City Council - Regular Meeting

Oh.

Oh, you're going to sign me for a round. Oh, go ahead. I'm going to be there. Thanks.

I need this. Oh, we don't need that. Thank you very much. I'm not one of the people. Oh, no. Oh, no. I'm going to get that. Ready? Yeah. Actually, no. Then we're recording. Oh, the September.

City Council meeting to order. I want to remind everybody to silence your cell phones. Pastor Dempsey is going to lead us in our opening prayer. Father, I pledge. Lord, we love you.

Thanks. Thanks for this city. Thanks for this county.

Thanks for this safety. Thanks for the United States, Lord. Helped us to make good decisions in the economy.

Thank you for them being concerned about our county and our city. Thank you for your people in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you everybody for being here tonight. Tonight we do have a quorum, so

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

and resolution 2026-28. Second.

Dr. Bryant? Yes. Dr. Hampton?

Yes. Dr. Leopold? Yes. Dr. Landry? Yes. Second, sir. Yes.

Number four, receiving requests from the general public, do we have anyone here who would like to speak on anything that is not on the agenda? So for my time.

Go ahead, Andy. Well, folks, glad to see everybody here tonight. I had such an eloquent speech last time. I don't think I can repeat it, so I won't try. I have three short items I'd like to address. First is, I'd like to thank the Bartlett Park Congress and the City of Perry for the grant in Health and Childhood Grants Legacy Survey. That's quite a big hit to be able to do that type of a survey. Thank you so much. Appreciate that. Second out of this, I bought two schools for me. So I was wanting to put together a very quick budget for you for traffic. And I ran out of time. I couldn't think of how to do it. So I sat down with my grandson and we topped up a good AI prompt. enlisted all the different organizations that could possibly have an effect on the city of Perry that we would all benefit from our city council or staff being part of. And so I asked him to get another budget. And it ground and it ground. And so I have a budget, which we didn't have last time. And of course my objection the first time was is that You have, you know, we're talking about having a $0 budget travel, which really, that's time. Good, good for you guys. Well, I won't go as much into it, but here's one that you can scratch off. And I estimated $25,000 off the top of my head, but my AI research came back with $35,000. So this gives you something to think about And we'd love to see you at some of these conferences. We'd appreciate that. The last thing I have is that we have been blessed with a community resilience study by two UF professors and Gold Coast scholars. And I have a list of where the community participated in this. So if you guys have some folks that would like to participate in a community resilience study, specifically around Friends Legacy Neighborhood, this is an opportunity to do that. And I give you multiple copies so you can pass out to folks that you think would love to be able to participate. This is going to be on October 29th at the Extension Office. And all you got to do is just kind of register for that, or not register for it. But anyway, if you guys would like to pass this out to some of the folks that you think would like to participate, we would certainly appreciate it. We get a free study out of the field. And that is a free neighborhood. Thank you.

John, who will just come before the council?

What part?

The grants, in case we see any. When we get the grant agreement together.

Okay, when I get the grant agreement.

Okay, very good, thank you.

Thank you, Andy. Anyone else will not speak on anything that's not on the agenda for the night? Area C, number one. Yes, we will, sir.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

She called me and said, what's your name? What's your name? What's your name? What's your name? What's your name? What's your name? What's your name? What's your name? What's your name? What's your name?

Thank you. She taught Saturday.

She did. She taught Saturday.

She taught Saturday. Not beyond this. Hang on.

She didn't say she didn't see you.

They just called out.

They called to give her some time. And they were going to refund it by 2 o'clock Monday.

Okay, great. We got an electrician out. They were on Saturday, but he couldn't fix it.

We don't have any bid to ROQs right now.

All right, general business, 6A, we're going over to your table until October, I understand. Scott Cain's coming up here, he wants to wave back to both. And agenda item 6B, table that as well. Yes. She had another function, she had to account. Okay, so that was kind of . Then 9-6C, council to discuss task order for EGDORA to start design on wastewater projects and council to take any action if necessary. This part of this is gonna be part of the grants we have. So no grant projects won't be in state for the next few years.

I gave some updates, some of them notes. So you remember last meeting when I was there, I told you about the border control and branding. So we got them. So the city got $9.8 million to go with the brand we asked for around 13. So that's for the water treatment plan and design and the construction and the water control. The city was fortunate enough to get around nine and a half automatic vans out of the 11 or 12 vehicles. So that increased our percentages. So we are now starting to design and everything. So you'll be starting seeing Some activity. The compensation work is already started and we're in the middle phase and then we'll start putting design documents out. So there's a bunch of planning documents and approvals you have to do, but that's just a part of it. So we're going to have to submit those documents so they start releasing those funds. So that the task order you have in front of you is part of the OSG grant. So it's 100% grant and it will allow us to design the $19 million sewer projects for that. So what we did is we took, we had some design money in the sewer project, the $19 million. What we did is we asked, there was another grant that was available. So we applied for that one. So we got the engineering out of that one. That's what OSG is. And then all the 19 were broken. We're putting together different grants as we go.

The city is fortunate that .

Yeah, so we have to submit the report to DDP in November. After November, they are approved. I would not expect anything to be right about January approvals. Then we can work with everybody. I would say next year is the area, but you will have some dollars go to like, you know, if you have the legislation already. You will have some project. I will not see full activity. How many dollars have we got hanging out there for engineering services? Depending upon what you have, probably you have You'll have a water treatment plan designed. And that's about it. Let's take care of that. I can think of three.

Yes. Million, million, 300,000. Yes. That we got hanging out there. My real question is, why don't we have to follow statute on these to engage in engineering? Why don't we have to follow statute? Michael, would you explain?

Flip a million dollars out. Actually, you did. You did the original selection and then... The agent leads are not independent? No, they're part of the project. So like the last time you didn't see an EVG yard with three you're talking about, those were separate selections. That's all right, because there's great to continue engineering, you can, but when we did the srm we actually identified those during the selection process, so you don't have to keep on selecting so we can go right into the design. But now, in totality, yes, the numbers looks good, but your total grant and a lot of projects, you will do is almost close to 100 million. You know. It takes a lot of effort and timing to get through those, but you'll see the proof of it in the next few months. We're close to a year into this already, aren't we? We are in the bad years. Yes. No, we are not actually. So this one, the clock started now. So you have five weeks to complete these projects. But it took us from last year to this year to get contracts done. Once you have those done, then you have one more step, and once you're done, then it's all design and construction.

You have any idea how to keep the odor control?

You have any idea how to keep the odor control? So the odor control actually is a biological system. You will have some water use, and that's all you need. So it has a lot of water use. But the way it does it, basically it uses water and biological growth to get it done. And then medical growth, what you use will be gone. But the water cost is a lot. It's used about 10 to 20 gallons a day. There's a lot of water use, but it's also going to depend upon how much water you have. And we did a testing on it, and it's not that much. So your system may be a little small. Can you go smaller with the system? No, you can't. You mean your usage? Usage, was it? Okay.

There's motion on the table. Do we have a second? Thank you.

Dr. Brown?

Yes.

Dr. Rampton? Yes. Dr. Landry?

Yes. Dr. Kinson?

Yes. Thank you so much.

Thank you. All right, agenda item 6D. Boys to Kings and Girls to Queens to address the council, and council will take any action deemed necessary.

Good evening and welcome. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Hello, hello. Good evening, council.

My name is Kenneth Fuller. I am the senior parent liaison in Taylor County for Boys and Kings. I also have with me, you know, approval to use Lawbridge Park to host our Boys to Beings and Girls to Beings session. At this time, we have 70 kids that we're teaching life skills, social skills, anti-gun violence to. We're already using the outside field, as well as the basketball courts to host some of these things. We're looking to see if we can get at least something we can use that inside for our kids. As we spoke before, our girls, we have a waiting list of over 30 kids, and our boys have over

I don't have any details. Any details of what the lease is going to be?

I think that's what we all need to talk about, including with Hope, what we need to see in the lease. I've got the insurance requirements. Who's responsible for what? All that needs to be hammered out.

Let me ask you this, can y'all get together and try to hammer out the details?

We could possibly be here all night doing that if we do it here.

Then we could pop in and figure all this out. Did you guys get a copy of any of the stuff that John had sent us? I haven't, no. The actual stuff that you guys had sent us about liability and stuff? No, I didn't.

I thought we were going to talk about that at this meeting. We were going to talk about it outside and bring back whatever we were hoping them to figure out and decide what we need in there.

John and Hope and these folks get together and come up with the basic technicalities of the lease.

We've worked it out for the city, but you haven't worked it out with them. Is that what we're saying?

We haven't even started a draft lease yet. That's what we need to work on.

Thanks, Chris.

Well, it sounds like a good program. Richard, I've heard a little about it.

I mean, I had cancer. One reason, the air condition was out. The air condition was out. But I was both cramped in this situation. I mentioned last time, I'm sorry, because they feel that I can't speak. No. I can't say anything. I can't speak. I think it's important that we begin to say something. What does it get? 85% banking. And I also want to suggest that we allow them to rent for a million or two weeks. That's the least we can do.

So we don't have to be running for a million dollars. Yes, open the rent.

Can you tell us that?

