City Commission - Regular Meeting

Agenda review session of the City Commission meeting of Wednesday, June 17th to order. On Monday night, I will not be here, so this will be Mayor Pro Tem Mercer's show on Monday night, but she is capable and ready to roll with it. So with that, we'll have a roll call for this evening.

Yes, Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Davis, who's not present. Commissioner Dollison. Here. Commissioner Birdsong? Here. Mayor Pro Tem Mercer? Here. And Mayor Yates?

Here. All right, we'll have an indication, then we'll have the pledge, and we do have a presentation this evening from the Citrus Connection.

Aaron Killebrew will do the presentation this evening. And this is part of an annually we ask Citrus Connection Lakeland Area Mass Transit District to come forward and share with you what's happening in the mass transit world serving Winter Haven and what is on the horizon as far as our share of cost for fiscal year 26-27. Thanks, Gilbert.

Thank you. I apologize, Mr. Mayor. I thought you were doing the invocation first. I was not spacing. Erin Killebrew-Kinlaw, Director of External Affairs for Citrus Connection, Polk County's transit authority. I'm going to go through these pretty quickly. I've been given my marching orders by the mayor. So this is your ridership. This looks a little bit different than it has in the past. I like graphs better than I like pie charts, so here we are. You can see from fiscal year 21 through this year where we stand as far as fixed route ridership goes. Obviously, we always have ebb and flows. I would like to point out fiscal year 24-25 that the ridership is considerably low there. That is not for your last year. We went through our system for our buses for GPS, miles traveled, those kinds of things. It's called a veil. We went through a major overhaul that year, and at about mid-March, we stopped using a veil. So that is not your numbers for 24-25. I just want to be completely transparent that we did from mid-March on, we stopped counting ridership totals. Obviously, fiscal year 25-26 is not up yet. So that's why it's only 52,000. We are expected to be over 100,000 rides at the end of this fiscal year. I also would like to point out that these numbers are only within the city limits of Lake Wales, of Winter Haven at your stops. These do not include our UAPs. So anybody that has a Polk State badge is not counted here. Anybody that has a Polk County School Board badge is not included on here. So these are just your citizens that are writing that are not covered under any other contract that we have. At the bottom you'll see ADA and TD. TD is covered by the state. ADA is technically covered by you if you get rid of big bus service. ADA goes away. That's kind of our first mile, last mile. If you were within three-quarters of a mile of a bus stop, you were eligible for ADA service. That is door-to-door medical appointments, those kinds of things. 2022 until 2026, we had no increase as far as your contribution to Citrus Connection. You can see how much your population has increased. I did double-check the population with MJ. It seemed... A little off in four years, but he said it's correct. You can see your mileage on there. You can see that our vehicle revenue mile increased significantly. That is not from 2022. That's actually from 2020, but those are the numbers we use to calculate your pricing in 2022. We have not increased your municipal share or what we used to call fair shares in that amount of time, and we picked a heck of a time to do it now. So I would like to say that our board and staff have come up with a plan of increasing by 4%. Because we have not increased your dollar amount in four years, We feel like 4% is fair, price of fuel, diesel, all the things, wear and tear on the vehicles. Again, we have proposed a year one and a year two. This was done before the state legislator met during their special session. and we have what we're facing now. So we understand if you can't go past the year one, we would like to talk about year one, but this is a 4% increase from what you have paid for fiscal year 25-26. So from that 200,093, it would go to 305. And again, pictures go to words bad. The red shaded areas in the map are what you guys cover as the municipality. The blue is the routes in general within the city limits of Winter Haven. And then the green is all other funding. So that would be the county, grants, FTA, those kinds of things. I give this to you every year. This is just for full transparency so you can see what we're asking other cities to do. We're asking them to do the same with the 4%. I do have a couple of commitments from other cities, but that could change at any moment for that two-year period. I think we're all going to have to look at where we go from here. And questions?

