And we'll recess for just two or three minutes before we switch out some things here and get ready for the work session. This time I'll call to order the November 17, 2025 work session of the Clearwater City Council. This time we'll move to item two on the agenda, and that's our October service awards. There are lots of service awards here today, and you can tell we've got a full room of folks who we are happy to congratulate for your great work. So first I'd like to call forward Chris Malone from the Public Works Department. Celebrating Chris's 20 years with the City of Clearwater, and the City Manager will read his appreciation notice today. Hello, sir. A Clearwater resident since 1971, Chris long aspired to give back to the community that shaped him. From St. Pete College, he received his Associates of Arts and Associates of Science degrees in an area of study geographic technology, geographic communications, architecture, sustainability management, and business management with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in management organizational leadership. That's a lot. That is a lot. Chris began his career with the City on October 17, 2005, as a survey assistant one, where he played a key role in implementing trilateralization GPS technology. I apologize if I did not say that right. Collecting data from all 156 benchmarks citywide, his professionalism and technical aptitude quickly led to a series of well-earned promotions across departments. In May of 2006, he was promoted to development review technician in planning and development. In August of 2006, Chris was promoted to traffic engineering assistant in the engineering department traffic division and served as the primary permit preparer for five years of the City's Iron Man events. In 2009, he hand-drawn, detailed map of Clearwater Beach, became a permanent artwork posted on the Marina kiosk, and was featured in the City Communications Newsletter. From July of 2010 until today, Chris has been working in the Geographic Technology Division of Public Works and Engineering, where he went through a series of promotions from drafting and mapping technician, CAD and GIS technician 2, to senior CAD and GIS technician. In December of 2024, he took an additional responsibility as a lead worker of CAD and GIS technicians group. As an essential working during COVID-19, Chris led his GIS team while also supporting engineering permit reviews. For many years, he has become a public records research specialist and an archivist of city projects and plan sets for engineering. Beyond his technical impact, Chris has played a central role in boasting employee morale, organizing every employee appreciation luncheon for engineering and public works. His recent leadership shined as lead move coordinator for the MSB renovations project and was recognized in June of 2025 as a citywide employee of the month for beyond the expectations of his role, demonstrating remarkable initiative and commitment. Recently, retired construction manager, division manager, and landscape architect Tim Kurtz once said, Chris always goes the extra mile to present his findings in a clear and concise manner. There are many times that Chris has saved the day by finding the one document that clarified the issue. Chris's dedication, skill, and positive spirit have made a lasting impact on the city of Clearwater and all who work with him. Please congratulate Chris for 20 years of outstanding service. We look forward to celebrating many more achievements in years to come. Chris, you make Clearwater thrive. Thank you. So, Assistant City Manager Bally, you may want to get the City Manager water or Gatorade because she's got eight of these for you today. I do. She may want to keep her hydrated. She's got a ways to go. This time I'd like to call forward Clifford Patterson from the Parks and Recreation Department for his 20 years. Today, we proudly celebrate and honor Cliff Patterson for 20 years of service in the field of aquatics with the City of Clearwater. For two decades, Cliff has dedicated his career to providing safe, high-quality aquatic programs that have touched the lives of countless community members. From the very beginning of his career, Cliff has been a trusted leader, mentor, and role model. Through teaching hundreds of children to swim, coaching summer pool team programs, and mentoring new staff, Cliff has not only helped individuals gain vital water safety skills, but also inspired future aquatics professionals. Many of those, he guided credit Cliff with sparking their passion for serving others. Beyond his visible role on the pool deck, Cliff has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the success of Clearwater's aquatic facilities. Whether maintaining rigorous safety standards, improving operational efficiency, or adapting programs to meet the evolving needs of the community, his contributions have been essential in keeping our aquatics program strong, relevant, and impactful. Reaching 20 years in any profession is a noteworthy achievement. Reaching 20 years in aquatics, where responsibility for safety, education, and community engagement is so critical, is a remarkable achievement and is worthy of recognition. On behalf of the city of Clearwater, we extend our deepest gratitude to Cliff for his commitment, professionalism, and unwavering dedication. His work is a reflection of our city's values, demonstrating how high-performing government and superior public service come to life through actions of dedicated employees. Cliff's legacy is seen not only in safer swimmers and stronger programs, but also in the community he has helped build. We look forward to the continued impact he will make in the years ahead. Cliff, thank you for your unwavering commitment to the city of Clearwater. You make Clearwater thrive. Thank you, Cliff. Thank you, Cliff. Thank you, Cliff. Thank you, Cliff. Thank you, Cliff. Appreciate you. Next, we'll move on to three employees who are celebrating 25 years with the city of Clearwater. At this time, I'd like to come forward Kevin Kline from our Clearwater Police Department. Sergeant Kevin Kline began his career with the Clearwater Police Department on October 9th of 2000 as a communications operator. On January 10th of 2004, he transitioned to the role of police officer. Throughout his career, he has served in a wide range of vital assignments, including Honor Guard Team Leader, Traffic Homicide Investigator, where he conducted complex crash investigations and advanced roadway safety, and field training officer mentoring new recruits. Today, he serves as the administrative sergeant assigned to the patrol major, a key leadership role that supports both daily operations and the long-term readiness of the department's largest division. Sergeant Kline's dedication has been recognized with numerous awards. In 2012, he earned the Medal of Distinguished Service for his compassion and bravery in assisting a child in distress. In 2024, he received both the Medal of Materials Service and the Cornelius Award, the department's highest honor for his outstanding work in a kidnapping case that led to the safe recovery of the young victim. He is also a three-time recipient of the Chief's Unit Citation. For 25 years, Sergeant Kline has embodied professionalism, dedication, and deep commitment to the safety of Clearwater. We're grateful for his service and leadership, which exemplifies superior public service and reflects the very best of a high-performing government. Thank