So we'll need to use it up to four days a week. And we've done everything there. We've stopped leaving the kids at least four times a week. So boys can get it twice a week. And then girls can get it twice a week as well. Right now, boys are meeting on Fridays. Then we go into school. And then the girls also get it on Wednesdays. So it's available for us to use it today. And we'll be ready to send it to them.

I think you meant to say you know those days to be flexible boards what happens if someone will surrender you then we'll push our days to the side of the road you know you say time if you're on the time to home yeah the place to go home yes you'll need to

Y'all got to break down the tables and everything every weekend.

Yeah, that's what we have to do now. For example, it's got to happen Saturday. We're doing a fatherhood break for Saturday. It's all about boys. Their fathers and grandfathers are coming out, so we got to set up a breakdown again.

I was trying to find y'all a more permanent place where y'all could make it their own home, but we do it that way.

I think that seems like a lot of, yeah, sometimes you can send out a lease at them.

And they'll feed their kids. And each meeting?

Each meeting we're required to do. I ask at the last meeting if you all have considered any other buildings in the area of Taylor County.

No, ma'am, I haven't. Since we already hosted services outside, I probably would agree to host services inside as well.

I just see so many empty buildings around here that you could have 24-7 if you needed them.

We generally only rent it out Friday, Saturday, Sunday. That's why we couldn't rent it out to them every Monday through Thursday and let it be their space Monday through Thursday. For now, if we find something more permanent.

Maybe give them somewhere where they could put their stuff, where it wouldn't be a mess without people renting it out on the weekend until forever. What space? Chairs?

Just things in chairs. We have all of them.

Then it would be enclosed to something inside.

That's how it was out there. It was enclosed in tables and chairs.

Okay. work ahead for years.

That can come in time, right? I don't want to be so happy about it. Like today, our girls are having a session outside of the building. And I'll say, then after that, they have a sports training program. We have to make sure they physically fit as well. So then they walk around the track too. So it's like, we're already there. And if they can go inside and pull down, that'll keep it better. So, yeah. Chair, any idea what you're feeding them? Anybody have to feed them when there's no glass restroom?

Any idea? I'm checking right now.

I really rebel for them to do that and for us to put them at liability for all of this stuff on this briefcase. That's easy.

I'm just going to listen to you all Monday through Thursday. Yeah. I'd rather let them rent it

then to hold them to obligation to all of this here. Or at least somehow. Because it's just, to me, maybe that's just y'all opinion, but to me, this just adds up too much.

If they were leasing it full time, I wanted that. If it was aired on the weekends and maybe they were subleasing it. I still don't agree with it. But if we're just doing monthly through Thursdays, it's a simple thing.

That's why I say I agree with the rent, but I didn't agree with this.

It's not complete. It's not complete.

would that rent and that lease be the same amount? Is there an amount in there?

It would just be basic. I would rent for a dollar a year and bring my big three.

That's fantastic. I'm talking about a lot of business.

We've got four or five conversations going on. Can we pay attention to that? Mr. Mayor, I think the problem is my phones aren't positioned right.

We can't hear you. We're not working at all.

It's not being tested here at all.

It's working. It's sitting right here and I can't hear it.

Yes.

I'm sorry. So that would be one of the conversations. Disconnect.

You can't hear us. I can't hear you. I can't hear you. I can't hear you.

I can't hear you. I can't hear you. Is this the next system? It is.

That's good. That's great.

Yes. No, I was just noting, I was trying to catch up with the presentation. I know at the last meeting, there was not a forum, and there was a more lengthy presentation explaining the organization, explaining what the organization was willing to do when it came to possibly leasing. And so I'm hearing discussion today about coming back with more of what that lease could look like, but in the midst in the midterm or until that decision made, you all are determining what and how the organizations can rent Monday through Thursday. Is that what I understand? I just want to follow. I did do a memo to the council that I made mention of a part of it at the last meeting regarding liability insurance for the organization that you don't need to carry and they have liability insurance. whether or not they're leasing the whole thing or renting it to just make sure the city is protected. I know at that meeting, which was not, I guess, a full official meeting since there was no forum, there was slight discussion about to the extent that BTK and am I saying right? At G2Q was willing to do. They showed great enthusiasm about possibly over the entire park. I think the discussion they had is that would not be what the city was necessarily looking for, that the city will continue to hold up their bargaining or their end of taking care of all parks and buildings, but that however the rental processes with the community, that the clubs meeting, I'm gonna use the word club collectively, the clubs meeting would not infringe on the majority use of the center to rent out to the community, as well as they were looking for a place that's more permanent meeting spot like they have in Hamilton County. And there was another county, Tallahassee County. And that also, I think in the memo, I noted that I think this is, if this is something, especially the lease is something that's considered, it would be great to have like a governing board or executive board made a people from Perry that help determine how to keep both sides accountable as well as maybe figure out and make sure that the community is not, continues to have access to rent, that there's no challenges. And so we all agreed to try to maybe connect to talk about some of those terms. I know there was a Zoom attempted town hall that had been canceled. So we weren't able to get as far as we had hoped. And so the idea was likened to how whether Boys and Girls Club or Women's Club, that we have some historic nonprofits who have benefited from sort of donations through in-kind services or use of property that they paid very minuscule rent for. And this was sort of, I thought, maybe an equitable way to consider some younger clubs that are affecting our community who didn't have that history to maybe also make use of buildings or spaces for community purposes at a very discounted rate. And so with us not having a quorum, as well as maybe further questions about the organization that may be, or even, I know I've gotten some calls and emails about the history of Lockeridge that came through a lawsuit to make sure these more equitable benefits to the African-American community historically, as well as maybe some people who would love the idea but have questions like, well, how can people rent? What about other clubs? Is this going to open things up? So for other clubs to say, hey, we want to use this building. So I knew that there's just concerns that I believe Council Member Hampton's desire to do the townhouse was going to address or pull up so that whatever was ever decided, it works for the whole community. We thought it out. Also not wanting the clubs to be responsible overly for the upkeep of a whole part, which historically hasn't always been the priority, right? Or there's been a concern. So it was just a lot of introduction, the last meeting, since there was no quorum, but I can say that we have not began to hammer out what those conditions could be to present to the council yet, but I know that everyone's active and engaging. I know the leader, Mr. Merv has spoken to me. I know I had an opportunity to speak to Minister Fuller. So it's definitely something we don't want to not allow or move forward with, but we don't have any particular framework to say this is exactly what it's going to be. And so the reason I wanted to hear, because when I heard Council Member Woodfolk says, okay, I feel more comfortable with something that's more like, okay, you can rent out Monday through Thursday, not maybe having them hold the bucket of how they determine who can rent on the weekends and, you know, has a deposit and paying those kinds of things, maybe something that would be a lengthier discussion. Maybe we never go past this rental part, which is my first time hearing it tonight. But, you know, we were just in sort of like the very initial stage of trying to figure out how can we support this community effort? How can we support Lock Ridge having a better use? And I know even having people anymore that are accountable. I will clean up. We'll make sure we haven't really like made any definitive decisions except to say, I know council member Hampton wanted to do the townhouse and one of you ought to keep putting it before the board. I see some kids here from the program, um, to make sure that we don't lose momentum on this, but make sure also that you all have the support to continue to work hard. So, um, if the board wants to make a decision about just having them rent right now until there is more information to consider, then I mean, not that I have a vote, but I have no problem with that. But we did not talk yet about terms of how much rent would be. I know they've been paying rent. It's become unaffordable where they were. So we hadn't even got to the point regarding funding for rentals and things of that nature. That's, I guess, all I add at this point, but that's why I was also trying to make sure I'm hearing what everyone was saying.

Well, we're going to rent in the meantime, and the council didn't hear that.

I don't think we've ever had any renter that had exclusive possession during a continual term, like Monday through Friday, Monday through Friday, Monday through Friday.

First come, first served. That's the first one I have for you.

Everybody keeps saying Monday through Thursday, and yet he just said they have an evening plan for the weekend, for Saturday. So it's not just Monday through Thursday.

Yeah, that's not right. Well, they will be at church like we're doing now. So this Saturday will be at church.

It won't be at Longbridge. Well, right. Outside of church. At Longbridge. Thank you. So we went to the United

It will be the normal rate.

We'll figure out a reduced rate for the Monday through Thursday. When we rent it, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We'll come up with something to help cover the AC bill and stuff like that.

And two out of those four days were in the school. So it's four days total. But two out of those four days were actually in the school until the summertime. And then it turns into four days. I find that we need this clarification on that. Yes, yes. So it's not funny, because when it starts, then it's like, just two days.

Yeah, another two days around the school system. I think it was there where y'all papers were set up and everything, so you got to break it down. They find every day. Yeah.

And then we're just breaking down, like, the last day, like, the Thursday, and the Thursday, whatever day. So, yeah, we're going to get a connection. Yeah, what's your phone number? 850-295-5314. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Trying to get another guy out there with $6,000 for the quote.

We're going to get another guy out there tomorrow and take a look at it, if there's something else we could do.

If you put a fan in there, it would be a little cooler than it is. Thank you. Thank you so much. So I'm going to be calm

Let's replace that, at least. I don't think. You don't know?