Commissioners?

c manager when would we have that discussion on one-year versus two years so we budgeted uh... based upon communications i had with uh... skin lock and the others at lamb ted tom phillips uh... on these numbers probably month-and-a-half go two months ago anticipating what the number would be for our budget uh... development and we have factored this into budget for fiscal year twenty six twenty seven we have a as you can see significant demand for the ridership uh... that is what when we changed our contract around it's probably been i don't know what probably five or six years ago now we're maybe not even that far back we we combined multiple contracts into one because remember we also pay for the sunday route for lego land which not only lego land but a lot of our hoteliers now depend upon that to help get their workforce, their housekeeping staff predominantly, to take care of those properties. And out in the Legoland area where you have the two on site plus the beach retreat plus just up the way right quarter mile uh... the courtyard that's impactful there so we we understand uh... the rising cost of the the maintenance of the vehicles and certainly fuel costs this year have been extremely impactful that four percent increase was something we felt was appropriate went ahead and programmed that into the budget for next year. And then I think, in reality, it's good to know what year two looks like today, but I also know that we've got to wait and see what does that number really look like pending current legislative predicaments that are out there, because I'm not the expert on the LAMTED budget, but certainly There is special taxing dollars that go into their Lakeland side, but there's also county dollars that go in to offset the transit, as you heard. Some of those routes in Winter Haven are offset by county revenues, and as the county looks to should you have property tax reform what impact they're going to face how that transitions into their contribution towards mass transit and so on so we can we factored in the 305 but year two we will evaluate as we get closer to it i think this discussion probably rolls partly into our upcoming work session on this subject as well but i i would certainly think you know

in the grand scheme of cuts and the rest of the commission would, would obviously weigh in on this. But in my opinion, um, transportation is probably at the bottom of that list that, that, you know, you try to do something different with, but, um, you know, like you said, we'll see what happens.

Yeah, I think that in the transportation world, the people that are most dependent upon these services are those that don't really have opportunities or alternatives to get to schools, doctors, shopping, you know, whatever, work, those types of things. So I think that that is something to be very sensitive to.

Yeah, it's one of those things that, I don't know, a few years ago, we actually... There were a lot of people struggling with gypsy cab situations. People were taking advantage of it because we were actually pushing for extended routes and bore routes, actually, I think sometimes we take for granted because many of us do have automobiles, more than one sometimes, that there are many others who do not have transportation and rely heavily on this. Question I would ask that with 4%, and you also showed the other cities, are they asked also to do 4% as well?

Yes, sir. We are asking. So I will be completely transparent with you. Haines City and Davenport are not on here. They never made it to their 33% of what we were asking from six years ago. So they are still not to that original number. So their numbers look a little bit different. We're doing $10,000, $15,000 increases at a time. But everybody else, yes, sir. We have asked 4% of everybody.

So how has that been received? Has that been...

No, sir. So before special session, great. After that, it's gone from two-year conversations to one-year conversations. But everybody, just like you all, everybody has understood that we haven't asked for an increase in several years. We were trying to give everybody a break after COVID, and then it just kind of turned into, well, let's give everybody a little bit more of a break, and then know we picked a heck of a year to to ask for that increase and in full transparency as far as the lamb ted citrus connection side or the the old what side we have had no preliminary conversations with the county yet about what those cuts are going to look like to us aaron do you know off the top of your head how much money comes in from the county 4.3 million this year so you have to think 4.3 million we also use that money as match money so it's actually double that

Well, it certainly sounds reasonable. I think that, you know, the fact that you haven't raised in all these years, our population has increased, and we also see that many more are taking advantage of the services. So, you know, I think that's very, as you stated, it's the manager that does appear to be a reasonable amount. All right.

Thank you for the presentation.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.

All right, no development to note at this point. We'll have one set of minutes to review. Consent agendas are pretty much the entire rest of the meeting, so we'll run through those, and I'll let you fire at will, City Manager.

Thank you, sir. I'll ask Brittany Hart to come forward. The first item is the North Lake Ship Drive Complete Street Project Engineering Services Award of Contract, Kimberly Horn. This is something that you all are familiar with, this project. In fact, we just had today Congressman Franklin here at City Hall who helped secure funds for this. Ms. Hart?

