[00:00:06] GOOD AFTERNOON. [1. Call to Order. Roll Call.] I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THIS SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE CITY COMMISSION TO ORDER AND ASK THE CLERK TO PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. TRACY UPCHURCH I'M PRESENT NANCY SIKES-KLINE HERE, ROXANNE HORVATH HERE. JOHN VALDES HERE. BARBARA BLONDER HERE. THANK YOU. ALL THE COMMISSIONERS ARE PRESENT. THE TOPIC OF THIS SPECIAL MEETING IS THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, THE ALLOCATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED AND STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION AS TO HOW WE MIGHT APPROPRIATELY SPEND THE MONEY. WE ARE GOING TO HEAR PRESENTATION FROM STAFF. WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS IT. WE WILL HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT. I DO WANT THE COMMISSION TO KNOW THAT IF YOU ARE PREPARED TO VOTE THIS EVENING, STAFF IS READY TO RECEIVE THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. IF WE'RE NOT PREPARED TO VOTE, WE WILL AGENDA AT FOR A LATER MEETING. NO ONE'S TRYING TO PRESSURE ANYBODY, BUT IF IF WE ARE COMFORTABLE IN THE DIRECTION WE'RE GOING, WE NEED TO START GOING SIMPLY SO THAT WE CAN EMBARK UPON THESE IMPORTANT PROJECTS. AND SO I WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND, AS WELL AS THE COMMISSION TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT MAY WELL BE AN ASK AT THE END OF THE WORKSHOP, AS IS OUR PRACTICE. WE HAVE OUR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING IF TIME ALLOWS. WE WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THE END OF THE MEETING. AND SO WITH THAT, I WOULD OPEN THE GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION OF THE MEETING AND [2. General Public Comments (Part 1 of 2)] INVITE ANYBODY WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION ON THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT AND THE PROPOSED EXPENDITURES THAT THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION AT THIS TIME? YES, MA'AM, PLEASE. IF YOU'D COME FORWARD, IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT CARD, THAT'S GREAT. IF YOU DON'T, YOU CAN COMPLETE ONE AFTERWARDS, WE'LL HAVE YOUR INFORMATION, FOR THE RECORD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELCOME. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M MELINDA EVERSON. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY. THE ABILITY TO PURCHASE A HOME IN ST. JOHN'S COUNTY WAS ALREADY CHALLENGING FOR LOW TO MODERATE INCOME INDIVIDUALS BEFORE COVID. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, IT HAS BECOME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR OUR WORKFORCE TO FIND HOUSING. SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF COVID, THE AVERAGE COST OF A HOME IN OUR COUNTY HAS INCREASED 18 TO 25 PERCENT, WITH HOMES SELLING FOR 99 PERCENT OF ASKING PRICE. MANY OF THESE ARE CASH OFFERS AND LOW TO MODERATE INCOME INDIVIDUALS CAN'T COMPETE IN THESE MARKET MARKET CONDITIONS. IF YOU DO A SEARCH ON REALTOR.COM FOR A THREE BEDROOM HOME FOR SALE IN ST. AUGUSTINE UNDER $300,000, RIGHT NOW YOU WILL FIND SIX AND SEVERAL OF THEM LOOK LIKE THEY'RE NOT EVEN HABITABLE. THIS IS A COMMUNITY PROBLEM THAT HAS REACHED A CRISIS LEVEL AS YOU KNOW, THE POPULATION OF OUR COUNTY CONTINUES TO GROW, BUT WE AREN'T ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO WORK AT THE DAYCARES, THE GROCERY STORES AND THE SERVICE INDUSTRY. WE'RE ATTRACTING PEOPLE OF HIGHER INCOMES AND TO HAVE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF IT. THEY SIMPLY JUST CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE. AND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, WE HAVE PEOPLE COMING TO OUR OFFICE THAT ARE TRULY DESPERATE. THEY'RE HOMELESS, THEY'RE COUCH SURFING, THEY'RE WE HAVE A GENTLEMAN WHO LIVED IN A TACK ROOM OF A BARN. THEY'RE DESPERATE. AND AS A COMMUNITY, I KNOW WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS. USING FUNDS FROM THE RPA PLAN FOR THE INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING WOULD ACCELERATE, ACCELERATE CONSTRUCTION OF MORE HOMES. WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE USE THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE THAT WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION AT THIS TIME? SEEING NO ONE, I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE PUB. THE INITIAL PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION OF THE MEETING. GOOD AFTERNOON. YOU'VE GOT DUTY, THANK YOU, SIR. [3. Staff Presentation] ALL RIGHT, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, MADAM, VICE MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS, AFTER OUR INITIAL PRESENTATION IN DECEMBER, WE PROMISED YOU ALL A WORKSHOP ON ARPA WHERE WE'D GO INTO GREATER DETAIL ON EACH PROJECT TIMELINE OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS POINT, AS WELL AS THE PROJECTS THAT WERE CONSIDERED THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE LIST THAT YOU WILL SEE TONIGHT. WE HAVE A VERY, VERY BRIEF PRESENTATION THAT WE'D LIKE TO PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT, AS WELL AS THIS SUPPORTING DETAILED INFORMATION PACKET, THAT INFORMATION PACKET THAT YOU HAVE [00:05:04] THAT YOU RECEIVED AHEAD OF TIME HAS ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU REQUESTED, INCLUDING HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT. ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED, INCLUDING DAYS WE MET ON AND WHAT PROJECTS CAME OFF THE LIST AT THE NEXT MEETING AS WELL. SO THAT PACKET IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE ALL THE DETAIL FOR YOU AND WE WILL GET STARTED. ALL RIGHT, SO AS YOU'RE AWARE, WE WERE AWARDED JUST UNDER $8 MILLION IN ARPA FUNDING. IT'S THE SECOND ROUND OF STIMULUS APPROVED BY CONGRESS DUE TO COVID. WE'VE RECEIVED ABOUT HALF OF THAT. WE'LL BE RECEIVING THE REST IN APRIL. FOUR CATEGORIES THAT ARE ALLOWABLE OR THE REPLACING LOST PUBLIC SECTOR REVENUE, WHICH GIVES US A LITTLE EXTRA FLEXIBILITY RESPONDING TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF COVID. PREMIUM PAY AND THEN WATER, SEWER AND BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE. ALL RIGHT, SO THE FIRST SET OF PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE OUR WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, THE LIST HERE INCLUDES WEST AUGUSTINE SEPTIC TO SEWER CONVERSION. I'D LIKE TO POINT THIS ONE OUT BECAUSE PART OF THE REGULATIONS IN THE ARPA BILL STIPULATES THAT ENTITIES NEED TO BE SHOWING THAT THEY TRIED TO PROVIDE SOME OF THIS FUNDING OR A PORTION OF THIS FUNDING FOR UNDERSERVED OR UNDER PRIVILEGED AREAS. AND SO WE FELT LIKE THIS WAS A GREAT PROGRAM THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. IT'S FITS THAT BILL. WE HAD THE STORMWATER MASTER PLAN [INAUDIBLE] IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH IS A UTILITY MONITORING SYSTEM THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. HOWEVER, THIS WOULD BRING IT UP TO INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES OR AT LEAST GET US THERE. AND WE ALSO HAVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT REPAIRS, INCLUDING THE OUTFALL AND GENERATOR REPLACEMENT. THE NEXT GROUP THAT WE HAVE IS A CYBERSECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES. THEY INCLUDE THIS LIST OF ITEMS HERE THAT OUR IT DEPARTMENT PUT TOGETHER, AND IT'S EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT $500,000. GIVEN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT, WE FELT LIKE THIS WAS A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC TO BE ADDRESSED. THE LAST ONE THAT WE HAVE IS THE PUBLIC SECTOR REVENUE REPLACEMENT. AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED IN DECEMBER, ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T LOSE MONEY BECAUSE OF COVID, THE RATE AT WHICH OUR REVENUE INCREASED WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED. SO THEY ALLOWED ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY FOR THAT. SO WE YOU HAVE ALREADY APPROVED THE PURCHASE OF TWO STREET SWEEPERS, POLICE DEPARTMENT VEHICLES, A POLICE DEPARTMENT EVIDENCE SHED NEEDED FOR ACCREDITATION, AS WELL AS SOME GARBAGE TRUCKS. THE STREET SWEEPERS THAT YOU APPROVED IN DECEMBER HAVE BEEN ORDERED, AND THEY WILL BE HERE IN MARCH AND AUGUST. AND BEFORE WE OPEN THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION AND QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION, WE ARE, AS YOU SAID, MR. MAYOR, WE'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PLAN IF THE COMMISSION IS AGREEABLE TO IT AND IS HAPPY WITH THIS PLAN. SO WE WOULD SEEK YOUR APPROVAL AT THE END. ANYTHING THAT CHANGES OF SUBSTANCE WE WILL BRING BACK TO YOU. IF YOU WERE TO APPROVE THAT TONIGHT, ANYTHING FOR INCREASE OF COSTS OR CHANGE OF PLANS WOULD COME BACK TO THE COMMISSION AS WELL. SO WITH THAT, MR. MAYOR, TURN IT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MR. JOHNSON. [4. Commission Discussion] WE CERTAINLY ARE APPRECIATIVE OF THE AMOUNT OF WORK. YOU AND SO MANY OTHERS HAVE DONE WE RECOGNIZE THAT WITH NEW NEW FEDERAL PROGRAMS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET AT A GRANULAR LEVEL THAT STAFF IS REQUIRED TO CAN BE A CHALLENGE AT TIMES. AND SO WE APPRECIATE YOU PACKAGING THIS AND PRESENTING IT TO US. I'M ON PAGE SEVEN, WHICH IS TITLED PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR OUR ARPA USES. SO THESE WERE IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED OFTENTIMES BY THE PUBLIC. BUT I THINK THEY ALSO MIRROR SOME CONCERNS THAT THE COMMISSION ITSELF HAS EXPRESSED. AND SO THERE THERE ARE FOUR HERE THAT I WOULD JUST LIKE SOME DISCUSSION FROM STAFF AND FROM THE COMMISSION ON. BECAUSE EVEN IF WE DON'T FUND THESE, THEY STILL REMAIN AS NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND SO I GUESS MY MY QUESTION IS HOW DO WE GO ABOUT ADDRESSING THESE IN THE FUTURE? TO WHAT DEGREE WAS THERE REAL SUBSTANTIVE CONVERSATION, IN PARTICULAR, A PRICE TAG ABOUT SOME OF THE EXTERIOR REPAIRS THAT ARE NECESSARY ON THE LIGHTNER BUILDING THE WINDOWS STRUCTURE AND ROOF REPAIRS? SO WE DID HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THIS, AND IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE A IDENTIFIED ANOTHER SOURCE FOR SOME REPAIRS TO THE LIGHTNER. OK. I THINK OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THAT. YES, HI MEREDITH BREIDENSTEIN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, AND I'M GOING TO PUT UP THAT LIST [00:10:02] OF PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE SCREEN. THANK YOU. [INAUDIBLE]. YES, THE LIGHTNER BUILDING ITEM, THOSE ITEMS WERE ACTUALLY DOING SOME REVIEW RIGHT NOW ON THE ROOF AND DIFFERENT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE BUILDING, AS WELL AS OUR [INAUDIBLE] SOME OTHER HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS. AND OUR PLAN IS TO USE THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUNDS THAT WE TRANSFER FROM THE VIC EACH YEAR TO FOCUS ON THOSE PROJECTS INSTEAD OF USING THEM FOR ARPA. AT THIS POINT, THE DOLLAR AMOUNT MAKES SENSE TO DO IT THAT WAY INSTEAD OF ADDING IT IN HERE. OKAY. OR HOW WHAT IS OUR SENSE ABOUT ELECTRICAL VEHICLES, THIS IS ITEM FOUR FOR THE CITY FLEET, I GUESS THAT'S MORE OF A POLICY QUESTION THAN THAN NECESSARILY A FINANCIAL QUESTION. BUT TO WHAT DEGREE DO WE ENVISION THAT IN THE FUTURE, HOW PRACTICAL IT IS THAT HOW COST EFFECTIVE IS IT? WE HAVE MOVED JUST A COUPLE OF VEHICLES FROM OUR PARKING ENFORCEMENT. WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT. I KNOW WE DID A PILOT PROGRAM FOR SOME ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF FUEL AT ONE POINT WITH OUR FLEET. WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING. WE HAVE NOT MADE A DECISION TO MOVE FORWARD. IT HAS NOT