City Council - Regular Meeting

Hey, hey, hey. Good even

individuals speak on agenda items to complete a sign up card prior to the item being introduced. Signup cards are available on the table. Individuals wishing to speak on non-aggenda items may do so under public comment. No signup card is required. Citizens will be given three minutes to speak on all agenda items. All signup cards and exhibits being submitted to city council shall be placed in the box on the table.

The purpose of the city council meeting is to discuss city business and proper decorum must be displayed by all in attendance. Public input and participation is encouraged. However, all persons in attendance shall comply with the rules for meeting procedures and shall refrain from any action that disrupts the orderly proceedings of the council meeting or hinders a council from performing its duties. No person shall interfere with the rights of others to speak, hear, see, or attend the proceedings, make threats of violence, disrupt the proceedings with shouting, fail to confine remarks to the agenda item under consideration, nor continue to speak after the allotted speaking time has expired. As these actions shall be considered disruptive and disorderly, the mayor shall caution any person who violates these provisions and disrupts the orderly proceedings of the council meetings and they shall be directed to comply. Any person who fails to comply as caution shall be ruled out of order shall forfeit the remainder of their speaking time on the agenda item under consideration and will be requested to return to their seat. Persons who fail to comply as directed shall be subject to removal from the council chambers by law enforcement or such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to enforce these regulations. Notwithstanding, the mayor may order the immediate removal of any person from the chambers who possesses a threat to property or life safety. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or restrict a person's right created by the Constitution, law, ordinance, or regulation. Good evening everybody. I want to welcome you to the city of Titusville City Council special meeting November 13, 2025 at 5:30. I'm going call this meeting to order for the invocation. Can you please bow your heads for a moment of silence? Thank you very much. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance.

I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. [clears throat] Thank you very much. City attorney, do we have a quorum? Yes, we do. Thank you very much. City manager.

Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, and city council. The purpose of this special meeting is to receive council guidance to staff regarding the next step in the city's economic development um uh moving forward. As you recall back in May, the North Boulevard economic development zone was dissolved and in August at a council meeting uh council directed staff to come back with alternatives to fill the gap now that the zone is no longer functioning. and we'll have a short presentation by our economic development director at which point uh we'll go ahead and um open it up for questions from council and also we're looking for two outcomes at the end of this meeting to get direction regarding the governance how how we're going to move forward um and also some direction on funding strategies. So I'll go ahead and turn it over to Nick and go ahead with the PowerPoint.

All right. Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, council members, audience members, staff. Um, in the interest of time, I put together some speaking notes here. So then that way we can [clears throat] only get this down to about three hours. Um, so it should be pretty quick. All right. Do we have Okay. So, thank you for the opportunity to present uh this evening on the city's ongoing efforts in economic development. Tonight's briefing will outline the pathway forward for the city of Titusville following the dissolution of the North Bard economic development zone. This is an important transition point for us. Um it allows the city to reassume local control over our economic development initiatives [clears throat] and direct investment towards the priorities most important to our community. The presentation this evening is going to follow three sections. First, I'm going to address the questions and direction provided by council during the August 12th meeting. Second, I'm going to review staff's recommended strategy forward uh for moving forward, including the organizational structure, funding sources, and accountability framework. And then finally, we'll conclude with discussion and council input on the next steps.

[clears throat] My goal tonight is to give you a clear, transparent understanding of how Titusville can maintain economic momentum and ensure every dollar invested yields measurable results. So, Titusville's economic de development journey spans nearly four decades. Uh beginning with the space vo space coast development commission um which was later renamed the space coast economic development commission um our community has consistently recognized the importance of organized um strategic economic development. [clears throat]

These entities were actually created in response to the challenges of the post-apollo times um when our community had to pivot from dependence on the space program to a diversified uh local economy. And the lesson from that history is simple. Um when Titusville leads its own economic development efforts, we prosper. Um when those functions are fragmented or externally controlled, we lose focus and we lose agility. The SCDC and SEDC were established in 1987 as a 501c3 nonprofit. It's charter derived from the former North Bard Development Commission. Uh its mission was clear to assemble and apply economic resources to encourage managed diversified growth. That was their mission statement. The city [clears throat] supported the organ organization by funding the staff positions including an economic development director and administrative staff while the organization itself focused on direct business assistance, marketing, trade show participation, workforce linkages um and grant procurement. So this model actually created an early example of a strong private public partnership. Um the city ensured governance and accountability and the business community supplied the engagement and the expertise. Funding for the SCBC came from a blend of public and private sources. Uh the city's general fund provided the foundation covering staff and operational costs while the private memberships and the sponsorships supplemented these resources. To provide kind of a historical perspective, in fiscal year 1998 1999, the total program cost was roughly $171,000. Adjusted for inflation, that equates to

