liquor store in conjunction with their warehouse sales. There is sufficient parking onsite to accommodate this. There are no churches, schools, or daycares within the 500 foot radius. There is one alcoholic beverage establishment, the CVS Pharmacy, which sells beer and wine for off-premise consumption. Comments were requested from police, fire, the city attorney. No comments or objections were received. Staff recommends approval. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Any comments from the public? Ho, ho, ho. Come up here, sir. State your name and address, please.

Thank you. Michael Martinez, Greenspoon Martyr on behalf of BJ's. We're here. We also have the client with us. If there are any questions, we'd be happy to answer them, and we really appreciate the opportunity to join the community. Thank you. Thank you.

You're welcome. Any comments from the public? Council? Call the roll.

Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Items 9C through 9F of all future land use changes on parcels owned by the City of Ocala, which are intended to make the future land use designation comply with the use of the property. So we will open the public hearing for all four items. Here are the staff presentations. and take public comment on all four items together, and then vote on each one separately. 9C is the second and final reading and adoption of Ordinance 2026-28. Councilwoman Drow, who introduced this item, is recognized for a motion.

Council President, I move that Ordinance No. 2026-28 be adopted as provided by the Charter of the City of Ocala, Florida, and based upon evidence presented to City Council, except that adoption by sections on second reading be waived.

Is there a second? Second. Clerk Jacobs, will you read the ordinance by a towel?

An ordinance amending the City of Ocala, Florida Comprehensive Plan Future Languages Map Series as required in Section 163.3161 through and including Section 163.3248 Florida Statutes. Detailing the future land use change, case number LUC26-002. Amending the future land use map designation from medium intensity special district to public for property located in the 1700 block of Northwest Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Parcels 25502-000-00, 25502-002-00, and 25491-001-00. approximately 11.20 acres, providing direction to staff repealing inconsistent and or conflicting provisions, providing for salvability of ordinance provisions, providing for modifications arising from consideration at a public hearing, providing direction to the codifier, and providing for an effective date.

Item 9D is the second and final reading and adoption of Ordinance 2026-29. Councilman Musling, who introduced this item, is recognized for a motion.

Council President, I move that ordinance number 2026-29 be adopted as provided by the Charter of the City of Ocala and based upon evidence presented to City Council, accept that adoption by sections on second reading be waived.

Is there a second? Second. Clerk Jacobs, will you read the ordinance by a towel?

An ordinance amending the zoning map of the City of Ocala, Florida, changing the zoning M2 medium industrial and M3 heavy industrial to GU governmental use for a certain property located in the 1700 block of Northwest Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, parcel 25502-000-00, 25502-002-00, and 24591-000-00, approximately 11.20 acres, case number... ZON 26-0007, providing direction to staff, repealing inconsistent and or conflicting provisions, providing for servability of ordinance provisions, providing for modifications arising from consideration at a public hearing, providing direction to the codifier, and providing for an effective date.

9E is the adoption of Ordinance 2026-33. Councilman Manfield, who introduced the item, is recognized for a motion.

Mr. President, I move that Ordinance No. 2026-33 be adopted as provided by the Charter of the City of Ocala, Florida, and based upon evidence presented to City Council, except that the adoption by sections on the second reading be waived. Is there a second?

Second. Jacob, will you read the Ordinance by Talon?

In ordinance amending the City of Ocala, Florida Comprehensive Plan Future Languages Map Series as required in Section 163.3161 through and including Section 163.3248 Florida Statutes. Detailing the future language change, case number LUC26-0005. Amending the future language map designation from neighborhood to public for property located in the 700 block of Northwest 14th Street, parcel 25785-000-00, approximately .52 acres. providing direction to staff repealing inconsistent and or conflicting provisions, providing severability of ordinance provisions, providing for modifications arising from consideration of public hearing, providing direction to the codifier, and providing for an effective date.

Item 9F is the adoption of Ordinance 2026-34. Councilwoman Dreyer, who introduced this item, is recognized for a motion.

Council President, I move that Ordinance Number 2026-34 be adopted as provided by the Charter of the City of Ocala, Florida, and based upon evidence presented to City Council, except that the adoption by sections on second reading be waived.

Is there a second? Second. Clerk, Jacob, will you read it?

An ordinance amending the zoning map of the city of Ocala, Florida, changing the zoning from R2, two-family residential, to GU, governmental use, for a certain property located in the 700 and 800 blocks of Northwest 14th Street and the 1400 block of Northwest 17th Place. Parcels 25768-000-00, 25775-000-00, 25784 plus 000-00 and 25785-000-00. Approximately 9.94 acres. Case number ZON 26-0012. Providing direction to staff repealing inconsistent and or conflicting provisions. Providing for severability of ordinance provisions. Providing for modifications arising from consideration at a public hearing. Providing direction to the codifier and providing for an effective date.

Now, Ms. Madravaran is recognized for staff presentation.

For the record again, and dear Madravaran, these properties are all city-owned properties. City staff has reviewed these municipally-owned properties and have determined that they lack appropriate city designations, including all of the subject properties under these petitions. Staff... is requesting that we clean up these designations by changing the future land use designations to public, as well as rezoning these properties to GU governmental use. During our research, no level of service issues were found on any of these properties. Future development of the properties will need to go through site plan review. Staff recommends approval of the items, and Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of all items at their meeting in July. I'm happy to answer any questions.

So all four of those pieces of property that we went through is up at this time. So what I am asking you, do public, do you have any questions in regard to those four pieces of property? And we are going to vote on them one at a time, but just want to know, do you have any questions about those four pieces of property? Having none, we are ready to vote. First, for item 9C, ordinance 2026-28, the clerk will call the roll.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Musley? Aye. Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Mansfield? Aye. Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Next. For item 9D, ordinance 2026-29, the clerk will call the roll.

Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Mr. Hilty? Aye. Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Mansfield? Aye. Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Item 9E, ordinance 2026-33, the clerk will call the roll.

Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Bethea? Aye.

Aye. And finally, for Item 9F, Ordinance 2026-34, the clerk will call the roll.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Item 9G is the adoption of Ordinance 2026-30. Councilman Hilty, who introduced this item, is recognized for a motion.

Council President, I move that Ordinance No. 2026-30 be adopted as provided by the Charter of the City of Ocala, Florida, and based on evidence presented to the City Council, accept that adoption by sections on the second reading be waived.

Is there a second? Second. Clerk Jacobs will read the Ordinance by Talon.

An ordinance amending the zoning map of the City of Ocala, Florida, changing the zoning from M1 Light Industrial and B4 General Business to M1 Light Industrial for certain property located at 314 and 28 Northwest 14th Street and 1332 Northwest Magnolia Terrace, parcel 2572-018-001, 2572-017-004, and 2572-017-005. approximately 5.93 acres, case number ZON25-0008, providing direction to staff repealing inconsistent and or conflicting provisions, providing for salvability of ordinance provisions, providing for modifications arising from consideration at a public hearing, providing direction to the codifier, and providing for an effective date.

