TOWN OF MELBOURNE VILLAGE  555. Hammock Road . Melbourne Village . Brevard County, Florida 32904-2513  Telephone: (321) 723-8300 . Fax: (321)984-7219  The7  Email: owmgmaboumevlgeorg  REGULAR COMMISSIONI MEETING  MINUTES Tuesday July 23, 2024 6:30PM AHF Hall  I. Call to Order: 6:32. PM Foster and Mayor Ditty.  II. Pledge of Allegiance: Led by Mayor Ditty. II. Mayor's Report: (at table) Mayor read in full. IV. Additions/Deletions and Re-ordering: NONE V. Correspondence Appearances, Presentations:  Roll Call: present were Commissioners Anderson, Calenda, Muzzone, Perrine, Yorio, Vice Mayor  (a) Richard Jones Email Correspondence -1 no further comment by Mr. Jones.  (b) Town Review Board Summary - Page 64 & 65 at table. Commissioner Calenda went over the TRB: notes and explained how things will go from: now, regarding the reviews for structures. She also went over the shed on Acacia and that the: issue is that the overall building height is 24.5 feet, (c) Rod Steifbold Certification of Appreciation - Mayor Ditty stated that the Town ofl Melbourne Village presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Steifbold for his contribution to the town serving on BOA, lead on Responsible Growth Ordinance 2012-01 and his many years of service.  which isi more than the maximum "as built" of1 18: feet H.  VI. Public Forum (3-minute limit each)  (a) Paula Bailey read her statement, attachment to the minutes. (b) Richard Jones read his statement, attachment to the minutes. A) Public Safety - Sheriff's Department - Lt. Chris Castiello read in full. B) Public Works-. Jeff Conklin, Public Works read in full. C) Code Enforcement - Camille Moore, Code Enforcement, Mayor Ditty read in full. D) Admimstaton/reasurrs Report - Heather Roberts, Town Clerk: read in full. E) Building Department - Heather Roberts, Town Clerk (in Finance Packet) read in: full. F) ARPA Report- - Heather Roberts, Town Clerk (in Finance Packet): read in full.  VII. Department Reports  Heather Roberts, Town Clerk mentioned that 2 workshops were needed in regard to the 2024-25 budget. The workshops scheduled for August 5th and August 14th. Both workshops will take place at  6:30 PM at the Town hall.    VII. Consent Agenda  (All items appearing on the CONSENT AGENDA are. listed as recommended actions and are considered tol be routine and will be acted upon in one motion. SPECIFICITEMS may be removed for separate  consideration, any Item so: removed will be considered under new business). A) Opportunity for Audience input regarding Consent Agenda B) Opportunity for Commission to Remove Items from Consent Agenda  C) Recommended Actions: 1) Approval ofMinutes: For Filing  (a) Regular Commission Meeting - May 28, 2024 (b) Regular Commission Meeting - June 25, 2024 (c) Finance Committee Meeting - June 18, 2024 (d) Town Review Board Meeting - June 8, 2024 (d) Code Enforcement Board Meeting - February 5,2024 2) Acceptance of Financial Statements - June 2024 3) Approval of] Reports: FOR. FILING ONLY 4) Appointments & Resignations:  (a)] Department Reports: Public Safety, Public Works, Code Enforcement, Administntio/easurers Report, Building Department. (a) Ray Bowin's resignation letter from Code Enforcement Board  (b) Town Review. Board Applicants: tabled for further discussion with individuals on  anticipated required board commitment. 5)1 Proclamation-Resoltion: (a) Proclamation - Town Election 2024  Commissioner Perrine made a MOTION to accept the consent agenda as listed above. Commissioner Calenda seconded the MOTION. All the commission were in favor. MOTION  passed. IX. New Business: X. Unfinished Business title in full.  A) Proposed New Charter Ordinance 2024-01 Final reading: Mayor Ditty read the ordinance Commissioner Calenda made al MOTION to accept the Proposed New Charter Ordinance 2024-01. Vice Mayor Foster seconded the MOTION. All the commission were in favor. MOTION passed.  XI. Commission & Verbal Committee Reports:  A) SCLOC Dinner- July 8, 2024, Hosted by City ofIndian Harbour Beach B) SCLOC Upcoming Dinner - August 12, 2024, Hosted by the City of Cocoa Beach  XII. Action Item Review: Mayor Ditty reviewed action items.  XIII. Approval for Payment: None    XIV. Adjournment: 8:31 PM  Ifan individual decides to appeal any decision made by the Town Commission with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, ai record and transcript ofthe proceedings will be required and the individual will need to ensure that a verbatim record and transcript ofthe proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based and will be acceptable in a court oflaw (FS286.0105). Such person must provide a methodj for recording and transcribing the proceedings verbatim as the Town does not provide such ai record or transcript. In accordance with the. Americans Disabilities. Act and, Section 286.26, Florida Statutes, persons needing special accommodations, for this meeting shall, within ai reasonable time prior to the meeting contact the Office ofthe Town Clerk (321).723-  8300.  