ELLEN D) FLORIDS City Council Meeting City of Belleair Beach, Florida Monday, December 2, 2024 Community Center, 6:00pm PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Mayor Dave Gattis. The invocation was given by Councilmember Bankard followed by a Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of Roll Call: Present were Councimembers Frank Bankard, Lloyd Roberts, Anders Wellings, Todd Harper, Jody Shirley (via Zoom), and Kim Shaw Elliott (via Zoom); Mayor Dave Gattis; City For continuity, items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that America. Manager Kyle Riefler, City Attorney Randy Mora, and City Clerk Renee Rose. order. 1. Approval of Agenda. approve the agenda. Motion passed 7-0. MOTION was made by Councilmember Bankard and seconded by Councilmember Harper to 2. Presentation: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office - Law Enforcement monthly report Sgt. John Shields provided the report for October, stating there was 1 larceny, 9 arrests, 412 events, 1 vehicle crash, and 121 citations or warnings. Mayor Gattis noted that city officials and employees should be able to return to the island after storm events to set up facilities for relief. Sgt. Shields said there are often safety concerns. Councilmember Bankard asked how many days following the storms deputies worked without a day off. Sgt. Shields worked 16 consecutive days. Bankard appreciated them. Code Enforcement monthly report Dep. Richard Trump reported there are still properties with debris piles, and he is working with property owners to get it picked up. His biggest response has been to remove temporary signage. He is working on two blighted properties with follow ups. He worked a couple of dock removals. He had a call about a fence installed with the finished side in and got it corrected. There was a report of construction workers staying in an RV at a property; that RV has been removed. He conducted four beach patrols with no issues to report and four traffic stops. He is working complaints of an unmaintained pool, an unpermitted remodel, and an unlicensed contractor. Councilmember Harper asked what happens to properties where unpermitted work was completed immediately following the storms. Dep. Trump said a permit is required to reinstall drywall and electrical. Harper asked what happens to the valuation or the next buyer ofa a property that is determined to have unpermitted work. Trump said that county may put a lien on the property. Mayor Gattis said residents are to have a permit for demolition. Trump said the mitigation or remediation process was relaxed to allow people to dry quickly, but they should include demolition in their permit for repairs. 3. Presentation: Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District Chief Jeff Davidson reported there were 32 calls to Belleair Beach in November. The fire department sustained damage to two fire stations in the storms. They partnered with the sheriff's department and Publix to distribute Thanksgiving meals and will do the same for Christmas. They are also holding a toy drive. They invite everyone to attend a 'cookies and cocoa with Santa' event at the Indian Rocks Beach fire station on December 18. They plan to finalize the land City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 purchase for the new fire station. They expect to break ground on the mainland fire station in the spring. 4. City Attorney Report 5. City Manager Report City Manager Kyle Riefler confirmed that debris cleanup with FEMA contractors has ended. He is finalizing the paperwork for assistance to recoup money for cleanup. Last week, he had two building contractors provided by the Florida Division of Emergency Management reviewing plans remotely for the permit packages that are pending. At one point he had nearly 60 impending permits. The county plans to review all 470 properties by the end of the year, but he has received- no exports in two weeks. Riefler continued, stating that staff built steps at the 6th Street beach access. A consultant reviewed the seawalls at the other two accesses and said they are in good condition and can be backfilled. Staff will start at the 19th Street access and then move to 12th Street, which had the most damage. Gulf Blvd undergrounding: will resume in January. The stormwater project resumed on November 18. Staff will work with the county on the depression at 23rd and Gulf Blvd. Staff are calling a meeting of the Planning and Zoning Board to review draft ordinances for the code review project. Riefler has been unable to reach the property owner at 125_gth St regarding the pump station project and recommends designing the project without the easement. The city purchased 20 holiday pole decorations but discovered that many oft the outlets don't work. He has an emergency repair request on them. Riefler stated he will be on vacation Mayor Gattis asked if Manager Riefler has had to send any substantially damaged' letters. Riefler sent about 6 based on the estimator tool. This doesn't mean the structure is definitely substantially damaged, but it is the first step. Gattis noted that this letter doesn't mean they have tot tear down or raise the property, but there may be another way the city looks at that home. Councilmember Shirley said council needs to move forward on the pump station on 9th St, even if they need to take down trees in the existing easement. She appreciates the holiday decorations, and said while Duke is working on the outlets, there is a streetlight out on Hibiscus E Councilmember Elliott supports moving forward with the gth St cost assessment. They can Councilmember Bankard said the gth St pump project needs to go forward. Bankard said he spoke with Manager Riefler about the 6th Street beach access, and a few days later, the steps were built. He thinks they can remove the concrete and put fill in on 12th Street to open it quickly. 