approximately $356,000 today. Of that, around 276,000 would have been city funds and roughly 80,000 from p private contributions. Those proportions mirror what a successful um what successful communities still use today. a two to one public to private um funding balance that kind of ensures accountability while fostering partnerships. Private investors joined the effort through [clears throat] a tiered membership structure. There was associate, general, and crown memberships ranging from $100 to $750 annually. Um beyond funding, this model fostered participation. businesses contributed not just dollars but time and insight through committees, sponsors, and uh project collaboration. The goal was to steadily increase the private share of funding to 30% um creating an enduring sense of community ownership. That principle, shared investment for shared success, um that remains at the heart of what we're actually proposing today. The SEDC's work was comprehensive. It included business prospecting, [clears throat] excuse me, site tours, assistance for ex uh existing firms, marketing and promotion, trade show participation, grant writing, coordination between agencies, uh data and datadriven growth analysis. So in effect the SEDC function as a like to think of it as a one-stop resource kind of bridging public policy, private investment and community outcomes. Um the legacy reinforces the importance of having a de dedicated full-time function focused solely on economic development rather than a frag fragmented or ad hoc uh approach.

Okay. So [clears throat] part of the evaluation um staff examined several peer communities that face similar industrial and aerospace dynamics. Um in Hampton, Virginia, economic development is managed entirely within the city. Uh the department oversees recruitment incentives and strate strategic land reuse particularly near NASA Langley Research Center um ensuring alignment between the city planning and the economic objectives in Toledo Toledo Ohio. The city and the county actually form a public authority with independent uh governance and access to financing tools such as tiffs and taxexempt bonds. So this authority successfully redeveloped industrial sites and actually attracted [clears throat and cough] major employers like first solar and Amazon. Both of them uh demonstrate a strong governance uh consistent funding and a clear mission. Those three things generally will yield results. All right, turning to Huntsville, Alabama. So the model in Huntsville, Alabama, it's a hybrid system. City manages the incentives and the land while the Chamber of Commerce leads recruitment. Together they've secured uh transformative investments including Blue Origin's $200 million rocket engine facility, U. Mazda Toyota's $ 2.3 billion manufacturing plant, and the FBI's relocation of 1,000 uh high-tech jobs. And then on [clears throat] a closer level, and just I I saw a message come out about this because it says Melbourne up here. The reason why I put the city in proximity there is because I'm doing cities on the other ones and I didn't want to put a county. Um, but I do understand that the Space Coast EDC does the efforts of all of Bard County. Um, but to talk about that, um, they

operate a a private organization that's funded through member dues and contracts. Um they have facilitated more than 500 million in north of Grman expansions, helped retain healthy Harris um and they continue to advocate for the municipalities within uh the Space Coast in Bvard County. So [clears throat] all in all these these comparisons reinforce one message when governance, resources and missions are aligned, communities actually achieve substantial results. Now we will move into the portion um for the recommended strategy. So drawing on these best practices, the city's proposed approach is actually a phased economic development organization strategy. Um it emphasizes four pillars, targeted programs, strong governance and structure, diversified funding sources, and transparent performance metrics. Um this framework allows us to start modestly and then establish credibility through performance and then grow capacity responsibly over time. Um it also ensures that council retains full oversight as that organization evolves. So the [clears throat] programs I'm going to go over are just areas that I've identified that I feel programs need to be set up to address. The the first priority is business recruitment and marketing. Um we will proactively target aerospace, defense, advanced ma manufacturing and logistics firms, sectors that all align with Titusville's workforce and geographic advantages. Um marketing efforts will highlight our proximity to Kennedy Space Center. Um existing industrial parks and speculative build sites ready for occupancy.

But by creating consistent branding um and the digital outreach and a single point of contact for site selectors, we could actually position Titusville um as the most business ready community on Florida Space Coast. Second program pillar is workforce training and talent development. Um, economic development succeeds only when residents can fill the jobs we attract. Um, to that end, we would expand partnerships with Bard public schools, um, Eastern Florida State College, uh, and local employers to align curricula and certifications with industry demand. This means expanding apprenticeship opportunities uh quick start upskilling programs uh and pathways for students and transitioning workers into high wage technical careers by linking education directly to the employer's needs. Titusville will build a skilled laborbased companies require um while ensuring residents benefit first from that local growth. Next one is site readiness and infrastructure grants. So a frequent barrier to attracting major employers is that suitable sites exist but they lack the essential infrastructure things utilities, access roads, grading. This program will fund pre-development improvements to eliminate those bottlenecks and accelerate project timelines. Each grant would be tied to measurable milestones. For instance, pad completion, permitting readiness, or infrastructure certification. By investing in readiness rather than speculation, the city ensures funds are used efficiently and only when real prospects are in play.