Good evening, Mayor, Commissioners. So North Lake Ship Drive has become a critical corridor within our city's transportation network. It is serving as a connection between our residential neighborhoods, the downtown area, as well as our schools and medical facilities. And as you are aware, is connecting between some major arterial roadways. And as the city has grown, this has just become a route that is heavily utilized by our residents and visitors throughout the county. So this infrastructure within this corridor is aging and is requiring some significant rehabilitation and replacement. to be able to maintain for our current transportation needs as well as our future and our utility demands. So in addition to the roadway construction, our project will address the drainage improvements that are needed, water and wastewater utility upgrades and relocations, and it will also enhance multimodal connectivity throughout with the addition of sidewalk and a multi-use path. To advance the project, the city has issued a request for qualifications for professional engineering and design services, and we had three firms submit proposals. The Professional Services Committee met to evaluate and rank those submissions, and the rankings resulted in Kimley Horn and Associates as the top-ranked firm, followed by Carter & Kay Engineering and DCC Infrastructure as third. The committee did not request presentations from those. However, we did make a recommendation of award to Kimley Horn, and that was posted on April 17th, and there were no protests received during that period. If the commission were to approve this award, the city manager or his designee will be authorized to negotiate the professional services agreement with Kimley Horn for the design of North Lake Ship Drive. And in that result, there will be a final scope and fee. From a funding standpoint, we have $300,000 available in fiscal year 26, which is our current year, to begin that design phase. And then we will have additional funding that is anticipated in the fiscal year 2027. So we can complete that design. So we'll just get started this year and then move it into completion next year. We do have, um, as city manager mentioned a $2 million federal appropriation for the roadway construction of this project. And that was secured through Congressman Franklin in 2024. Um, I believe Congressman Franklin has also supported an additional funding request, um, in consideration for fiscal year, 2027. The project's going to align with the city's strategic plan under infrastructure pillar goal 3.2. which is focusing on taking a comprehensive approach to our transportation planning and the maintenance of our transportation assets. So we will ask that the commission approve the award of RFQ 2622 for North Lake Ship Drive Complete Street Project Engineering Services to Kimley Horn and Associates and authorize the city manager or his designee to negotiate and execute a professional service agreement for that design There will also need to be a budget transfer from the utility fund to the transportation fund in the amount of $100,000 for that $300,000 total that we mentioned and ask that they approve for any actions that is necessary to get that design agreement executed.

Any questions? It's been a long time on this project, so it's nice to see it getting off the ground, although we still... We're hopeful that Congressman Franklin, again, carrying this as a congressional appropriation, one of his, I think he said today, 15 projects that he could submit to carry this one and Willowbrook Road. So we'll keep our fingers crossed that that comes forward. Thank you. Next item is... for the conceptual design, 30% design on the East Lake Howard Drive Southwest Complete Project. Before I turn it over to Ms. Hart, this one may sound familiar to some of you because it goes back several years. You may recall we did the Lake Howard Trail on the north side of the lake. We had previously done a small section of trail that went from the Heritage Park dock southward towards Avenue B. This is a continuation of that trail system going south from where it terminates around the Barranco Clinic offices now all the way down to the canal at Lake May. So Ms. Hart, if you'll take that one.

Yes, sir. So as City Manager mentioned, in 2015, the city obtained a conceptual design for a trail along the eastern shoreline of Lake Howard. The original concept that was envisioned was extending the trail from its current end near Avenue A, Avenue B by Barranco Clinic, south towards the Lake May, Lake Howard Canal near Avenue D. Since that time, the city has done a ton of work to progress our Lake Howard Trail network. We completed a trail and pedestrian enhancements at Avenue D Southwest, so just before that Lake May, Lake Howard Canal, all the way back to 15th Street. We finished those in 2025, and we are currently advancing design of a roadway and pedestrian project that will pick up at 15th Street and carry towards Avenue C Southwest, just past the Lake Howard Nature Park. So as staff was evaluating the next phases of improvements along the corridor, we identified several infrastructure needs within the area of this trail. We also identified the need for drainage improvements, gravity sewer rehabilitation and replacement, and then roadway reconstruction. And since all of those needs overlap with the planned trail expansion, we decided that this would be an excellent opportunity to apply the city's dig ones philosophy and coordinate multiple infrastructure improvements into one project as to not inconvenience our residents anymore so kim lee horn a consultant under the city's continuing professional service contract developed a scope of work to prepare concept alternatives for sunset park in the eastern lake howard boat ramp area just past tom jennings cpa office and advanced the project to a 30 design We're envisioning this as a complete street project, which would have a shared use path, utility replacements, roadway reconstruction, and drainage enhancements. The scope of work that Kimley Horne identified includes surveying, existing conditions, assessments, right-of-way evaluation, geotech, some Sioux data exploration, a public engagement activity, concept development for the parks, and then the preparation of a 30% design plan for roadway, utility, and stormwater. With those concepts and that 30% design, the city staff would then be able to determine if we're able to fit that project within all of our existing right of way or if there would be any additional work that may be needed. So our plan would be to fund this out of the transportation fund. The fee associated with this 30% design work is $212,750. Yep, sorry. So this project is supporting the city's strategic plan under the quality of life pillar. Specifically, that is goal 2.4, expanding our access to recreational amenities with the trail. It also is supporting our infrastructure pillar, goal 3.2, and strategy 3.2.5, which would be a comprehensive transportation improvement project that expands our city's pedestrian network. So staff is going to recommend that the commission approve the consulting agreement with Kimley Horn and Associates for the 30% design of East Lake Howard Drive Southwest Complete Street project and authorize the city manager or his designee to execute the agreement and issue the purchase order.