OK. Can you get some history on that? Yeah. It hasn't been that long, do we?

What do you think of?

We'll see if there's other guys. Yeah. Yeah. We'll get it.

So we got to put it under reserve. Exactly. But we have to have it, so.

There it is, y'all. Get this working out. OK. Sounds good. All right. Thank you.

I don't have much to say, just that I have done some research on the programs and I appreciate you all for making some consideration for enabling them to do that. So thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Yeah, we need to be able to get it out. Yep. All right. Thank you. Again, I'd say repeat ordinance number 1065, introduction and first reading. An ordinance in the city of Perry. My notice, that's a budget notice.

We have to talk about village before it was on your request.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

Chapter 50, Utilities, Article 2, Water, Division 2, Rates and Charges, Section 50-624, Water Rates and Other Charges by Adding, so Section J, Private Fire Hydrant Inspection, Flushing and Testing Beads, Providing Procedurability, Providing for Complex, and Providing for Annotable Names. I think what all it boils down to is testing any private fire anger. If I understand this correctly.

Yeah, pretty much. Requiring them to test it and then giving them the option to have us test it at a relatively low fee compared to what they call a good contractor's ability.

Probably can't find a whole lot of people around here. Their business is kind of... Anyway...

was it rb's effort to get a iso score up documentation on the private hydrogen any discussion on this yes sir is this uh allows these sort of what we call private allows them to be tested they're already

they don't want to have it done on their own. They're supposed to have it tested annually and send it to us. This just allows a way for them to let us do it for them. Why don't we make it mandatory that we do it?

Good. My question or my concern is if I reject us doing it It could just sit there, and what it's going to do is it's going to build that settlement up in that pipe, and it isn't hiring. Well, it's doing that. Yeah.

So do we have any records? Because I have read some of the emails and some of the stuff. Are we missing records where this stuff hasn't been being done?

I think we have zero records of private hires.

So it's not being done?

It hasn't been done, yes. My memory, maybe after James cooked up a beer and was cheap movies, it was cheap for about a year and a half. And it was stopped by them being proud of us because we were pregnant.

It's one thing to expect, though. And the city can inspect them. But if there's a problem or the city causes a problem, then the city would be liable for it. So me personally, I don't know why the city would want to absorb that liability. Just make the owner do it and keep records of it. Because if you break the fire hydrant, they're going to fix it. You're talking thousands and thousands of dollars to replace the fire hydrant possible. some of these fire hydrants may be 50 plus years old. So I don't know why, I don't see why I would want to get that liability, just hold them to the letter of the law, whatever part. If they're not doing it, start fining them. Maybe come up with fines and a policy saying this is what you have to do, but they don't do it fine and have some teeth behind it. You could also do a release of liability. It's going to break anyway, you need to know it. Okay, so then if it does fail infection, who is going to fix it?

John, are we able to get an ordinance stating the requirements on that?

It's in there.

It's going to be sued anyway.

Oh, God.

Thank you. from any of the business owners.

I haven't sent the letter out yet. We haven't agreed on the fee. I'm waiting on y'all to approve this ordinance so the fee's established. We don't want to put the fee into the letter. We would just be an option. Yeah, just an option.

Well, we're going to start coming down on them to make sure that this is being done. I was going to say, who's going to keep up with the deposit option? Harvey.

Harvey. Harvey. Well, yeah. So it's still our responsibility to keep up with it, even though we might not be able to work.

It's our responsibility to maintain the record.

You said it has been a responsibility for years. It's just not being vigilant enough.

But it was stopped. It was stopped for a reason. For what reason? Before we have any idea, it was stopped for a reason. I think it has, I'm not too sure, don't quote me on this, but I think it has about what Mr. Shaw was doing. It wasn't sure about that because of the high interest and whatnot, what needed to be done. That was one of the reasons why we had to go on the private high interest and do a fair report because everything has to be done properly. But it was something about that thing that it got stopped because of that reason what Mr. Shaw was talking about. But since I've been here when I started here with your changes, it'll be different. All of a sudden it stopped and I don't know why.

Okay.

I would say there are private companies that do this.

you know, like a Walmart. They might have their own contractor that goes around and does that kind of work.

John, you said they're required to do this. Who requires it? The city? The state? So you have an ordinance already that requires it. There's just no teeth in it? Well, it's written in the ordinance. Yeah. It could be the city. Yeah. I see. Who requires it? What's the teeth? Go back to that.

I don't even know if it's an ISO requirement. It just helps your score.

Maybe not be required. I mean, there's some research in there.

This is the first reading.

Mr. Charles, doesn't that help with the scores? If you're keeping the paperwork and keeping up with everything?

Well, let's say Walmart, they have insurance. You would think their insurance would require them due to their size to maintain the level, their fire suppression systems. So.

It's possible they're doing it and we're just not getting the documentation. I doubt that's the case, but are we going to get better on getting the documentation from them?

Well, I would suggest we send a letter out when we start this year and see if they have been getting it done and see what can get from there. Anybody else okay with that?

We need to find out who's required. Is it us or is it the state? It's the state. It helps with housing. It helps with housing. It's a good fact. It's almost necessary, but who's required? It's the state.

It's the state. It's probably going to be the state of Portland, I guess, or the local jurisdictions.

I want the fee established.

I don't want to send a letter out saying, man, we'll let you know what the fee is down the road. You could request any records they have.

That's what I'm saying. That'll do that. That last five years or 10 or whatever. And we go from there.

Are you in any discussion on this? All right, 10-9-6-F. Ordered at number 10-63, introduction and first reading. In ordinance of the city of Perry, Flora amending the city code to create a city-wide permit process for the service, sale, and consumption of alcohol beverages within designated and proposed areas of the public driveway adjacent to qualifying businesses. Providing definitions, providing applications, review and operational standards. Requiring approval of the license premises about the forward position of alcoholic beverages and tobacco. Requiring insurance identification and revocable right-of-way use agreement. And providing for suspension, relocation, enforcement, observability, Complication, conflicts, and a pay-to-date. Just got to do the sidebar code here.

Rates of citywide program, how to get the permit from the city.

Any discussion on this from anyone? It's the first rate. Yes, ma'am. It will be there.

Thank you. We need to go into the care for those in attendance who may not be aware of what this point is. Is anybody there?

I think it's playing well. Yes, ma'am. I'm Shane Williamson, and I own a building on the corner of Peru and Washington. And what we're asking for is a lease to enter into a lease with the city so we can use the city sidewalk for consumption of alcohol and beverage and food outside along the sidewalk space because it lends itself, the space lends itself to allow public access and for us to utilize the space if we can enter into a lease. And we have multiple... We have several other locations that we want to do this in downtown. So it's just creating a different type of ambiance that Taylor County doesn't currently have in the city. So we're just trying to utilize the space and increase the foot traffic and be able to use the outside for a restaurant and be able to do consumption on-premises. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Inside and outside. So DDPR and a division of tobacco. So we have to provide a footprint of where we're going to serve. So we've been approved to serve in this area if we're allowed to do so within, you know, for the city. And this just opens a door for other locations and for other people to do this. I know it hasn't been done in the city, so That's where this starts out.

Have you seen the information we were provided? Apartment, application, that type of stuff. I don't understand. Say that again. What was it? Yeah. Somewhere in here, there was an application form. Have you seen that?

Is that proposed? No. No, I have not.

Well. You need to get a copy of whatever we've got and make sure that it's not something that's going through a hardship.

I'm familiar with the process. I don't think there's anything in there that is not attainable for us or that we're not willing to do. It's a basic lease with intelligence. They'll advise you.

You never know. Okay. Okay. You just never know with somebody. It's not supposed to be the author's opinion, but it may very well be. Absolutely. Appreciate that.

That is a proposed application. Correct. Anything else for me? Anything else?

Yes, ma'am. Many years ago, this would have been on the right. That's changed. Yes, ma'am. I'm aware of that.

Thank you for considering me.

Just very same thing is done in hundreds of places across the there's an ordinance and there's an application

It might have been.

There is everything.

He was like this. The first rate is going to come back to us in less than two weeks. Anybody have any questions they'd like to ask or some comments they'd like to?

There were some. I think I already did. I did some playing with what I bring for the final reading. Let's check it out.

Mayor Ketchum and the council, there were a few additions I was suggesting for the ordinance. I think they're pretty basic. This is Jesse, you all include in this ordinance and also included in Mr. Hart gave everyone a copy. It starts off with suggested changes, red line to propose ordinance at the top of the page. One was that we would have from section three. And I see that you all have been given a copy of this ordinance more than once. This particular copy I have, the back pages are missing. So I'm referring to sections, unless you have the ordinances printed out in previous meetings, you may not see it. Section three, where it says permit required. I was suggesting that we put a specific term to issue so it doesn't just last indefinitely. And you see at the screen where the start is noting why I'm suggesting that the permits be one year in term and that it be renewable every year, but it allows for accountability as well as with every new application if anything has been different. It gives the city a regular checkpoint to reconfirm compliance rather than route, really relying solely on enforcement action. Also, it's an opportunity to tie an additional annual fee in Section 4. It will be set by the council. The flat $50 is a reasonable one-time processing fee, but it won't cover the recurring cost of an annual review by fire, police, and public works. So I was suggesting And whatever additional fee you all would want to suggest, I would say it would be a year permit that's renewed every year. I also noted just some more specific points under that. That red line you have, everything is in red is what I'm suggesting we add. All the things in black is what already was there that was given to you. The problem is that what I'm praying is that white. We can't decipher which one is right, which one.