This initiative will make Titusville more competitive with communities that already have indust industrial ready parcels, allowing us to move at the speed of business. Our fourth pillar focuses on small business and entrepreneurship support. While recruitment of large employers draws attention, it's our small businesses that sustain local vitality. This program will expand technical assistance, [snorts] offer access to incubator space, provide lowinterest revolving loans, and connect entrepreneurs with mentors and professional services. The object The objective here is to help local companies scale up, bridge early stage financing gaps, and retain high-v value firms that might otherwise relocate. By investing in entrepreneurs, we're investing investing in self-reliance, building wealth within the community instead of importing it from the outside. And the fifth and final program category [clears throat] is real estate redevelopment and catalyst projects. This component recognizes that strategic redevelopment can transform underutil under underutilized areas into economic engines. A good example is the Sears Mall project, which demonstrates potential for more than 1500 new jobs in an estimated 28.6 million in annual GDP. Projects like this combine private investment with targeted public improvements such as site remediation, road access, public space upgrades. The goal is not to substitute public funding for private risk, but to catalyze reinvestment where market conditions have stalled progress. These projects, when executed carefully,

become visible proof points that the city's long-term commitment to revitalization. So, to summarize the program portfolio, our approach balances immediate recruitment goals with long-term resilience, business recruitment, workforce development, site readiness, small business support, and redevelopment projects. Together they create a comprehensive ecosystem that supports companies at every stage of growth. So now I am going to move on to our governance and structure. [clears throat] Staff recommends creating a seven member board to oversee the economic development organization. Each council member would appoint one director and two at large members will be selected by council from a list of chamber nominated candidates. Chamber of Commerce would submit a minimum of five candidates and council will vote for two at large. The executive director will be appointed by the city manager and supported administratively through existing city resources maintaining accountability through the annual budget process. Sector specific advisory committees such as aerospace, logistics or small business and entrepreneurship will provide technical expertise and stakeholder engagement. And then finally, accountability [clears throat] will be codified through quarterly reports, conflict of interest policies and independent audits. So this would ensure that transparency um and preserves the public trust while allowing for professional autonomy. So in short, governance will be strong enough to guarantee oversight yet flexible enough to act with business level responsiveness.

The next component is funding sources. A diversified portfolio that protects sustainability. First, a one-time seed fund estimated at 500,000 would launch a loan grant program or revolving fund to capitalize early projects and site readiness. Second, an annual appropriation or a restricted fund through the city's general fund approved each fiscal year by council that would support staff programs and operations. Staff's recommendation on the annual appropriation for that would be anywhere from a range of 300 to 700,000. Third, the city may evaluate the creation of a 20-year tax inc tax tax increment financing district consistent with Florida statutes to generate ongoing revenue for strategic projects. Fourth, a set aside of incremental FPL franchise fees from new developments could provide a stable locally controlled funding stream. Now elaborating on those two, um what I would propose on that is as FPL franchise fees scale, as new development comes online, then you can decrease the amount of the annual appropriations that are done through the budgeting process. So essentially, you would replace one with the other. Um and then finally, we would aggressively pursue supplemental sources, state, federal grants, philanthropic funds, private memberships, and cost sharing agreements. This blend of funding ensures that we're not relying on a single source and that every dollar invested has a clearly defined purpose and return. [clears throat and cough] Accountability remains central to this

strategy. Performance will be measured using objective indicators including the number of new business wins and projects completed. Jobs created and total capital investment secured. Improvements in permitting times and site readiness velocity, loan grant deployment and repayment rates, workforce placements aligned to target industries, and fiscal outcomes such as taxable value growth and leverage ratios. So quarterly reports will summarize these outcomes and council will have full visibility into both quantitative metrics and qualitative milestones. Our intent is to make progress measurable, transparent, and aligned with council's strategic goals. This brings us to transitional phases. [clears throat] Phase one establishes the foundation, governance, staffing, and baseline program operations. Indicators of success will include an active board, approved budget, and early program deliverables such as a recruitment pipeline and initial grants issued. Only when those objectives are met would we advance to the next phase. This discipline milestonebased approach safeguards the city from overextension and it ensures progress is built on performance. Phase two focuses on expansion and partnership. By this stage, we expect private sector contributions to grow, multiple program strings to be active, and measurable increases in deal volume and site readiness. [snorts] Independent audits and thirdparty reviews will validate our progress. This phase demonstrates that the model is financially sustainable and