How much is left of Lake Howard Drive after this project that we... So you've got this section, which is basically a gap fill between one of the first segments we did and then the most recent segment. You have a segment that will go from 15th Street Southwest, which is there on the south side of the lake as you come around from Tanner's Lakeside and Old Man Frank's. From there back to and just past South Lake Howard Nature Park, we have a project that has federal funding allocated towards that and then the balance is really just the west edge so from let's say avenue c south west back to avenue g and that's that's probably the the most difficult piece because they're such restricted right away in there but it's also the area in reality that needs it the most because there's no pedestrian infrastructure there at all. And you've got a lot of folks that are traveling that. You have Inwood Elementary near there. That's going to be a particularly challenging segment. How long do you think before it's all done?

michael john you want to take a stab at that um so this section you know we would just take this out to 30 design so it depends on the availability of funding for construction and then on the western side there's still design work that we would need to do there you know to take that out so if funding was available in the next few years to do that You know, it's probably not unfeasible that in a five to 10 year window, you know, you could see that completed sooner. You know, I mean, if again, funding's available and we'll, you know, we've chased grant opportunities for these projects in the past and having something like a 30% design on the shelf makes you more prepared to be able to do that.

I was hoping you were going to say by 2030.

Things can happen, but in this economy and this political environment, it could be tough. This one, this section here, we actually had funding for this many years ago and ended up putting that towards 7th Street because that project was ready to roll and we were able to get some trail connectivity through there. So there is pedestrian infrastructure. It's just that farther east of here. all right next item is um the another kimley horn item that is tied to the development of a transportation safety action plan several years ago when we had a group that traveled to dc we talked a lot about safe streets for all the county in coordination well actually dot did do a safe streets for all project that did contemplate some specific intersections within our environment that were part of their network. This one now focuses on more of the local roads. So Ms. Hart will give an update on this.

Yes, sir. So as city manager mentioned, in 2024, the city was awarded the U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets for All Road Grant in the amount of $184,000, which required a local match of $46,000. And we would use those funds to develop a transportation safety action plan. So the purpose of that plan would be to identify transportation concerns throughout the city and establish projects, policies, and strategies that will reduce roadway injuries and fatalities while improving safety for all users. The final plan is also intended to complement the FDOT Vision Zero plan by aligning our local safety priorities with broader statewide efforts to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities on both city and our state roads. So as a part of our grant requirements, a completed plan must be published on the city's public website by July 31st of 2028. So to complete this effort, Kimley Horn, a consultant under the city's continuing professional service contract, prepared a scope to create a safety action plan that meets all of the requirements of the Safe Streets for All grant, as well as the needs of the city. Kimley Horn will work closely with city staff and community stakeholders to establish our safety goals, analyze crash data and roadway safety trends, and identify opportunities to improve safety throughout our transportation network here in Winter Haven. The project's going to include public and stakeholder engagements throughout the community with workshops and online public input portal and coordination with agencies such as Polk County, the Polk County TPO, and the Florida Department of Transportation. Kim Linghorn will also be reviewing all of our existing policies, plans, and standards to identify further opportunities to improve our transportation safety. also use our crash data and field review and stakeholder input to identify the highest risk corridors within winter haven and develop that safety act safety improvement recommendation the estimated cost of those improvement projects and evaluate potential safety benefits so we can create a prioritized implementation strategy for our futures the completed safety action plan is anticipated to take 18 months from the notice to proceed and a final adoption is expected in late 2027. with that our total project cost is 230 000 the city will receive up to 184 000 in a federal reimbursement with our ss4a grants and the remaining 46 000 which is the city's local match will be funded through dollars within the streets division operating budget this project is going to align with the city's strategic plan under the infrastructure pillar specifically goal 3.2, which calls for a comprehensive approach to transportation planning, and strategy 3.2.6, which directly says that the city will create and adopt a transportation safety action plan. Staff is recommending that the city commission approve the proposal from Kimley, Horn, and Associates for transportation consulting services to develop a transportation safety action plan and authorize a city manager or his designee to execute said agreement, issue a purchase order in the amount of $230,000, and take any additional actions there too.