So you're saying an annual permit would be $50 plus some annual renewal fee in addition to the $50?

Well, Section 3 was just that we have the permits for a year versus just unending, and that every year that there's some type of renewal fee. So I suggested $50 with that. amount is something you all can decide what that renewal fee is about. I was just giving a suggestion.

They got a permit at $50 and a renewal fee at $50. Yes, every year.

Every year. So a lot says we can determine for the renewal if there's an F50.

Right. I didn't take the F50, but I wanted to make sure I was hearing it correctly. Sometimes I don't hear what I thought I heard.

So that's probably the biggest part of that second suggestion. Section 6, in the actual original ordinance, or as proposed here, that may be missing in your copy, unless you have an earlier copy. Section 6, I suggested that we have some notation about design and operating standard, maybe capping the service area at 50% of a sidewalk I know this ordinance is to be widely provided, so I was suggesting that the amount of sidewalk or right-of-way that could be taken at any point be capped at 50%. That's my suggestion. That it's consistent with the downtown design. It requires different things like Added my information clarifying with minus could be present in the service and area with size. It's already should be consistent with indoor premises rules. I suggested noise restriction just reiteration of the things that our businesses already have to deal with. But I think the most The most impactful language. I was suggesting, including is that we would cap the area that can be taken to 50% or whatever that right away is. The last big suggestion I suggested that if for whatever reason, because we still have the destiny as a city manager, which I think is appropriate, if there's any appeal or a denial or suspension or revocation of this type of permit that we, at least the person can appeal that decision in 10 days, and then give 20 days for a decision. So again, sort of just crafting prior to there being a challenge, like this is what a permittee who's applied and been denied can expect as to their recourse of how they can see if it could be reviewed. And so again, the two things that even with my suggestion, I'm like, you can decide what the annual renewal fee is and the buffer distance from schools or churches to compare ordinances commonly like 100 to 300 feet. But that's your call. I mean, always your call. But those are the four things that I was suggesting in those four sections to include this language inside. I know that the staff, in talking to John, he said they purposely took away the idea of annual review because that's more of administrative. That takes more administrative work to review something every year. I just thought with something like this, that's still what I think is a reasonable expectation that it would be renewed every year versus just having to be unended. So those are my four suggestions. And if you see, like, there's nothing that I suggested you take out. It's just those added things. If you don't do a year, maybe two years, but we have some type of term. So the permit is not just unending. Sorry. Those are the four things I suggested, or four sections I suggested to have information. That was just done on a broad basis, not necessarily on tap house requests, since this ordinance will apply broadly to anyone who would request a permit. Any questions about my suggestion?

Any more questions, anyone have a question? I've got a question.

Yes, sir. Is it illegal to have an open container for alcohol in your car and stop by the police? If you want to make it so that people can sit on the street and have an open, open car container for a visit? Yes, sir. Is it illegal to have an open container for alcohol in my car So if the leader doesn't have any alcohol, what would be the difference when you got on the streets? If you got to move on the streets to drink your alcohol, alcohol should be drunk inside. And then when the city got responsible, the sidewalks were not designed for bar plates to be people that drink. If I want to try to drink, I want to drink inside. I don't want to drink outside. Well, it's on the space that's available.

So obviously we wouldn't take up the entire sidewalk. It's only the ring. But then it all coming outside in the public. That's public. That's public stuff.

Well, it would become public if they can turn it into a lease and it was designated. That's what I'm saying. When you start leasing, you're making exceptions for certain people. You're going to have to make exceptions for a lot of people. Absolutely. That's what this does.

That's exactly what it does. But you don't make this pressure and things, and that's pressure and force.

No, absolutely, because everybody has to tell which alcohol they want, a bill, whatever they want, to be able to drink outside and open and dance. So undoubtedly, if you want to go into law, and the law doesn't just engage methodists. But if you do it one way, you do it some way else. Well, that's what ordinance does. But if they don't have ordinance already, it would be foolish to go into ordinance now give somebody the privilege to do something to them in these legal fields. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Why would you open that can of wine? That's why we sit in front of the board. That's why we sit in front of the board. You know, I'm sorry. But in Taylor County, it ain't that way.

I think there's a group of people that have opened from the outside. On the side floor.

Well, it's also a designated area. It's a contained area. It's not just outside where they can walk into the street. It has to be delineated lines. It has to be contained area. It's not just you can walk in. It has to have a fence around it. It has to be inspected by fire, so it has ingress and egress. It can't just wander around aimlessly on the sidewalk. It has to be designated by ATF.

Thank you very much.

Yes. Yeah, that's a good day. Right. Get out. You want a lot of time on the sidewalk? Can you drink it out? That's that's what we're going to bring from your garden home. Then they drank that fat on a paper. You tell them I put in the right thing. We can't bring any outside.

You can't bring any outside out of all the beverages in the building here.

So outside, they won't be able to drink the alcohol outside of the building.

If they purchase it from the restaurant, from the eatery, they can drink it outside in the designated area. That's what I thought you were saying.

That's what I thought you were saying, alcohol. Well, and it could be drunk outside. But I thought Perry would have always been kind of fighting about just drinking outside. It didn't end. I've never seen before that. Next thing you want to do it all the time. What's happened? I don't want to do it. We can do it on Sunday, but I'll be trying to get out of work. I think that we all need to do it. So you should be given permission.

Right? Yeah. All right, we're going to address this at the next meeting. Second meeting. 10 out of 60, ordinance 1064, introduction of first reading. The ordinance of the City Council of the City of Perry for amending chapter 40, article 3, parks and recreation areas of the City of Perry Code of Ordinances, amending section 40-53, hours of operation. Mending Section 40-54, prohibited activities, to prohibit public camping or sleeping, unsanitary use of splash pads and water facilities, obstruction and interference with the lawful use of park facilities, and unattended or hazardous personal property. Providing lawful directions to cease prohibited conduct, or leave a bar facility. Providing for complication, conflicts, severability, scrivener's errors, and an unfaithful date.

Well, this is

This has got to do with obviously with the parks and the splash pads and I guess people camping out and sleeping in them.

Yeah, we received multiple complaints a week about people bathing, taking baths in the splash pad, sleeping in the parks, during the day and as well at night. Blocking access to facilities to the point where people are not going to the parks anymore because of this homeless situation. There's ways to combat this. And actually, as part of the law, statute 125.0231 says the municipality shall not allow people to sleep in parks, basically. So what we're doing here is we're tightening our ordinance up and our park regulations to allow us to enforce that and issue trespass warning that's needed to try to get a handle on it. It's something that we need to do. It's something that has to be done. If we allow it to continue, then a business owner or a state attorney can file a lawsuit against the city saying that this should not be happening. And it's really the people that, the residents that use this for its intended purposes or not use that now because the fear of going to these farms. This would be by home farms? It would be all farms, yes. All city work?

We have police presence.

We respond as much as we can, yes. Can someone have to come, you and not you two? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes we'll catch it on our own through patrol. Sometimes we need to stop. Yeah. Will we stop patrol?

No, we're not going to stop patrol. We'll keep that up.

Well, I myself have had some of the parts of the helicopter called out, bruised head, that's been being vaccinated. Especially, I was all over there myself, and there was a dog from there that was perfectly happy to eat me. We've dealt with that a little bit. Yeah, they were waiting, and it was 10 o'clock at night, 10 and 30, give or take. Yeah.

Right.

There were probably five, six people going. But then it's, and I understand we're a committee of, I guess, 30 to figure out,

It's not illegal to not have a home. It's not illegal to not have a home. But it's illegal to violate other laws. It's illegal to use drugs in the parks. It's illegal to use the splash pad as a bath. It's not sanitary. It's the same rules as a pool. It has to be tested just like the pools do. If we allow this to continue, we might as well just close the parks up completely. because the intended purposes of the parks are not being met because people are afraid to go up there or they're scared of potential diseases or other things that may happen if you are the aggressive dog. And it's something that we spend a lot of time on now, but we're kind of limited on what we can do as far as the sleep. We did copy and model some policy from another city about the sleeping side of this. And it's been tested in that area. We know it works. It's better than what we've got in front of us. I suggest we move forward. I know this is first reading and all, but we need to do this to take care of our farms.

I think we need to add something to that, Jamie. ATVs. When we don't get enough Well, let me take that back. Some people who are riding ATVs tell us that the police tells them it's okay to ride ATVs.

If they will tell me which officer told them that, we'll counsel them on that. If you can give me the name of the officer, we will counsel them on that. What are you trying to say to me?

Is that we need you all to, when someone calls you, We don't. We don't. If you all will respond a little bit better, then maybe we can make this a safer community. Because sometimes these children have three little children on these ATVs. I don't want anything to happen on my watch. And I know you don't want it on yours. I'm just wondering what we can do about that situation.