you, Sergeant Kline, for what you do for our city, our citizens, and our team. You make Clearwater thrive. Next, I'd like to call forward Linshawn Price from the Clearwater Police Department. Sergeant Price began her career with the Clearwater Police Department on October 9th of 2000 as a patrol officer. Throughout her career, Sergeant Price has taken on a wide range of assignments, from officer-friendly to detective in the vice of narcotics unit. In 2007, she accepted what would become her most rewarding roles, serving as the school resource officer for Oak Grove Middle School. For more than a decade, she acted as the trusted liaison among school officials, parents, and law enforcement. Whether leading a campaign to provide lights for students' bicycles or sponsoring a mentorship group for young women, she made a lasting impression by being a role model for her students to look up to. Her dedication was recognized in 2017 when she was named the Pinellas County Schools Resource Officer of the Year. Colleagues described her as wonderful, effective, and tough, but fair. Her commitment to service has also been recognized on other occasions. She has received two chief's unit citations and two letters of accommodation, one for her work in the officer-friendly program and another for her efforts in helping close a well-known nuisance property within the city. At the city of Clearwater, we recognize the milestones like this reflect more than years of service. They highlight the values of high-performing and superior public service. Sergeant Price's career demonstrates the commitment, integrity, and excellence that help our organization deliver meaningful results and foster trust within the community. Sergeant Price has consistently embodied the highest standards of law enforcement and community service. We thank her for her 25 years of dedicated service to the safety and well-being of Clearwater. Sergeant Price, you make Clearwater thrive. What's up, Mom? How many sense, Jen? I'm doing all right. I think I've got it still. Next, I'd like to call forward Mark Roberson from the Parks and Recreation Department. Mark began his career with the city of Clearwater as a seasonal pool guard at Holt Pool in the summer of 1999 and has been in or around Clearwater pools for the past 25 years. Mark became a full-time aquatics leader in 2000 and was then promoted to an aquatic programmer in 2002. He was once again promoted, this time to an aquatic supervisor, in 2006. Mark has spent most of his career overseeing aquatic programs at the Long Center, but he is our go-to guy when it comes to making sure all city pools and splash pads function properly. Although Mark's knowledge of aquatics maintenance is outstanding, his superpower lies in his ability to teach and mentor others. Over the years, Mark has taught thousands of children life-saving skills, one stroke at a time. Mark is more than willing to share his knowledge by teaching staff in everything from CPR to lifeguarding skills. He is a certified Red Cross water safety instructor, aquatic facility operator, lifeguard trainer, and CPR first aid instructor, making him an invaluable leader in both safety and education. Known for his outstanding work ethic, leading by example, and always having a positive can-do attitude, Mark has received multiple recognition awards in his years with the city, many of which mention his willingness to help others and his ability to provide service with a smile. His contributions to the city of Clearwater have not only enriched the community, but also safeguarded lives of countless residents and visitors, both in and out of the water. Mark's dedication extends beyond aquatics. His career reflects a deep commitment to high-performing government and superior public service. Through his leadership, professionalism, and passion, Mark continues to embody the values that make Clearwater thriving and a safe community for all. Thank you, Mark, for your continued and dedicated 25 years of service to the city of Clearwater. You make Clearwater thrive. So that is our 25-year employees. Next, we have one employee who has been with the city of Clearwater for 30 years. And so I'd like to call forward Judy Martin from CGS Energy. Judy began her distinguished career with the city as a library assistant, dedicating 12 years to serving the community. She demonstrated exceptional versatility at the circulation desk, assisting patrons, conducting research, managing checkouts, balancing cash transactions, and repairing books to keep the collection in top condition. Her outstanding customer service helped create a welcoming and resourceful library environment. In 2007, Judy's strong work ethic earned her promotion to customer service representative and the gas department's distribution area. She quickly adopted to the new role, managing her workload with professionalism and stepping in to assist the dispatch team when needed, showcasing her flexibility and teamwork. Two years later, Judy advanced to the accounting technician where her attention to detail and problem-solving skills stood out. She managed third-party damage reports with the risk department to recover expenses and maintained the keep and cap report to ensure compliance with federal requirements. Since 2016, Judy has served as a senior staff assistant, providing vital support to the director and assistant director. Her organization, professionalism, and proactive approach keep the department running smoothly, and her eagerness to learn continues to make her an invaluable asset. Throughout her career, Judy has exemplified dedication, reliability, and a genuine passion for serving others. Beyond work, she enjoys reading, crocheting, and spending time with her eight grandchildren, bringing the same worth and care to her personal life that she shows in her career. Judy's remarkable journey is a testament to her unwavering commitment to the city and its community. She exemplifies the values of superior public service and contributes to a high-performing government through her dedication, professionalism, and consistent excellence. We're proud to recognize her outstanding contributions of 30 years and can celebrate her continued success. What great dedication to not just the city as an employer, but to all of our citizens here in Clearwater, of these employees who have been with us for 20, 25, and 30 years. We thank all of you for your dedication to the city of Clearwater and our citizens. This time, we'll go to the Employee of the Month Award for November of 2025. This time, I'd like to call forward Edwin Simeons from the Parking Enforcement Department. Maybe? Okay. Maybe he is not here today, so City Manager, would you go ahead and read his... Absolutely. We're proud to recognize Edwin, a new member of the Parking Enforcement Team, as Clearwater's Employee of the Month for November, for his heroic actions and exemplary service during his very first week on the job. While taking a lunch break with his trainer, Joshua Sexton, Edwin noticed that Josh was choking and unable to breathe or speak. Without hesitation, Edwin immediately assessed the situation and took decisive action, first attempting back blows to dislodge the obstruction. When that did not work, he calmly and skillfully performed the Heimlich Maneuver, successfully expelling the lodged food and saving Josh's life. Thanks to Edwin's quick thinking, composure under pressure, and willingness to act, a life-threatening emergency was resolved before medical assistance