Item No. Orange Park, Florida The meeting of the Orange Park Town Council was called to order in the Town Hall Council Chambers at 7 p.m. with Mayor Scott Land presiding. Other Councilmembers present were Vice-Mayor Gary Meeks, Councilwoman Connie Thomas, Councilman Alan Watt and Councilman Ron Raymond. Also in attendance were Town Manager Jim Hanson, Police Chief Gary Goble, Finance Director John Villanueva, Public Works Director Chuck Pavlos, Capital Projects Manager Glenn Reed, Fire Chief Al Barker, Events Coordinator Emily Dockery, Attorney Sam Garrison of Kopelousos, Bradley & Garrison and Town Clerk Sarah Campbell. The invocation was given by Councilwoman Thomas followed by the Pledge of Allegiance lead by Troop/Pack 33. PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING AMATEUR RADIO WEEK Vice-Mayor Meeks moved to approve the proclamation recognizing Amateur Radio Week. Councilman Watt seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. Ms. Campbell read the proclamation into the record. Mayor Land presented the proclamation to Mr. Scott Roberts of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Mr. Roberts thanked the Council. He stated their field day will be at Orange Park High School on June 24 and 25. He invited all to attend. PRESENTATION BY NORTH FLORIDA TRANSPORATION PLANNING ORGANIZATION Ms. Denise Bunnewith, representative with North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, gave a presentation of the upcoming projects for fiscal years 2017/18-2021/22. She discussed upcoming projects for the Town of Orange Park, as well as Clay County. Councilman Raymond discussed the difficulty with accessing Railroad Avenue from eastbound Kingsley Avenue. Ms. Bunnewith asked that Mr. Hanson send her the name of the location and she will forward it to the Department of Transportation. She stated that sounds like a traffic operations access management problem. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Mr. Hank Racer, 1050 River Road, Orange Park, stated he is the spokesman for the Riverfront Improvement Organization (R.I.O.). He stated R.I.O is an organization made up of homeowners along River Road. On May 18 the residents along River Road met to discuss the road plans; onehalf of the residents affected by the Town s plans were in attendance. At the end of that meeting, two recommendations were agreed on. He stated the group then visited the 43 properties along River Road that would be affected by the Town s conceptual plans. He stated he discussed the
Page 2 group s recommendations with each property owner. He read a letter addressed to the Mayor with the group s two recommendations. He stated the recommendation from the property owners along River Road is for the Town to resurface the road as a part of normal maintenance, making specific repairs and widening where necessary and in no case should the roadbed be wider than 18 feet. They are also recommending that the Town maintain and repair the current sidewalk where necessary and in no case should the sidewalk be wider than 6 feet. He stated the residents want to keep River Road a residential neighborhood. He stated R.I.O visited the 43 property owners that would be affected by the Town s conceptual plans and discussed the group s recommendations with them. He stated 35 River Road residents signed the recommendations. He stated he was unable to contact two of the River Road residents. He stated one resident disagrees with the recommendations, one is still undecided, and one prefers no work be done to the road. He stated three residents chose not to sign the recommendations, but do agree with them. He stated 90% of the residents that would be affected by the plans are in agreement with the recommendations. Mr. Kenny Radwanski, 2061 Azalea Lane, Orange Park, thanked the Police, Fire, and Public Works Departments for their support during the storm on May 30. He asked for the status of the Kingsley East project. Ms. Sherri Vardas, 1417 Winfred Drive, Orange Park, stated she is very happy with the Plainfield Avenue project, but has an issue with people not stopping at the stop signs. She stated her son is in a wheelchair and it is hard from him to cross Plainfield Avenue safely. She requested having speed bumps put in. Mayor Land stated the Public Safety/Public Works Committee will be discussing traffic calming at an upcoming meeting. REQUEST FOR PRIVATE STRATEGY SESSION Attorney Garrison stated there are two circumstances when shade meetings are allowed, which include labor negotiations and discussions regarding litigation expenditure strategy. He stated the Town does have pending litigation in the matter of Scott Fisher and North Florida Quality Goods and Services LLC, d/b/a Gone Broke Gaming vs. Town of Orange Park in the United States District Court of the Middle District of Florida (Case Number: 3:17-cv-00393). He stated he believes it is appropriate it at this time, if Council agrees, to convene a session pursuant to Section 286.011(8), Florida Statutes, to discuss and receive advice regarding pending litigation expenses. He stated the session was preliminarily scheduled for tonight at 9:00 p.m. to comply with all the notice requirements. Councilman Raymond moved to have a shade meeting tonight at 9:00 p.m. Councilman Meeks seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0.