SEEMED LIKE THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME. WE HAVEN'T DONE HUMONGOUS STUDIES ON IT. WE HAVE ONLY DONE THE PARKING ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES STARTING THERE AND AGAIN LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVE FUELS. SO IT'S ALWAYS IN MIND AS WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR VEHICLES. BUT THE FULL REPLACEMENT OF THE FLEET WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE FELT LIKE MET THE HIGHEST USE OF THIS RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE HAVE FOR ARPA. I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. I GUESS THE THE OTHER TWO ARE PERHAPS MORE DIRECTED TO THE COMMISSION THAN THAN TO STAFF. I TOOK TO HEART COMMISSIONER VALDES COMMENTS SEVERAL MEETINGS AGO, AND WE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING AT THE COMMISSION LEVEL OUR HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM. BUT MY SENSE IS WE'RE GOING TO FIND A GAP IN OUR IN AVAILABLE HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM ABOUT THAT THIS EVENING. AND SO AT SOME POINT, I THINK WE AS A CITY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO RESPOND TO SOME TYPE OF ADDITIONAL HOUSING ALTERNATIVE. AND I GUESS I'M REALLY FOCUSING ON SHELTERING KIND OF EMERGENCY LOW ENTRY TYPE SHELTERING AND THAT NEED IS EVER PRESENT, EVER IN FRONT OF US. I HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S EVER GOING TO GO AWAY OR IT'S NOT GOING TO GO AWAY ANYTIME SOON. AND WE, OF COURSE, HAVE TALKED ABOUT OUR RECYCLING PROGRAM. I CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. AND SO I JUST I GUESS I'M JUST USING THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE TWO PARTICULAR CONCERNS, AS WELL AS THE SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTHERS. COMMISSIONERS, OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OBSERVATIONS? I KNOW THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE NEED FOR POLICE TRAINING FOR MENTAL HEALTH STAFF OR ADDING SOMEBODY ELSE ON STAFF THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP THEM, THAT'S NOT IN A POLICE UNIFORM. I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THAT LAST TIME. HAVE WE GIVEN ANY THOUGHT MR. REGAN? OH, THAT'S BETTER. OK. SO THAT ISSUE WE'RE LOOKING AT THROUGH THE NORMAL BUDGETING PROCESS. OK. THAT'S A GOOD ANSWER. IF I COULD JUST ADD, WE REALLY FOCUSED SINCE THIS IS A ONE TIME POT OF MONEY, WE TRIED TO FOCUS ON THINGS THAT WERE ONE TIME SPENDS AND NOT THINGS THAT WOULD INCUR ANNUAL OPERATIONAL COSTS WITH THEM. THAT'S THAT'S A GOOD APPROACH. THEN I'M FINE, NANCY. OK, SO MY QUESTIONS WOULD BE, HOW DID YOU RUN THIS THROUGH THE LENS OF OUR VISION PLAN AND CORE VALUES AND HOW? OK, THAT WOULD BE QUESTION ONE. OK. WELL, I COULD ANSWER THAT IF YOU WANT. SO IF YOU IN TERMS OF MAPPING MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS IN TERMS OF THE QUESTION, THE VICE [00:15:03] MAYOR, IF YOU IF YOU REALLY STOP AND BACK UP A LITTLE BIT AND LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE SAYING. FIRST OFF, PRETTY MUCH EVERY OF THE CATEGORIES MAPPED DIRECTLY TO OUR OBJECTIVES IN THE IN THE IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN THAT THEN MAP DIRECTLY TO THE VISION. SO STARTING WITH NUMBER ONE, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR OBJECTIVE TO CONTINUALLY BE RAISING OUR TOTAL RESILIENCY OF THE WATER AND SEWER NETWORK, YOU KNOW, MAPS PRETTY DIRECTLY IN THE CYBERSECURITY IS REALLY TRACKS IN OUR GOOD GOVERNMENT OR GOOD GOVERNANCE AND MANY OF OUR CORE VALUES. AND THEN THE ALL THE ITEMS THAT ARE IN THE REPLACEMENT OF PUBLIC SECTOR ARE ALL THOSE THINGS THAT ARE FUNDAMENTALLY DRIVING OUR CORE VALUES, OUR OBJECTIVES AND OUR PLAN, PARTICULARLY IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHY ARE STREET SWEEPERS SO IMPORTANT? SO STREET SWEEPERS BY STREET SWEEPING THE STREET, YOU ARE REDUCING WHAT'S CALLED NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION LOADING TO THE ECOSYSTEM. SO IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT CONCEPT IN IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS, THE VEHICLES AND THE EVIDENCE SHED. THE EVIDENCE SHED TIES DIRECTLY TO OUR POLICE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. THAT WAS A WEAKNESS THAT WE HAD IN CERTIFICATION, AND WE REALLY HAVE A TIMELINE THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN PUT OUR EVIDENCE IN A SHED. WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS SAY THAT YOU HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A AN ACCIDENT WITH A WITH A DEATH AND THERE'S GOING TO BE A CASE THAT CAR IS EVIDENCE AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE CARS OVER BY OUR WATER PLANT. THOSE NEED TO BE UNDERCOVER AND THAT'S A REQUIREMENT OF ACCREDITATION. SO WE HAVE A TIME FRAME. THOSE ARE ALL PART OF OUR DRIVE TOWARDS EXCELLENCE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ALSO RELIABLE RELIABILITY AND SOLID WASTE IS ALSO A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH BECAUSE GARBAGE ARE, YOU KNOW, IN THE FIELD. GARBAGE IS AN ATTRACTIVE NUISANCE. DISEASE VECTORS GO TO GARBAGE AND IT CAN MOVE DISEASE. SO THAT'S WHY MOVING GARBAGE IS SO IMPORTANT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND ALL OF OUR CONCEPTS IN THE VISION DOCUMENT THAT GO TO OUR STATE OF WELLNESS. SO I FEEL THAT THE CATEGORICALLY THINGS DO MAP DIRECTLY TO THE PLAN AND TO THE VISION. SO CORE SERVICES DELIVERING CORE SERVICES, WHICH I THINK IS PRETTY EVIDENT, I MEAN, IT'S VERY HEAVILY WEIGHTED ON THAT. SO SPECIFICALLY, WHAT PROJECTS ADDRESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS? OK, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS COME UP RECENTLY WITH ST. JOHN'S COUNTY IS THE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE 80 ACRES AS A AS A PROPERTY THAT CAN BE DEVELOPED FOR WORKFORCE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND MAYBE OTHER THINGS. AND IN FACT, WE PLAN TO EMBARK ON A DESIGN CHARRETTE PROCESS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE COMPONENT TREES THAT CAN BE PART OF 80 ACRES SO IT CAN BE ENVIRONMENTAL, IT BE TRAILS THAT CAN BE PARKS THAT CAN BE PERFORMING ARTS CENTERS. IT COULD ALSO BE A LOW BARRIER TO ENTRY DAY FACILITY OR, SORRY, LOW BARRIER TO ENTRY FACILITY, WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH THE COMMISSION IS EVERY MEETING WE'VE BEEN TAKING A DIFFERENT FACET OF HOMELESSNESS. AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE LATER TONIGHT, I'M GETTING AHEAD OF THE PUNCH LINE IS WHAT WHAT THE ABSENCE OF OF OF HOME CAPACITY IS IN THAT ARENA OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE SPECTRUM. SO. THE REASON 80 ACRES IS SO IMPORTANT IS THAT IT'S ALSO ON THE EDGE OF OUR UTILITY SERVICE AREA, SO THE THE MONEY THAT IS ASSOCIATED TO WEST AUGUSTINE, IT HAS WE TALK ABOUT SEPTIC TO SEWER CONVERSION, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO START WEIGHTING THAT MONEY HEAVILY ON TRANSMISSION CAPACITY BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IN WEST AUGUSTINE, ALL SEWAGE COLLECTED BY GRAVITY COMES TO US BY BY A SIX INCH FORCE, MEANING THAT'S REALLY A CAPACITY. SO YOU'VE ALWAYS HEARD US OVER THE YEARS, TALK ABOUT INCREASING TRANSMISSION CAPACITY. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO INCREASE OUR FUNDAMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO GET TO THE 80 ACRES, WHICH WILL BENEFIT ALL THE WEST AUGUSTINE AND PUT US IN POSITION DEPENDING ON THE WILL OF THE COMMISSION. WHETHER YOU'D WANT TO ALSO INCLUDE PRODUCTS IN THE 80 ACRES, THAT COULD BE A LOW BARRIER TO ENTRY FACILITY. [00:20:03] THE COUNTY I'VE HAD A CONVERSATION STAFF HAS HAD OTHER CONVERSATIONS, IS PLANNING TO ALSO ALLOCATE SOME OF THEIR ARPA MONEY TO HELP ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL 80 ACRES DEVELOPMENT. IN TERMS OF FUNDAMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF TRAFFIC AND CURRENCY AND SOFT COSTS. I BELIEVE THAT THEY MAY BE SOMEWHERE IN THE BETWEEN $3.4 AND $4 MILLION OF THEIR ARPA MONEY TO HELP THE WORKFORCE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN TERMS OF OUR PROJECT. WE HAVE. QUITE A BIT OF MONEY ASSOCIATED WITH WEST AUGUSTINE, I HAVE TO FIND THE SHEET SPEAKERS] $2 MILLION. WE'RE ALSO TAKING DOWN TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS LATER ON TRADITIONAL FINANCING LATER IN THE MEETING AS WELL. SO YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE TWO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WORKING TOGETHER IN REGIONAL COOPERATION TO AFFECT THE OUTCOME AT 80 ACRES. AND THAT IS WHERE I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S AN INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AFFORDABLE WORKFORCE HOUSING, MOVING PEOPLE WITHIN THE CONTINUUM CARE AND THE PROSPECT OF BUILDING NEW FACILITIES THAT ARE MISSING IN THE LOW END OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE. ONE MORE QUESTION. DO ANY OF THESE, SO YOU MIGHT HAVE TO HELP ME ON THE TERMINOLOGY HERE, BUT YOU RECENTLY SHARED WITH ME THAT THE CITY IS BENEFICIARY FOR SEVEN, SIX OR SEVEN OF OUR LARGER PROJECTS ARE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THROUGH VARIOUS GRANTS. CORRECT. SO AND I DON'T HAVE THE TERMINOLOGY FOR THAT. I GUESS IT WAS A DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CAME THROUGH [INAUDIBLE] ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FROM THE STATE, BUT SO MY QUESTION IS, DO DO ANY OF THESE WORK TOGETHER WITH THAT OR OVERLAP, AND I WOULD JUST BE CONCERNED THAT ANY OF THESE WOULD OVERLAP ON THOSE POTENTIAL GRANT DOLLARS. WELL, THESE THESE PROJECTS ARE FAIRLY THEY'RE SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT STAND ON THEIR OWN MERIT WITHIN THE FUNDING OF THE AARP. BUT ALL PROJECTS WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE ANY TIME THAT WE CAN BRING ANY MONEY IN, IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR US TO AFFORD THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE WANT TO DO. SO IN THE CASE OF THE RESILIENCY COMPETITIVE GRANT PROCESS, WHERE STAFF LED BY JESSICA BEECH RECEIVED FUNDING FOR SEVEN MAJOR PROJECTS TO THE TUNE OF $26.5 MILLION. ALL THOSE PROJECTS COME TOGETHER AND WHATEVER WE DO ANY PROJECT, WE ALWAYS LOOK AT ALL THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE SYNERGISTICALLY INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT. SO MARIA SANCHEZ LAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, TEARS UP THE ROAD THAT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLOCATE THE THE RIGHT AWAY FOR BIKE LANES AND THINGS LIKE THAT FOR LIGHTING THE [INAUDIBLE] DRIVE. IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO IMPROVE A PARK LIKE SETTING WHILE PROVIDING PROTECTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE AND ON AND ON AND ON. SO THE PROJECTS ALL DO WORK TOGETHER AND ULTIMATELY. BUT YOU KIND OF HAVE TO BACK UP AN ALTITUDE A LITTLE BIT TO LOOK AT HOW WHEN YOU BRING IN OUTSIDE FUNDING, HOW IT OPENS YOUR CAPACITY OF YOUR, OF YOUR, OF YOUR, OF YOUR BONDING CAPACITIES AND SO FORTH. I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE TONIGHT, I MEAN THE AGENDA TONIGHT WE'RE BRINGING DOWN $13 MILLION ON THE UTILITY FUND. WELL, THAT'S THERE'S $2 MILLION THAT WE DON'T NEED FOR TRANSMISSION CAPACITY TO GET TO THE 80 ACRES. SO THESE PROJECTS WORK TOGETHER AND THAT ALLOWS US TO REALLY EXPAND OUT IN IN WEST AUGUSTINE. I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT. I THINK THE PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY THROUGH BONDING TONIGHT, PROBABLY THE SECOND LARGEST PROJECT IN THE HISTORY OF WEST AUGUSTINE IN DEVELOPMENT OF GRAVITY SEWER. SO, YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, AND IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE ROUND BIGGER PERSPECTIVE ON MORE OF A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW. THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS GOING ON, AND THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR A LONG TIME THAT WE'VE WANTED TO DO, AND THERE HASN'T BEEN FUNDING FOR IT. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYTHING'S STARTING TO REALLY MOVE, AND THAT'S VERY POSITIVE. SO I WAS JUST HOPING, YOU KNOW, TO HEAR YOU ARTICULATE HOW THIS WENT THROUGH THOSE FILTERS. AND SO BUT I THINK MAYBE ONE OF THE THINGS I GOT OUT OF THIS WAS THERE'S THERE'S PUBLIC SAFETY DOLLARS HERE. THERE'S CYBERSECURITY DOLLARS HERE, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST THAT AFFECTS OUR BONDING CAPACITY, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. THERE'S PERSONNEL, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, BOLSTERING OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT THROUGH THEIR [00:25:05] TAKE HOME VEHICLES, WHICH HAS BEEN ON OUR LIST FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. AND RESILIENCY DOLLARS, THERE'S DOLLARS THAT BENEFIT WEST AUGUSTINE, SPECIFICALLY INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS. SO I DO THINK IT'S GOOD AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU MANAGE TO ALL FIT IT INTO ARPA REQUIREMENTS BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN A BIG QUESTION MARK. YOU KNOW WHAT, ACTUALLY FIT. ONE MAJOR CATEGORY THAT MAYOR TOO THAT THE VICE MAYOR IS DOING A GREAT JOB OF LAYING OUT THESE BROAD CATEGORIES. BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BROAD CATEGORY IS PUBLIC HEALTH. SO ANY PROJECT THAT IS ABOUT SEPTIC TO SEWER CONVERSION OR WATER AND SEWER IS FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT OUR MISSION AS GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE WATER AND SEWER TREATMENT TO THE TOUGHEST STANDARDS IN THE WORLD. AND SO THAT THAT FUNCTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH THAT'S PROVIDED BY WATER AND SEWER IS THE BIGGEST SINGLE REASON WHY MAN'S LIVELY LIFE EXPECTANCY HAS EXTENDED SO FAR. THE DISCOVERY OF THE INTERRELATIONSHIP OF WATER BORNE DISEASE AND COLLECTION SANITARY COLLECTION, PARTICULARLY IN LONDON IN THE 1860S, IS WHY OUR LIFE EXPECTANCY WENT UP BY DECADES AND IT DWARFS ALL MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS COMBINED IN THE IMPACT ON PUBLIC HEALTH. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AT THE TOP OF THE ARPA IS RESPONDING TO PUBLIC HEALTH. AND THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT THIS DOES. AND I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT MIXED IN WITH ALL OF THIS, PARTICULARLY AS WE'RE FOCUSED ON WEST AUGUSTINE IS A SOCIAL JUSTICE COMPONENT OF ALLOWING FOLKS TO HAVE RELIABLE SEWER TO BREAK THE DEPENDENCY ON SEPTIC TANKS TO. IT'S REALLY AN IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THAT COMMUNITY THAT'S LONG OVERDUE AND WE ACHIEVE THAT. WE CONTINUED, WE CONTINUE TO RAISE THAT, THAT QUALITY OF LIFE WITH EACH ONE OF THESE PROJECTS. AND JUST MAYOR, JUST NOW THAT YOU GOT ME ON A TEAR HERE. BUT THE COUNTY IS CONSIDERING IN THEIR ARPA FUNDING THE FUNDING OF A INTEGRATED MEDICAL AND HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMPLEX IN WEST AUGUSTINE, BASICALLY PRETTY MUCH AT THE INTERSECTION OF [INAUDIBLE] AND KING STREET. AND WE HAVE ALSO MADE A COMMITMENT LAST MEETING OF PAYING THE CONNECTION FEES. BUT ALSO WHAT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT AT THE LAST MEETING IS THAT THAT INTERSECTION WAS MADE UTILITY SPEC READY A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO SO THAT THE WATER AND SEWER IS READY AT THAT LOCATION FOR THAT MEDICAL COMPLEX, WHICH WAS AN INVESTMENT BY THE CITY. AN ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT. I'M GOING TO GUESS ABOUT $150,000 TO $200,000 OF INVESTMENT TO HELP JUMPSTART THE ECONOMY OF WEST AUGUSTINE. SO REALLY, THIS THING THE COUNTY AND THE CITY FOCUSED ON THIS PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT IS REALLY KIND OF A COOL THING FROM THE AMERICAN RECOVERY ACT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COMMISSIONERS, OTHER COMMENTS AT THIS JUNCTURE? I'LL GO AHEAD BECAUSE I KNOW BARBARA IS GOING TO HAVE A LOT TO ADD AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT IT. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED LISTENING TO YOU. THERE'S A BIG LIST HERE. YOU KNOW WHAT A WISH LIST AND I COMMEND THE THE CITY FOR GOING THROUGH THIS AND MAKING THE CHOICES THEY DID, THERE ARE NO EASY CHOICES HERE. I ALSO FOUND IT INTERESTING, WHICH IS SOMETHING I KNOW FOR A LONG TIME THE FACT THAT THE WATER PLUMBING HAS CONTRIBUTED MORE TO THE LONGEVITY OF HUMANS THAN ANYTHING ELSE, WHICH IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, BEING A PLUMBER, I'M PRETTY, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THAT. HAVING SAID THAT, GETTING TO THE TOPIC OF SEWER TREATMENT, WHAT HAVE YOU, THERE IS A LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT MAYBE CAN BE WORKED INTO THIS THING. WE HAVE A PART OF SOUTH DAVID SHORES FOR FERDINAND IN PARTICULAR, WHERE WE HAVE WHAT I CONSIDER LOW HANGING FRUIT. THERE WE HAVE A WHOLE STREET OF SEPTIC TANKS. I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHER AREAS AND MY THOUGHT ANY AREA OF THIS LOW BASE FLOOD IT HAS SEPTIC TANKS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IF WE POSSIBLY CAN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE WITH RISING SEAS AND STORMS THAT ENDS UP IN OUR MARSHES AND INTERESTING ENOUGH, THE MOST POLLUTED BODY OF WATER IN ST. AUGUSTINE IS OYSTER CREEK, WHICH IS THE OUTFALL TO WEST AUGUSTINE SEPTIC SYSTEMS. I KNOW WE'VE GOT, FOR INSTANCE, ON FERDINAND, WE HAVE A WHOLE STREET OF HOUSES THAT STILL HAVE SEPTIC TANKS. THAT'S THE LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT CAN BE TAKEN CARE OF WITH ONE FORCE MAIN, AND WE HAVE THE FACILITIES ON EITHER END TO MAKE THAT WORK. THAT'S NOT A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR PROJECT. THAT'S A FEW HUNDRED. MAYBE I DON'T KNOW TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO DO. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT CAN BE WORKED INTO THIS, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE PROBABLY SHOULD [00:30:01] LOOK AT THE LOW HANGING FRUIT ASPECT OF IT. THE THE LIST THAT YOU'VE COME UP WITH AND YOU'RE ASKING US TO FUND MAKES A TON OF SENSE TO ME. BUT ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS THE LIST THAT WE HAVE THESE CITIZENS HAS PROVIDED. I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE WHAT OUR ANSWER IS. IS THERE AN ANSWER? WHAT'S THE TIMELINE AND WHAT IS THE POSSIBLE SOURCE OF THAT ANSWER? SO, FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, CHOOSE ONE THE ,IF I CAN FIND IT HERE THE DO WE HAVE FUNDING AVAILABLE THAT'S COMING ANY TIME SOON TO ADDRESS ELECTRIC CARS, FOR INSTANCE? OR SO IF I JUST GOT THE BIG DOCUMENT, JUST A SMALL ONE MAYOR TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSIONER'S POINT, WE BUY CARS EVERY YEAR. AND I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING IS EVERY YEAR. AND ACTUALLY, MY LAST VEHICLE, WE LOOKED AT GETTING AN ELECTRIC CAR, THE CAR THAT I DRIVE, THAT'S OWNED BY THE CITY. SO AS AS THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES AND MARKETS HAVE CHANGED THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO LOOK TO TO PRESS THAT WHEN WE ARE CHANGING OUR FLEET OUT, THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO OUR GOAL OF GETTING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND WE CAN DO THAT, AND THAT'S JUST A NORMAL PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS. YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO, WE STARTED GOING TO SMART CARS FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT. SO WE CERTAINLY NEED TO BE MOVING TOWARDS ELECTRIC CARS. AT THE TIME, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE LOOKED AT AN ELECTRIC CAR FOR MY FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. IT'S A FAIRLY EXPENSIVE, YOU KNOW, AT THE TIME. SO WE NEED TO JUST KEEP KEEP AT IT. AND I THINK WE'RE HEARING THAT LOUD AND CLEAR FROM THE COMMISSION. I MAY JUST NEED YOU DOWN A PATH. IT WASN'T REALLY INTENDED TO GO DOWN THIS LIST HERE. I MEAN, I'M LOOKING AT THE STRUCTURE OF ROOF REPAIRS. THE LIGHTNER ADDRESS, THE FLOODING THROUGH RAISING HAD A SEAWALL. I'M JUST CURIOUS THESE ITEMS. IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE WORKS AND WHERE THAT MAY FALL IN THE SCHEDULE AND IF THERE'S ANY FUNDING THAT'S ON THE HORIZON. THERE IS AND I THINK WE COULD JUST RUN THROUGH EVERY ITEM ON THE LIST IN ORDER AND GIVE YOU THE BACK STORY ON EACH ONE OF THESE ITEMS AND WHERE WE ARE OR NOT. THAT'S UP TO THE WILL OF THE COMMISSION HERE, BUT I'M PERFECTLY HAPPY TO HEAR IT OR GET IT IN WRITING LATER ON WHATEVER YOU PREFER. MR. REGAN, YOU'D THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO EXPEDITIOUSLY. WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. I DO. YES, PLEASE. AND MEREDITH, YOU'LL HELP ME. AND IF I NEED ANY, YOU KNOW, TO JUMP IN, WE TALKED ABOUT THE LIGHTNER BUILDING. CAN I CAN I MAKE A FEW COMMENTS BEFORE WE RUN THROUGH THAT LIST BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE RELEVANT TO THE LIST? OK, THANK YOU. AND I AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CITIZENS THAT DID WRITE IN AND TOOK THE TIME TO MAKE THOSE COMMENTS. I THINK A LOT OF THEM ARE REALLY SALIENT. AT FIRST, I WANTED TO SAY THAT I OWN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND THE UPFRONT COST IS VERY HIGH, BUT THE MAINTENANCE IS ZERO. IT'S ALMOST ZERO. SO IF YOU FACTOR IN THE MAINTENANCE YOU LOOK, YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE OF WHAT THE COST IS OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE STAFF TO DO THAT IF THEY HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY. GOING BACK TO ARPA STAFF HAS DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF IDENTIFYING THE PROJECTS AND THEN VETTING THEM THROUGH THE COMMISSION AT SEVERAL OF OUR MEETINGS PREVIOUSLY AND THEN ALIGNING BEFORE THAT, PROBABLY ALIGNING THOSE PROJECTS WITH THE CRITERIA THAT ARE REQUIRED BY ARPA. SO I COMMEND THE STAFF FOR DOING THAT. I ALSO WANTED TO REINFORCE WHAT MR. REGAN WAS SAYING ABOUT STREET SWEEPERS, AND THEY'RE THE HOW THEY'RE REALLY ENVIRONMENTALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF WATER QUALITY AND MAINTAINING IT. BUT THEY'RE ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF FLOOD RESILIENCY BECAUSE ALL THAT STUFF GETS INTO THE STORM WATER PIPES AND CULVERTS AND LOCKS THEM UP. SO IF WE DON'T HAVE THIS REGULAR STREET SWEEPING, WE DO HAVE A BIGGER ISSUE WITH FLOODING BEING HELD IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR STREETS. I HAD A QUICK QUESTION TWO QUICK QUESTIONS, PROBABLY FOR TODD GRANT. BUT THE FIRST ONE IS ABOUT THE GARBAGE TRUCKS. WE HAVE FIVE IN SERVICE AS I READ, AND ALL ARE OVER FIVE YEARS OLD, WHICH IS THEIR PROJECTED LIFETIME. AND I JUST WANTED TO HAVE A REALLY QUICK SUMMARY OF WHAT OUR PLAN MIGHT BE TO REPLACE THOSE OTHER THREE TRUCKS THAT WOULD NOT BE PART OF THIS PLAN AND THIS FUNDING. WHAT IS OUR REPLACEMENT OF FLEET GARBAGE TRUCKS? YEAH. OTHER THAN THE REAR LOAD AND SIDE LOAD? YEAH. OTHER THAN THOSE TWO THAT ARE PROPOSED FOR THIS FUNDING, SO NOT TOO LONG AGO, YOU APPROVED AN INCREASE IN THE RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTION FEES. SO THE HOPE THERE IS THAT BASED ON OPERATIONAL COSTS VERSUS A INCREASE IN RESERVES, WE [00:35:02] COULD ACTUALLY GET ONTO A SCHEDULE FOR REPLACEMENT. AGAIN, THIS ARPA MONEY HELPS US KIND OF KICK START, SOMETHING WE HAVE DELAYED BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THERE'S NO RESERVE BALANCE IN SOLID WASTE. SO BY INCREASING THAT MONTHLY FEE, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN AT LEAST GET INTO A SOMEWHAT OF A