Okay.

Questions? Nope. A little bit of federal money on that one. Good to see. Thank you, Brittany.

We can spend it better than they can.

Next three items are all travel and training associated with my office. So the first is for the annual Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce strategic planning retreat. I serve as ex officio to that committee as city manager. That will be held July 16th and 18th at Streamsong. Those costs are accounted for within the city manager's budget. The second item is a retroactive kind of ratification for my travel associated with the Florida State Legislative Special Session F, for which I traveled two weeks ago. And then the third item is for a much later item, a later educational opportunity for myself and Deputy City Manager Carnevale. This actually takes place in fiscal year 26-27, and this is our attendance at the International City-County Management Association Annual Conference. and those dollars are accounted for within our budget proposal for 26-27. The next item, 10G, is some dock and boardwalk repairs. Mr. Pruitt or Mr. Eilers will present on this this evening.

good afternoon mr mayor city commissioners uh... the city maintains numerous stocks and boardwalks to provide public access to lakes uh... many of these facilities are more than twenty years old and reaching the end of their serviceable life lake maude nature park completed in two thousand seven two thousand eight includes two fishing docks and a boardwalk bridge that require significant repairs to remain functional In addition, the fishing pier at Lake Hartridge Nature Park, originally constructed in 2006, was removed due to safety concerns and is proposed for replacement. Staff obtained proposals from EnviroBuild, an approved city contractor, totaling $102,515 to complete repairs to the Lake Maud docks, the boardwalk bridge, and replace the Lake Hartridge fishing pier, restoring safe public access to these amenities. The FY2026 budget includes $60,000 for dock replacement and major repairs, resulting in a funding gap of about $42,515. Staff proposes utilizing available cost savings within the same account from the skate park maintenance project, which came in about $74,775 under budget to cover the remaining balance. Staff recommends the City Commission approve the proposal with EnviroBuild for the Lake Maud dock and boardwalk repairs and the replacement of the Lake Hartridge dock.

Okay.

Questions?

No, we're good. And Mr. Eilers will take the next item, which is... Seems like our playgrounds are getting a lot of use as they get worn quickly, and this is for poor-in-place rubber safety surfacing, a renovation replacement at the Reuben Williams Sports Complex.

Yes, sir. The playground and poor-in-place rubber safety surfacing at Reuben Williams Park are approaching 10 years of age and are beginning to show signs of wear, including holes, gaps. and deteriorated areas as part of the city's ongoing monthly inspection program for 17 playground staff has identified the need for resurfacing or for surfacing improvements to maintain a safe and accessible play environment. The proposed renovation will restore the existing pour-and-play surface by removing the damaged top layer of rubber surfacing and installing a new top layer to improve safety, appearance, and long-term performance. Staff received a proposal from Rep Services in the amount of $92,178.66 through the Play Power Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Contract. uh funding is available within fiscal year 2026 construction fund which includes 500 000 budgeted for park amenity enhancements and staff recommends using a portion of those funds for this project the project aligns with the city's strategic plan under community safety supporting annual inspections and maintenance of critical infrastructure and facilities staff recommends city commission approve the proposal for the reuben williams playground core and place renovation through rep services

support for a lot of years this one and uh... another one that we have significant improvements to make just put on your radar will be true typically if you can get ten years out of a playground you're doing really well if you can get more than that It's probably underutilized. Trailhead Park is probably on a five-year major overall schedule because of the amount of activity there. This is probably the second busiest one we have. Even the splash pad.

We did some surfacing improvements there a few years back, and I think we're probably going to have to do that in the next year or two as well.

Do you think the cultural center activity balances it out and maybe a little less use on this part?

I think it definitely helps alleviate some of the traffic, especially the splash pad. If you've driven by... Trailhead Park on Saturday and Sunday morning. I mean before the sun's up people are claiming their spaces I think that the the rec center is gonna alleviate some of that

Next item I'm going to ask Mr. Labbe to present. This is an exciting project. This is a workforce housing agreement with Galt Construction LLC that speaks really specifically to the Commission's commitment and investment in affordable and workforce housing. So this has been an effort to get this developed.