was even needed. His calm and competent response demonstrated not only courage and care for a teammate, but also the highest standards of teamwork, responsibility, and public service. Edwin's actions are a shining example of what it means to deliver superior public service and to contribute to a high-performing government, one where employees look out for one another and the community with professionalism and compassion. Through his heroic response and dedication to others, Edwin truly helps make Clearwater thrive. Please join us in congratulating Edwin, our November Employee of the Month, for his remarkable actions and well-deserved recognition. I'm sure Edwin's out there enforcing parking and maybe even saving a few lives today, so he's not able to, but we'll make sure Edwin gets his. Next move to the bi-monthly Team Award for November-December of 2025. This time I call forward the PBI cleanup crew, specifically Paul Mack, Jordan Rich, Maurice Hunter, Sedwick Moore, Matthew Samuel, Bryce Talley, Severon Hips, Chancey Anderson, Joel Donegan, Timothy Palmese, Thomas Lucas, Chris Beckham, Michael Morant, Jamie Gatewood, Sawyer Day, Mitch Arnold, Marquise DeVos, Michael Blake, Jeff Paynham, Fred Coker, Eric Keels, Michael Deathridge, Timmy Benitez, and the Jaws Glaze. When the police department reported a large homeless encampment on the city property along Enterprise Road, it quickly became clear that the situation would require a major coordinated effort. Upon visiting the site, the extent of the camp was overwhelming. Dense trees and brush, piles of debris, furniture, shopping carts, and personal belongings scattered throughout the area. Without hesitation, Paul Mack and the PBI team stepped up to take charge of the challenge. After the property was posted, the team mobilized an impressive operation involving 24 city employees and three volunteers. Over several days, they worked tirelessly cleaning brush, hauling debris, and restoring the area. In total, the cleanup required eight 20-yard roll-off dumpsters and the removal of 7.6 tons of debris. This was no simple cleanup. It involved navigating difficult terrain and addressing a situation that had developed over months, if not years. Despite the demanding and unpleasant conditions, the team approached the task with professionalism, compassion, and determination. As one of the code enforcement officers shared, people don't often realize the scope of what we do. It's not just about enforcing codes or cutting grass. It's about stepping up to handle tough, often unseen challenges that make our community safer and cleaner. Thank you to the CBI cleanup crew's hard work, teamwork, and dedication. The area has been fully restored. Their efforts truly exemplify a superior public service, the spirit of high-performing government, and the commitment that helps make Clearwater thrive. Thank you all. Thank you. You can always tell from a football game which players are playing the hardest, but the ones that have their uniforms are dirty, and these guys came in here straight from the field where they're getting dirty every day, and it's so great to honor these folks. We have so many employees like them that are out there in the field, hot sun during the summer, working so hard, and to see them recognized today is really great for all of us. So thank you for making sure they got over here today. That will move to Item 3.1 on the agenda. Authorize the purchase order benchmark VALLC, Subsurface Utility Services of Ashland, Virginia, for gas leak surveys, corrosion inspections, and meter maintenance services. Good afternoon, Councilman. My name is Alex Leon. I'm the Assistant Director for CES Energy. This item here today is asking you to authorize PO for benchmark services for leak and corrosion services. It's a code requirement for us as a three-year contract in the annual amount to not exceed $230,000. I'll take any questions. Okay. Any questions? Okay. Do we have consent? Yeah. Do we have consent on 3.1? Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Jet item 4.1. Authorize the purchase order of Sports Services LLC of West Palm Beach, Florida for cleaning and refurbishment of tennis and pickleball courts at three parks and rec facilities. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Matthew Anderson, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director. The item before you is a purchase order for court cleaning and resurfacing of three of our tennis court facilities. Bay Park, Sand Key, Cochin Ridge Park, and Morningside Rec are the three facilities that are slated this year for maintenance. This contract will allow us to go through, resurface the courts, replace the nets, poles, and new tennis lines. We'll also be adding pickleball lines to portions of these tennis courts to allow for multi-racket sport play. So I'll be glad to answer any questions at this time. Any questions? Council Member Menino? Thank you, Mayor. Just for clarification, I know in the summary on the legislation text, it says eight courts, but we're discussing three of them. Is there a difference there? Yeah, so there's three facilities, eight total courts between those facilities. Gotcha. Thank you for that clarification. Yes, sir. And it's a piggyback, so are we familiar with the company? I guess we've used them before for courts? Yes, sir. We used them last year for similar maintenance. We don't do a ton of courts at one time. We do a small batch every year, but it falls in our maintenance cycle. Utilizing a company like this to do this type of work prevents the need to replace a full court sooner, so it stretches the life of that existing court. Okay. Okay. Any other questions? If not, do we have consent? Yep. Do we have consent on 4.1? Thank you. To item 4.2. Award construction contract to Bandis Construction Company of Dunedin, Florida, for renovations and structural repairs for the aquatic facilities in North Greenwood Recreation Center. Good afternoon. Mayor, Council, Matthew Anderson, Parks and Rec Assistant Director. The item before you is an award for construction contract to Bandis Construction. We put out the North Greenwood Rec Center pool through the construction ITB process. We had three respondents. Only two of them were deemed responsive. Bandis had the lowest, most responsible price of the responding bidders. This project is going to be very helpful for us. That facility is over 20 years old and needs a lot of different items either repaired or replaced, and this contract will allow us to do that. I'd be glad to answer any questions at this time. Just for the public, because it's a big number, just what kind of big mechanical things are we doing? You said it's 20 years old, so I'm assuming it's worn out. Yes, sir. Describe to the public just the significant items that we're replacing or improving. Absolutely. So there's a large play feature in the kiddie pool that will be removed and be replaced. It's been refurbished yearly for the last 10 years. We've literally sanded it until we're down to bare fiberglass. The majority of the decking will be removed because it's cracked or settled and be replaced. New filters and pumps in the filter room. New surfacing inside of not just the large pool but also the child pool. Upgrades to some of the drainage around the various deck. It's a pretty significant project. It's probably going to take the full contract term to achieve it. I'm deciding that improving the pumps can improve our efficiency and maybe yield some cost savings over time, too. Yes, sir. That's the intention. This will also help us. We've got some leaks in there that we've been addressing throughout the years. We have this pool leak tested every year, and we have to go through and do repairs. So this permanent repair will ultimately reduce our water usage by a pretty significant amount. Anybody else? Thanks, Mayor. Yeah, it took a second when I looked at the number, too. But this is over a 20-year-old pool, right? Yes. Yeah, it's the original pool when the rec center was built. 