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HomeMy Public PortalAbout01092023 CC Regular Meeting MinutesCity Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 9, 2023 6:00 p.m. Council Chambers 1. Call to Order The Regular Meeting of the Crestview City Council was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor JB Whitten. Board members present: Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Rencich, Council members: Doug Capps, Cynthia Brown, Joe Blocker, and Ryan Bullard. Also present: City Manager Tim Bolduc, City Clerk Maryanne Schrader, City Attorney Jonathan Holloway, and various staff members. 2. Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance 2.1. Pastor Brian Walton of Community of Christ Church The Invocation was led by Pastor Brian Walton of Community of Christ Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by a scout representing Pack 535. 3. Open Policy Making and Legislative Session Mayor JB Whitten reviewed the rules of procedure. 4. Approve Agenda Mayor JB Whitten called for action. Motion by Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Rencich and seconded by Councilmember Joe Blocker to approve the agenda, as presented. Roll Call: Ayes: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. All ayes. Motion carried. 5. Presentations and Reports No items were presented. 6. Consent Agenda Mayor JB Whitten called for action. Motion by Councilmember Joe Blocker and seconded by Councilmember Douglas Capps to approve the Consent Agenda, as presented. Roll Call: Ayes: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. All ayes. Motion carried. 6.1. Task Order 2022-2 Arena Road Water Tank Design 6.2 FP&L Roadway Illumination Agreement 6.3. Memorandum of Understanding — Arbours at Crestview 6.5. Approval of the Referee Contract 6.6. Approval of the December 12, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes 7. Public Hearings / Ordinances on Second Reading None scheduled. 8. Ordinances on First Reading 8.1. Ordinance 1915 - Amending Chapter 6 of the Land Development Code Senior Planner Nicholas Schwendt presented Ordinance 1915 to the City Council stating the intent was to amend various sections of Chapter 6 of the LDC. He explained that the change largely pertains to commercial developments and setbacks. He explained the amendment revised building height compatibility requirements to be more easily measurable and applicable in Section 6.00.03. Additionally, the compatibility buffer requirement was changed to be measured from the structure itself rather than the property line. For Sections 6.02.04 and 6.02.05, the items were moved under a newly created Section 6.04.00, which was created to specifically contain the overlay district standards, as they were previously under the Mixed -Use section. In Section 6.03.01 amendments were made setback requirements for commercial zones and landscape buffer. The new Section 6.04.01, which includes development standards for the Downtown Overlay District (DOD), was amended to remove a required 5' setback from any alley within the DOD, as staff determined that almost every alley within the overlay district has at least one building that violated this setback. Senior Planner Nicholas Schwendt then asked the City Clerk to read the ordinance. City Clerk Maryanne Schrader read the Ordinance by Title: An Ordinance Amending Chapter 6 — Development Standards, of the City Of Crestview Land Development Code; Providing For Severability; Providing For Scrivener's Errors; Providing For Liberal Interpretation; Providing For Repeal Of Conflicting Codes And Ordinances; And Providing For An Effective Date. Mayor JB Whitten asked for comment from the Council and the public. Hearing none, Mayor JB Whitten called for action. Motion by Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Rencich and seconded by Councilmember Cynthia Brown to approve Ordinance 1915 on First Reading and move to Second Reading. Roll Call: Ayes: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. All ayes. Motion carried. 8.2. Ordinance 1916 - Code Enforcement Mitigation Police Chief Stephen McCosker presented Ordinance 1916 to the City Council for first reading. He went over the process for locating the property owner to obtain voluntary compliance. He went over Code enforcement efforts by his staff to get the property into compliance, as well as the Hearing process before the Special Magistrate. He reviewed the process of fines that accumulate on the property that are non -compliant, and the mitigation methods. City Manager Tim Bolduc said we have been consistent, but we want to codify the consistency. The final amount is based on the Just Market Value. The monies are set aside to assist in the clean-up. The funds may be used to pay tipping fees. This is another resource to gain compliance. Police Chief Stephen McCosker asked the City Clerk to read the ordinance. City Clerk Maryanne Schrader read the Ordinance by Title: An Ordinance Amending Chapter 2, Article III., Division 