19th Street can be reopened. They won't have a sitting area, but people will have beach access at minimal cost to the city. Mayor Gattis noted the 12th Street access, saying there's nothing holding the wall up on the property on the north side of the access. Bankard suggested removing the Councilmember Roberts noted the pump project and asked for a 12-month review of heavy rain events during high tides. That's when the pump system may be effective. It's important to know how many times a pump system may come into play. Councilmember Bankard said they had % of rain recently and water stayed on gth Street until around 3am. A pump would have from December 13-December 26. at the park between Harrison and Belle Isle. decide later if the trees can be saved or not. concrete and filling it in and giving people a walking path access to the beach. pushed it out. 6. City Clerk Report 7. Citizens Comments. (Each speaker will be recognized once and will be limited to a (3) Joseph Manzo, 102 7th St, shared his positive experience with city government. He called Councimember Bankard about the beach accesses being closed, and said the city can install stairs without interference of the construction control line. Bankard met with Manager Riefler the three-minute presentation on any subject that is not on the Agenda) 2 City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 next morning. The stairs were installed three days later. Manzo said Riefler was responsive to everyone's needs and got it done while working on al lot of other things. Hei thanked Riefler on Roger Maul, 115 Causeway Blvd, praised everyone after the hurricanes. Everyone in the community suffered, but people have been helping each other. He said Manager Riefler and Community Svcs. Administrator Glanz rescued neighbors who were in single story homes with high flood water. That was beyond theirj job descriptions. He said Riefler genuinely cares for the citizens. Whatever is brought to his attention, he addresses it quickly. Maul complimented council Tammie Levenda, 97 Harbor Dr, represents the Belleair Beach Community Foundation. She appreciates everyone's patience with the Veterans Memorial. The ribbon cutting was postponed, but they are working to restore the park. She said if anyone wants to volunteer, the foundation Darleen DePoalo, Abi Road Law, addressed council regarding a partial lien release ona cross-property attachment. She is facilitating a property sale in Clearwater owned by a resident of Belleair Beach. Mayor Gattis said they will continue the discussion with the manager's follow-up. City Manager Riefler thanked the commenters for their nice comments and said it's a pleasure to serve the community. He said there is a lien on a property on 25th St that was originally permitted in 2018 and completed this past year and accumulated fines for being late on the permit. The house is now in compliance. The lien is over $300,000. The owner owns other properties in the county and is trying to sell a property in Clearwater. The title company and owner asked if a payment could be made to release the lien on the Clearwater property. Council was to discuss this in a work session, but it was canceled due to the storms. The owner was advised to bring a proposal to council for consideration. Mayor Gattis said the owner didn't follow the city's municipal codes and has ignored the fines that have been accumulating. If they release the lien on the Clearwater property, the owner won't pay the fines. He would support the partial lien release if the city got payment from the sale of that property. Darleen DePoalo said there has been an attorney working with the city attorney on the lien for the past year. The property was built during Covid, and contractors didn't show. There isn't enough in the proceeds of the sale to pay the entire amount of the lien. Councilmember Bankard asked if the fines were a daily occurrence for delays and asked the amount of the daily fine. DePoalo confirmed and said it was over $400 a day plus interest. Councimember Harper asked the value of the Clearwater property and the amount that will go to the seller. DePoalo said the contract sales price is $390,000, but mortgage and closing fees will be paid out of that. The seller will receive around $100,000. The demand from the city is around $325,000. Gattis suggested taking it to a work session. Councimember Shirley said this property took more than 4 years to complete. The property owner ignored the city manager's requests for schedules. The owner and builder wouldn't provide any information to help mitigate the issue. She would support a 50% reduction in the lien, but the city needs to be paid the remainder. DePoalo said they aren't asking for the lien to be removed, only the cross-property attachment. The Clearwater property contract has been delayed for over 3 months. Shirley said the city should take the proceeds from the sale to pay down the debt owed to the city. Gattis agreed; it's a good faith effort to pay the. balance down and an opportunity for the owner to negotiate payments for the balance. City Attorney Mora said his discussions with the other attorney have not been about the cross-property issue, but about the overall lien. He has also spoken with Manager Riefler about procedures to clarify the lien reduction process. He recommended the owner make a proposal to council, but also advised that this council isn't likely tof forgive an outstanding lien on a 10% payment. Mora restated that DePoalo is not asking for a release of the lien, but to release the encumbrance on the cross property while retaining the lien on the property in Belleair Beach. DePoalo said the owner offered $2,500 to unattach the cross property four months ago. Gattis suggested that the owner make a substantial offering on the sale behalf of himself and everyone who uses that beach access. for hiring him and supports the pay raise on the agenda. Riefler saved lives. would appreciate the help. 8. City Manager Follow-up 3 City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 