operationally sound before further independence is considered. Phase three represents maturity transitioning from a primarily public entity to a public private and eventually private economic development organization. Readiness indicators will include sustained private funding of at least 30%, consistent governance stability, positive audits for multiple years, and demonstrated capacity to manage programs independently. At this point, the city will continue to provide oversight through policy alignment, but the day-to-day operations will be led by the organization's own board and staff. This final phase ensures continuity of effort even as admin administrative structures evolve. So in summary, staff recommends a deliberate transition over the next 10 to 20 years beginning as a public EDO evolving into a public private EDO and ultimately a private EDO. This evolution reduces dependence on local government funds while maintaining transparency and accountability. It's important to recognize that economic development is a long-term strategy, not a short-term initiative. The key is consistency, providing the stability that business and industry seek when choosing where to invest. By adopting this phase approach, the city ensures the future growth is both fiscally responsible and strategically sustainable. So in closing, staff respectfully request council's direction on two items. First, to approve the establishment of

the economic development organization governance framework and board appointment process as described. Second, to select one or more of the proposed funding sources or a combination thereof to initiate operations. With council's guidance tonight, staff will prepare the necessary resolutions and budget amendments to bring back for formal adoption. This approach will allow Titusville to maintain momentum, strengthen local control, and ensure that our community continues to benefit from the expanding Space Coast economy. Thank you, Mayor and Council, for your attention, continued support. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Well, it wasn't three hours, so I'm a little disappointed, but I definitely appreciate it.

I sped it up a little. Um, while we did schedule this special city council meeting so that we could take action if we deemed appropriate, um, two days ago Sarah informed us that she was not going to be here and requested that we not take action. But that being said, technically if we're not taking a because I I feel, you know, hopefully speaking for everybody that, you know, we usually don't like to take action without everybody here and having their their voice heard. Um, so we most likely will not Uh, but I still want to give everybody an opportunity to to speak if they put a card in even though we're not taking any action. Um, so with that, city clerk, could you call any cards?

I don't have any cards. Okay. Well, that was pretty easy. Um, me member Nelson. Uh, we don't have cards, but I don't know if anybody under petitions or requests wants to. So that'd be after the fact, but we're not talking about um we're specifically talking about the item we're here to address. Um so council, do you have any questions for Nick? I think we have one speaker and maybe you can speak and then fill out a card.

Bart, if you want to talk, you can fill it out after. Yeah, I thought I saw some people turning in cards, so that's why I wanted to get to uh the folks that wanted to say something.

Well, good evening and thank you for having this meeting. First of all, let me thank Councilman Cole for your service. I think that it's two days late, but it should be an entire month. So, to all the veterans, it's never too late. Yes. Thank you. So my name is Bart Gchens and I was a member of the SEDC. I am the past chair of the county EDC and I am the deposed chair of the North Bard economic development zone. Thank you, Commissioner Goodson. Uh, first I wanted to tell you that if you asked a realtor to show you waterfront property and they took you somewhere west of I95, you probably wouldn't retain them. And when I hear things like, well, we already have an EDC. Cuz this was a battle when we went before the county commissioners. You guys are on your feet. You're doing well. Which I debated and said no. But the consultants control the EDC process. if they don't know about Titusville. They know about Melbourne, they don't know about Titusville. So when they come to see Linda Weatherman and the EDC, you can't bring them up here and say, "Let's go see Titusville." And they're they've already got their mind made up on Melbourne because they are aware of Melbourne. Melbourne has a strong presence. You look at what the EDC did way back when when they got Northrum to come here and Embraer. Now that airport is booming and the tax dollars are flowing into the city of Melbourne. Um so when you have again consultants control the process uh the jobs that these companies bring in the tax the jobs and the taxes they bring in help pay for new roads and salaries and projects that make this an even greater community

without raising taxes or at least keeping the tax rate low. funding economic development is a sound investment in our community. Uh incentives offered can seal the deal. So when Jeff Bezos goes out and says, "I'm looking for a site," he's going to look for incentives. Why? Because he's got a board of directors. He's got shareholders. And besides, if he can save a dollar, he's going to save a dollar. That's the way it works. You look no further than Austin, Texas. Austin, Texas right now is booming. And why is it booming? Why is it bringing in young people? Why is it having parks and they're building nice roads and doing all these wonderful things? They are competitive. They are combative when it comes to the EDC process. Every single job in America now right now, every relocation, every new new uh business is looking at Austin, Texas because they're handing out money. What is that money doing? It's an investment in the community. it is bringing the right kind of jobs that we need. So, I'm in favor of this proposal. I know it's a it's tight budgets, but I believe this absolutely pays for itself, if not has a great return on investment, and we've already seen that with the North Boulevard economic development zone. I mean, that's proven. So, in funding this, I believe we can make North Boulevard, especially Titusville, an even greater greater place in which to work, live, and play for everyone. And I thank you.