Ms. Magna Barron will recognize for presentation.

Good afternoon, again, for the record, Indira Madravaran. The petitioner, Magnolia Extension LLC, is requesting to rezone from M1 Light Industrial and B4 General Business to M1 Light Industrial to allow for the continued expansion of the industrial development. Parcel 2572-018-001 includes several warehouse buildings. The other two properties remain undeveloped. Staff finds that the pursuant to Section 122-244, the proposed rezoning is consistent with the existing low-intensity future land use classification, that the M1 light industrial zoning is consistent with the existing development and continued uses of the property, and the surrounding area. Adjacent properties to the south are existing B5 and M1 zone properties. No level of service issues have been identified for public facilities as a result of this rezoning request. Staff recommends approval and Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval at their meeting in July. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Any comments from the public? Council?

Call the roll. Mr. Hilty. Aye. Ms. Dreyer. Aye. Mr. Musley. Aye. Mr. Mansfield.

Aye.

Mr. Bethea.

Aye. Item 9H is the adoption of Ordinance 2026-31. Councilman Mansfield, who introduced this item, is recognized for a motion.

Mr. President, I move that Ordinance No. 2026-31 be adopted as provided by the Charter of the City of Ocala, Florida, and based upon evidence presented to City Council, except that the adoption by sections on the second reading be waived.

Is there a second? Second. Clerk Jacob, read the ordinance, please.

An ordinance amending the zoning map of the City of Ocala, Florida, changing the zoning from GU governmental use to B1 neighborhood business for a certain property located at 1501 Northwest 14th Street, Parcel 25571-000-00, approximately 3.23 acres, case number ZON26-0006, provided direction to staff, repealing inconsistent and or conflicting provisions, providing for salvability of ordinance provisions, providing for modifications arising from consideration at a public hearing, providing direction to the codifier, and providing for an effective date.

Ms. Magna Barron is recognized for presentation.

In Dear Madravaran, again, for the record, the Applicant Generations Broadcasting Corporation is requesting a rezoning of the parcel located at the northeast corner of Northwest Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Northwest 14th Street. from GU to B1. The current GU zoning is for privately owned property is not appropriate. As a result of the recent development inquiries from the property owner, the zoning issue was brought to light. The property has historically operated as a radio tower and communications with utilities attached. The proposed rezoning to B1 will resolve the current inconsistent GU zoning. Pursuant to section 122.244, the proposed rezoning is consistent with the underlying neighborhood future land use designation. The subject property is located within an established neighborhood consisting of residential, institution, and undeveloped properties. So the B1 zoning is appropriate and consistent with that surrounding development pattern. The proposed rezoning establishes specific development standards for these lot sizes, which promote consistency with the adjacent properties. Adequate public facilities exist to support future and existing development. Future development of the property will be required to undergo site plan review. Staff recommends approval. The Planning and Zoning Commission also recommended approval at their meeting in July.

Any comments from the public? Council? So I have a question in regards to the tower building. that sits on that property, changing the zoning is not going to affect, in other words, having to move that tower or anything, will it?

No, sir.

Okay, thank you. All right, call the roll.

Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Bethea?

Aye. 9-I is the adoption of Ordinance 2026-32. Councilman Hilty, will we introduce this item? It's recognized for a motion.

Council President, I move that Ordinance Number 2026-32 be adopted as provided by the Charter of the City of Ocala, Florida, and based upon evidence presented to City Council, accept that the adoption by sections on the second reading be waived.

Is there a second? Second. Clerk Jacobs will read the Ordinance by Tyler.

An ordinance amending the zoning map of the City of Ocala, Florida, changes the zoning from M1 light industrial to M2 medium industrial for a portion, 3.05 acres, of certain property located in the 1700 block of Northeast 18th Place, Parcel 2649-004-001, approximately 4.95 acres. case number ZON26-0010, providing direction to staff repealing inconsistent and or conflicting provisions, providing observability of ordinance provisions, providing for modifications arising from consideration at a public hearing, providing direction to the codifier, and providing for an effective date.

Ms. McNamara is recognized for presentation.

Lastly, for the record, Indira Madravaran, the applicant, B&W Land Holdings, is requesting a rezoning of a portion of their property from M1 Light Industrial to M2 Medium Industrial to provide a unified zoning designation for the entire property. The subject property is currently undeveloped and is designated with a low-intensity future land use. Designation, the property is located within an established industrial area pursuant to Section 122.244. The proposed rezoning is consistent with the underlying future land use designation. The proposed rezoning is consistent with the requirements for the M2 zoning district, and it will eliminate the existing split zone zoning condition on the property. No level of service issues have been identified. Future development of the property will have to undergo site plan review. Staff recommends approval, and the Planning and Zoning Commission also recommended approval at their meeting in July.

Is there any comment from the public? Council? Call the roll.

Mr. Yolte.

Aye.

Ms. Dreyer. Aye. Mr. Musley.

Aye.

Mr. Mansfield.

Aye.

Mr. Bethea.

Aye. Item 13. AGENDA ITEM 10, GENERAL BUSINESS. ITEM 10A IS THE ADOPTION OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT WITH MCSHIELD CONTRACTING LLC. DO I HEAR A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM?

SO MOVED. SECOND.

PUBLIC WORK DIRECTOR DARREN PARK IS RECOGNIZED FOR PRESENTATION.

Good afternoon. Darren Park, Public Works Director. This agenda item supports the city's strategic goals of operational excellence and quality of place. It's a one-year renewal for pavement markings with our contractor, McShea. The city has approximately 380 centerline miles of road in our road network. There's no line item price increase. Staff recommends approval, and I'm here to answer any questions.

Any comments from the public council?

I do.

Yes, sir.

One question I'm always noticing on, now they do have on this one, remove existing marking and grinding. So they are taking care of that because remember some of the ones we had in the past, they just went on top. They did not grind down and they're left off.

Yes, sir. They won't grind everything. They'll grind when it exceeds the threshold.

They have in their money for grinding.

Correct. If we were to grind everything that's out there before they reapplied it, it would cost us $1.5 million a year.

How do we know that?

I ran the numbers on last year's invoices compared to what they did.

So what's their definition then of grinding? Maybe you can get back with me on that. I've got a question about that. Sure. You would please. I won't take up. Is the threshold easy to.

You have to measure it and it's going to be changes depending on whether the transverse or longitudinal lines.

What I'm talking about specifically, there's a couple of roads out there, um, One of them is right down here, right away, you know, going. And if you measured it, I'll bet you it's probably three-quarters of an inch. It's been topped and topped and topped. So I would like to look at that, please. I mean, I don't want to go back and make our roads look bad, so we just paid a bunch of money on getting some of them paved.

Thank you.

Thank you. Sorry.

And for the comments from the council, call the roll.

Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Mosley?