02, I think? I believe so, yes. That's Mayor McCutton. Yeah, I know you guys do your due diligence, and you said that the two respondents weren't able to get back for whatever reason. But just to keep in our minds' eye that we're trying to get the best rate for taxpayers. Absolutely. Because, yeah, that's a big number. I understand it's a 20-year pool. Things need to get replaced, and we stay on top of it. You guys do a really good job in Parks and Rec. I appreciate that. How long is it anticipated once this reconstruction is done? Will it be another 20 years? Is that what we're anticipating, or hopefully longer? Typically, with the maintenance that we do as far as leak testing, repairs, refinishing of playground features, I can't give you an exact date, but I would guess another large remodel like this is 15 to 20 years out. Okay, perfect. Thank you. Absolutely. Okay, do we have consent on 4.2? Yes. We have consent. Thank you. Thank you. Gen item 5.1. Approve a purchase order to Pinellas Regional Information Management Enterprise for the personnel and operating expense of Prime. Afternoon, Mayor, Council, Eric Gandy, Chief of Police. So, this payment is the annual payment to Prime. That's the working group and board that is working alongside Hexagon for the implementation of a countywide dispatch system and records management system for all fire, EMS, and law enforcement. There's been some delays in this project. We've been before discussing those delays. And on October 15th, we had to make a payment for our legacy or existing CAD system in the amount of $246,320.40. On that date, when you gave the approval, I did indicate that we would be reimbursed through the Prime Consortium in that amount. So, today's item is a payment to Prime in the amount of $323,537, and we are backing out the $246. They will be reimbursing us. So, the net to Prime is in the amount of $77,216.60. I'd also like to mention that because of these delays, the Prime Board has had several difficult conversations with the Hexagon Group. And as a result, we've tentatively agreed to some financial concessions, some timeline changes, as well as some potential liquidated damages should they continue to have delays. I can't speak to those, again, because they are tentative at this point, but it just demonstrates the complexity of the project and the seriousness with which all the entities on Prime and directors are approaching this. I'll be glad to answer any questions. Any questions from the Council on this agenda item? Mr. Mayor Cotton? Yeah, I don't have any questions, more so just a comment. Is there or should we start talking to Prime for when Hexagon fails? Because let me just tell you, it's failed every time that I've got on it from the FD side. I'm not looking forward to this next – I am looking forward to it. We'll see where we go with it. My hopes aren't that high, but I do know that we have another big training coming. But it looks like the reimbursed costs are out, right, now that we're having to spend some of our own money. So, I mean, I know the county had great high hopes for this. The sheriff did too. But maybe we should start trying to make sure we can count our cost savings elsewhere or see what we can do in the interim as the next progression of the system moves forward. Well, sure, we've been having those conversations. We all recognize with these continuous delays that we may have to look at option B. That's why the tentatively agreed upon contractual changes have a lot to do with holding them accountable and looking at financial concessions, which they've tentatively agreed to. That doesn't deliver what we want, and it's the product. But they're definitely primed. The board is holding their feet to the fire in this project. And I think you'll have a date certain within the next six months or so where we know exactly where we're going to stand. All right, Alistair, I appreciate you. Thank you for standing on top of that, Chief. Absolutely. Okay. Any other questions? Do we have consent on Agenda Item 5.1? We have consent. Okay? Agenda Item 5.2. A perfect acceptance of the Florida Department of Transportation Speeding and Aggressive Driving 2026 Grant Award. Mayor, Council, Chief Gandy. One of my biggest complaints, and it has been this way for decades, is aggressive driving and traffic and speeding. It's consistent. It's consistent. It's constant. And despite I think we're on pace to do 40,000 traffic stops this year, we still have a need. FDOT has also recognized that need, and they've offered these grants. Deputy Chief Wallach identified this one and pursued it, put a good package together. And what this will allow us to do, and the challenge we have in patrol is generally those 40,000 stops outside of a specialty unit like the traffic team, it might be an officer going from one call to the next, and they observe a violation. They make the stop, and then they're off to their next call. This will allow us to have dedicated details perhaps up on U.S. 19 where we have someone running laser and three or four chase cars stacked up ready to apprehend the violators. So it's definitely something that will be helpful to us, and there's an education component, which is kind of nice. We can push stuff out on our social media, and there's public engagement. My thought process there is to use our community meetings to push that information out at a variety of community meetings, particularly on the east side of town where we have lots of these types of complaints. So $75,000, we're here before you because there's an indemnification clause, as with all FDOT grants. I'd be glad to answer any questions. Okay. Any questions on this agenda? If not, do we have consent? Yes. We have consent on 5.2. Thank you, Chief. Gen item 5.3. Approve a five-year agreement with Axon Incorporated of Scottsdale, Arizona, for the Axon SkyHero drone packages. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Lieutenant Justin Howard with the Police Department. I'm here today seeking to replace existing equipment and accessories due to the equipment being an end of the line. This equipment will be used both by the Special Weapons and Tactics team as well as our patrol division. This equipment consists of interior drones, robot, pole cameras, a full warranty for five years, as well as a built-in upgrade during the term. This equipment will be utilized reactively in response to in-progress calls for service, search warrants, or SWAT call-outs. This technology is critically important and allows officers to gather intelligence. It helps guide our decision-making and essentially increases opportunities for de-escalation, all without having to put officers in harm's way. But we are looking to continue to leverage this readily available technology to mitigate risk to the responding officers in the community. The total cost of this project is $96,760.80, which will be spread out over five years. I'm happy to answer any questions. Questions on this, can you just describe to the public how we've used drones in the past and just a couple of examples and how it helps us specifically? Sure, sure. So we have a couple different types of drones that we use. We have patrol-level outside drones that will help with, like, missing people, things like that. Specifically for this one, it's the use of interior drones. They would fly through a house or a building. I think a good example would be if SWAT was called out for an armed barricade suspect in a house. Instead of sending officers in there, we would just utilize this interior drone to clear the structure. No questions? Do we have consent? Do we have consent on that here? Six point, excuse me, 5.3. Thank you. Thank you. Genine, 6.1. I put the first amendment to the Clearwater Undergrounding of Electric Utilities Project into a local agreement with Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Tara Kivitt, City Engineer. This amendment for just under $15,000 is to cover PSTA's portion of Duke Undergrounding, and this was a more recent requirement due to some tweaking requirements that CSX requested. So like the original interlocal agreement, this is basically a pass-through cost. PSTA will pay this, and then the City of Clearwater will pay Duke. I've got a quick update on the Duke Undergrounding. We expect to see some construction start on that work in early December. There's been a lot of behind-the-scenes activity. We just received some of our final easements. Duke has called and locates and even done a deeper dive on more of a private locate, and the City continues to coordinate with all of the joint users, the private communication companies that are co-located on those poles. To get design and cost for them, we'll be bringing back another request for some funding of that early in the year. Our original, the first time you approved this project, you did approve a million dollars, and right now we've spent just under $700,000, and that was our cost directly to Duke. And then we're also coordinating with FDOT and Duke on some of the street lighting that may be affected. So any questions? I have two. One is, well, it starts at the new City Hall and then goes south to Court Street, or is it the start of the MSB building? It does include the MSB block. It actually starts at Cleveland and goes down to Court Street. So it was four blocks where PSTA is paying a quarter of that. And are we allocating more money to this here today, or are we just, it's just we're agreeing to accept it or pay it on behalf of PSTA, and then they're going to reimburse us? Exactly, the latter. So we're not agreeing to any more additional money? No, exactly. So because this was CSX related right there at Franklin, related to the PSTA's portion of the project, they are paying this. But I had talked to Jared about it, and he had said it would be a good idea to bring it to council because it is truly an amendment to the interlocal agreement with PSTA. Any other questions? If not, do we have consent? Yep. We have consent on 6.1. Thank you. Thank you. 296.2. Approve an amendment to the interlocal agreement between Pinellas County, City of Clearwater, and other NPDES co-permittees for water quality monitoring. Good afternoon. Sarah Kessler from the Public Works Department. This amendment is for the dates only. So it provides a five-year extension to the existing five-year agreement with Pinellas County for surface water monitoring. So water quality monitoring is a requirement for the city's stormwater permit. And Pinellas County does most of the monitoring throughout the county. St. Pete does their own, so we're just part of the north Pinellas part of it. And then we just pay a portion of the program cost, and it's based on a percentage of our jurisdiction in Pinellas County. So annually, the county will send us the water quality report, and then we will take out our little city portion of it and write an assessment of what a summary of their clearwater waterways and include that in our stormwater permit, our annual permit report, which is due in January. And so I'm happy to answer any questions about that. Any questions on the state item? Councilmember Cotton? Yes, ma'am. Do you know why St. Pete does their own? St. Pete has their own MS4 and PDS permit, and so they have slightly different parameters than the rest of the county has. It's very similar, but the rest of the county is all on the county's permit, and so we all have the same requirements and the same things for monitoring, and so St. Pete's is a little bit different. Thank you. Okay, do we have consent? Yes. Okay, we have consent on 6.2. Thank you. Should I have 6.3? Award a construction contract to Gator Grading and Paving LLC of Palmetto, Florida, for the 2025 street resurfacing project. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I'm Anna Hall Interpretation Division Manager for Public Works. We close on September 24th with Greater Grading Paving as the lowest, most responsible bidder for the city's annual street resurfacing program. Gator's asphalt pricing remains competitive. The asphalt items that we use most frequently only increased 4% to 7% over the last year and remain within the 0% to 5% compared to Pinellas County's active contract pricing. Even if continual inflation, the city has secured asphalt pricing that are consistent with countywide benchmarks and allow us to continue delivering cost-effective resurfacing work. The annual roadway resurfacing program preserves the pavement, prevents premature deterioration, and maintains both the wearing surface and the roadway subsurface citywide. Resurfacing priorities are based on pavement condition assessments, citizens' requests, and staff field observations, each verified and ranked by the Transportation Division and right-of-way staff. Staff coordinates year-round with utilities to ensure needed repairs are completed before resurfacing, reducing the need for patches afterwards. Major roads planned for resurfacing include Island Way, Windward Passage, Pierce Street, Park Street, and an additional corridor citywide. Neighborhoods and local roads include Woodgate 3, Clearwater Manor, Sunnydale, Tropic Hills. And this is a unit price contract not to exceed $3 million annually, and the city may extend the contract for up to three additional one-year terms throughout September of 2029. I'd be happy to answer any questions. Okay. Any questions? And just for the public, again, there's a great map attached to the agenda item that shows the areas that are going to be resurfaced. Correct. A reminder to them and everybody that if this is city streets, we resurfaced, that Depdot and the county have their own responsibility for their portions of it. Yeah. And the Island Estates folks will be happy to know that it marks on here it's a time-sensitive priority site, because they've gone through a lot of piping and construction out there, and it's pretty rough. So they'll be happy to see that as well. So, okay. Do we have consent on this agenda item? Yes. Okay. We have consent on 6.3. Great. Yeah. Lost my place there. Thank you. Yeah. Agenda item 7.1. Approved Pinellas County EMS ALS First Responder Agreement Amendment No. 1 between Pinellas County and the City of Clearwater. Chair and Council, good afternoon. Chad Pittman, Fire Chief. This amendment basically has three changes from the current agreement. The first one is an increase in cost and revenue generated from this for personnel and operational costs. That's about a 2% increase from last year, totaling $183,223. Also, it creates or it adds language in the contract that allows the county to fund maintenance for our fire engines that are funded through the county to provide ALS coverage. And finally, there's language in there. It changes the process how our continuing medical education instructors are reimbursed through the county. This has gone through legal, and I'm here if you have any questions. We have to answer them. Questions from Council Member Nader. Chief, thank you. You're welcome. I know this issue has come up in the past, and there were some sticking points on it that we had some issues with in the city in making sure we were properly reimbursed for work that our men and women were doing on behalf of the county. And I appreciate staff working hard to get those kind of ironed out. I think we all know we're in a better place for the city of Clearwater and the taxpayers. My question is, seeing the 2% increase, was that throughout the whole county as far as municipalities, or just Clearwater, is it any different than, like, say, St. Pete? I don't know what St. Pete is off the top of my head, but generally speaking with these contracts, you only go for an amendment if there's an increase of 3% or more. We're a little different this year because we have the other ones, the maintenance for vehicles. That's really why we're here. Otherwise, we would not have to do an amendment. Most fire agencies are going to their council or their commission to do amendments because their cost has increased more than 3%. Yeah, and that's kind of where my questions were coming from. With so much escalation of cost and maintenance and labor, 2% seemed pretty low. Yeah, 2% seemed pretty low, and I didn't know if you felt that was fair on the reimbursement side or if there's something we should be receiving. If I may, I can speak to that. Jay Ravens, finance director. That's based on our actual costs. The reason we're coming in so low is because of the change we made to the pension plan. The funding for the pension plan decreased our pension contribution significantly from the prior year. That's negated much of the other cost increases and has driven us down to that 2% level. You'll recall that was significant savings for the general fund. Yeah, right. In the budget process, it means we're getting less reimbursement because our pension expense has gone down. Yes, Mayor McCotten. You done? Yeah. Chief, how are you doing? I'm good. Real quick question. The contractor-funded units, Engine 46, 47, and 48, for my colleagues here, those are ALS. BLS contractor-funded, is that correct? That is correct, yes. So what that means is it's a paramedic that's an advanced life support unit. Has the county talked with us at all about those contractor-funded units when we have to utilize our paramedic we're paying for to ride into the hospital with a BLS sensor unit? Typically, about every February, the county asks if there are going to be any enhancement requests, and that's when the cities or fire agencies come to the county with those requests. I'm not aware that Clearwater Fire and Rescue has asked for that kind of funding, but, again, February will be here before we know it. Oh, yeah. We should get them all funded. That would be perfect right now to see that increase. For sure. I've definitely got more questions for you, but I'll have them offline. It's not pertaining directly to this, but welcome. Thank you. I hope you're enjoying your time here, and I look forward to where you take us. I am. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Anything else on this agenda item? If not, do we have consent on 7.1? We have consent. Thank you, Chief. And agenda item 8.1. Approve amendments to the Community Development Code updating the city's plotting process to address statutory changes pursuant to Senate Bill 784. Good afternoon, Lauren Maskey, Planning and Development. So my items will be a little bit longer, this one, though, not quite as much as the next one. So this past legislative session resulted in several statutory changes which necessitated then amendments to our Community Development Code to remain compliant with the statutes. Ordinance 985625 addresses the city's plotting process, which the Senate Bill required that final plotting be moved to an administrative process. The bill also establishes some basic parameters regarding noticing, which includes that the city must send written acknowledgement of receipt of a final PLAT application or of any PLAT application within seven business days. The notice has to identify anything missing from the requirement and also speak to the timeframe in which it will be reviewed. I'd like to just say that this is something that's pretty consistent with the completeness process that we already follow, at least for preliminary PLATs. So we're not making any substantive changes in terms of process. For context, preliminary PLATs have been and will continue to be reviewed by the Development Review Committee. When a preliminary PLAT is accompanied by a planning application that would otherwise require approval by the Community Development Board, for example, if they're requesting flexibility to lot sizes, that planning application will still need to continue forward to the board for approval. And then we would be able to process the preliminary PLATs and then we would be able to process the preliminary PLAT administratively. Planning and development, our staff has been working with the city surveyor to establish how the process will work for final PLATs, since it does normally come through you and the city surveyor has always processed those. So the way we see it is we'll continue to continue to review against the legislation governing final PLATs, the Development Review Committee, the applicable members will also review the application to ensure that it conforms with the preliminary PLAT that was already approved. And then the people who would sign it would be the city surveyor and then the community development coordinator, which is the planning and development director. This would be the change because normally the city manager signs on behalf of the council, but since these won't be brought forward to you anymore, that's the way the process would change. The ordinance also includes a few minor changes that were proposed by staff to offer some clarity into the minor lot line adjustments. Whenever we're already in a portion of the code, if there are things that we'd like to bring forward, we try to do it at the same time. So we just get some questions about it, and there are some tweaks that we can make to language that we think will make it easier for everyone to understand. So in an effort to get this done by the end of this calendar year, this is being scheduled concurrently with the Community Development Board. So we'll be presenting it tomorrow for their review, and we'll bring forward their recommendation to the council on Thursday evening. Questions? Thank you. TNM 8.2. Approve amendments to the Community Development Code, updating certain development review processes and timeframes to reflect current processes and address statutory changes pursuant to Senate Bill 1080. All right. Good afternoon again. Lauren Mattsky, Planning and Development. This ordinance was a little linkier and covered a few different topics, so I'll walk through those, trying to strike the right balance of detail for you. So this one addresses development timeframes and includes, again, some additional staff recommendations for change. I'll