Page 3 APPROVAL OF THE COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING DATED MAY 16, 2017 Vice-Mayor Meeks moved to approve the minutes from the regular meeting dated May 16, 2017. Councilwoman Thomas seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FY 2016-2017 BUDGET FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS FISCAL YEAR Councilman Raymond pulled this item for discussion. He stated he has concerns with the budget amendment. He stated the Town selling wristbands will cause increased liability. He stated the Town does not need to be exposed to an unnecessary amount of liability for a gain of $7,000. He stated shifting money between accounts can get confusing. He recommend the Town Manager having a contingency fund to cover needs. He stated the notion of having a contingency fund, subject to Council approval, will help things run smoother. Vice-Mayor Meeks stated he agrees with having a contingency fund. He stated the Kids Fest wristbands bother him. He stated if the Town collects the money, there is a greater risk of the Town getting sued. He stated that risk is not worth $7,000. Councilman Watt stated the Town does not need a contingency fund. He stated Fund Balance can be used. He stated money not used at the end of the year rolls over into Fund Balance anyway. Mayor Land asked if the contingency fund is being discussed for the current year or next fiscal year. Councilman Raymond stated he is talking about this year. He stated the Town Manager s hands are tied when it comes to the adopted budget. Mr. Hanson stated the wristbands were done as a convenience to the parents and not a means to make money. He stated the Town gets the certificates of insurance for all of the vendors that bring the rides, and they each have the Town named as an additional insured. The Town also has their own liability insurance. He stated we can revert back to how things were done previously, without using wristbands. He stated having a contingency fund is good. He stated there are many small accounts that come in under budget, but there are a lot of restrictions on moving money. Mayor Land asked Attorney Garrison if there are any risks with using wristbands. Attorney Garrison stated there is an anecdotal risk whether the Town collects the wristband money or not. He stated the Town gets all waivers that are necessary. He stated the sale of wristbands is a policy decision. He stated he does see a problem with the Town selling wristbands as long as they have all of the safeguards in place to ensure that they are protected legally. Councilman Raymond moved that the ordinance be rewritten and that a contingency fund be created. Councilman Watt seconded the motion.
Page 4 Vice-Mayor Meeks asked if the Town has enough money to cover legal fees. Mr. Hanson stated he can use the contingency fund for it later. Councilman Raymond stated he would like the Town Clerk to poll the Council on motions that require spending money. The motion that the ordinance be rewritten and that a contingency fund be created passed 5 to 0. Councilman Raymond moved that Kids Fest wristbands not be used. Councilman Meeks seconded the motion. Councilwoman Thomas stated from hearing what Attorney Garrison said, the Town already has a liability just from having the event here. She suggested allowing the wristbands. Vice-Mayor Meeks asked if the $18,000 in expenditures has anything to do with collecting money for the wristbands. Mr. Hanson stated the $25,000 is the additional revenues expected from selling the wristbands. He stated the $18,000 is the expected additional expense from paying the vendors. Councilman Raymond stated there are two separate issues, which includes guessing the amount of revenue that is expected from the sale of the wristbands and the increased risk. The motion that Kids Fest wristbands not be used passed 3 to 2 with Councilwoman Thomas and Councilman Watt dissenting. AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING CHILLER REPLACEMENT Councilman Raymond moved to approve the contract with Certified Air Contractors, Inc. in the amount of $65,000. Councilwoman Thomas seconded the motion. Councilman Watt disclosed that he is the engineer of record for the design of this project. The motion passed 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF AUDIT SELECTION COMMITTEE Councilman Raymond moved to add the names John Capes, Tom Williams, and Mayor Land to the Audit Selection Committee. Vice-Mayor Meeks seconded the motion. Councilwoman Thomas stated Ann Dunsford Curley addressed interest in being on the committee. Attorney Garrison stated the Charter is silent on the number of members that can be on the Audit Committee. Councilwoman Thomas amended the motion to add Ms. Dunsford Curley and Mr. Villanueva to the Audit Committee. Councilman Meeks seconded the motion.