Aye.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Item 10B is the approval of a three-year agreement with Atlantic Pike Services, LLC. Do I hear a motion to approve this item? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Parks, you once again is recognized.

Darren Park, Public Works Director. This agenda item supports the city's strategic goal of operational excellence. This is a three-year agreement for the cleaning, lining, inspection, and repair of stormwater pipe. We have approximately 280 miles of pipe in our stormwater system. Staff recommends approval. I'm here to answer any questions.

Comments from the public? Council? Call the roll.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Mosley? Aye. Aye. Mr. Mansfield? Aye. Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Thank you. Item 10C is a one-year renewal of a contract with Odyssey Manufacturing Company. Do I hear a motion to approve this item? So moved. Is there a second?

Second.

All right. Water Resource Director Brian Heller is recognized for presentation.

Hi. This item supports OCAL's relevant strategic goal for operational excellence. The Water Resources Department is requesting approval of the second one-year renewal under WRS 230584. A 2.8% consumer price index rate adjustment was added to the price per gallon in accordance with the terms of the original agreement. The price has increased from $1.79 per liquid gallon to $1.84 per liquid gallon. Staff recommends approval of the final one-year renewal of WRS 230584 for a term beginning on October 1, 2026, terminating on September 30, 2027.

Any comments from the public? Council? Call the roll.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Mr. Hilty? Aye. Mr. Mansfield? Aye. Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Item 10D is the purchase of equipment and accessories from Hack Company. Do I hear a motion to approve this item? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Heller, you're recognized once again.

Brian Heller, Water Resources Director. This item supports Ocala's relevant strategic goal, fiscally sustainable and operational excellence. The Water Resources Department operates and maintains more than 151 lift stations to reclaim facilities, one water treatment facility, and numerous remote sites. The department currently utilizes approximately 75 HAWC monitoring instruments throughout the city's water and wastewater system to monitor critical water quality parameters, including refrigerated sampling units, chlorine, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. In 2013, department established Hawk Company as the standardized sole source provider for Hawk monitoring equipment, replacement parts, accessories, and related supplies to ensure equipment compatibility, operational consistency, and reliable maintenance. The department is requesting additional funding to replenish and maintain adequate warehouse inventory levels of critical Hawk components and supplies. maintain sufficient inventory, will support routine maintenance, minimize downtime during equipment failures, and ensure the department is prepared to respond promptly to emergencies while maintaining continuous regulatory compliance and uninterrupted system operations. Are you here for any questions?

Any questions from the public? Council, call the roll.

Mr. Holti. Aye. Ms. Dreyer. Aye. Mr. Musley.

Aye.

Mr. Mansfield.

Aye.

Mr. Bethea.

Aye. Item 10E is a one-year renewal with Mike Lassa, Inc., doing business as Perfection Collisions Car Star. Do I hear a motion to approve this item?

So moved.

Is there a second?

Second.

Fleet Management Division Head Lisa Holti. WALMARK IS RECOGNIZED FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS. LISA WARMATH, FLEET AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, FLEET DIVISION HEAD. THIS ITEM SUPPORTS Ocala Strategic Goal of Operational Excellence. Requesting your approval for the one-year renewal of our contract with Michael Lessard, doing business as Perfection Collision and Car Star for as-needed automotive body repairs. Staff recommends approval, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Comments from the public. Council. Call the roll.

Mr. Musley.

Aye.

Mr. Mansfield.

Aye.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Hilty?

Aye.

Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Thank you. 10F is the approval of a three-year agreement with Restocon LLC. Do I hear a motion to approve this item? I move. Is there a second? Second. Facilities Division Head Gary Cruz is recognized for staff presentation.

Good evening, City Council, Mayor. I'm Gary Cruz, the Facilities Division Head for the City of Ocala. This evening I'm requesting your approval of this agenda item relevant to Ocala's strategic goal for quality of place. The approval of the three-year agreement provides maintenance and repairs to various city locations. Staff recommends approval. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Any comments from the public?

Council? Call the roll.

Mr. Yolting?

Aye.

Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Mr. Bethea?

Aye. 10G, the approval of a one-year contract renewal with VIP Security and Investigations LLC. Do I hear a motion to approve this item?

So moved.

Second.

IT Director Christopher Ramos is recognized for staff presentation.

Good evening, Council. Christopher Ramos, Director of IT. This agenda item aligns with the city's strategic goal of operational excellence and quality of place. On October 5th, 2021, City Council approved a three-year contract to VIP Security and Investigations for citywide security guard services. The contract included three optional one-year renewal terms. This is the third and final renewal request. VIP security posts are located at city hall, customer service first and second floors, the city complex, parking garage one, and soon to be parking garage number two. Departments are also able to request additional guards for ad hoc city events to aid with monitoring equipment overnight and personnel during those events. Security officers play a crucial role in guiding citizens, monitoring areas, enforcing rules, responding to incidents particularly aggressive in nature. Having security guards on site has proven to be a valuable asset in ensuring safety of staff, citizens, and visitors. So staff recommends approval, and I'm here to answer any questions.

Any comments from the public? Council?

I would just say that our security team does a great job. I see Tracy and his team here. They obviously do a great job protecting us, but they also provide great service under some tough situations sometimes with citizens coming in. Just think we're blessed to have them.

Roll call.

Ms. Dreyer. Aye. Mr. Musley. Aye. Mr. Hilty. Aye. Mr. Mansfield. Aye. Mr. Bethea.

Aye.

Thank you.

ITEM G IS THE APPROVAL OF ONE-YEAR CONTRACT RENEWAL WITH VIP SECURITY AND INVESTIGATION. DID I JUST DO THAT? ITEM 10H IS THE APPROVAL OF A ONE-YEAR RENEWAL AGREEMENT FOR CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES. DO I HEAR A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM? SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. CITY ENGINEER SEAN LANIER IS RECOGNIZED FOR STAFF PRESENTATION.

Good evening. Sean Lanier, city engineer. This agenda item supports the city's strategic goals of operational excellence and fiscally sustainable. The city has an ongoing need for general and specialty professional engineering services for many of its projects. This is the second and final one-year renewal of those services. Staff recommends approval. I'm here to answer any questions.

Public comment. Council. Call the roll.

Mr. Holti. Aye. Mr. Mansfield. Aye. Mr. Musley? Aye. Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Thank you. 10I is the approval of the purchase of inventory items for O'Kellar Fiber Network from Gresco, Inc. Do I hear a motion to approve this item? So moved. Is there a second?

Second.

Fiber Network Director Mel Poole is recognized for staff presentation.

Good evening, Council, Mr. Mayor, Mel Poole, Director for Color Fiber Network. This agenda item is in line with Council's strategic goal of physical sustainability and operational excellence. Inventory items are posted for public competition on the Advanced Utility Resource Supply website to obtain the lowest prices. On July 31st and August 3rd of 2026, the warehouse issued an invitation to bid for fiber optic cables and wireless routers. The responsive and approved bidders for the subject's solicitations are summarized in your package. This is a direct correlation to your direction to the citywide build-out relative to the five-year plan that council and the CMO has directed Ocala Fiber Network to proceed with. Staff recommends approval. I'm here to answer any questions. Any public comment?