start with the process, the changes that are addressing the minimum standard development process. This is an administrative review process that exists in the code. These are summarized just for your, if you're following along, on page two of the staff report. So when the Community Development Code that we currently use was adopted in 1999, it established a streamlined process for review of this type of application. These have very straightforward parameters for lot size and setbacks and certain uses, and they're called minimum standard uses. The way the code envisioned the processes, the development review committee would do a shortened review, a development order would be issued, and then the applicant could go on and apply for building permits. However, it's never been implemented that way. We actually do all the reviews concurrent at the time of building permit. So while we were in here amending, we thought it best to go ahead and update the code to really reflect the current practices, which has always been an even more streamlined approach for our customers. Much of the ordinance, though, does address the changes in the development timeframes from Senate Bill 1080, which was approved this year. So, but before getting into that, I just want to note that while there's changes to the timeframes, it doesn't actually change really our internal processes. So, you know, how to say this? I think we say this on occasion. We're not the city that's usually the reason for some of these legislative changes. We have a pretty streamlined process as is. So the vast majority of our processes already comported with these changes in the statutes. So the bill prescribes certain notifications and timeframes for review for new applications, including that the city must notify an applicant upon receipt of a new application and then identify any issues or things that are missing and give the applicant time to actually respond and bring it to completeness. These are on page three of the staff report. Again, those are things that we already did. So the amendment is really codifying these exact timeframes from the statute. So that way, you know, there's no chance of us getting out of compliance with the statutes later on for any reason. So we're also recommending, though, some changes to the number of days for certain decisions or actions to be made while we're at this. You'll see that it's proposed that the timeframe for the development review committee to make a determination of legal sufficiency, which is one of the steps that they make, to be extended from 18 to 25 days. This is because, or the reason for this is because the clock for this determination starts when staff sends the letter back to the applicant saying, your application is complete. The math, though, really wasn't working because it assumes that we wouldn't send that letter until day seven, and thus, 18 days later, was in line with our development review committee meeting. In actuality, we like to send the letter as soon as we see that it's complete because we review the first day that it comes in. And so the proposal just gives a little bit of cushion for the number of days in the month or someone sending the letter one day sooner than the deadline to send it because we try not to wait until the deadline if we know something's ready to go. So similarly, we're proposing to extend the timeframe by when the Community Development Board must take place from 33 days to 38 days. And this is very similar. It's all about when that clock starts, and on some of the longer months, there was a chance that we were right at day 33 or, when I was running all the math, maybe 34. So just to make sure we're fully consistent with our own code, we're proposing that. But we're not, you know, there's no intention of changing the date of the Community Development Board meeting, which has historically always been the third Tuesday of every month. The Development Review Committee meeting is the first Thursday of every month. So procedurally, no change, but in the code, some cushion, I guess you could say. So next, the previous, there was some earlier legislation that established the maximum timeframes for certain types of applications. And we've been compliant with those, but since we're amending the code, we want to go ahead and work those in as well. So it sets a standard for a quasi-judicial hearing, which would be the zoning applications that go to the Community Development Board. There has to be a decision made either to approve with conditions or deny an application within 180 days. And then for the non-quasi-judicial hearings, which for us would be our administrative processes, we have to do the same. It's 120 days to approve, approve with conditions or deny. So this codifies that from the statutes into our code. That is also detailed on page 3 of the staff report. So the last major grouping of proposed amendments are really the ad hoc changes that staff is proposing, and that's to enhance readability or bring consistency with current practices. These are generally found on pages 4 and 5 of the staff report. And in lieu of a detailed explanation, I'll just go through a couple of quick bullets for you. So there's some minor changes to the general procedures for development applications, including when an applicant can resubmit, because if they're denied for it being insufficient, meaning they were just missing some pieces, we recommend that they could come back and resubmit as soon as they have fixed what they needed to and want to reapply, as opposed to having them have to wait a little longer before they could reapply. Additionally, while it makes sense, you know, we kind of know what the building official has purview over and what the community development coordinator has purview over, we spell that out. So the building official reviews against the Florida building code and the community development coordinator reviews against the community development code. Yes, both CDCs. And last, just incorporating a statement that says a denial must include citations on what formulated the basis of the denial. You know, partially in the statutes, but also just good customer service. So, and then a few housekeeping items where language was needed in Article 4 to keep consistent with amendments that were, that other topics of amendments that have taken place. Like when we moved affordable housing, those projects using the affordable housing density bonus to a level one approval, there was a spot in here that we missed. So, kind of just changing a few of the language pieces and carrying it over. So, general housekeeping, again, that we like to do if we're already in a section of the code. So, similarly, we wanted to get this one done in this calendar year. So, this will be presented to the Community Development Board tomorrow, and we will bring forward their recommendation on Thursday night. Okay. Okay. Any questions? Great. No. Got some more, I'll bring it in. No questions, really. Just a comment. It's good that you're updating all those, I guess, you're actually codifying some of those things. Is it probably more advantageous for the community if they, for projects, now that they have a little more time to actually see what project, if they have a, if they want to talk about it or so forth, to come in to talk about it at the CDB? I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure I followed the question. In other words, if somebody comes in with a project and you said there was time added for