PROGRAM WITH A ONE TO ONE REPLACE. THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT GOING BACK AND THIS IS MY LAST POINT TO THE LIST OF ITEMS THAT WE RECEIVED BY EMAIL FROM OUR CITIZENS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU'RE WORKING WITH A CONSULTANT ON DEVELOPING A CARBON FOOTPRINT SCORECARD, AM I RIGHT? SCORECARD OR A SPREADSHEET THROUGH MARCUS PINSON. WE PRETTY MUCH HAVE A ROUGH DRAFT WHERE WE USE THE WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS AS THE STARTING POINT. AND SO WE'VE THEY'VE DEVELOPED A REALLY NICE SPREADSHEET WHERE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, COPY THAT TO OTHER FACILITIES BASED ON WATTAGE LOAD TYPE OF VEHICLES. AND SO WE SHOULD HAVE THAT READY FOR PRIME TIME HERE IN A MONTH OR SO. GREAT. SO THAT WOULD PINPOINT US TOWARD WHERE WE HAVE THE BIGGEST LEVERS IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY. AM I RIGHT? WE STARTED WITH THOSE TWO PLANTS BECAUSE THEY'RE THE LARGEST CONSUMERS OF ELECTRICITY. AND SO THEN THIS WAY, AS WE CAN IMPLEMENT SOME OTHER, HOPEFULLY ENERGY SAVING OPTIONS, WE CAN SEE THAT CARBON FOOTPRINT GO DOWN. OKAY, GREAT. AND THE REASON I BRING THAT UP, IN PART, IS BECAUSE SEVERAL OF THE ITEMS IN THE EMAIL THAT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT WERE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. SO I THINK I WANTED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE'RE REALLY WORKING HARD ON IT. SO I THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS. YEAH, SO WELL. AND AGAIN, WE'VE TOUCHED ON THIS BEFORE. HOPEFULLY, BY NEXT MONTH, WE'LL ROLL OUT THE FREE COMPOST BIN FOR RESIDENTIAL. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE BUSINESS APPRECIATION OR RECOGNITION FOR SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES. WE'RE TRYING TO GET THAT BACK AT THE TOP OF THE LIST WITH THE OTHER STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING, SO THERE'S THERE'S QUITE A FEW GOOD ITEMS COMING DOWN. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU, MR. REGAN. IF YOU WANTED TO RUN THROUGH THE ITEMS ON PAGE SEVEN, THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL. I'M GOING TO ASK IF RUBEN AND TODD AND MEREDITH WOULD STAND BY IF I GET A LITTLE OFF ON A TOPIC, SO I'LL TRY TO DO IT RAPIDLY. ONE WE TALKED ABOUT THE LIGHTER BUILDING. WE HAVE ONE SECTION REMAINING ON BULLET NUMBER TWO AVENIDA MENENDEZ. WE HAVE ONE LAST SECTION OF SEAWALL THAT I BELIEVE WE'VE RECEIVED A GRANT BETWEEN THE SANTA MARIA AND THE MARINA THAT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS [INAUDIBLE] MODERNIZED SEWAGE PUMPING SYSTEMS AND UPTOWN. WE HAVE A $13 MILLION PROGRAM GOING EXPANDING RESILIENCE ON LIFT STATIONS, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE AS PART OF THE NORMAL BUDGET PROCESS. WE TALKED ABOUT ELECTRIC LIGHTS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE VICE MAYOR SIKES-KLINE ON A LED LIGHTING FOR THE NIGHT OF LIGHTS AND MAKING US A MIDDLE TO THROUGH THE VICE MAYOR. THROUGH THE TDC FUNDING PROCESS, WE CAN EASILY LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING SOLAR AS PART OF THAT PACKAGE. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PRESENTING TO THE VICE MAYOR FOR HER ADVOCACY SHORTLY. I THINK IT'S COMPLETE, ACTUALLY. AND THEN ASSISTANCE TO HOMEOWNERS TRANSITIONING TO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES. WE'RE NOT REALLY DOING ANYTHING ON THAT. I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. THAT'S VERY MUCH IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. IT'S AN ISSUE THAT'S UNDER THREAT IN TALLAHASSEE BIG TIME. IMPROVEMENTS TO RECYCLING PROGRAM. WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS RAISING THE FEES AND BRINGING BACK, YOU KNOW, IN DEALING WITH CHANGING MARKETS, WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS TONIGHT. IF YOU APPROVE THE THE BORROWING ISSUE WE HAVE FOR THE FIRST TIME GOING TO DESIGN ON BUILDING GRAVITY SEWER SYSTEMS AND LIGHTHOUSE PARK LIGHTHOUSE PARKS, WE CAN THEN ALSO TAKE SOME OF THE OTHER SMALLER ROADS, SUCH AS FERDINAND AND PARK TERRACE DRIVE. BUT THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS WE'VE IDENTIFIED. LIGHTHOUSE PARK IS THE BIGGEST NITROGEN SOURCE TO SALT RUN TRAFFIC COMING FOR DOWNTOWN. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A PRESENTATION TONIGHT ABOUT RIBERIA THAT DEALS WITH THAT QUITE A BIT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S THAT'S OUR WHOLE MOBILITY PLAN, AND WE CAN ADDRESS THAT A LITTLE BIT DEEPER LATER INCREASED AND IMPROVED UTILIZATION OF THE SUNSHINE BUS. WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN ADVOCATE TO THE COUNTY ABOUT THE SUNSHINE BUS PROGRAM, BUT THAT'S REALLY IN THE COUNTY COURT, EXPANDING MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES. I THINK THAT WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION THE OTHER NIGHT, AND I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT IN THIS COMING BUDGET CYCLE TO PROPOSE SOCIAL WORKERS AND PSYCHIATRIC EMPLOYEES BECAUSE IF WE FOR EVERY ONE THAT WE ADD, WE CAN RETURN A SWORN [00:40:05] OFFICER BACK TO THE STREET. SO THAT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS. THE OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS AN INCREDIBLE TRAINING PROGRAM THAT IS PART OF OUR CERTIFICATION THAT WE CAN PROVIDE TO YOU AT A LATER TIME THAT DEALS HEAVILY WITH MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT WE HAVE AN ONGOING INITIATIVE THAT'S EVERY SINGLE CITY COMMISSION TO SET THE TABLE FOR HOW WE ADDRESS THIS MATTER AT A AT A BETTER LEVEL, WE MULTIYEAR FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP TO AARP AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING 80 ACRES OF CITY OWNED ASSETS INTO PLAY, SEWER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS AND TRANSITION OF ALL SEPTIC TANKS IN CITY TO SEWER SYSTEM. WEST AUGUSTINE IS OUTSIDE THE CITY. FERDINAND