Thank you. Anybody else put a card in that I didn't see? City clerk. No cards. No.

I am Robert Jordan, 1750 Lakeside Drive, Titusville. U first I want to applaud Nicholas for doing a great job of um explaining just how difficult this job is going to be. You have to understand economic development is not something that you just can say I'm gonna do one day and then expect to be successful the next day. It's going to take a long time and it's going to take a lot of effort and you got to have the processes in place. You just can't do it. Um there's always people who say don't be spending my money on this and all but investments basically guarantee you if you do it right that there's going to be a future. And in my opinion we've got to have a future for our young kids. We've got to have a future for the city. If you look at what is required for the city in the future and all the projects that they have on the on as you all know uh on the table, it requires millions of dollars. The citizens that we have here now, the almost 50,000 um uh members cannot afford to pay for all the things that is needed. The challenge that we have is is time. time continues on and if time is continuing on all the infrastructure is getting older and it's going to cost you more tomorrow than it's going to cost you today. So I I kind of smiled when Nicholas was talking about 20 years down the road and all this stuff. I said I don't plan to be here to tell you the truth. But for young people like Nicholas and others who are looking for a positive future uh I really think that this is the right place and the right thing to do today. Let's not just wait until the last minute when you actually have to do something and you don't have any money to invest. Investments as a business person in any business is what it's going to cost you to actually make money in the future. So I s ask that you

council members really think seriously about investing in the future by putting money in today. $500,000 is actually not a lot of money when you look at uh what we had in the north bar economic development zone. Stan's going to be kind of coming up here also. Three of us were on the economic north bar economic development zone and we like to think we were very successful in what we were doing. But the bottom line was you had business people on that board who understood the business process. Politics involved in economic development can go ary. So if you really want it to to work, you got to give empower the board the responsibility of doing the right things for the citizens of Titusville. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening. Stan Rhettz Titusville. [clears throat] I really didn't come prepared to talk, but Robert said I had to, so I will. Um, I was fortunate enough to serve on the North Bard Economic Development Zone board for 11 years from its first meeting. Um, as you probably know, I'm a CPA, been practicing 45 years, all [clears throat] here in Titusville, been financial adviser, wealth management practice for 28 years, business consultant. And one of the things I did on the zone is we really tried to look at each project and what would the return was and tried to look up real quickly. But um the Miracle City Mall was assessed for somewhere around $3 million or less in 200 five maybe. I I looked it up but before the the redevelopment uh today just the main part is 26 million. It's probably over 30 35 million. So, we would always look and I asked Troy um and he always provided it to us when we looked at these deals. What's the award we're giving the grant and what are we going to collect in additional taxes as a result of it? And and it was almost always a significant return. It wasn't an expense. It was an investment. We spend money to get them all redeveloped. Significantly more tax dollars come in as a result. The whole time of the zone, we never had one failure. The first um project presented to us was Rocket Crafters. We made a grant. They did not comply with the uh requirements to get the money. They never got a penny. We had uh Embryair Seating Technology. We gave them an award. After [clears throat] several years, they decided they weren't going to meet the requirements. They gave us all the money back. Sold that property to um Kimco or not Kimco. I can't remember the name. Yeah, Bob's um anyway, another success

story. Um as a business guy, business consultant, it just makes sense that I hope we continue with some sort of a tiff format. Um I did not get a chance to really study the presentation before here. I just got in late. So I think it's a great deal. It's don't look as an expense. Look as an investment and an improvement. So thank you. Thank you very much. See clerk. Are there any other cards? No other cards. Thank you. City council, anybody? Member Nelson.

The only thing that concerns me about the governor's structure is I sort of feel like we should have instead of each of us appointing a member that we should have a pool where we rank them. Sort of like we did with our attorney. Uh, and second, I was sort of concerned and thought we should have some qualifications because like I I was talking to Tom and I was like, so I come in and I appoint my cousin who has no idea uh what she's doing and that's we need people that are involved in business. So I don't remember if the zone had qualifications for the members. It did not.

Three city appointments, three county appointments. Okay. I just thoughtification. Okay. I just thought it might be better if we had some qualifications um for the members i.e. back, business background, um, economic development, something along those lines. So, that was my thought. Thank you, Member Nelson. And Mosao.