and excited to see this one come to fruition mr labby yes sir mayor commissioners um this is something we've been working on for a few months now that's the first one we've done so we want to make sure we crossed our t's and dot our i's and make sure we got it right but um langley gulp of gulp construction llc he's proposing to construct four duplexes so a total of eight units at the southeast corner of avenue d southeast and second street southeast he desires to lease these units as workforce housing so we have developed a workforce housing agreement The proposed agreement with Galt Construction provides reimbursement to Mr. Galt of the city impact fees, so city police, fire, library, parks and rec, and transportation impact fees in an amount of $53,093.34. It also reimburses to him the Polk County Schools impact fees. That is $88,992. and the city water and sewer connection fees in the amount of $94,770. In exchange for reimbursement of those fees, which will total $236,855.34, Mr. Gulp INTENDS TO PROVIDE WORKFORCE HOUSING IN THOSE UNITS. SO LEASE THEM TO OCCUPANTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE 80 TO 120% OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME LIMITED TO THE RENT LIMITS PUBLISHED BY HUD AND FLORIDA HOUSING ANNUALLY FOR SEVEN YEARS. We will place the city will place a lien on the property to secure our interests in that the Reimbursed the the lien is forgivable it's Forgivable over that seven year period if it remains forgivable for the full seven, it's completely forgivable at the end of seven years The reason that we are reimbursing those fees and not other county impact fees is because the county adopted an ordinance a number of years ago where they actually waive their county impact fees except for the school fees for workforce housing or affordable housing projects that meet their specific criteria. We've worked through all those details in this agreement. It has been reviewed by the city attorney and Mr. Galt. I want to thank Melinda Caligretis, who's also in the audience. She helped with this agreement quite a bit as well, and we recommend approval. This would be payable from the supplemental affordable housing trust fund that you guys set up. I believe there's approximately $1.5 million in that trust fund currently. And this would be a total cost of $236,855 to the city. Okay.

And this agreement has a little stronger teeth than agreements in the past that we've put forth, right? I mean... kind of protects the city a little bit more?

Yeah, I mean, yes, yes. In comparison to some of the – there was a PUD where we placed a condition in there that they needed to provide a certain number of affordable units. It's very hard to control or manage.

But now we've got a better agreement potentially for future deals that we may look at and things of that nature.

I think one of the big differences here compared to the PUDs is a PUD is really just a – specialized zoning on that property where there's not a financial investment per se from the city in this case because you're you're providing Again, $236,855.34. Towards it, that's where the leverage comes in. You're able to lean that property to make sure that it's getting done in accordance with the 80 to 120% AMI, the seven-year obligation to do so. So city attorney's office staff, Mr. Langley did a great job, I think, of putting this together. I will tell you, Mr. Langley did reach out. I think this is probably the first meeting he's not been at in probably five or six months, unfortunately. But I don't know if he'll be here Monday or not. I hope he will be here Monday. So I'm looking forward to get this one off the ground.

And this agreement also provides that Mr. Galt will be required to make certain certifications that will be reviewed by Ms. Hurley in her office or that position. And I would also like to put a shout out to Ms. Kalogridis. She really was helpful in connecting some of the dots that... this agreement we hope will be utilized, as you mentioned there, as a template on a going forward basis for a much needed, I'll say product, but a much needed a segment of housing in our community. And this allows entities like Galt Construction LLC to put their capital at risk to develop these projects that meet a need. And so I think with the lien ability for the seven years, certifications that are required on both the lease amounts as well as the eligible tenants, I think we have something that is not as complex as some of the larger projects that are Florida Housing Finance Corporation eligible, but meet a need. And we're helping with the supplemental affordable housing trust fund to do that. So I think we're just hitting a home run.

And did everybody else have their meeting with Blue Sky yet, or did you? So, you know, just looking forward, there's this project, there's that potential project, there's another potential project that's coming online, so, you know, if all those things came to fruition, we'd pretty much, I mean, we'd still have a little bit in there, but we're running lower, and again, you know, conversations for future meetings on how we continue to fund that if in fact the voters decide to eliminate a large portion of property taxes. Just discussions to have on that front, but if this one and the other two come to fruition, the existing one, that's probably close to 250 or so houses that are units that will be put into place. And I remember just getting onto the commission in 2020, that was the big push. And those were numbers that we set aside on for a goal and we're well on our way for that. I really like the fact that Mr. Galt is willing to do this project, put it out there. And, you know, it's not a 100-unit project. And, you know, a 100-unit project isn't needed everywhere. And so we need that balance and diversification out there. So I think it's a great project.