LIGHTHOUSE PARTNERS DRIVE ARE ALL IN THE CITY, WHICH WE CAN EXPAND THAT DESIGN ELEMENT TO THE TWO SMALL STREETS LIFE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AT ALL EMERGENCY SHELTERS WHEN DEMAND IS HIGH. WE'RE NOT REALLY DOING ANYTHING WITH THAT. THE EMERGENCY SHELTERS ARE PRIVATE. WE DO PROVIDE FUNDING TO ST. FRANCIS HOUSE. WE'D HAVE TO ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR LIFE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. I WILL SAY THIS ABOUT ST. FRANCIS HOUSE. WE WERE THEIR APPLICANT FOR A CDBG GRANT THAT WAS PREDOMINANTLY ABOUT IMPROVING THEIR FACILITY FOR RESILIENCY. THAT WAS THE $500,000 GRANT APPLICATION WE BROUGHT PROBABLY SIX MONTHS AGO, I THINK, AND SUPPORT 24 HOUR SHELTER RESILIENCY RENOVATIONS. WELL, THAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF DEMONSTRATED ACTS AND I THINK THAT'S THE LIST, YES, SIR. OTHER QUESTIONS, OK AT THIS POINT WITH THE COMMISSION'S APPROVAL, I AM GOING TO REOPEN [2. General Public Comments (Part 2 of 2)] PUBLIC HEARING BASED ON OUR COMMENTS. AND SO THIS IS A SECOND OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION, YOU'RE WELCOME TO. WE WOULD REQUEST THAT YOU COMPLETE A PUBLIC SPEAKER CARD THAT CITY STAFF CAN HELP YOU WITH. IF THERE'S ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE, I HAVE NO CARDS, BUT IF SOMEONE PLEASE, MA'AM, COME FORWARD, THANK YOU. HI, MADDIE RAEFORD HARMS 307 ST GEORGE STREET. OK, THANK YOU. THE ARPA FUNDS ARE NOT NEW. THE THE WORD'S BEEN AROUND SINCE 2020. THE MONEY HAS TO BE SPENT BY 2024. SO YES, THE EASIEST THING TO DO IS TO GO OUT AND BUY A STREET SWEEPER. IT'S FAST, QUICK, DIRTY, BUT THESE FUNDS ARE REALLY A WINDFALL. THEY'RE TRANSFORMATIONAL. THIS IS A MOMENTOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR AMERICA TO MAKE LONG, LIVE, SUSTAINABLE CHANGES IN YOUR COMMUNITY. SO WHEN YOU GO ON THE INTERNET AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DOCUMENTS LIKE WHAT WE SUGGEST MAY OR SHOULD APPROVE FOR THESE PROGRAMS, YOU'LL FIND MANY, MANY OTHER THINGS THAN THE EASY ONES THE SEWER, THE WATER. THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, AND YES, WE DO NEED THOSE. I DO AGREE WITH YOU. THESE FUNDS I JUST WANT TO QUOTE THIS, USE OTHER DEDICATED GRANTS AND PROGRAMS FIRST WHENEVER POSSIBLE, AND SAVE THESE TRANSFORMATIONAL FUNDS FOR PRIORITIES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER FEDERAL AND STATE ASSISTANCE. I LIKE THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO HAVE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE HERE IN OUR IN OUR FLEET? THIS IS WHERE WE STUMP. WE HELP THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AND THE FINANCE OFFICERS ARE THE BEST POSITIONED POSITION TO HELP ENSURE THE LONG TERM VALUE OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT YOU MAKE. SO I'M VERY GLAD YOU'RE NOT MAKING THIS DECISION TONIGHT. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION. PUBLIC HEALTH, WE HAVE OPIOID MONEY COMING. WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO SPEND THE OPIOID MONEY? WHERE BEST TO SPEND IT WHERE JOHN VALDES HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR MANY, MANY COMMISSION MEETINGS. THANK YOU, JOHN. SO I'M GLAD THAT THE PRESENTATION WAS HERE. I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SEEN A LITTLE MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC. IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ON THE INTERNET STUDYING THIS THING AND IT IS A CREATURE AND THE CITIES AND COUNTIES ARE BUSY TRYING TO SPEND THIS MONEY WISELY. SO THANK YOU AND THAT'S MY COMMENT. THANK YOU. MS. HARMS. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE THAT WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION? ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION? SEEING, NO ONE ELSE. THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION IS CLOSED. COMMISSIONERS, WHAT'S YOUR PLEASURE? WE ARE CERTAINLY IN A POSITION LEGALLY AND AS I ANNOUNCED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE MEETING THAT IF WE CHOOSE TO VOTE, WE ARE LEGALLY ABLE TO VOTE. THE MEETING'S BEEN PROPERLY NOTE OF NOTE OF PUBLICIZED, ETC. [00:45:03] OR WE CAN CONTINUE THIS DECISION TO A FUTURE DATE. I'M I'M JUST FOLLOWING WITH TRADITION THAT IN THE PAST WE HAVEN'T MADE BIG DECISIONS LIKE PARTICULARLY MULTIMILLION DOLLAR DECISIONS AT WORKSHOPS, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. I SEE QUITE A BIT OF PUBLIC HERE. I'M NOT SURE IF THEY'RE HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK I WOULD FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORTABLE IF WE DID IT IN A REGULAR DURING OUR REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS. OK, SO I'M GOING TO INTERPRET THAT AS A MOTION THAT THIS MATTER BE AGENDA AT OUR NEXT REGULAR MEETING. YES, I SECOND THAT MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. NANCY SIKES-KLINE YES. ROXANNE HORVATH YES. BARBARA BLONDER YES. JOHN VALDES YES. TRACY UPCHURCH YES. SO THANK YOU. WE'LL ADDRESS THIS AT OUR NEXT REGULAR MEETING AND ALLOW IT TO SIT IN THE PUBLIC A WHILE LONGER. BUT WE'RE VERY, VERY GRATEFUL, MR. JOHNSON, FOR YOUR WORK AND THAT OF THE OTHER STAFF. MS. BREIDENSTEIN AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL. IF I MAY, PLEASE. YEAH, I WOULD BE CURIOUS BEFORE WE HAVE THIS ON OUR AGENDA AT OUR NEXT MEETING. WHAT ITEMS ARE THERE ON THIS LIST THAT COULD BE FUNDED FROM OTHER PLACES THAT WE'RE CHOOSING TO FUND WITH THIS MONEY? AND, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A BETTER WAY OR IS THERE A WAY WHAT THE TIMELINE MIGHT BE? SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WITH THAT, WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR SPECIAL MEETING. WE'RE GOING TO ADJOURN AND WE'LL RECONVENE AT 5:00 O'CLOCK FOR OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED CITY COMMISSION MEETING. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.