Council? Council? YES, SIR. PUBLIC COMMENT. CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? YES, SIR.

DID YOU SIGN A.

OKAY. SO ACTUALLY THAT SHOULD BE AT THE END OF OUR.

I THINK HE ASKED TO SPEAK AT THIS ITEM. DID HE? I THINK SO, YES. OKAY.

COME ON.

NO, NO. YOU DID NOTHING WRONG.

Thank y'all for having me. My name is Turner Lozell. Can y'all hear me? Yes. I'm with the James Madison Institute. Yesterday, we released a report about government-owned networks broadly, like OFN, and I'd like to share what it means for the item in front of us. $500,000, though a seemingly modest investment in network materials, serves as the next steps towards expanding OFN citywide. i'd like you to treat this vote as a down payment on the citywide build out and to my knowledge no feasibility study demonstrating the necessity or financial viability of a citywide expansion has been released to the public that matters for three reasons first ocala does not have a broadband access problem according to fcc broadband data private providers already cover roughly 96 percent of serviceable locations in the city and residents already have at least 13 internet providers to choose from. Adding another network did not meaningfully expand access to customers being served by existing providers. Second is that it puts taxpayer dollars at risk. When a private provider misjudges a market, its investors absorb the loss. However, when a city-owned network misjudges the markets, taxpayer dollars are the ones that cover the shortfall. This county has seen it firsthand. Dunn-O-Lyon tried to build its own fiber network only eventually to sell the network, leaving taxpayers with roughly $5 million in debt. Third is that the expansion discouraged the private investment that Ocala is already attracting. A subsidized public competitor tells companies that the city is going to undercut them, causing private providers to slow down investment and upgrades. In Colorado, communities that permitted municipal networks saw private speeds that were 11 to 26 percent slower than communities that didn't. In all, Florida recognized all of these problems in 2005 when adding additional financial safeguards for municipal networks. Any city that wants to start a network today must publish a business plan showing that it will be revenue positive within four years, hold public hearings, and put long-term bonds up to voters. OFN is exempt only because it was grandfathered in before the 2005 law. I'd ask the council to hold itself to that standard voluntarily, release the feasibility study before committing to further funds, and put any bond finance expansion up to the voters of Ocala. It would be in the best interest of the citizens of Ocala and their hard-earned tax dollars. Thank you.

Thank you. Any questions? All right. Let's move forward. Move to vote. Yes. Move.

Ms. Dreyer. Aye. Mr. Musley. Aye. Mr. Hilty. Aye. Mr. Mansfield. Aye. Mr. Bethea.

Aye. Thank you. TNG. Aye. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND.

SECOND.

SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND.

SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SEC The task work order directs McFarland Johnson to design the holding bay for runway 36. Essentially it's a pull off for aircraft as they approach the end of the runway while they're taxiing and it allows other aircraft that are ready for departure to bypass them and it improves efficiency at the airport. It's funded through a previously approved FAA grant. The airport advisory board recommends approval as does staff. Happy to answer any questions.

Any public comment? Council?

Call the roll. Mr. Holti? Aye. Mr. Musley?

Aye.

Mr. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Mansfield?

Aye.

Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Item 10-K is the selection of an applicant for appointment to the Airport Advisory Board. City Clerk Angel Jacobs is recognized for staff presentation.

I'm sorry. That's 10-L. You're on 10-K as a resolution.

10-K. Okay.

All right. 10K is the adoption of resolution 26-53. Do I hear a motion to approve this item? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Groh, you're still there.

Yes, sir. Matthew Groh, airport director. This agenda item is relevant to council's strategic goal of quality of place and operational excellence. It requests your approval to accept a new FAA grant of $220,000 to fund some equipment replacement and rehabilitation of some air traffic control tower items, the paint on the building, the roof, upgrading some of the air conditioning systems. The Airport Advisory Board recommends approval as does staff. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Any comment from the public? Council? Is that a matching grant? Is that a matching grant?

NO, THIS IS A 100% GRANT. THERE'S NO MATCH REQUIREMENT. WE THINK THE TOTAL COST FOR ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS, HOWEVER, WILL EXCEED THE TOTAL COST OF THE GRANT BY ABOUT $25,994. THESE ARE ESTIMATES. SO THE AIRPORT FUND WILL MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT.

THANK YOU.

Mr. Musley? Aye. Mr. Holti? Aye. Ms. Dreyer? Aye. Mr. Mansfield? Aye. Mr. Bethea?

Aye. Thank you.

Can I go to L now?

Yes, sir.

Okay, thank you. Item 10L is the selection of an applicant for appointment to the Airport Advisory Board. City Clerk Angel Jacobs has recognized the staff presentation.

Okay. There's... One vacancy on the airport advisory board. We have three applicants, Mr. Camp Clifford, Robert Little, and Paul Nearing. I'm asking council, you should have a ballot at your dais. You can vote for one of those applicants and then pass your ballots over.

Mr. President. Yes. You should ask for public comment before you cast your ballots.

Okay. All right.

If there is any.

No problem. Do we have an in public comment in regards to advisory board applicant? Yes, please. Come up. You have to come up, sir. State your name.

Ryan Panzegraff. Sir, sir. What did you say? Ryan Panzegraff.

And state your address.

5705 Southwest 108th Street.

All right. Yes, sir.

I would just be curious as to who you thought we should advise to that position. Because it seems like everything that I've heard from him seems to be of excellence. So I would just, I'd like to know that opinion.

I'd be happy to address that.

I'm familiar with all three of them, and I think all three of them could do a great job. So I put it back on you.

Thank you. Thank you.

No problem. Mr. President, can I comment? If you don't mind. Usually I don't comment on these. However, I have a personal knowledge of Camp Clifford. I would say this. He lives at the airport. I know this because he lives in the same hangar as my son has, and I think he's there all the time. But I'm just saying he's a good young man, and I think we need some good young people on the board. I think it would be a good asset.

I'd like to make a comment, too. I've known Robert Little for 34 years. I've worked for him at two banks. He hired me one time, and he didn't regret it. I also know Camp. I know his family, and it comes from a very, very good family. Fine young man. Robert also owns a plane and has it in a hangar at the airport, and I think he would make a good addition, as Camp would. Don't know the other gentleman at all.

All right. There was no comments from other than one. So now we're back here. So cast your vote. And do you have an extra sheet over there? I need one.

Yes, you need an extra.

Mm-hmm.

extra, but he only gets one vote.

I hope so.

Yeah, you have to count these out loud now.

Okay, Council appoints Mr. Camp Clifford to the Airport Advisory Board.