I agree. I think that, you know, we had, because we came to this chamber, actually, we're asking City of Winter Haven by 2024 to do 100. But as you just stated, that we're seeing more and more of that. That's what we recognize that was a serious issue that people were concerned about. And I think one of the questions, I guess, for Eric is that the term, and I know that became bold with workforce, because affordable housing carried a certain connotation for some people. So then this workforce name comes up. But I think, and I'm asking, are they interchangeable or is there a difference to be noted?

So there is a difference in the industry. I think generally people use those terms interchangeably. In the affordable housing world, housing that is provided below 80% AMI is considered affordable. If it's between 80 and 120, it's considered workforce.

Okay. Yeah, and I kind of knew that. I thought that was the case because, you know, one of the challenges, even with what you just shared a moment ago about the blue sky and other, rents are going up. They just recently went up for a lot of people. And a lot of them are really struggling just trying to deal with those increases. And that's the world we live in today, sadly, that affordability piece that many people are all, a lot of people are struggling with. And so I think the need is only going to increase over time. And I think, you know, Thankfully, you do have developers who have an interest in doing this because we know that that's not a particular area that a lot of people gravitate to because they know they can make much more money in market value and taking advantage of those situations because they see this as a ripe area for development. I'm hopeful that we can see more of that happening. As the mayor said, being a smaller situation here, but also the way that is crafted, I think it is very simple to understand and appreciate. And I think it's a good use of at least the money that we are allocating or giving so that these can be realized in our city. So thank you guys very much for that.

okay uh... next three items uh... bike gary hubbard our director of water to the podium to present on these these are pretty straightforward in terms of service agreement on our smart water uh... or sewer covers divide more water meters because we continue to grow

and then also an item that speaks to our engagement for the orchid springs water system so gary if you'll take uh the mach 10 portable water meters first please thank you city manager and good evening mr mayor commissioners the first item on the agenda is a normal item that we bring to you at least once a year this item is to purchase mach 10 5 8 inch water meters This is to replace our stock items. We're running low or will run low before the end of the fiscal year. So we're proposing to purchase 2,800 meters for a total cost of about $986,000. Our teams are replacing about 500. We're installing about 500 meters each month, so they're keeping very busy with growth and replacement of meters that are not working correctly, or they're not registering. So this will be a long-term effort. We can expect this each year. at least once a year and sometimes twice a year, just depends on how much effort and progress that we're actually making. So Monday evening, we'll be asking for your approval to make this purchase and authorize the city manager to take care of the necessary documents. Any questions?

Expensive piece of plastic.

Yes, but it's 2,800 meters too, so it's quite a few meters. This next item is related to the Orchid Springs water and sewer system. Back in 2008, the city entered into an agreement with Orchid Springs to take care of maintenance of that system. And that was very challenging for the utility department because of the type of materials that were used to provide water and sewer service in that area. were substandards, to say the least. We actually found electrical conduit used to provide water service in Orchid Springs. In 22, we were able to negotiate agreement with Orchid Springs to get out of the maintenance for that development. And now they are in the process of selling the Orchid Springs utility system to CSWR Florida And what they're asking is that we assign our current agreement, which they have with the city, and assign it to this new business. And we're recommending approval of that assignment.

And part of what we have is we have an interconnect for emergency purposes for water. As Mr. Hubbard noted, we no longer have the contractual obligation to maintain their water system, which is a positive. And we also, we take their wastewater flow via a metered system. And that agreement that Mr. Hubbard referenced was in 2022 that we updated and restated. And so they went through a public service commission process, they being the Orchard Springs Development Corporation, And as part of that process, there's some time limits, but they needed to assign or get our consent our being the city's consent to their assignment of this contract to their buyer. And I think it's July 16th is when they need to have all these things wrapped up. And so we are proposing to recommend for you all to approve the assignment by Orchid Springs and the assumption of their contractual obligations by the CSWR, Florida Utility Operating Company. So really nothing will change materially other than the identity of the parties. And I guess for whatever reason, Orchid Springs is getting out of the business.

There is no financial impact to the city related to this.

I have a question. Yes. Gary, has that system improved any? I remember it. Overall, has it improved?

Since we have not been involved with the maintenance of the system now for some four years, I really can't speak to what improvements they may have made out there. We just know that we're not obligated to be part of it. It was very hard on the staff because there were always problems in Orchard Springs.

I agree.

And I know you know that.

Yeah, I know that very well.