Yes, ma'am, I agree with you. But, you know, two years ago or more, no, almost four years ago, the council removed the tool we used to help combat the ATV issues. The council, you know, passed an ordinance to cancel on that ordinance. So that's something we were successfully using to confiscate these ATVs when they were an issue. So we need it back. We would need some form of that to help us combat that.

Thank you.

He's referring to the registration. Yes. But I want to follow this. ATVs are in the parks already. I'll go back and check.

I think it's already there. It's in there as part of rules. But what the registration requires is to have numbers on the ATV big enough to see so we didn't chase them and then date some people. So that we'd find out who it was, go to them and deal with the issue with them individually. Or if they didn't have one, then we would confiscate it. That's what the ordinance did for us.

I know what you're talking about. I'm not allowed to read that saying again. Throwing one corner and getting the other one out of it.

You know, worse.

That's great. That's part of what the cameras want to help with. I agree.

Thanks.

Thanks. Thanks.

Thanks.

I can tell you that I attended a meeting yesterday and we had some legislative input about guardrails and requirements for camera systems for law enforcement. So there'll be something coming out probably after the November election. So there'll be some actually statutory guidelines coming out. You heard the same thing today? Yeah. I've got a copy of some of the legislation and it's just not released yet, but there's somebody's cost for that and get ready to start pushing it. And apparently it's going to be a pretty good topic for next, for this latest session. Yeah, it will require at some point, depending on the scope of searches, it will require full order of orders in the beginning.

Okay. We have more discussion on the park or anything.

Okay. I don't have, I don't have that language in front of me, which brings me to a point I would like to ask. I'm not sure how big of a burden it is on city staff to post a packet in advance of these meetings with some of this information. Is that possible? I know the county typically does that. That would be helpful where the website has a place for agenda packets. It's just they're typically not posted there. That would be really helpful for us to become a little more informed.

on the larger maintenance.

There's too much data for the website, but I can post it as like a Dropbox link. Anything would be, yeah, would be really helpful. On this particular ordinance, obviously somebody bathing as flash pads is not acceptable. And I understand the multiple hazards that exist there. It is a delicate situation though, at the same time dealing with this particular population of people. So I've heard you mention something about seizure property, part of this ordinance of unintended property. And I just wanted to make sure that we were handling that with the due diligence that I think it requires and making sure that we're gonna see something that would at least retain it for a period of time to give people an opportunity to recover possessions, assuming they are not acutely hazardous. If there's needles or something like that.

There's a floor of all the deals with abandoned property proceedings already and that we would follow that.

I just think it would be wise to have language to define that and cover us on that. Gotcha. The obstruction of the parks, again, I don't know the exact language, but I was just curious, like, how precisely is that defined? Like, what are we considering obstruction exactly? Is it just like camping specifically?

Camping and blocking access to certain areas.

and by blocking access, what exactly?

Placing items, shopping carts, their clothing, anything to place a barrier.

I would just like to, again, I can read this on my own time and come for another reading, just make sure that that language is tight and well-defined so that it gets applied correctly. Also, if it would be possible, as officers are ultimately enforcing this, I'm sure we're going to have instances where a confrontation has to happen with an individual It would be great if we could pull together a referral card and some resources for population of people. I know it's very unlikely that most of them are going to pursue those resources, but if we could have a referral card to at least attempt to connect them with some organizations that serve those people, that would be helpful instead of just running them off. know, completely empty handed.

That's something we already do. Okay. And they refuse the service.

Okay. Well, I would at least like to see it in here, you know, in the ordinance that we make that attempt to connect them to services.

But I think you all review this. I'm trying to keep the ordinance away from addressing homelessness at all. It's just addressing public health. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not after the homeless, I'm after people bathing in the splash bath and getting soap and messing up VHS.

I mean, like I said, I understand the bathing in the splash bath, like, no question. I do, I'm a little bit hesitant on the obstruction part, just because, you know, if you're going after someone who's sleeping in the park, back to the fly, that's not necessarily somebody camping. So the exact language that's used here, I think, is really important. This actually gets enforced, so I just hope that there's... with how we actually write that out.

It's more like sleeping on top of a picnic table.

I understand. Yeah. Directly blocking a facility. But thank you.

I'll review that. At community, that's what we've done. If you still have questions or suggestions, we can pass them on to you. Sure will. Thank you.

John, have we ever looked at some type of grant or something to see if we can get a shelter or something here? I remember a while back when I asked you about the county, they had some money for it, but it wasn't to build an everyday shelter. But have we ever seen you into that? Well, I read that the county is responsible.

If I can on that, I guess I have reviewed that. The county does have the ability to designate a designated camping location specifically to address this issue. but that is the county's responsibility to do that is my understanding. If it were gonna be within the city limits, obviously they would have to get your consent to do that. But there is a provision in the state law that's passed in 2024 to basically provide an alternate designated area for this. If we have the capacity and the resources to do that, I think it would be great if we did, but it is up to the county.

Yeah, I was asking because And like I said, we respond to a lot of homeless areas that they have designated for them. So I was just asking if that would be a way that we can get with the county or you all want to try and work something out because we have a lot of homeless people here, a lot. They're just here. Well, I know it's everywhere, but it's up to us to try and take care of what's going on here.

Yes, this is our handle here.

i think the issues they had at the fourth capital hall kind of yeah but the designated areas that they gave yeah it was donated um don't quote me on it but i'm just going by some of the stuff that was told it was like designated um acres and they gave it to them for them to go out and allow to put tents up you know for it to be their designated area they didn't have to go to parks and map they had somewhere that they could go

Probably got some land up there for.

A little bit.

He was the driving force behind that 2024 statute. And that statute also

If you're going to allow people to do this in a certain way, you've got to provide restrooms, clean running water, and there's some other things that have to go along with it.

Well, they don't have to.

Well, by law, you have to.

They have to, James, but I understand that we're trying to. I ain't going to say trying to not face the problem. I'm not going to say that. But it's a problem that we, as a whole, we've got to take a poll. We have to because it has gotten big here. It has. And I personally, I'm an advocate for the homeless and I do whatever I can for them. I'm trying to come up with a nonprofit where it's going to be called Umbrella of Love. You know, I come out and I give them, well, I'm doing it now, but I got to get everything together. Like right now with the brain, giving them umbrellas, keeping them from out of the rain, keeping them from out of the sun, you know.

The Big Ben Homeless Coalition might be a resource for you to talk about that.

But I'm I just want us to get to a point where we're doing something to try and help them out now. Because most people turn a deaf ear to it, you know. If we help them, that means more is going to come. The problem is there, so let's try and come up with a solution.

All right, any more discussion on this? And again, item 6-H. One citizen asserted on the very fact that we can lower Dress these and counsel and take me in if it ain't necessary. Does anyone want to step forward or? Dress it again in the future. What happened to the one at R.V. this morning? I have somebody that made me remember who it was.

Who was the one at R.V.? Yeah.

I thought you said my son. I didn't ask nobody.

Did they not? You talked to somebody and I didn't know if you could remember who it was.

Again, item 6i, ordinance number 1065, introduction and first reading. The ordinance of the City of Perry, Florida pertaining to the amendment to the utility rates, appendix A, the inter-repeat of charges, garbage and trash, nothing charges, sewer rates and charges, water rates and other charges, gas applied by city, providing for the servability of the parts hereof that are declared invalid, Repealing orders is in conflict. Providing for an effective date. Any discussion on that?

All right, we're going to take a minute.

next meeting for the second reading. Are you bringing up something, John? Are you bringing up something? We got it. I want to read it.

I want to read it. I went through for 10% more would be 11 cents, I want the 12 cents per gallon. I don't know how many of the math we did.

I think I understand.

The step is to suppose 11 cents instead of 11 cents, just to make the math easier for them.

That's . Yeah. All right, you want to put that on the list?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. 20%. I really want 20% to 12%. That's what I'm saying. I'm back to the same prayer thing. How many will crop the woods? I always did. I'm seeing a verdict.

I'm seeing a verdict. I'm seeing a verdict. I'm seeing a verdict.

Agenda Item 6J, Resolution 2026-27, Council to Conduct a Public Hearing on the City of Perry Tentative Millage for the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and to take any action made necessary. Resolution adopting the tentative millage rate for the City of Perry for covering its fiscal year operation beginning October 1st, 2026 and ending September 30th, 2027.

So the millage rate that's on the resolution for the city of Perry is fiscal year 26-27. Tentative millage rate is the rollback rate of 6.1077. This rate is 0% over the rollback rate. This would bring in $2,335,230 with $28,556 of this going to the CRA funds. So this was the city manager's recommendation. This is what's in the budget right now and what was advertised on the trim tax.

All right, any discussion on this?

How much more will the rollback rate generate than last year?

Than last year?

First year.

The prior year, okay. So the prior year would be $2,230,430. So about $100,000. About $100,000 more gold that way, correct? Correct. Thank you.

I can give you the exact amount.

It's not everybody's going to just sustain the money, but.

That's a very bad definition of the word rollback.

They just changed the rules. Everybody needs to know that.