Thank you.

Oh, I forgot that part. Mr. Arbuthay, Ms. Dreyer, Mr. Mansfield, and Mr. Hilty voting for Camp Clifford, and Mr. Musley voting for Robert Little.

Agenda item. Let me make sure because y'all have been on me today. All right, agenda item 11, internal auditor's report.

Vincent Livino. Good evening, Vincent Livino, internal city auditor. Tonight's presentation on the separation of duties within the pension process is in alignment with the city's internal audit charter number three, which is duty to report results of audit engagements or other activities, and also number nine, scope of advisory services where opportunities for improvement will be communicated to the appropriate level of management and city council. The advisory was initiated by the CFO's concerns regarding the full autonomy that the former pension manager had prior to her departure. Internal audit understood at the beginning of the engagement that the pension process was being transitioned back to the pension board within a few months. We agreed that the internal audit would look at the separation of duties capabilities of the processes and not the processes themselves as internal audit did not have the expertise in pension accounting. The purpose of separation of duties controls is to reduce the risk of malevolent behavior without collusion. Internal audit focused on accounts payable, payroll, and account maintenance processes by diagramming high-level process flows, performing a walkthrough to determine the strengths and or weaknesses of the separation of duties controls in place. What internal audit had found was that the pension processes were never designed initially with separation of duties prior to the former pension manager's departure. While the separation of duties controls had improved by having three different individuals perform those account payable, payroll, and account maintenance functions, internal audit still had some concerns. The pension payment data, was both calculated and approved by the same person. A generically named user account and password was used to access pension online bank account data. Changes, requests to pension information could be initiated by an email group, a phone call, or in person and were not formally documented. and also pension payments were manually calculated on spreadsheets and then transferred to the city's pension accounting system, which bypasses any logical access controls that the system would have in place. Internal audit rated the potential risk of likelihood of high for errors, and that's due to the lack of written procedures or proper oversight and also the gaps in the separation of duties. We rated the potential risk impact as high, with the pension fund over $452 million. And therefore, we had recommended an independent forensic accounting specialist perform a retroactive review of key pension-related activities. Management acknowledged the findings and felt that the concerns stated in the report were within their acceptable levels of risk appetite and risk tolerance. That concludes my presentation and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. All right.

Yes.

You talk about the forensic audit in there. Just a couple of questions. One is, who's responsible for paying that? Would that be the city responsible for paying that, or would that be the pension plan that would pay for the audit?

Oh, that's a great question. I would refer to the CFO or finance to. We are just identifying that for internal audit to do it, we wouldn't have a value. We don't have the expertise. So as far as the cost,

And obviously, you don't have any idea as to what the cost of a forensic audit would be because of the large sum in the pension plan or anything like that?

Yes. Well, my thought is it would go in phases. So if there's certain, say, activities for, you know, that would be looked at that maybe give an indicator as such. And then from there, at that finding, perhaps they would get more granular.

Mm-hmm.

to additional forensic auditing.

Right. But as our internal auditor, you're recommending in this report forensic audit?

Yes, I am recommending that to have, you know, internal audit is required to have expertise. We can only identify. So something of this nature is best left in the hands of those qualified and certified.

And would that be your normal assumption under a report like this? Or because of some of the recent findings we've had at the city that it would be advisable for full transparency to do something like this? Sure.

Definitely full transparency is important. Our job is, if we can, we identify. And then, again, we work collaboratively with all the different departments in the recommendations so that they're also feasible.

So I guess the next question is who authorizes the, I mean, since you work for us, but yet the CFO works for the city, who authorizes the union?

Chance Mitchell, CFO. I would like to make a couple comments. This advisory was... The reason I wanted the advisory was we were moving to third-party administrator. So as you know, our employee was the administrator of the pension. We paid her, but the pension board is responsible for her activities and for her pay. They reimbursed us for her pay. So I don't have the authority to – the pension board operates – alone. They have their own board. You actually put two people on each board so you have representation on the board. They're the trustees and the custodians. They make the decisions on these issues like this so we could present to the board saying that we think they should do. He feels like he can come to the pension boards, all three of them, and say what his findings are and ask them if they would like to do that. So that's an option that can be had. But we have no authority over pension funds or what the board does.

So it would be up to them to, yeah.

We haven't had that either, though she worked in finance, she was seated in the finance department, but her work was done with the boards.

Again, I'm not trying to imply any impropriety, but when you look at the report and the fact that you're recommending it and then you have an employee that's no longer here, what's the reason that she's no longer here? Could be she went to another job.

She actually retired and works for an actuarial company.

Yeah, I'm just talking from the general public when they look at something like this here. Those are the questions that they would ask.

So my question in the beginning was not about necessarily her activities. It was for us to better understand where that line was, what the city does for the pension, and then what the third-party administrator does for the pension. That's the separation of duties I wanted to look at.

I know he also points out that an error is very easy to happen when you're dealing with something like that.

I also will state that there's an actuary that looks at all her things. She goes into the actuary's portal and puts the information in to pull the items out. She uploads the information into the payroll system, as does every department. They don't hand do it, a lot of it, but it goes in. So she wasn't doing anything. And, again, the actuary watches it. We have an external auditor that looks at it. So that's why my recommendation was the risk was not, there was no complaints. There was never a complaint, never anything related to it.

So one last question, and I'll let anybody else say. When Purvis and Gray, that is their audit of the city, do they do the mention plan? Yes, sir. They do. Okay.

But they're doing – if I may – I mean, they're doing it with the information that's provided. So if you – I mean, we're talking about $400 million. And I agree with you. We're not – there's no accusation of impropriety. But sometimes, as we know, we'll go down a road with an audit, with a theory, right? You asked a question. And sometimes the audit will – travel different directions and it will reveal several other things. I mean, it's actually very common. And so I think that we err on the side of caution here and go before the pension board and I think that that should be our request to just do a deep dive and Look, we want the response to be that this is all on the up and up. That's what I would expect. But we need somebody who's independent of us to confirm that.

That's my feeling. I think it would be a suggestion to the three pension boards. Correct. And we'll do that happily.

Without knowing how much it costs for the, I mean, I've read the report, and I don't see anything in here that would alarm me that you need to do a deep dive. I do think that Vincent's a relatively new auditor to us, and this is a little bit, I'm thinking it's a little bit out of your comfort zone because it's finance, but everything I've seen, But if you want to take it to the pension boards, then since we've talked about it, it won't hurt to take it to them and let them decide whether they want to engage a forensic audit and what the cost would be. We'll do that.

If they decide, that kind of helps us out in making sure we've done our due diligence.

I do think while we're talking about our new auditor, congratulations, I think that we should give him the blessing that things that he is capable of doing, like when you go down roads that lead you in different directions, just keep going. I know that this is beyond the scope of what your office can do, but anything that your office can do, I think we should just give the blanket blessing to just do it. Just let us know at the end, but just keep going until you've exhausted all efforts.