5. — Code Enforcement Special Magistrate, of the City of Crestview Code of Ordinances; Providing For Authority; Providing For Filing of This Ordinance With the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Okaloosa County; Providing For Severability; Providing For Scrivener's Errors; Providing For Liberal Interpretation; Providing For Repeal of Conflicting Codes and Ordinances; and Providing For an Effective Date. Mayor JB Whitten called for comment from the Council and from the public. In hearing none, Mayor JB Whitten called for action. Motion by Councilmember Ryan Bullard and seconded by Councilmember Joe Blocker to approve Ordinance 1916 on First Reading and move to Second Reading for adoption. Roll Call: Ayes: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. All ayes. Motion carried. 9. Resolutions 9.1. A Resolution of support for the FLC Legislative Platform City Manager Tim Bolduc presented the Resolution to the City Council for our support of the Florida League of Cities specific legislative platforms. He went over the list of priorities supporting Home Rule, a clear mobility plan, legislation that restores authority to local government regarding short-term rentals, supporting legislation requiring monies from Sadowski fund to be used for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, supporting statewide water source investments and authorizing Watershed Management to qualify for funding. City Manager Tim Bolduc asked the City Clerk to read the Resolution. City Clerk Maryanne Schrader read the Resolution by title: A Resolution of the City of Crestview, Urging Members of the Florida Legislature to Support the 2023 Florida League of Cities Legislative Platform. Mayor JB Whitten called for comment from the Council and the public. In hearing none, Mayor JB Whitten called for action. Motion by Councilmember Cynthia Brown and seconded by Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Rencich to approve a Resolution of support for the FLC Legislative Platform. Roll Call: Ayes: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. All ayes. Motion carried. 10. Action Items 10.1. Authorization to Proceed with the foreclosures of Code Compliance Liens City Manager T. Bolduc went over the three properties that are owned by the same investment company. Out of the ten that were originally on the list, the following properties remain noncompliant as of the date of the staff report, and authorization is sought to initiate foreclosure proceedings: 149 Booker North: 360 DA Investments Corp.; 407 Woodruff West: 360 DA Investments Corp.; and 110 Booker North: 360 DA Investments Corp. Councilmember R. Bullard mentioned that 407 Woodruff has been brought into compliance. Regarding 149 and 110 Booker, the properties have not been brought into compliance and have significant fines. He added he is against lien foreclosures when the properties are brought into compliance. As 407 is in compliance, he could support the other two for foreclosure. For clarification, Joe Blocker asked if the ownership can change when the lien is on the property, and City Manager T. Bolduc replied that the lien goes with the property. Discussion ensued regarding the staff having done due diligence, and the staff working with the owners. Councilmember D. Capps stated $148,000 in fines have accrued on the properties, and Mayor Pro-Tem A. Rencich said the property value is only $4,000. City Manager T. Bolduc added the investor has been unresponsive to our contact. Police Chief S. McCosker said the neighbors have to contend with the rats on the property. Mayor JB Whitten called for comment from the public. He then called for action. Motion by Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Rencich and seconded by Councilmember Cynthia Brown to approve staffs recommendation to foreclose on the properties. Roll Call: Ayes: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps. Nays: Ryan Bullard. Vote: 4-1. Motion carried. 10.2. House and Senate 2023-24 Local Funding Initiative Request Forms City Manager T. Bolduc said the City is requesting funding for four upcoming projects in fiscal year 2023-2024. The four projects provided are as follows: Benjamin Street Septic to Sewer in the amount of $600,000, Septage Receiving Station in the amount of $600,000, with both projects being split with the County; Septic to Sewer of Foxwood Estates, in the amount of $890,000 and Vineyard Village Low Income Housing for a request of $756,000. Mayor JB Whitten called for comment from the Council and the public. In hearing none, he called for action. Motion by Councilmember Joe Blocker and seconded by Councilmember Cynthia Brown to accept the ranking for the FY 2023-2024. Roll Call: Ayes: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. Nays: None. All ayes. Motion carried. City Manager T. Bolduc mentioned a meeting will be held on Wednesday night and Representative Pat Maney will discuss the consideration of the bill regarding paying the ad valorem for the fire district even after an annexation, which would cause double taxing. He said it does not impact Crestview currently but may in the future. In response to Councilmember Joe Blocker on feedback regarding the Council Chambers renovation, City Manager T. Bolduc will provide feedback from the architect. 