Yeah. Um, I would agree. I think that it's it would be a good idea to have qualifications. I do personally like the idea of being able to appoint someone. I think this is kind of a rare opportunity for us, but definitely with those qualifications. Um, I do have a question about the um the executive director and that would come out of the [snorts] Titusville budget. Is that correct? Actually, it would probably be uh Nick would probably be appointed executive director. That's the way it's always been in the past. Similar to the uh CRA where the city manager is also executive director. It would be the same thing. So, it would be Nick. So, we will we be hiring another Nick to replace Nick? No. Nick will just have more work.

We're clone and Nick. Perfect. I I just I'm just looking at it from the budget standpoint. I know that we're trying to be extra careful. Additional person.

Okay. Perfect. Thank you. And then Nick, I have one more question for you. Um with the programs, how are the programs different than what NBEDs was doing or is it very similar? So when I listed the programs um the point was these are [clears throat] areas that I've identified that we have gaps that need to be addressed. The goal would be once the governing board is stood up then those individuals would put together the you know recommendations of the programs the bylaws all the other um founding documentation but these are just areas that I have specifically identified um where there's opportunity. So that answers your question.

Yeah. Was NBEDS doing a lot I mean a lot of it I see NBEDS was doing. Were there things that that you're kind of proposing in the programs that perhaps they weren't doing or is it mainly it's a lot of overlap. Um I mean it was you guys still did infrastructure and site but not necessarily full site readiness. Correct. Troy you would. Okay. Um yeah I mean there is some overlap in them. Yes. Yep. I think the biggest difference I noticed is the big incentive on small business and business development, the incubator, those type of things. Those are things that we do not currently,

if memory served correctly, embeds focused on three primary areas. Job creation, infrastructure, and workforce development. So adding that component for small business and incubator startup, I think makes sense given our our community. Uh, Vice Mayor Cole,

you know, I I came in prepared. I thought it was a good idea that each one of us appointed someone, but as I listened to uh member Nelson, I think that's a better idea to have some form of of qualifications. Uh I was I I'd like to ask if you thought that someone or a direct direct line of communication with the SBA would help in this particular board. I'm asking anybody out there to answer me if because you guys were part of the board. Do you think that if we had some form of direct direct line of communication with SBA because when small businesses come in there may be opportunities for them to get SBA loans or something like that. That's just a question. Anybody?

That's what I was about to say. They're just a a resource. So I wouldn't suggest that something like that happen. I I I must say that member Nelson is right because that's my biggest concern to be honest with you. You got to have qualified people who understand business, understand economic development or it's not going to work. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Thank you. I'm good.

Yeah. Well, we could, you know, have a deep discussion of qualifications and and some of those things are very subjective. you know, if you don't have an MBA, but how many years of being self-employed works, you know, um or we can institute our own our own form of checks and balances where we each get somebody to appoint, but with a vote of a supermajority, that appointment could be overruled is an option, but because I can see us splitting hairs on what is qualified. I mean again it it could be very subtle but it was just an idea because you know I I do think overall the elected officials representative people want to see their community succeed and that's why I don't think we had an issue with it on the embeds board because every single appointment that was made was a very qualified person to serve on that board. Um, you had business owners, multi multi-millionaires, and me for a second as a liaison, but I wasn't anywhere qualified, but I just got that because I was mayor. Uh, but, you know, I think we as council can set those parameters on ourselves and um see what see what that holds. So, um, city attorney, I do have a question.

Sure. I believe one of the ordinances states that the mayor determines who the chair is of all newly formed committees. Would this be something similar? I would have to uh take that under advisement and look at the uh ordinance and get back to you, mayor. Okay. If you don't mind, I just wanted to point of clarification because if that is the case, then I want to make sure uh we pick somebody who knows how to run a meeting too. Um, and that could be added as one of the qualifications if the board so desires or council so desires. Yeah. But I'll look look into that and get back to you.

Council, what do you guys think of the funding mechanisms? Vice Mayor. No, no. I just want to go back to the membership and I'm always looking for an easy way out, I guess. Mhm. You know, the board that was existing was excellent qualifications and everything. And my suggestion would be if any of those members are willing to serve to step forward and say, "Hey, I'm willing to serve." We know their qualifications. We know what they're capable of. So, it would make it a bit easier for us in our selection process.

Okay. Um, I just want to make sure that we're not splitting hairs or put the card before the horse. I just want to make sure we all agree that this is a good idea, you know, before we start going, "All right, how does this look?" specifically. Uh I think um Nick gave us a great framework to build off of and of course we still haven't um heard from Dr. Sarah Stokal. Member Nelson. Oh, I beat you. I think she undid it and then redid it. You were right.