Any other questions? Our next item is associated with our smart manhole covers. I think we're probably in the fourth year maybe of using smart covers. And the purpose of the smart covers is for us to identify areas in our system where we might have high flows. and alert us before a sanitary sewer overflow occurs. This has helped us tremendously with DEP and showing them the amount of spills that we've been able to avoid because of this technology. And basically what this does is there's a unit underneath the manhole cover that senses the level in the manhole and then that is transmitted to a satellite and then it transmits back to the phones of our crews so that they know what the levels are in the sewer system. It also helps us to identify areas where we may have excessive inflow and infiltration into the sewer system that would point us to relining systems or replacing gravity sewer systems. So this is very good technology that we're using. What we're asking on Monday evening is a maintenance contract and actually a renewal of a maintenance contract to keep this equipment operational. So on Monday evening, we're asking approval for a maintenance contract that is budgeted for roughly $125,000 per year. I'd be glad to take any questions.

Make sure we don't have any crocodiles living down there.

No. MJ can tell you a story about a young lady who just became city manager over on the coast, and in her first week they had a manatee. First day they had a manatee up in a stormwater system.

I have heard of alligators in our stormwater system.

I'm pretty sure it was a kid's book. I remember a kid's book, Crocodiles in the Sewers or something like that.

All right.

I think that's everything.

Thank you very much.

same injury anything else i'd yes thank you sir uh... first of all i want to thank uh... publicly vance monroe archie police for his hosting of the governor yesterday uh... you all were in attendance also katrina hill uh... we couldn't have made that happen without her team her leadership uh... i think we had a very good showing great that that many people showed up just to see Vance and it just so happened that the governor was also there along with the state attorney and the Attorney General and several members of our delegation and then as I mentioned Congressman Franklin is in town and doing his His district tour had the opportunity with the mayor today to spend time with him and give him updates on projects of significance that he and his team have led, helped lead the advocacy for us. A lot of great things happening there. We're fortunate to have Scott Franklin. uh... carrying our banner for us on a lot of the funding requests and we look forward to seeing more of that reminder that uh... following this meeting i will be out of the office until next wednesday addressing some family matters mr carnivali will be running point on the city manager's office of course i'm available by phone and email should any of you need me and we will make sure that commissioner mayor pro tem mercer is uh... well prepared to to leave the charge on monday evening when extend well wishes to mister davis understand he's under the weather so for speedy recover recovery for him and last but not least like to introduce this evening i failed to do this last monday ethan could use Ethan, if you would stand up, please, sir. Ethan is an administrative intern working with the city manager's office this summer from Center College, is that correct, in Kentucky. Graduate of, attended All Saints Academy here in Winter Haven High School, correct, and is on a scholarship to play soccer up in Kentucky. He gets the distinction as an intern. He was spending yesterday in the air of the governor and other Tallahassee officials and today with a congressman. So not something you get to do in every internship. We also have a young man from Florida State University who is interning with our public works department who also started this week. And then we will have another intern beginning in July with our public affairs and communications office, specifically working alongside Jackie Vickers, who is in the midst of pursuing a master's degree, I understand right now, this student, a FAMU graduate. who will be coming on board. So excited to provide some very unique experiences for these students and convince all of them that there is no greater calling than to be part of local government and change their career paths to come to the dark side. With that, I'll hand it off to others. That's a good way to leave it.

Mr. Mayor, Commissioner, speaking of students, and I've introduced you individually, with us tonight is Owens Parker, who is a law student at the Stetson University Law School over in Gulfport. And Owens is also the son of my law partner, Sean Parker, who you all may know as the city attorney for the city of Bartow. And Owens is going to, is clerking with us this summer and helping us with research projects and other things. And he also, I have the pleasure of having Owens as a neighbor, lives across the street. I've known Owens since he was very little. And anyway, it's a pleasure to have Owens here tonight. He wanted to come and observe a local government meeting in Winter Haven. And he has attended some bar club meetings. And hopefully we'll be able to get exposed to a number of local government matters. This is a great summer for him to do that, as we know a lot of issues that will be coming forth. So I just wanted to publicly introduce him. And that's it. Thank you.

Well, if either of you ever want the real story, make sure you come to one of us commissioners. We'll give it to you.

Hear, hear. And on that note, I would say commissioners are, as elected officials, have a great latitude of what you can say and your opinions. We don't hold back. Nor should you. Thank you.

Well, welcome to both of you. Hope you enjoy your time here in Winter Haven, and we appreciate you.

Appreciate you being here, and good luck in your future studies as well.

All right, with that, if no other concerns or comments, we'll adjourn.