public notice, was that right? Oh, the time is, our code sets a maximum number of days from the time of the Development Review Committee determining an application is legally sufficient until the first Community Development Board meeting. So, that's what we use, so that's our time to write our staff reports and everything like that. It keeps, it keeps our process moving for the applicant, so they have a certainty, you know, if they're good here, this is by when their meeting will be. Yes. Okay. I understand that. So, I mean, we would always recommend, you know, coming in for any of our pre-application processes if you, you know, if you have questions and advice. I tell everybody, do a DRC before they're, you know. Yeah. Our Building Plan Review Committee, every Wednesday, free. Come on in. Yeah. Okay. Vice Mayor. It took me a couple of reads, I have to be honest. It's good. I was not sinking in, so I had to take a break and then start over again. So, everything clarified after a while. But there was one thing that I just couldn't understand how the 33 to 38 days was going to align you with the calendar. And so, your explanation, thank you so much, it all comes back to starting of the clock from when you send out the stuff. So, thank you for clarifying that. That was the only outstanding question I had. Okay. Okay. That's Member Menino. Thank you, Mayor. No question, just a comment. Appreciate you and staff putting the time together, streamlining these processes for the citizens, and finding ways for us to operate more efficiently is a goal of all of ours. And I appreciate that. So, thank you. Thank you. If I can, can I give a thank you to Joelle's team who helped me get the graphics put together very last minute so we could meet our deadlines? Because I can't do the graphics work. Sure can. And I saw, you could see on some of our old ones where maybe they just used whiteout and photocopied and reprinted them back in the day. So, they look much more modern. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Moved to item 9.1. Approved the 2026 City Council meeting schedule. Council members, I've included a draft proposed schedule for next year. And that's based on Council Rule 1, where it says you will meet on the first and third Thursday of the month, except on January, July, you will meet on the second Thursday only. And then in December, you will not meet on the third Thursday. And so, I'll go over some of the anomalies. For the most part, we didn't really have any anomalies. According to Council Rule 1, as well, if a holiday falls on a Monday, the work session is moved to Tuesday. So, you'll see that on the proposed schedule. So, the conflicts that we did identify were, one, to accommodate the observance of Passover, which is observed April 1 through April 9. I'm proposing we have a council meeting only on that Monday instead of a work session. Just have a council meeting only on that day. No consent agenda. And then to accommodate for Jazz Holiday, which is October 15th through the 18th, to move the Thursday-October 15 meeting to Wednesday, which is historically what council has done to accommodate that request. And then the one that I'm seeking council consensus or direction is to accommodate some travel schedules among council. I'm proposing that we not hold a second council meeting in March. So, cancel the March 16th and the Thursday, March 19th, which means the first meeting in March will be a little heavy. But if you move it, then that kind of interferes with the beginning of Passover. So, that's one of the reasons why. And then move the April 13th and the Thursday-April 16 meetings to April 20th, so the following week, April 20th and April 23rd. In addition, you will see that I have a proposed council meeting only for the budget. And right now, we're going to go ahead and schedule it on that day for the second meeting. The county has already identified their meeting schedule, but it's tentative. So, in the event they change their budget hearings, we may have to change ours because we just happen to have – we coincide. Our meeting schedules coincide too much, so we're not going to be able to do that. But we'll keep an eye on that. And then hold a special work session on Thursday, January 29th from 9 to 12, and that's our historic annual strategic session. Okay. Any discussion? Everybody okay with moving the April 13th-16 meeting to the week of April 20th, 23rd? That's the only real change you requested, right? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I'm going to throw another one out there. We could move that strategic planning into either the 28th or the 30th. Right now, it's a Thursday. We could move that to either the Wednesday or Friday. That would be awesome. What date is that? January 29th. So, it's a Thursday. To the 20th. Unless that affects anything. I'll find out and see. I don't know if council wants to meet on a Friday, but – so, I'll check and see if we can do Wednesday, January 28th, if that's what you're looking at. Apologies. It's okay. I'd like to move that to U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting. It's the 29th and the 30th. Okay. So, the 28th? Okay. I'll confirm with calendars, but – And then I accept an invitation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors to attend the delegation trip to Israel May 4th and 7th. So, I won't be out, but just anything you all want to get through without me. And when you're out, sir, we'll make sure that there's nothing made. You'll be aware, and the vice mayor will take over. You don't need to move it, but I'll be out. I do have a question regarding the second meeting in March. Is there consensus to not hold that meeting? Okay. And just to confirm, Mayor, you said the Conference of Mayors, that's on the 29th or the 28th? It's that Thursday, Friday. Thursday, Friday. So, Wednesday, the 28th will work. So, Wednesday will be fine from that. Okay. All right. And then which one did you just say we're moving? The March meeting, we're moving – So, the March meeting, we're just going to have the first meeting in March and cancel the second meeting. Okay. We'll place it on consent with those changes if there are no issues with the January 28th. Okay. You're not on. Are you sure? Okay. Okay. All right. Just struggling with the mic. Okay. Okay. All right. Done that. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. Okay. So, we'll move to item 10.1. Mayor, 10.1 is mine. I know we've discussed this extensively through one-on-one meetings. Beyond what we've shared privately and beyond what's in the agenda item, I don't plan on saying much unless council has questions for me. This is the claims bill. Okay. Any questions? Okay. Not – do we have consent? Yeah, we have consent. Yes, we have consent. Okay. 10.2. Mayor, 10.2 and 10.3 are second readings. 10.3 includes the edits from the last council meeting. Other than that, they are unchanged. Happy to answer any questions. Any questions on 10.2 or 10.3? If not, we'll move to agenda item 11, city manager. Nothing, sir. Agenda item 12, city attorney. Nothing right now, sir. Agenda item 13, new business. Business requests by council members. Hearing none, move to item 14, council comments. None. Okay. Agenda item 15, closing comments by mayor. I don't feel it would be appropriate for me to give comments after nobody else did. And I appreciate staff wanting to move along. So we'll move to item 16, and that is to adjourn the work session of Clearwater City Council, November 17, 2025.