Basically, you just added a brand new apartment complex at $16, $17 million, and you're not allowed to consider it in your taxes this year, so you're adopting a rollback rate that will actually bring in more taxes and actually bring in a lot more taxes because that place will be taxed. You're going to get some of the back, but it's going to be a lot more brought in.

And we're advertising flight. It's not. But it's the state's fault, aren't you?

I did verify it was the state's fault.

Multiple times.

It was not how it is.

Thank you for your support. Any more discussion on this? Item 6K.

We all have to vote. Motion.

Second. Councilor Brown. Yes. Councilor Renanson. Yes. Councilor Woodcock. Yes. Councilor Landry. Yes. Senator Ketcher.

Yes. Item 6K. Resolution 2026. That's 2080. Councilman has been done public hearing on city or period tentative budget. for fiscal year 2026, 2027, and to take any action made necessary. Resolution adopting the 10 adventure for the city of Perry, Florida for the period of October 1st, 2026, and ending September 30th, 2027.

or questions.

If we didn't need it as badly a couple of weeks ago, why now do we add more and not consider reducing The rates that we're charging to all consumers.

We need all of these. We need all of these. I need another million more. I could pull from reserves anyway.

Stay with it. But we need to consider our consumers sometimes. Everybody's had our part. It's time for us to say, well, we don't need to be staffing. Let us think about the people who's If there's no working for it, if it was not for them, we wouldn't. I want to be able to provide it. We need to consider it. If you didn't add this stuff to the bill, you could reduce the rates that we charge now.

I still need a million more on top of that. Provide the service.

The best thing you can do is go back and get a fee.

All right, let me look. Yep. We still need a million more. It's not there.

That is not funny.

I'm not trying to be funny. I need a million more dollars. We need the needs of our citizens right now. No, I'm not. I need a million more dollars to meet the needs of our citizens right now.

Let's get worse now.

I don't want to be the city of Madison that's shutting their fire station down. They shut their fire station down today. I don't want to be that city.

I want to stay ahead of the game.

Madison should have went down.

Madison should have went down. They don't have money. We tried to get a figure.

I think we're clear where Tom Derrickson is here. I think they're closing that down because we might not have four days. But

They're not even talking about that. They're already out. They're freeing up general funds for the budget this year.

And you got Dixon County to have to sit down a station because they didn't have a manpower for it. Because of where they're at with their budget now, they can't afford to pay the people. I don't want to give these people raises and then come back and say, hey, we got to take them back.

What I don't understand is that we need to sometimes think about our constituents We don't always have to give a 3% raise. Some people begin $3,000 raises. Some close to $3,000. That's a lot. And we can use that to help the people in our community. They need a raise. I don't know if you get any calls or not, but I do. And frankly, I think I'm charged too much because I don't use anything. What is it right now? About $70 before you use anything. And it's going up. According to my bill, I'm paying over $70 before you even use a liquor store. I guess what you consider these things is written out everything you consider that keeps us here.

I disagree. Our rate study that tries to keep us in good shape with the state funding and all that told us to go up 25%, 25%, 15%. We went zero, zero, zero. Now we're asking for five.

Sometimes. Sometimes. We cannot add something else and add that to it. utility then we just fall back behind further i don't worry what we told you you're going back to this this this organization who came to us and they told us suggested that we do this you know majority of the city were current

The one that came before us and told us that if we didn't start putting money back, when we go out and put loans, they're going to look at it. And we are not able to sustain our own. So why would they continuously keep giving us money?

So they suggested, yeah.

We have about $12 million, but a lot of it is restricted. Thank you. Thank you. I can tell you if you can just say that.

Remember where I said it.

I'm not a fan of growing up on Red Sea, but I'm also not a fan of not being able to provide water and solar and gas when we need it. We have a dumb answer to this about 22. I agree. I don't want to become the most expensive place on the planet to live, really, at all. People turn to water when it's coming out of the ground. They don't like it much, either. Hopefully, this water system we're putting together is going to fix that.

So we have almost 2 million of that is restricted. which would be like our loan service accounts, the police, trust fund, holding fund, drug task force, low-flux gas tax, community redevelopment, CRA, things like that. So really like about $2 million is restricted.

About $2 million.

and I mean we're if you think about what we spend out every month we're spending out a few million a month probably it depends on the month depending on the grants we're fronting these grants typically then we're getting reimbursements so we are trying to keep a healthy reserve fund balance in case another hurricane comes, in case, you know, any of these things, COVID-19, if none of these things were expected, and since the city had a healthy reserve, when those things happened, they didn't. And they weren't, remember, y'all didn't grade grade back in, y'all didn't grade grades. We quit doing penalties because we were able to do those things because they had planned ahead. And I think we need to continue doing that.

Well, you just said you're paying out grant money. you're putting the money out, waiting for it to come back, whatever it does to come back, and I'm talking now. It does not. Which happens.

It often does not come back as quickly as you would.

There you are.

Yeah, so we're, I mean, we probably have, I know we have 1.2 million for the garbage trucks that we're waiting to receive, and then there's other 100,000 here, 100,000 there, you know, that we, it has to go through their string of approvals and everything before We can get it back.

It's there. Just win.

Just win.

Yeah. It's the only thing I'm asking. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. You all make a good sacrifice. So it's not hurting you all. Maybe. Maybe not. But these people have a hard time. I mean, a very hard time. Everybody's going up on rates. They don't care. They miss their people. So can the county let us know as a whole what they want us to do?

I really want us to stay ahead. I don't want us to stay behind because I don't want to be like Madison County where they had to end up shutting down the city fire station.

What I'm saying is that we have more options than what is listed. And we used to get a whole list of options that we could use. Now we just give them what we want.

Will you bring us a list at the next meeting of our options?

Yeah, that's right. Well, wait a minute now. You can just say we've got options.

And we don't.

This is due next, on the 27th. Well, what do you think at the next meeting? I can't give you the feedback, but I can tell that's the situation.

Remember I'm gonna I'm gonna advertise which all the groups right that's gonna be in the paper No, you you all can change up until the 22nd I Mean typically the way at least since I've been here is and I'm pretty sure the county tries to do it this way too, is they try to get all these things worked out before the two public hearings. That way it's just like the first one you pass and the second one, not too many changes because what you advertise would hopefully be kind of close to what you do since that's what, if people choose not to meet and they can see it in the paper.

we're not any more discussion on this resolution you all need to vote yeah

Not to adopt, just pretended to be. Pretended.

Pretended to be.

Do you have a question? Do we have a second? Second.

Councilor Browns?

Yes.

Councilor Hanson? Yes. Councilor Lippoff?

Yes.

Councilor Landry?

Yes.

Mayor Gibson?

Yes. We're going to add an agenda item, 6L. 30 minutes from the August 25th, 2026, regular session. Anybody have any corrections? Anybody want to do anything on that? What do you mean, don't you? There's two of them in there. We'll go to the lab at the end of the day.

We'll get a thesis in the next week. Yeah.

I'd like to address these minutes on the 25th. We've got two different ones. So do we have any questions?

So do we have anything on the August 11th minutes? Everybody okay with those?

Okay. Feel free.

What was that again? Thank you. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

I do, but I hate to talk about somebody that's not here.

So we need to wait on just a minute. If you go to the last page of it, it says Mrs. Stemps reported that she had completed her investigation into the matter involving the city manager. first of all, who gave her the authority to investigate the city manager. She's an employee of the city council. I know absolutely nothing about this investigation of the city manager by the city attorney. I don't know who asked for it. I don't know, is it a violation of the law? Is there a violation of code of ethics? There's somebody that investigates the code of ethics called the state of Florida. Commission on that? Is it a violation of the city charter? And who in the blazes took away his constitutional rights? It's not about him. whatever this is, it probably just stinks.

But now I'm not through. I'm sorry, you're not going to just yell at me. I'm sorry, you looked at me and pointed at me.

You can go as long as you want to when I get through saying what I've got to say. What are we even talking about? I have no earthly idea. All I know is the The city manager has been investigated by the city attorney.

He requested it.

He requested it. What did you request? I asked her to investigate my actions during that time frame and report back to what I did.

I still don't think she's got the authority to investigate you, sir. I thought she could be a good representative. Not hardly. It just stinks worse. What's going to happen It's going to be in the paper. I hope you get it right. And he's got a young child that goes to school. Somebody at that school is going to say, your father got investigated.

And that's just one of the crappy part of the job. He wants it on YouTube. She watches it on YouTube. Well.

Now you can have you all the time you want. I got nothing to say.

Mr. Field, I don't think you would hear that meeting. It was not a matter. This request was made by John himself because of something that John had did. And he was apologizing to the public. I don't know the rights and the wrongs or how it goes by state laws, if she should be the one to do it, but that was something that he brought up. That wasn't Mrs. Dems.

He needed to bring it up to us, and we do it.

He did. Not to us. If you were not here at that meeting.

What meeting? We can line that up for me. I thought this whole thing had been put to bed in the middle of the past, decided it was going to keep coming back. I think you got the report here. We never got a report on it, so that's what it is.

I was investigated in the first month. By the city attorney.

All right. Anyway, we should thank Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams.

Ms. Williams.

Ms. Williams.

Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams. written a letter to the city council to explain his actions. He also read publicly in August, I believe it was, at the end of July, a letter apologizing for any offense that may have happened regarding his use of pictures and his entry on Jerkin's property that he stated as a, and he declared with a disclaimer that he was speaking as a private citizen to go to a school board meeting He said that he has asked that there be an investigation done by the city attorney, which I did, and I reported it last minute, so I'll add something in writing by this meeting. The two allegations is what I resolved. I contacted the attorney general's office as well, and they said that that would be an appropriate action as city attorney, and if the counsel based on my results or their own desires, wanting to take it further or take it less, they could. So it was something that he submitted to. And again, the accusations that were made at a meeting he was not in attendance to because he was at a conference that was read included the idea that he may have acted improperly, including criminal trespass, including acting as an agent of a developer. So those are the accusations that I took the most problem with and found in my research that the council could even be liable if they did not make any type of determination or action. So it was totally, according to things that happened in other councils, a totally appropriate step, especially because Mr. Hart submitted to it. I did do an investigation that included talking to the members of Taylor County Leadership Council, as well as Ernestine Mitchell, who was the direct person in our forum that made those accusations, as well as I had opportunity to interview Mr. Hart. And actually, I have a seven-page written memo that I was going to give you the results of which and just ask for an opportunity to amend my seven-page memo to include the information that was given by Taylor County Leadership Council. And I can give that conclusion, but it was based on the accusations and also Mr. Hart's own willingness to submit to being asked questions to be able to clear up any misunderstanding or potentially accusation of malfeasance. The idea of that has been made public, it's been in the newspaper, it's been on social media, And Mr. Hart had not, outside of those two instances of writing to counsel and addressing in a meeting where Ms. Mitchell was not, I believe, or the counsel, and apologizing. So those are the two things I focused on. And my conclusion was not only that it was not criminal trespass based on a number of factors, even in light of the accusation, but that it may have been imprudent, but it was done in good faith dealing with the overall economic development of the city. Mr. Hart is asked, and the Taylor County Leadership Council said that they would appreciate being asked for an opportunity to work with them in the future regarding any concerns that they may have for the Jerkins Center. He also agreed that unless it's for a city business or upon request, he would not enter onto the Jerkins property. His entrance was based on literally doing the work of his job, which was helping with the splash pad. And he noted in observing that there have been some areas of deterioration in the Jerkins Community Center. And he not going inside of any doors, any locked gates, with there being no trespass signs, went onto the property. And from where you can observe without encounter of breaking any law, to take pictures and observe what he understood to be a community center. And so those are my quick conclusions, but I did it based on his request. Also, I think it was very smart for the council to agree or to at least no one gave an objection. This has been going on for over a month, not only two months. I think the comments were first made, was it July 30th or June 30th?

I don't remember though. Anyway, what was that?

Sorry, it was June 30th.

So what do you conclude about the investigation?

That Mr. Hart was not acting as an agent of a developer. He was not asked to act. He was not compensated in any way, not given any lunch trip, and he was not directed to go to the school board. He did it by his own desire to want to see economic development in the city. He Again, regarding the criminal trespass, I already noted there's no evidence that there was any type of criminal trespass, civil or criminal, that could be attested that it would be accounted for. Again, he noted that it was not, now that he understands better, even in commenting onto that property, the historical significance to a community that he never intended to offend, that he would actually like to work in a future incorporation with the leadership council, and that he agreed that, unless on city business or specifically invited to not return to the Jerkins school building at the location. I believe that, I believe because there has been no finding of improper engagement of a developer of criminal trespass, that his apology should be sufficient. And I would suggest that his suggestion, as well as the Taylor County Leadership Council's openness to having further conversation as to how there may be something that the city can give, not by way of resources, but insight in ways that can help that that is a more prudent way to go about any further situation and that this matter be closed with documentation that pictures both parties, at least both parties who were making that person was making the allegation as well as a person who's on the other end of the allegation that this was an imprudent exercise of judgment, but there was no bad will or criminal intent. So that was my conclusion.

I agree with John, what he said.

And that is within the round 50 official of city council is first accused of a criminal or for a legal act that the office of the city council or the office of the city attorney's office get involved, be submitted. And so there was no need to ask for some kind of due process hearing of images by alternative. Ultimately it's your determination if you want to act in compliance, not compliance, in congruence with what I have discovered or what my conclusions are. If you want further investigation, I mean, I was always up to the council, but I totally acted within the authority of my office as well as with the description and the definition of what he asked for, because his name needs to be cleared. And I think his daughter should be proud of the conclusion. And I think instead of insulting what the intentions were, we should first ask for information. I wasn't here at a meeting recently. And I cannot come in and then declare what was illegal or not illegal without information. That's irresponsible. So thank you for the opportunity. Again, this seven-page report, I wanted to include a statement from the Taylor County Pollution Council because I did not include it. This is all based on my interview with Mr. Hart. But I can send you this and give you a part two. But again, it's seven pages. My conclusions are in the last two pages. And I'll make it available for newspapers

Thank you. Hopefully, it's the end of it. You got to wait for part two.

What'd she say? You want to part two?

She said you got to wait for your part two, and then we'll be able to win. All right. Getting back to the agenda, as far as 2025, 2026, whatever you have a discussion on, you can answer. Sure, guys. Or even the mass of it, the mass of it.

I think we're going to have a mixed meeting.

I'm sure if we stay with that.

Actually, part two. I can send this tonight, and I'll have a part two probably tomorrow or Monday. You'll have it before the next meeting. It just includes what both Ms. Mitchell, who made the accusation, said, as well as any other representative of Taylor County Relation House. But they were satisfied. I did not tell them what the results. But prior to my even interviewing Mr. Hart, they said that they had no problem with whatever the conclusions were, and they just wanted to make sure that it would protect the anchors of their community. They personally did not want to see the city level be founded in any kind of way that would hurt the standing. So I don't think they'll have a problem with the conclusion of that.

I'm sorry, ma'am? I'm sorry, ma'am. That's my appreciation. Thank you.

All right.

Getting back to the agenda, approval of minutes in August 25th, 2026, regular session. Are there any other discussion on these? And it's not an entertaining motion. Second.

Councilor Barnes?

Yep.

Yes.

Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes.

It doesn't say how much.

But that first page, yeah. Yeah. $1,000.

Thank you. OK.

He was asking how much for the policy, if I'm seeing the potentials.

Is that it?

No, we carry insurance on the bills, probably.

You're just talking about liability with whatever is down there.

Yes, I do. I was asked last week besides having, and thank you, April. I'm sorry, I should have brought my coffee. How about my written report regarding Mr. Hart and the Dirkens property. I also was asked regarding seating our president. I was questioned about whether or not our charter supports waiting until November to see the new council members. And so I went back and looked at the charter, this is what my date is, It says terms of office articles to city council and mayor, terms of office. Of course, in terms of council members shall be four years. In terms of not more than three council members shall expire in the same year. The terms of council members shall commence upon the first council meeting following the election, which determines who will serve as council member for that district. I went further to look at the charter that's Article two, section C. I believe it was the August 18th election where we had one candidate for a district. I did go and look at other parts of the charter. And I've now quit. But there's the only one, there's only one candidate who runs. Okay. but that when basically one candidate runs and wins, they are determined to be that elected person. So it seemed that with the new council, that we would be within the charter parameters to have that candidate start serving the first councilman, meaning following the election, we should determine who will serve. That is the election that would determine who will serve. We don't have one person in that position. And so, That person could have been sat, I guess, at the last meeting, but we didn't have time. So I will leave it up to the city manager. He's the one who asked for clarity as to when our new council members can be seated. I think we have one outstanding one, and he could be seated. He fits the charted description of being seated after the first meeting after that election. So.

There's some, when this was written, when election, when one was, when it was replaced, it took place then, and they changed it. So it actually, it'll be in November, after the general election. You didn't get to see it until November.

They went for December or something.

Did it come through there? Has that been changed? Because we didn't change it.

No, we didn't change it. It's our city attorney. It's been changed. They worked with Dana.

And they changed it. I was asked by John to see if I tried to support it or not. But I think I tried to support it. Yeah, I just based it on our charter. And I'm saying our charter is what best is best.

Maybe some of the confusion came in about being a lawyer. But the charter was written. City elections happened in June. See, you're not wrong about that. City elections, he said in January.

They ran their own elections.

They ran their own elections. They ran their own elections. They ran their own elections. At some point or another, they moved them to the other, to coincide with the other elections. I think that might be where some of the disconnect came from. I don't know any of that. Like I said, I'm not entirely sure.

And it was the single candidate, Section 705, that had supports the same thing. In an event not more than one person qualifies as a candidate, either for a ballot listing or writing candidate, there is a designated seat on the city council to be filled at an election. That seat shall not be listed on the regular city election ballot. Such candidate shall be declared elected. And then it noted changes in 85 and 85, but it also still, again, stated that it's still in effect. So I was just basing it on our charter. That's our charter.

State law changed that.

It always went that way. It didn't change. First I heard about it when you even.

And the reason why I also noted that I did find some discussion about that in other municipalities, similar situated and other municipalities, not all, but other municipalities chose to follow the charter in that respect. So I don't know what state law has changed it. I was basing it on the charter. So, which I understand that home rule supersedes. So, but.