11. City Clerk Report 11.1. Update for January 2023 City Clerk M. Schrader mentioned some highlights from the staff report. She mentioned staff is proceeding to release the next supplement while the codification upgrade is being reviewed. We received 64 new requests in the November through December 30 time frame averaging two days to fulfill the requests. She also mentioned that she has completed the Records Management Policy, which is in departmental review. Training is on -going for both Next Request and Laserfiche. and Natasha is attending a Grants and Resources Training to be held in Ft. Walton Beach. She also mentioned that the Florida Legislative Days are scheduled for April 3 - 5th. 12. City Manager Report City Manager T. Bolduc requested suggestion for a name for the East/West connector stating Hospital Drive East/West Connector is an option. He mentioned a meeting with Sheila Fitzpatrick regarding participating with a county -wide Affordable Housing strategic plan. The County is in the RFP process currently. He suggested a $5,000 contribution, as it will provide a cost -benefit analysis to the city. This study will give our county true numbers and address local properties. Discussion ensued and the Council supported participation and the $5,000 contribution. Councilmember Joe Blocker requested information on plans for the city. City Manager T. Bolduc said we have not started to acquire property, as we need to prioritize projects in the Strategic Plan. He added he will send the names of the architects for the remodeling of the Chambers. In response to Mayor Pro-Tem A. Rencich regarding CSX plans, City Manager T. Bolduc replied he will find out what their intentions are for the Amtrak expansion. 13. Comments from the Mayor and Council 13.1. Recommendation to schedule cleaning of city streets by street sweeping, pressure washing sidewalks, and weed control on sidewalks and curbs Mayor JB Whitten asked that Councilmember Bullard speak first since he has an item on the agenda. Councilmember R. Bullard recommended that the city schedule street cleaning, pressure washing and weed control on sidewalks and curbs. Discussion ensued, and City Manager T. Bolduc stated the intent is to keep the streets clean utilizing a cost-effective method, as well as the, Council prioritizing which area needs the most attention. Councilmember R. Bullard mentioned Main Street Redstone near Publix are areas that need to be addressed. Mayor JB Whitten said business owners on Main Street have done pressure washing. He agreed with clean-up efforts but mentioned we do not have the manpower, and we no longer have the inmates from the County. City Manager T. Bolduc said we do street sweeping 25 days out of the month. If we want to pick specific areas, we can review it with the Strategic Plan. Mayor Whitten said two years ago, we had a city-wide clean-up, but it was costly. City Manager T. Bolduc added there was a $20,000 tipping fee for the cleanup. Councilmember R. Bullard agreed that the cleanup needed to be specific and to prioritize areas. He was concerned about a sidewalk on Main Street that was not safe. Discussion ensued on asking assistance from groups, but City Manager T. Bolduc said the majority of the areas are under contract at certain intersections. He has also done an "Adopt a Corner", but interest wanes over time. Chief McCosker and the police department was thanked in recognition of it being National Law Enforcement day. Councilmember Joe Blocker said we cannot do without having the police department. Councilmember Joe Blocker requested the city manager to check out the roof warranty on the Main Street building. Mayor JB Whitten announced the city will conduct the MLK March this Saturday on Main Street. He also announced the Opioid Summit is scheduled for January 18th and invited everyone to attend. 14. Comments from the Audience Mayor JB Whitten asked the public if there were any comments. Mr. Juston Grant, Jr, stated he is a regular patron of the library. He was concerned about the magazine area being completely gone and was told the library only offers digital versions. He asked if it was cost-effective to the city. City Manager T. Bolduc asked him to provide his contact information, and he would get back to him. Shannon Hayes came forward to address the Council announcing that on January 15th, a program will be held at Carver Hill Center on School Avenue at 3:00 p.m. with Dr. Brown as the speaker. He also applauded the calendar of events that the mayor recently released. 15. Adjournment Mayor JB Whitten adjourned the meeting at 7:12 p.m. Minutes approved this 23rd day of January, 2023. Mary. ne . cl : der, City Clerk Proper Nott - having been duly given