Will do. Thank you. Okay.

Thank you.

I just wanted to also just get a status update on the supply chain. cybersecurity incident, because no one's heard from internal audit yet, and I just wanted to just say, yes, there's going to be an internal audit report. That audit testing and investigation are complete on our end. The draft report is completed. The language of the investigative section of the report was vetted by legal with no objections. The draft report, It's been distributed to the department directors in IT, procurement, finance, HR risk, and OPD for their review. It's a collaborative effort. It's an independent report that is collaboratively reviewed. Actually, tomorrow we have a final status report meeting scheduled. I plan to present the internal audit report at our next city council meeting on September 15th. I also want to state that this engagement was both an advisory and an investigation, and that in the advisory, the criteria consisted of specific risk management and risk communication control objectives from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Cybersecurity Framework 2.0. The investigation part was a criteria that consisted of comparing actions taken that affected the initialization of the incident response plan to the Institute of Internal Auditors' definition of fraud. And finally, I would just like to state that one of the most difficult cybersecurity threats is to identify the compromised supply chain email account, which is what happened here. It's a trusted source. And within days of the city manager initiating the incident response plan, the city was able to identify, isolate, remediate, and recover approximately 90% of the remaining funds. I was there to witness, and it was awesome to watch everybody come together with a plan. That's all I wanted to state. Thank you. Thank you.

Item 12, city manager's report.

Thank you, sir. Parking Garage 2, we're getting close. We have a couple of punch list items that the contractor's working on. I hope that it'll be open by the end of the week. If not, at the beginning of next week, soft opening. And then the hotel construction will continue. Broadway, the lanes of Broadway will remain closed. We're working on pedestrian access from the parking garage back up towards town back to the east. So we look forward to that. And that's it.

Thank you. Will those lanes be closed until the hotel opens?

I think it will probably be until they get most of the equipment in the hotel. But then we'll continue to monitor that and open that as soon as we can. There's also a road project there. So that road, we do a road project at the end.

And I think you said earlier that you're going to do some kind of blast so that everybody knows. of how many parking is downtown, also where all the new parking is, and then where, you know, you can and can't park. So I think that would be very important to all.

We will. And, you know, we look forward to having some additional downtown meetings and opportunities for people to give us input, especially on parking. Probably not going to wait until the hotel opens, but we should – you know, we want to engage – downtown users, downtown merchants, and just talk to them. And I think that at the end of that, part of what we're going to come back with is we're going to have to address overall downtown parking again, because we're going to have 1,200 spaces and two parking garages, and then to readdress some of the street parking and how we do that, what the best manner for that is, is something that I think we're going to need to discuss. And we'll include the merchants in Main Street and the CEP and anybody else who wants to be involved in that.

So you have a tentative date for the hotel?

I don't. I think it's several months away. Oh, yeah.

Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions? All right. Police Chief Mike Balkins. Balkins.

Good afternoon, everybody. Mike Balkin, police chief. During this period, OPD worked just over 7,400 total incidents, which reflects a 16% increase. Over 2,700 of those were dispatched calls for service. Out of those, we saw nearly 300 crimes reported and affected over 200 arrests. Staff also conducted over 1,200 traffic stops while investigating 160 traffic crashes. I think you guys are aware that... Our crime rate at Ocala is largely driven by property crime, and that property crime rate is driven largely by retail theft. So we've increased our security work at our big box stores, also partnered with the sheriff's office to target these offenses during this past period that occurred. That operation we initiated resulted in 48 arrests and the recovery of $7,600 worth of stolen merchandise. So we're going to keep those efforts up and try to lower those numbers. And lastly, I should tell you I did receive notification from FDOT yesterday requesting the removal of LPR cameras. from every state roadway, as did every other chief and sheriff in the state. We're working to do that. I asked staff to have that completed within the next two weeks to comply with that directive. That's all I have.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

File Chief Cliff Wellborn.

Good evening, Clint Wellborn. Fire Chief.

You can see on the screen there's the unit responses for the last two weeks. Rescue 4 at 183 leading the way on the rescue side and Engine 4 at 125 on the engine side. Had a total of 133 accidents across the city. 92 of them all responded to two fires with 35 community paramedicine and core calls. Bringing the calls for this period to 1179 and the total for the year 18,659. One of the call highlights on the 18th and the 22nd, the last two weeks, we have responded to multiple calls generated after bouts of bad weather once they passed through. Although no injuries were reported, the storms have caused substantial damage to at least three homes in the area. This was on Saturday, the 22nd, and this happened to some southeast Ocala homes. And then also want to mention, please join us on September 11th. The Remembrance Ceremony at Veterans Park begins at 8.30 in the morning. I'd love to see you there. That's all I have.

And then right after that, Chief Webb, Feed the Fearless immediately after that, correct?

Yes. Yep. Feed the Fearless at my house.

That's his name? FEED THE FEARLESS. FEED THE FEARLESS. FEED THE FEARLESS.

WE HAVE A COUPLE OF PUBLIC COMMENTS.

All right. Albie Kaminski, Vice President of Government Affairs for Spectrum. And good evening, council members, and thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself and Spectrum. Is it okay if I start now? Okay. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself and Spectrum. Many of you have received a note from us on August 20th when Spectrum and Cox merger officially closed. I wanted to take a few minutes today to put that announcement into a local context for all of you. The most important thing that I can share with you all tonight is that we're committed to bringing tremendous value to the city of Ocala and families and businesses throughout the city. To welcome our new customers, we're offering a free year of mobile service to Cox Internet customers who don't already subscribe to Cox Mobile. And we provide very low rates even after that, for that promotional period. In mid-September, we also plan on launching our entire suite of products throughout Ocala, including for existing Cox customers. Our seamless connectivity bundle, which includes Spectrum Internet and Spectrum Mobile, comes with a $1,000 savings guarantee. helping promote the city's vision for affordability, and with a $1,000 savings guarantee over our competitors. For TV customers, we provide an ad-supported streaming apps like Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited, Discovery+, HBO Max, Paramount+, the list goes on and on here, all at no additional cost. That provides customers with up to $127 of monthly retail value at no extra cost. Also, within the next year, Cox customers will benefit from Spectrum's industry-first customer service commitments, which include 100% U.S.-based customer service team, fixing service disruptions quickly, including same-day technician dispatch, and providing customers with credits for outages that last longer than two hours. I want you to know that we intend to be a big part of this community too. Last year, we were here in Ocala to present a $30,000 grant to the United Way of Marion County. I know they were speaking earlier today. And to support that digital literacy efforts to the local community efforts. And then a few months ago, some of us were back here to celebrate another major milestone of over 15,000 homes and passings throughout Marion County that we've expanded to through our rural construction initiative. and donated an additional $18,000 to Marion County Senior Services to help promote the digital divide and to help bridge the digital divide. So again, I know that I'm at time with 15 seconds here, but if I can end with this, we believe that Spectrum is well positioned to meet Ocala's connectivity needs through continued private sector investment and strong private investment partnership. Thank you all. If you have any questions, I'm here and look forward to answering any questions that you might have and excited to be a part of the community. You also might know my colleague David Garcia, who's here, but we're excited for this partnership and look forward to working a little bit more closely with you.