Um I like the idea. I think it's a great idea. I can say when Sarah and I ran way back in 2016, we campaigned together because we went into neighborhoods that were a little sketchy and I remember running into a guy from Valuchia County and he was their economic development director up there and he said, "We can't compete with you guys. you guys are just killing us and uh made me happy. I was sort of smiling said gee I'm sorry. So I think it's a great idea. So yeah, I do want to go for it. It would be I would hope that the MBEZ uh members would apply and we could appoint them. You guys had what? Nine members and we're only going to have seven. So, we might have to throw two people out. Um, but I would hope that you guys reapply for this.

Thank you very much. Member Mscos.

Yeah, I think we um if we can discuss the funding as well, I think that's really important. And so, uh, Nicholas, I would love if you'd feel comfortable sharing what what you would propose. I think [clears throat] what I would propose um is utilizing the annual restricted funds in that approach. Um, it's something that can be adjusted and approved uh on an annual basis. and then also looking at leveraging those franchise fees for development as it comes on. Um to give it [clears throat] you kind of give an example if a development let's say comes online and generates $400,000 annually um to the city uh off FPL franchise fees. Currently 100% of those fees are going into the general fund. Now, uh, as a point of clarification on, I wouldn't say to capture any of the funds from anything other than those new developments that came online to be able to fund it over time, but if you had a $400,000 project coming online and you earmark 25% of those funds and 75% of them still go to the general fund, then that 100,000, you know, that's a great starting point. Um, and over time that will grow as new development comes online. then you can reduce the amount on the annual um trust fund but also start counting on contributions from private sector as we start establishing a um a track record and I see that we we get about 3.6 million from the FPL franchise fees and so this would be additional for um new builds. Um my question is with um I'm definitely for this. I think we need economic growth and we need to invest um with we don't know right now what is

going to happen with um in the state with um with property taxes. And so I think that's something we also have to be mindful of. And so when we're talking about are we talking about we're not talking about the entire 3.6 million. Are we talking like 300,000 or 300? You said 300 to 700,000 for an an for the annual. Okay. Um that's what I would recommend. Okay. Um that is a range and then the the 1.7 that we had from inbeds would that be our seed money possibly for the first three years and then from there we would move on to to if we chose the source to the FPL franchise to

I'd have to take a look to see exactly how much of that those funds are not already committed. Okay. Um because there are the existing projects that are committed to those funds have to be used for that. Do we know how much is is committed? Does anybody know? Refer to Troy. So is so the whole thing is already committed.

Well, just point of information. We got about a half million dollars back from our city tiff that the county was maintaining that we have already set aside. Um we will probably be getting back the other 1.6 6 1.7 million for us to hold on to that is committed to the mall project and we'll just you know sit on that until it pays out if and when it pays out. Uh and we'll be collecting interest on that and generating income on that uh to use for these purposes. Uh what Nick I believe was saying is right now our franchise fees are at 3.6 six as new development comes online and that goes up, it's the delta. And then he was also saying to fund it from multiple different funding mechanisms. So it's not all just in one out of one piggy bank. So you can use things like uh an appropriation from our council out of our general fund from three to 100 to 700,000 along with these FPL fees until they get to a point where we don't need this other.

So it was kind of what like a a bunch of different cuts of the apple. So, you didn't have to, you know, take it all out of one pot, but we already have some seed money set aside for this purpose. So, the 500 set aside, then FPL, and then So, you would give us I mean, I know we're not making a decision right now, but kind of a breakdown of where this would come from. Yep. Okay. Yeah.

If I may, I I think that's something that I need to work out with the finance director and and Nick, but I I do agree. Um the preferred we talked about is to set up some type of restricted fund similar to the reserve stabilization fund done by a council resolution stating that each year as part of the annual appropriations process. A certain amount of money which is to be specifically restricted for economic development not used for administrative will be embedded in the city manager's proposed budget for council approval to be used for these tools such economic incentives. Now as far as the amount we do have $500,000 already seed money. Um I've already spoken to the county manager regarding the $1.6 million and he is agreeable that they'll transfer it to us. we just have to do the proper paperwork but also the caveat is with that comes the program management for that project and right now part of it is getting that governance in place so we can do that. So I I think uh you know what Nick is saying is right on that I think we can make it work but predecisional as far as the exact amount

and just a point of information we already had 1.2 2 million being siphoned off out of our general fund and being earmarked to economic development and going into the north of our economic development trust fund. Um that got absorbed into the general fund this year. But with the half a million dollars as seed money to get us through this year, as we go into next budget season, we can look as a council as to how much we would like to kick into that bucket outside of these other potential funding mechanisms. Vice Mayor Cole, quick question for finance. Are there restrictions on seizure monies that are brought in by the police department?

