By BEN GRAFTON
At the beginning of a longer than normal meeting for the Freeport City Council on Oct. 14, City Planner Latilda Hughes-Neel recommended acceptance of a revised entrance landscaping plan for the property being developed as Cross Creek Phase I. The Council approved the recommendation.
Interim Fire Chief Tom Palmer reported that 45 total calls were answered in September. Included were 22 medical calls, two motor vehicle accidents, two structure fires and one vehicle fire. He also reported that the department participated in 248 training hours and the captain and two lieutenants took a class toward fire officer certification. Palmer also reported that maintenance was performed on 116 fire hydrants.
Anna Hudson of Preble-Rish reported that, because of a conflict in schedules, the workshop for the utilities modeling system would be rescheduled for Oct. 23.
Ryan Cleveland who was the design engineer for the Live Oak Landing development asked the Council for a reduction in potential water and sewer fees for a Phase II of 30 additional sites that have already been given a development order by Walton County. Cleveland stated that according to the current development code, the ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit) would require $6,000 apiece for the sites. In the initial phase of the project when Peters was the city’s engineer, the developer paid $189,000 in tap fees and then an additional $109,000 for a lift station that was installed at the owners’ expense to service the lower portion of the Fish Camp Road and to pick up almost 200 houses for a future sewer connection down there. That was done at an additional expense to the developer of around $68,000.
What the developer would like is consideration to use four years worth of data to calculate the ERU for the next 30 sites; to take into consideration the money spent on the lift station that was not required for the development itself; and to allow payment of an impact fee of $27,000 so that work could move forward with Phase II of the development.
In response to a question by Councilwoman Janice McLean, Cleveland said that the lift station that was required to service the development was estimated to cost $45,000 and that an additional $60,000 was required to upsize it to handle the additional service area.
City Attorney Clayton Adkinson said that to revise the ERU is not an option, but if the developer is talking about some kind of credit, that is a different thing and it may be something the developer wants to consider.
In response to a question by McLean, Cliff Knauer of Preble-Rish said he would be impressed if a lift station design that met city standards could have been built for $45,000 and he said that the city’s smallest lift stations cost more than that.
Knauer said that he could look into lift station design based on servicing 110 units versus what was actually constructed. He would look into the capacity that is installed and estimate what the value of the excess capacity is. The Council approved a motion to do this research and to review the results at the meeting on Nov. 13.
A discussion took place about the need to re-advertise for a Park Director to replace Shane Supple who has submitted his resignation. McLean suggested that the Council consider filling the position with a contractor, however Councilwoman Jennifer Laird said she is in favor of hiring a full time employee to fill the position. Hughes-Neel will research the job description and report back to the Council at the meeting on Oct. 23. Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.
The Council approved issuing a resolution congratulating the West Florida Regional Planning Council on its 50th anniversary and for its contributions and service to the community.
A change in insurance regulations permits the city to reduce the length of service from 90 to 60 days to qualify for employee insurance. The Council approved a motion to make this change.
McLean reported to the Council that there is an opportunity for the city to refinance one sewer and three water system loans. If this is done the payoff of the loans would be reduced by two years and the interest rates on the loans would drop significantly. McLean will gather additional information and the matter will be discussed at greater length after Christmas.
The Council approved a motion to cancel the meeting scheduled for Dec. 25 because of the Christmas holiday.
Councilwoman Kasey Cuchens asked the Council how it felt about the possibility of changing to a non-voting mayor. The advantage of this move would be that the mayor could then be available for discussions and consultations where an individual Council member was present without violating the provisions of the state’s Sunshine Law.
City Attorney Clayton Adkinson said that such a move would require a city charter revision which would have to be approved by a vote of the citizens. It was reported that the Supervisor of Elections said the cost of an election would be $735, plus three poll workers at a cost of $120 each. Adkinson also said that the mayor needs to review his right to vote and that the Council needs to remember that the voters do not like giving up their control. A special election for this issue could be scheduled after the first of the year.
Cuchens then brought up the matter of trip fees for water and sewer accounts that have to be turned off for non-payment of bills and then turned back on when account payments are satisfied. Attention should also be given charges when the customer tampers with the connections. This subject will be researched further.
Cuchens reported that several trucks are in need of replacement. More information on prices will be obtained and the matter discussed further at the next meeting.
McLean received two prices for the review of the city personnel manual. The Council was asked to individually review the manual and make notes of sections they thought should be reviewed. Councilwoman Elizabeth Brannon’s request for a workshop to discuss this subject at a 6 p.m. meeting on Oct. 23 was approved.