Page 5 Councilman Raymond asked what Ms. Dunsford Curley and Mr. Villanueva s qualifications are. Councilwoman Thomas stated Ms. Dunsford Curley expressed interest, works in real estate, and is well known from the long time service of her father. Mr. Villanueva is the Town s Finance Director. Councilman Raymond stated one is a staff member. He stated staff should not have a say in who they hire to oversee their work. He stated he does agree that there should be an odd number of members on the committee. Vice-Mayor Meeks stated it is beneficial to have a staff member on the committee. Staff helps bring out criteria and items that need to be examined. He stated they bring expertise. Advice of staff is valuable. Vice-Mayor Meeks withdrew his second. The amended motion died for lack of a second. Mr. Villanueva stated whether or not he is on the committee, he will be available to answer any questions that the committee members may have. The motion to add the names John Capes, Tom Williams, and Mayor Land to the Audit Selection Committee passed 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF A MEMBER TO SEAT 5 ON THE NUISANCE ABATEMENT BOARD Vice-Mayor Meeks moved to appoint Ms. Susan Lindholm to the Nuisance Abatement Board. Councilman Raymond seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO BUDGET & FINANCE COMMITTEE Mayor Land moved that Council serve as the Budget and Finance Committee. Councilman Raymond seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO CULTURE & RECREATION COMMITTEE Councilwoman Thomas moved to appoint Ms. Cindy Cheatwood, Ms. Tiffany Greaves, and Mr. Larry Nichols to the Culture and Recreation Committee. Vice-Mayor Meeks seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO GENERAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Councilman Raymond moved to appoint Ms. Barbara Davidson, Ms. Betty Demmons, Ms. Joyce Bryan, Mr. Eugene Nix and Mr. Frank Ricketts to the General Government Administration Committee. Vice-Mayor Meeks seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0.
Page 6 APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO LAND USE PLANNING & POLICY COMMITTEE Councilman Watt moved to appoint Mr. Hans Wahl and Ms. Tiffany Greaves to the Land Use Planning and Policy Committee. Vice-Mayor Meeks seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO PUBLIC SAFETY/PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Vice-Mayor Meeks moved to appoint Mr. R.B. Juneau, Dr. Jerry Linder, and Mr. Ron Rees to the Public Safety/Public Works Committee. Councilwoman Thomas seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF A VOTING DELEGATE TO THE FLORIDA LEAGUE OF CITIES CONFERENCE Mr. Hanson stated the Florida League of Cities Conference will be held on August 17-19 in Orlando. He stated each municipality must designate one voting delegate to vote on resolutions and legislative action agendas. Mayor Land stated he plans on attending the conference. Councilman Raymond moved to name Mayor Land as the Town s voting member for the 2017 Florida League of Cities Conference. Councilwoman Thomas seconded the motion which passed 5 to 0. DISCUSSION ON MEETINGS PROCEDURE Mayor Land pulled this item to address later in the meeting. DISCUSSION ON ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS RE: AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS Mayor Land discussed the recommendations from the Town s auditors, Purvis, Gray and Company. The Town s sanitation funds currently go into an Enterprise Fund; Purvis recommended the Town update its Code to reflect that. Purvis also concluded that there does not seem to be any reason that the 405 Fund cannot be eliminated and rolled into the 402 and 406 Funds. Mr. Hanson stated the Town is still using the 405 Fund for all water and sewer capital; the auditors are saying that is no longer necessary. He stated using the 405 Fund is not the best practice. He stated eliminating this one fund, would simplify the accounting. Councilman Raymond asked how the Town would account for depreciation. Mr. Villanueva stated we would not be eliminating depreciation. He stated depreciation is already expensed in the operating funds.
Page 7 Councilman Watt moved to direct the Town Attorney to draft an ordinance consistent with the auditor s recommendations. Councilman Raymond seconded the motion. Vice-Mayor Meeks stated the recommendations were not part of the audit. The auditors were asked these questions and they gave their opinions. He stated last fall Council decided not to eliminate the 405 Fund. He stated the auditors are merely saying that there are no restrictions with eliminating the 405 Fund. He stated we need to be cautious. Councilman Raymond withdrew his second. Councilman Watt stated there are two parts to this. He stated the goal is to simplify. He stated there have been too many complaints about the budget being confusing. Councilman Raymond suggested discussing the 405 Fund more at a Budget and Finance Committee meeting. Councilman Watt modified his motion to have the Town Attorney draft an ordinance for the sanitation recommendation (Item 1). Councilwoman Thomas seconded the motion. Councilwoman Thomas stated she would prefer to take both topics to the Budget and Finance Committee before having Attorney Garrison draft an ordinance. Councilman Watt stated these are two separate issues and two different ordinances will probably have to be done. The motion to have the Town Attorney draft an ordinance for the sanitation recommendation (Item 1) passed 4 to 1 with Councilman Raymond dissenting. Councilman Raymond stated at the visioning meeting he will be discussing reconstituting the sanitation department. He stated the budget should not be modified if it will impact the possibility of a contract. Mr. Hanson stated the change in accounting has nothing to do with whether sanitation service is privatized or done in-house. DISCUSSION ON FACILITATION ON VISIONING MEETING Mayor Land stated the Council Visioning meeting will be on June 12. He stated he does believe that a facilitator is needed. Mayor Land moved to approve Attorney Garrison to facilitate the June 12 visioning meeting. Councilman Raymond seconded the motion. Attorney Garrison stated he wishes to honor his employment with Council and would like unanimous support.