Yes, there are restrictions on what we can do with that. Oh, absolutely.

Yes, sir. So, so part of if you noticed, I had wrote a a letter of recommendation that was part of this packet. So, I did not put any specific dollars amount in there as far as staff recommendation goes. that came from Nick. But what I would say is it does need to be part of the budget build. So while we have funding that we can set aside, it does need to take into account all of the priorities that the city has for funding. Uh that would include union changes, union benefit changes, salary changes, all of the operating costs that are up capital. So it would get combined in the entire budget build and then be the consideration of the city manager of how we could work how much we could work into that. Thank you. Any other questions? I have a question for you.

Okay. I know that we said we weren't going to vote on anything tonight, but basically we can make recommendations to come before our next council meeting. Yes, we can vote to add it to the next agenda. Yes. So I'm thinking we can kind of quasi make our decisions on what we want to do and once member Stokal is present [clears throat] we can probably finalize it. Can't we do the bulk of it? Can we do the bulk of it now or do we need to wait for the next meeting? We we're waiting out of professional courtesy. Understand?

You know the city attorney, you keep buzzing in and buzzing out. So, I don't know if you want to say anything or not, but uh it would be my recommendation if that's the way we want to go that the next city council meeting there's a presentation meeting and as far as I understand there's nothing tenatively scheduled on special presentation next meeting. Um we haven't finalized yet, but it's it's very light for the 25th agenda. Yeah. So, what I would recommend is just adding this as uh on the special presentation so that uh Dr. Stokal could maybe ask some of her questions. We can have discussion and then also put it on the agenda for that night for any action that we decide to take.

That's my understanding as well. You want to wait until you have a full council to make definitive decisions on both the governance and the funding and we can um go ahead and and work on an agenda item for presentation on the 25th. City attorney, you buzzed in and buzzed out again. [laughter] Like I keep thinking you want to say something. I look over and it's gone just by my manners or am I uh [laughter] or am I hitting something? I I don't think I am. Okay. I'm just All right. No.

Okay. Um, so yeah, that that would be my recommendation is that we add it to the special presentation for further discussion and then also that next city council meeting uh as an action item. Who would like to make the motion? I'll make that motion. All right. I'll second. Thank you. [laughter] Herman usually tries to to beat you to it, but he must be out of it. All right. I have a motion and I have a second. All those in favor say I.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Nick, for for your hard work on this. I know we've been um kicking the can down the road for a long time and and hopefully at the next council meeting uh we have our roadmap forward. Now is the time of the meeting for petitions or requests from the public non-aggenda items. Seeing none. [laughter] I knew we couldn't go through a meeting without you.

Well, I'm an evolved citizen. Shalo Tropic Street. Unlike member, former member Jordan who doesn't plan to be around for the next 20 years. I've just laid to rest my mom who was 101 years, nine months, and three days old. So, I plan on being around in Titusville in 20 years. And I Yes, he he does. He's brought me to you.

I know. So, I would appreciate that when you consider this, and I know these guys are all out of my league. I am not in their class. I'm not of the um type that gets to go to the mayor's ball, buy a ticket, and I'm sure I can't afford it.

I live on a very fixed income. But what I wanted to say before my three minutes is up is that I would appreciate that you would consider the types of businesses. And I know they said aerospace and um the thing that bothered me though was the industry and I I would like to see I would like to see Titusville being right across the Indian River Lagoon from the space center to be very spaceoriented and to solicit and encourage space type businesses to come here. No more cement crushing factories. No bleach production factories. No kinds of industry that's going to be detrimental to our ecology, to our citizens, to our well, I said the ecology, but I'm going to spell it out for you. to our wetlands and to our limited forested areas that you would be very careful in solicit and I'm speaking mostly to the guys who are going to be running this thing to only encourage the types of businesses that are positive and will offer good things if they manufacture it won't be harmful things that could possibly be detrimental to the population, to the wildlife, to the poor little old gopher tortoises to take that into consideration and only have spaceoriented things. Why not? Thank you.

Thank you very much. I would just caution everybody that if we put all of our eggs in one basket, such as space, we run into um the lessons of the past where our economy was decimated after Apollo, after the Challenger, after the shuttle shuttle again. You know, it it it's happened so many times. We we do need to focus on diversification in our areas and uh I think taking this step will will help move us in the right direction. Are you make a motion? I made that motion. Motion to adjourn. Yeah, we're adjourned. Thank you.