I know the charter is same in office. This is my fourth term, my first three terms. He was in office. And I could never understand why I was champion.

If you run and you win, you know, and you take office immediately, that would put it in all right. If you had an opponent and you had to run again, that would fit it in by then.

So we'll get on that. And I'm looking at the city of Mulberry's 2026 procedure. The state's been assuming regarding only one candidate qualified. The candidate was declared elected and was sworn in at the next commission meeting. So I can continue to research the matter about if the state law has changed for everyone except for maybe that municipality. But that's what I understand.

I couldn't be wrong, but I think it was changed due to them just swearing. Swearing to hit everyone at the same time. That's the reason I think it was changed. They can't be the same forever. And we included the city. I don't know whether we included the city. They used to come to the council meeting to swear St. John in August. The judge would come here and personally swear St. John for my first three terms. And it changed. Thank you. Thank you for that clarification. Thank you. So they have to this, have to give these to them, or they're in sin.

Is it the reorganization of the council in November? It is. I think that's what it was done, is it was the city and the council members coincide with the election, or the selection of the new mayor and vice mayor. I think that's what that was at that time. And that's what was changed.

I would reach out to the Supervisor of Elections, and again, I was just responding to what I was, if I still look at, but I can get with her, just provided what I understood. Okay.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Tritum. Tritum, yes. And they see it. They are inconvenience stores. And they can just walk in. Yeah. And it's killing people. We're working on that. You got it going? Yes. Thank you so much. One other thing. NPAs, not this much. Anyone in this council who learned that now can

I don't think we should.

I don't think we should do it. I think we should be aware of where we're settling. And that would be the best.

Talk more on Facebook about non-disclosure, working in secret. I don't know what they're even talking about or how that, I don't know where it's coming from. We don't. We really don't.

When we did it one year, it wasn't safe. I didn't know what I was doing.

Power of nitrogen. Yeah, I don't have any of that.

Yeah, so.

I don't say, hey, you can't leave me without telling me how to go forward. I mean, it's. That's the whole reason TCA is broken. That's the whole reason TCA is broken. That's the whole reason TCA is broken.

That's the whole reason TCA is broken.

That's the whole reason TCA is broken.

The old ones back then? Yes. Yeah.

I'll just flash it on the wall.

John, can we put something on our Facebook website? Because I've noticed this a lot in the community where they are putting trash and furniture together on piles, and I know we have to keep it separate. Can we put something on Facebook where we're able to share to let the constituents know how they're supposed to divide it? So, because I'm thinking a lot of people they don't know they're cleaning and they're putting furniture on top of it. And that's the reason why because you know like some of them have told me that's the reason why they can't pick oil because it's all mixed together. We just need to put something on the way that we'll be able to share it to let the community have it. We have a spot where we can put a message. We just don't have to take off what was out on the ground, but we can change it out.

In the visitation on the 1 1⁄2, where are we at?

We're getting it out to the team. They're around there. We're sending them.

We're done with some of it. I'll check with Landry. OK. If someone's on the screen. Yeah, Wayne has it. He said he wouldn't want to say it's up. It's back up.

It's down. They hooked it up. They hooked it up. It's down. Yeah. Oh, it's like, I'm on Wayne Gundry, all right? And I did come in and detail the end of the presentation. I thought it was going to get a little later. I'm going to be quick with it. I did have a concern. First of all, I'm for anything to make that clear. I always think, since I was 16, I've been an advocate compared for it. And for the poor, the underprivileged, Minority. I've been in many meetings in this office before with Gerald Walker, Amos Bellarmine, Ms. Scott Knoll, right? Where he invited me to Leadership Council first. There was a lawsuit, if you look at it, years ago dealing with trying to get something for the minority community. And thanks to the Lockridge family, Weaver family, they donated the property, city, and council, really dropped the lawsuit at the time because they were going to get something done and the potluck was developed for that. What I don't want to see is the responsibility of the city to ever relinquish ownership or management of that facility. If we want an organization to want to use it, fine. But to place that into someone's responsibility to have the upkeep called it, the paint, the building, and all, as a citizen and a person that was very young at the time, around 1980, just getting out of college, starting college at the time, I'm totally against whatever that law school brought so the city can assist our community to have something for everyone to enjoy. Family reunions, whatever they may have out there. And I'm totally not against them using the building. I think we just need to make sure the terms are right. We don't want to end up where we have a facility like Dirk's is great, but you know, they have a problem with the air conditioning. I don't want to be what we're saying. We can't use the facility because air conditioning broke and we don't know who's going to fix it. So the city say that's on you all, right? We fought very long and hard for years and years. Like I say, thanks to Ms. Scott, Amos Bellarmine, that crew that was lead, that developed that, leadership council. So we, I'm totally against that. And I want to make that perfectly clear. But I'm all for the youth, all for what they're doing. I'm glad some of the youth taking charge. I've been on the gray cloud and a lot of other ones. He's part of it. Hey, I'm old now. I was 17 then. I'm 64 now. So they're going to have to take over. The other thing I want to bring up off of that is I've been listening to you all talk to me. I heard Ms. Wolfall, Ms. Gray talk about the onus and all, right? I had a young lady that came to work for me from West Coast Coast 25 years ago. And she was in her environment where she was family to family. Come to school with no money. So I wanted her to accomplish me very smart. She graduated in three years. She ended up leaving and she come back sometime, had lunch, was living in Lallanown. One day was in the grocery store and someone was short $60 a day grocery. I'm talking about this been 10 years, 15 years ago. I'm like, you know her? She said, no. I said, you did that. She said, Wayne, you don't know what it's like to be hungry until you're hungry. She said, I mean, hunger is a point where you don't have the money to buy a candy bar. So I think we need to think about that because that school kickoff meeting this year, they say it's more youth that are in need of food throughout the week to come to school than has ever been in Taylor County, right? Let's look at the minutes from out there, right? And I think Ms. Upshaw is leading the effort now to make sure these kids have the necessity to even come to school. Now, on top of that, this unemployment period, it's gonna get worse. I'm director of networking for the University of Florida and the University. I go to all these technology meetings. I'm telling you, this AI, it's just not nothing going back. It's here. So the board of governors are thinking on, does it really take four years to go to college now with AI? With AI, do it really take four years? They want them in there in four or not. Soon it's going to be down to two. With a four-year degree, it's doing it in two years. Behind that is something called quantum. coming. The commercial you see with the robots doing the coffee, going to take over McDonald's. That means they're going to be unemployed. Going to take over other restaurants. They're unemployed. Fixing your drink at a restaurant. They're unemployed, but that's AI coming. You can walk my word. In 10 years, I'm going to be twice as what it is in history. I'm not being negative, but as a group, with the citizens and board and you all going to have to find a way to find another way to generate income to do the things that we are currently doing now, not even things in the future like being ahead. Because the world is not changing, it's changed. It is changed. If you leave here and go around and look, it's changed. And there's little things for a conference, All the transportation was nobody driving. There were way more vehicles. The van, they ended up partying with no drivers. So this is serious. And me being from Taylor County, I just want to make, this is what I know. This is what I do every day. It's changing. And this auto department in 10 years, I guarantee you, it's going to be done with what it is now until we find other ways. There are some counties, and I'm not saying go out and buy the data center. I know all this data center going on about this. I've been to some and I know about some. But the other things that are happening are being developed to support the data center, building the park for the data center. Look at the things you take to build a data center. That means you don't have to build a data center here. You can have a plant that make the parks or whatever here. But in those, some of those cities are making these corporations that want to build these parks. Okay, when you come in here, What you going to do for the citizens? We got a light bill. These citizens light bills, 200 average, $200 a month. Well, one citizen saying, hey, this company is going to pay the light bill for every citizen in every home in the city for the next five years. You're relieving some of that pressure that you were saying you want off your citizens. We got to start thinking like that. Making these people that's coming in, making all this money, these millions, OK? Because they're going to come regardless of what we like. Our parents are going to be sitting here empty. Because with the homeless, they're going to have to go somewhere to live. If they can't eat, no jobs, got to go somewhere to work. It's just going to be empty buildings. Researching. And it's just a thought. For the education I received from Taylor County and Florida A&M, And what I do now, I'm bringing this to your table. This is nothing to go on and say, oh, you just up there talking. Just wait or ask your children to look at what they're looking at on YouTube. Look at Chime on YouTube, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. So that's really all I had to say. I really came to talk about the Turkish thing, but I heard you all talking about the finance and all that. They're going to have a robot fire truck. One person's going to be working in like a gang system. Police car. Robots running at the people. Go on YouTube and look at what's happening in China. It's not fake. It's real. So with that, I hope I helped you all start thinking about some things. Go on to a government website. There's funding out there now. They're taking away funding, but they're putting some things in for cities on these websites, National Science Foundation and websites like that. that can maybe help with some of the funding. So basically, that's all I wanted to say. And I hope y'all take into account what I said. And I'm always here for Perry. I'm not here a lot because I travel a lot on the job. And with football season, I'm never here. So, but it's early. And it's great to have my phone number and Jamie and everybody that's around here. All right, have a good evening. Thank you. Well, you better be ready.