Page 8 The motion to approve Attorney Garrison to facilitate the June 12 visioning meeting passed 5 to 0. Mayor Land stated he sees this meeting as a one-year vision and how to shape the budget. He stated there will need to be more time and prep work done for looking at the longer term. Vice-Mayor Meeks stated the Comprehensive Plan lays out the goals. Councilman Raymond asked if Council is limited to one year. Attorney Garrison stated there needs to be a common understanding of why we are meeting, what the goal is, and what success looks like. Councilman Raymond stated he would like to see more speed and stop sign enforcement. TOWN MANAGER REPORTS Mr. Hanson stated comments have been received from Council members that the annual presentation of the budget is confusing. He has some proposed changes that he would like Council s input and approval on. He stated work is still underway. He stated one of the big problems is that there is too much detail and they cannot see the big picture. He stated the General Fund has 442 individual account numbers. He is proposing to use summary pages, eliminate specific account details, provide fund descriptions, use charts and graphs, and keep narrative descriptions of major factors affecting the budget, as required by the Town Charter. Vice-Mayor Meeks stated this is his eighth budget. He stated he likes simplicity. He stated details can be obtained. He stated the Town Manager is responsible for balancing the budget and Council sets the level of service. He stated staff is on the right track. Councilman Watt stated he is fan of these proposed changes. He stated the budget process went on too long last year. Councilwoman Thomas stated she agrees. Mayor Land stated Mr. Hanson has done what Council has requested. Mr. Hanson stated he will move forward with these concepts, and hopes the budget will be clearer this year. Mr. Hanson stated the Police Quarterly Report was included in the packet. He stated Chief Goble is present if Council has any questions. Chief Barker discussed the Fire Quarterly Report. He stated they had a total of 1446 calls this quarter. He discussed the different service areas that Station 19 responds to. He stated in the Town limits they are running about 444 calls. In the Clay County Primary Response Area, outside of the Town, they are running 120 calls and running another 344 calls in Clay County, outside of the Primary Response Area. He showed maps of the medical, fire and service responses. The graphics
Page 9 show how far out of the Town limits Station 19 goes. He stated they respond to calls in Middleburg, Fleming Island, and south of Green Cove Springs; this is leaving the Town unprotected. He stated most of the assistance is to the county, with very little assistance to Jacksonville. He stated it can take the county 20 minutes to respond to a call in the Town limits. Councilwoman Thomas asked if there have been any countywide meetings regarding the First Coast Expressway and how services are going to be covered with the influx in population. Chief Barker stated there have been no meetings. He stated the county applied for a grant for 22 fire staff from the Federal Government. This is the second time they have gone after a grant. They received a grant five years ago for 22 people, but the grant only paid for three years. He stated the Town is having to cover more ground, because the county has to send out multiple units to a location in order to provide the correct manpower. Councilwoman Thomas asked about the call volume for hotels. Chief Barker stated the hotels have more medical calls than fire calls. He stated people will stay at the higher end hotels like the Hilton Garden after having a procedure done at the Mayo Clinic; if the patient has complications, then they will have to be transported back to the Mayo Clinic. He stated most of the hotels in the county are lower end and those calls are generally drug related. Vice-Mayor Meeks asked how many calls that are outside of the local jurisdiction are part of the Interlocal Agreement (ILA). Chief Barker stated the ILA requires them to have automatic responses; it is not a true ILA. A true ILA is for certain circumstances. He stated the last ILA was done in 2008 under Mr. Bowles; it has no expiration date. He stated Town calls are expected to increase in Fleming Island due to the 10 day closure of CR 220. Vice-Mayor Meeks stated this puts the Town at a disadvantage. Councilman Raymond stated there is a huge part of revenue that the Town is earning that they are not getting for the work being done. He stated this is the number two item on his visioning agenda. He stated this is good to get Council s attention on this. Mayor Land asked if there is a rescue/fire unit on Blanding Boulevard. Chief Barker stated there is a unit located there. He stated the Town is also responding to the Argyle area. Ms. Campbell gave a summary of the legislative calendar that Council requested at their last meeting. Councilman Watt asked for task deadlines, for example the deadline for the Florida League of Cities resolutions is on July 12, to be included on the calendar. He wants warning when Council needs to take action on something. Councilwoman Thomas stated she would like the county s CIP dates included on the calendar.