Thank you. Thank you. Anybody have any questions?

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mr. Will.

Yes, sir. It's okay. No report, sir. You just knew there wasn't a report.

Mr. Ryan . Will you pronounce your last name for me? Ryan .

Mr. . I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND TRANSPARENCY. I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND TRANSPARENCY. I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND TRANSPARENCY. I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND TRANSPARENCY. I CONTACTED THE CITY TODAY AND I CONTACTED THE CITY TODAY AND I CONTACTED THE CITY TODAY AND WAS WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS WAS WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS WAS WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT FDOT'S DECISION WITH THE ABOUT FDOT'S DECISION WITH THE ABOUT FDOT'S DECISION WITH THE CAMERAS AND WAS NOT ABLE TO SPEAK CAMERAS AND WAS NOT ABLE TO SPEAK CAMERAS AND WAS NOT ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THE CITY MANAGER Chief called me back and we had a lengthy conversation at great length. We didn't even agree on everything, but it was very thorough and transparent. And he is coming to the table with being more transparent and going to have the cameras down in two weeks, which I find to be very admirable and I believe excellent and transparent on quite a few words that I heard tonight. About the previous financial situation, I don't think that this was handled correctly. WHEN I TRIED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CITY AND HAD MY QUESTIONS, I VERY MUCH SO BELIEVE I WAS DISRESPECTED. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO HOLD MY GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR MISHAPS. I WAITED ALMOST A MONTH TO SPEAK TO THE CITY MANAGER THE OTHER DAY ON THE 28th. THE CITY MANAGER DID FINALLY CONTACT ME. I GOT TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS. EVERYTHING I SAID HE DISAGREED WITH. I think if we're talking about transparency, I think you at least have to be able to communicate with your elected officials. And I don't think that any part of this has been handled. I truly do feel like the mayor took me into his office. We had a lengthy conversation, full transparency. And again, I ask that you guys please look into this. This doesn't seem right. And then for me to have to wait almost a month to hold my government accountable, every office that I tried to talk to, I talked to the clerk's office, excellent, nothing but professional. The police chief, I mean, he gave me as much time as I wanted, full transparency, excellent. Well done, Mr. Mayor. I believe you oversee the police department, and that's awesome. I JUST, I DON'T THINK, I THINK THAT THIS ACTUALLY NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO A LITTLE BIT. AND I VERY MUCH SO DO FEEL THAT LAST MEETING WHEN I WAS TOLD TO SIT DOWN BY THE CHIEF OF STAFF, I THINK THAT WAS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. I THINK MAYBE IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD ME TO SIT DOWN OR, I MEAN, THE CLERK, I MEAN, SOMEBODY IN A MORE PROFESSIONAL SETTING, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT WAS DONE RIGHT. I guess there's 10 seconds left. I hope you guys have a good night.

Do you have any questions for me? Well, we thank you for coming. And I don't think none of us trying to brush you off. We was dealing with situations at one time. Our investigation was not finished. And we don't talk about ongoing investigations and things of that nature now. I APPRECIATE YOUR COMING.

NEVER ASK FOR DETAILS, SIR.

LISTEN TO ME. I GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING. I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE WAY YOU HANDLE YOURSELF. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS YOU DIDN'T COME UP HERE SCREAMING AND HOLLYING, ALL RIGHT? YOU'RE ASKING, YOU'RE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE. AND WE'RE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE BACK. WHEN YOU SAY THAT YOU CALLED THE CITY MANAGER OR THE POLICE CHIEF OR ANY OTHER DIRECTOR OF A DEPARTMENT They're supposed to get back with you in a timely manner, and I believe they're doing their best to do that.

Can I ask you a question then? Yeah, you can. Do you think that almost a month to get back with me and a dismissal today that he wasn't available, do you think that's appropriate?

This is what I think. A month. I think that the staff, period, tried to communicate with you. Hold on. Now, you said, let me. Sure. And you was a little irate. You got upset.

Very upset.

Okay. So then they could not talk to you. Listen to me. If I'm going to talk to you, you need to hear me just like I'm hearing you. We don't have to agree, but you have to hear me. And we can't keep going back and forth. There'll come a time that we have to stop. I think the staff have tried to talk to you, try to reconcile this, whatever way it is that you think that we're supposed to do. But we are trying to do a job here, and all of us are professionals, and we are working to try to handle the business of the city of Ocala. You may not agree with the way we do it. Yes, you're right.

I never asked to talk to the staff, though. I asked to talk to the appointed city manager, and it took approximately a month to get a phone call back about something that I consider to be very important to me. And I have to say that I disagree with you. Okay. Because within four hours, the police chief on a very important issue, something that he supports, and took... I'm not exactly sure. I mean, I could ask him, but he took a great length of time to explain his feelings and everything. The mayor literally went to his office after the meeting. Yes, sir. And in fairness, I just want to be in transparency, I've asked to talk to the city attorney. And all the phone calls, hopefully you listened to them. All the phone calls I asked, I've still not got a phone call back. I wanted to know some legal questions. about that, and I never got that phone call back either.

Were you aware of that?

Is it concerning to you?

Everything is concerning to me. All right. I say to you...

I say in transparency, I do not agree that approximately a month to get back to me about a half a million dollars worth of fraudulent funds, and when the public is trying to... begging, literally begging... to communicate with the city manager when that office is the one that didn't come to the public when they were immediate, immediate release.

No, that's not necessarily true. And listen, I'm going to stop. If that's how you feel. Yes, sir. Thank you for coming. God bless you. God bless you too, sir. Okay.

I would like to say that the police chief did an excellent job. I couldn't. A HUNDRED TIMES OVER, FOUR HOURS TO GET A PHONE CALL BACK WHEN HE GOT A PRESS RELEASE FROM I BELIEVE IT IS FDOT. FOUR HOURS TO HAVE THAT KIND OF A CONVERSATION. WELL DONE TO THE POLICE CHIEF.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I THINK THAT WAS THE LAST COMMENT WE HAD. IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT. AGENDA ITEM 17. You review that, you know, they're telling you about all the upcoming meetings that we have, communications that we have. If there's nothing else, this meeting is adjourned.

Hold on, wait.

Comments by mayor, council. Comments by mayor, comments by council. Man, what's wrong with you?

Trying to cut me off today. It's all good.

All right, Mayor. Just make it fast. Go ahead, Mayor.