Susan Ditty, Mayor Res  ATTEST:  Town Clerk  AA6    Richard. Jones, CPA 566 Hammock Road  Iwant to emphasize the surpluses reflected int the. June financial statements and the Lasty year ended with a surplus of $ 368,000.This surplus equates to over $ 1,0001 for each oft the 291 houses int the' Village ($ $2 out of every $ 3 tax dollars ). The. June financial statements reflect an even larger surplus of $ 406,000 and this surplus does noti include Last week, the Finance Committee approved next year's budget with a surplus of $258,000 plus $ 26,000 int the investment fund. This budget includes at taxi increase  reasons why at tax cut is appropriate.  the increase ini the investment fund of another $ 40,000.  totaling more than $ 60,000 on a millage rate of 9.06.  Taxes are calculated by a simple formula taxable value times the millage rate. The mayor points out the current millage rate is the same as in 2012. Current year taxes total $588,000. For 2012, taxes totaled only $ 280,000. Taxes for 2020, taxes totaled $ 461,000 on ar millage rate of 9.87. Taxes today are $ 120,000 more than in 2020. These differences are a result of increasing int taxable values, not millage rates. Taxable values have increased lurge the Commission to recognize the $ 800,000 surplus of the last two years, the substantial increase tax base, and the $: 200,000 saved from disbanding the police department. The financial position of the Towni is much, much different today thanj just a By example, a millage rate of just7.0, would resulti in al budgeted. surplus of over $130,000. By comparison, last year's budget reflected a surplus of only $ 47,000. This millage rate may seem radical in historical terms, but actually reflects the impacts The rate could be reduced to as low as 5.0 to eliminate the budget surplus. Note, a rate this lowwould not create al loss either. There is al lot of room to debate between the proposed It's time to' "right-size" the millage rate. A millage rate of 7.0 would allow for a continuing "buildup of reserves" that recent mayors have said is needed. Arate of7.0 would  roughly 50 % since the 2020 budget.  fewyears ago.  from an exploding1 tax base.  taxi increase to 9.06 and al breakeven rate of 5.0.  deliver at tax cut that is clearlywarranted.    TMV Town Clerk From: Sent: To: Subject:  Paula Bailey Pkcbaley@gmal.com> Friday, July 26, 2024 5:48 AM TMV Town Clerk Statement  Good evening, members ofthe town commission. I'd like to address some concerns regarding our Town Review Board and propose solutions thatIbelieve will strengthen  our community's governance.  First, Iwant to express my gratitude to the three engineers who have volunteered their expertise to serve on our TRB. Their willingness to contribute is commendable and  reflects the spirit of civic engagement we strive for in our town.  Iam concerned that some residents join the TRB to push their own projects through. While we're reviewing one candidate tonight, I'd like to bring attention to an opportunity we may be overlooking. We actually have two other qualified engineers who have volunteered their services. These individuals could serve as valuable  alternates on the Town Review Board.  Having alternates available offers several benefits: to work commitments or other obligations. experience to inform our decision-making process.  1.Itensures we have backup expertise when our primary engineer is unavailable due 2.Itallows for a diversity of perspectives and a broader range ofe engineering  3.It provides a built-in succession plan, ensuring continuity of expertise on the board. 4.Itdemonstrates: to our community that we value and welcome their professional  contributions.  Ipropose that we consider appointing these additional volunteers as alternate members. This could help prevent the integrity issueslmentioned earlier by ensuring However, this leads me to a related concern about the current daytime scheduling of TRB meetings. This timing may unintentionally limit participation from qualified  we have a stable, committed board membership.  professionals who work during standard business hours.    This scheduling challenge doesn'tj just affect potential board members. It also makes it difficult for working residents to attend and provide input on projects that impact our  community.  Irespectfully suggest that we consider moving TRB meetings to evening hours. This change would allow for broader participation from both potential board members and residents, ensuring a more inclusive and diverse representation in our town's  development process.  By holding meetings in the evening and creating a more flexible structure for the TRB with alternates, we can ensure that we always have engineering insight available, even when individual schedules conflict with meeting times. This setup would strengthen the board's capabilities, enhance the quality of our projectreviews, and help prevent  conflicts ofinterest.  Ibelieve these changes would strengthen the integrity of our review process and demonstrate our commitment to transparent, accessible local governance. By tapping into a wider pool of expertise and encouraging more community engagement, we can lead to more thorough project reviews and better outcomes for our town.  Paula  Get Outlook fori jOs  2