Page 10 There was Council consensus that staff take the time to work on the calendar. Mr. Hanson stated the second River Road input meeting is on June 20. Mr. Hanson provided a storm damage report from the storm last Tuesday. He stated many areas had damage, which included several houses. He stated many trees came down. He stated at this time Clarke Park and Magnolia Cemetery are closed until early next week. He stated the insurance assessment is currently underway. He stated it took two and half hours just to clear Kingsley Avenue. Mr. Hanson thanked Councilwoman Thomas for coming to Orlando to support him in getting sworn in as FCCMA President. He stated Ms. Campbell gave two presentations at the FCCMA Conference; one was on Facebook and the other was about festivals. ATTORNEY REPORTS Attorney Garrison had nothing to report at this time. COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS/COMMENTS Councilwoman Thomas congratulated Mr. Hanson on being sworn in as FCCMA President. She stated she also attended the conference presentations that Ms. Campbell did; those sessions were well received and made Orange Park look good. Councilwoman Thomas stated Somer s Garden has fresh vegetables and herbs available to all. She stated the community should take advantage of its use. Councilwoman Thomas stated the OPAA Alumni are having their first golf fundraiser on August 11 and the Annie Lee Keyes sign dedication is this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Councilwoman Thomas thanked staff for their hard work during last week s storm. Vice-Mayor Meeks also thanked staff for their work during the storm. departments did a great job. He stated all the Vice-Mayor Meeks stated there is an Ethics Training on June 15 at Town Hall and afterwards the Town is hosting the Northeast Florida League of Cities dinner. Vice-Mayor Meeks stated he walked Plainfield Avenue the other day and staff should take a look at it before final payment goes to the contractor. He stated there are several items that need to be addressed. Councilman Watt stated the Land Use Planning and Policy Committee met last week and approved site plans for Wawa and the new Wendy s.
Page 11 Councilman Watt stated Birdwood received more damage from last week s storm. Councilman Watt thanked the Police and Public Works Departments for their hard work. Councilman Raymond made no comments at this time. Mayor Land discussed meeting procedures. He stated meetings will follow the Standing Rules, which includes Roberts Rule of Order. He stated audience comments on agenda and non-agenda items will be done at the beginning and end of the meeting. He stated the public should keep their comments to three minutes; he stated anything more than that is a lot of information for the Council to digest. Items to be voted on should be presented to Council as an agenda item with back-up material. Mayor Land thanked staff their work during the storm. He stated Congressman Ted Yoho called him to check in on the Town after the storm. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Mr. Frank Ricketts, 2253 Marcia Court, Orange Park, stated there was a provision in a court order that money had to be held in the 405 Fund for future maintenance of the sewer department. Mr. Kenny Radwanski, 2061 Azalea Avenue, Orange Park, stated he spoke with a JEA representative the day after the storm and was told there were winds of 60-70 mph, but there was a microburst of 120 mph that caused all the damage. Mr. Eugene Nix, 441 Stowe Avenue, Orange Park, stated he is confused about the next River Road input meeting. He stated there is no need for another meeting on June 20, since the residents already met and provided their recommendations to Council. Mayor Land stated he is concerned that if they cancel the meeting, someone may complain. Mr. Hanson stated the meeting starts at 6:00 p.m and there is no limit on time; there is not a Council meeting that night. Mr. Nix thanked Hank Racer for his work and reminded River Road residents that they should schedule their oneon-one meetings with staff. Mr. Hank Racer, 1050 River Road, Orange Park, stated the meeting on June 20 was already noticed and is still a good idea to have the meeting. He stated there may still be people that show up. He stated the Kids Fest armbands have already been advertised. He stated there is going to be a lot of people that are expecting those armbands. Ms. Angela Ihle Wester, 738 River Road, Orange Park, stated she hopes that the input from the residents that Mr. Racer shared will still hold as much weight as the input from those who attend the meeting on June 20.
Page 12 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:09 p.m. Mayor Land read a script to commence the shade meeting.