I'll try to make it fast. We attended the county commission meeting this morning, and they recognized just the work done by all the local governments on America 250. I thought it was just a great example of how local governments come together and citizens come together for a great event. But I want to just bring up this topic on Kratom. AND THE POLICE CHIEF, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A FOCUS ON SYNTHETIC CREDIM IN THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE WORKING WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO OVER THE DETAILS OF IT, BUT I'M GOING TO BE USING MY PLATFORM TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SYNTHETIC CREDIM, AND WE'LL BE RELEASING A VIDEO SERIES. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO ASK THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER AT THE LAST COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING It was brought up that they want to do an ordinance to ban any additional smoke shops opening within certain distances from schools. I think it's childcare centers, other facilities. I'd like to propose that we do a similar ordinance if it's a zoning thing where we look at and see if it's only certain zoning they could open up. They're on every corner. If you drive around our community, you've got the light shining. You've got to think about who do we want to be as a community. I had a lady walk out of a smoke shop the other day, and she says, Mayor, I commend you for working on this. She was being honest with me. She goes, I used to go to a drug dealer. Now I just go to the smoke shop. And it's an issue in our community, and we need to address it. And so I'd like, Will's already looked into some options for us. I'd like for him to, if you have any questions for him, I think there is a way that we can get it done. And then I will work with the police chief to attack it from the front end. But I think this could be a solution for us to start getting rid of some of these bad actors in our community that are really harming not only our kids, but also our citizens.

If it's council's, if you direct us to look into it, we'll have the growth management staff work with Mr. Sexton and we'll work on bringing you the first, bringing you, you know, the kind of an abstract of that and then moving forward with it if it's appropriate, if you deem it appropriate.

I think for sure, at least on my end, I would totally agree. We should look into it. It's a good first step. Exactly. And see what it is. I would agree that we need to do something. Okay.

I agree. All right. Thank you. Okay. So Mr. Manfield. Any comments?

Mr. Hilty. Just a couple of thoughts. I know over the last few meetings there's been some controversial things that have happened. And I just want to say over the past few meetings we've heard from residents regarding their concerns and certain administrative actions like we heard again tonight. I acknowledge that I share their frustration when I hear about these issues, and I recognize that operational errors do occur. However, while there must always be conductive accountability, I want to explicitly state my firm support for the city staff, because I know there's been some feelings that were a little bit I don't want to say hurt, but just concerned about the way things were. So I know our employees work tirelessly and in integrity with a commitment to treating every citizen fairly. I thank them for their dedication and want to ensure that they know they have my full support. And I know when I was in business a long, long time ago, when I was in school, we learned the customer's always right. Well, having been in business for all these years, I found out the customer's not always right, but there's a way of telling them how they're wrong. And that sometimes is my point, is we need to make sure that we can let them down appropriately. So anyway, I just want to offer my support for the staff and all they do for the city.

Thank you. Thank you, Councilman.

Yes, sir. Thank you. Really quick. The mayor and I were having a conversation about a business that's coming into town. It's an indoor batting cage business that's right down the street, and the county was charging them $100,000 in transportation impact fees. So it brought us back to the conversation of 2025 when we talked about the adoption of their EMS impact fee and the adoption of their transportation impact fees and how we had wanted to implement more of a mobility fee type methodology within the city of Ocala and the surrounding area that positively impacts the city of Ocala. So with that being said, being that it was like a year and a half ago, where are we at on that?

Yeah, I'm going to have Jeff come up to the dates I'm not real clear on. But I know that Jeff's working actively and has been communicating and sent a draft, I believe, of our proposal on mobility fee. Got a response from the county. We're not on an even plane.

We need to meet with them again.

Did you get that meeting scheduled?

Yeah. For the record, I'm the management director. Lori is working on it right now. We're having some data issues. But, yeah, the request has gone to the county. We've asked for another meeting to go over the draft. We've narrowed it down to a few topics, but there are significant topics to talk about. Um, obviously that interlocal agreement is the interlocal agreement for, uh, the city of Ocala to collect the transportation impact fees. Um, in that we've added some language to also deal with how do we deal with proportion of fair share out projects that come through, um, trying to get some of that cleaned up. Um, But the draft has a couple of topics that we still need to come to terms on. I expect that meeting is going to get scheduled here in the next week or two, and we should have more information at that point.

Okay. There are some big issues in there that are overarching. Timing of annexations and things like that. What does it take to – if the city takes a county road into the city, you know, we've always been really careful about the condition of that road before we take – BEFORE WE INCLUDE IT AS A CITY ROAD, SO THAT'S JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS. THERE ARE OTHER THINGS IN THERE ALSO. TO THIS SPECIFIC PIECE, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE CAN DO SOME RESEARCH. ONE OF THE OPTIONS WOULD BE FOR independent analysis on that use.

Yeah, that's part of the ordinance as it sits right now for the county that anybody can submit their own study for their own fee calculation. I don't know how much that costs for someone to actually go through that process. That's the conversation we had with the county when we were talking to them about this particular fee as well. I did want to emphasize to you, look, the The main focus of the revisions to the interlocal is to move to a mobility fee that would be under the control of the city locale. And that would be for the jurisdiction of the city. So that certainly is our primary focus. That's one of the topics of discussion, obviously, in that meeting as well.

Okay. I mean, council was in full agreement, all of us and the mayor, that we should have control over that. This is money that's coming out of our city, going to them, that they can then use anywhere within the county that they please. We have needs in the city. 20th is one of those needs on top of a long list of others. So if they desire to continue with this interlocal agreement, they have to get on board.

Yeah, so, and again, this is not the first meeting we've actually met on this topic several months ago. Three or four?

Yeah, we got a little hung up. I had a death in the family. I had to go out of state. And so that was right at the time. And we had another meeting scheduled and it just didn't happen. So that got delayed too.

So we, you know. It's something that we've been talking about for actually over a year that we want to do it. We weren't in agreement necessarily with the county on the timing. We can resolve that issue. As soon as we go to this meeting, if there are any disagreements, we'll bring that back as an agenda item and give you a full report right after this meeting.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yep.

Thank you. Thank you. Is Ms. Sherry Teague here? Ms. Sherry Teague. Teague. Teague. Teague. No. She's not here. With Cam Lawn Care. No. Maybe she went home. I understand. She was tired. Everybody, hope y'all...

I just want to say thank you to the staff, too. It's been, I think, a difficult month. Y'all have done a very professional job, and I appreciate it. I'd also like to single out Will. You are under no obligation to give any legal advice to anybody else other than council or a staff member. So good job. Thank you for not even acknowledging the question.

To be clear, the day after the last meeting, I went back through and listened to every single voicemail on my phone, and I've never received or missed a call from that gentleman.

Thank you. Doesn't surprise me. Nothing else.

You sure, though?

Positive. Ladies and gentlemen, you all have a good night. Meeting adjourned.

Okay. That was good. All right.

Hey. I know it's fine. I'll see you later. Okay. Take care. Oh, did they not want that?

No.