oft the property because he is unlikely to pay if the city releases it; he said $100,000 would be a good negotiating tool. DePoalo clarified that the city wants all the proceeds from the sale to release the lien. Gattis said the owner would still owe the city money, but this would ensure the city gets some of the money now. DePoalo noted this took place during Covid while there were emergency administrative orders in place and there were a lot of delays. Councimember Harper said further details would require a proposal. It's a significant amount of money; council isn't interested in $2500 on a $300,000 lien. DePoalo said most of the lien is interest, and not a hard cost to the city. Harper said this has been going on for multiple years with no response from the owner or builder, which caused a significant accrual. Gattis suggested the owner bring a proposal tot the next work session. Consent Agenda 9. Approval of November 4, 2024 City Council Meeting Minutes MOTION was made by Councimember Bankard and seconded by Councimember Wellings to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion passed 7-0. Regular Agenda 10. Nomination and Election of Vice Mayor by Ballot Frank Bankard Lloyd Roberts Kim Shaw Elliott Jody Shirley Mayor Gattis opened public comment. Joe Manzo, 7th St, said they were all good candidates, but Member Bankard stands out as a fighter for the citizens, uses critical thinking, has an excellent command of the charter and rules that govern the council and has caught errors made by others. A survey indicated safety of citizens was a priority and Bankard never lost sight of that. Bankard has longevity on the council. MOTION was made by Councimember Harper and seconded by Councimember Wellings to Councilmember Shaw Elliott was unable to continue and left the meeting around 7:15pm, prior Councilmember Bankard withdrew his nomination and supports Councimember Roberts. Councilmember Harper said the concept of a vice mayor is necessary to maintain leadership and integrity. All candidates are exceptional and would do the city well. Mayor Gattis summarized the voting process, as paper ballots won't work with members attending virtually. There may be Councilmember Shirley withdrew her nomination and supports Councilmember Roberts. Councilmember Roberts asked Councilmember Bankard to reconsider his withdrawal. When campaigning in 2022, Roberts found most residents thought the city was divided by who they supported for mayor, placing Bankard and Roberts against each other. It wasn't right and made him feel bad. He said Bankard works very hard for the city. He will do a good job and pull the council closer together. Councilmember Bankard appreciated Roberts' comments and put his Manzo asked council to vote for Bankard. elect a Vice Mayor. tot the vote. multiple rounds, with the candidate with the least votes eliminated each round. nomination back into consideration. 4 City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 Mayor Gattis said there are now three nominations: Shaw Elliott, Roberts, Bankard. He took it toa voice vote. He said the two with the most votes would move to the final vote. Councilmember Bankard Councilmember Roberts Councilmember Harper Councilmember Wellings Councilmember Shirley Mayor Gattis called for a voice vote. Councilmember Bankard Councilmember Roberts Councilmember Harper Councilmember Wellings Councilmember Shirley Mayor Gattis Bankard Bankard Roberts Shaw Elliott Roberts Roberts Bankard Bankard Roberts Roberts Roberts Roberts Mayor Gattis noted that Bankard and Roberts would move to the next round of voting and Mayor Gattis congratulated Councimember Roberts on his election as Vice Mayor. Motion passed 4-2 (1 Absent). Gerald Wiszowaty 11. Consideration of Appointment to the Board of Adjustment Mayor Gattis said Mr. Wiszowaty is out of town for the holidays, but currently serves on the MOTION was made by Councimember Bankard to table the item until Mr. Wiszowaty could Mayor Gattis said he's treating this appointment differently because Mr. Wiszowaty is already as sitting member of the board. He has already gone through the introduction process and MOTION was made by Councilmember Shirley and seconded by Councimember Harper to Board of Adjustment as an alternate member. be at the meeting. Motion died due to al lack of second. completed all forms. appoint Gerald Wiszowaty as full member of the Board of Adjustment. Councilmember Bankard Councilmember Wellings Councilmember Harper Councilmember Shirley Vice Mayor Roberts Mayor Gattis Yes Yes Yes Aye Yes Aye Motion passed 6-0(1Absent). Douglas Prescott, Sr 12. Consideration of Appointment to the Planning and Zoning Board Mayor Gattis asked Mr. Prescott to introduce himself to Council. Douglas Prescott said he's lived in Belleair Beach for 59 years. He's previously served on City Council, Board of Adjustment, Charter Review Committee, and was on the steering committee to recommend the first city manager to Council. Mayor Gattis noted his recent appointment as alternate to the Board of Adjustment. He resigned because he has an appeal in a recent case. Mr. Prescott said he 5 City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 stepped down partly because of the appeal, and partly because that was an alternate position, MOTION was made by Councilmember Bankard and seconded by Councimember Wellings and he wanted something more. to appoint Douglas Prescott, Srt to the Planning and Zoning Board. Councimember Bankard Councimember Wellings Councimember Harper Councimember Shirley Vice Mayor Roberts Mayor Gattis Yes Yes Yes Aye Aye Aye Motion passed 6-0/1 Absent). 13. Consideration of Resolution 2024-15, A Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Belleair Beach, Florida, Adopting The National Institute Of Standards And Technology Cybersecurity Framework; Authorizing The City Manager Or Designee To Adopt Policies And Procedures As Necessary To Implement The Framework And Comply' With Section 282.3185, Florida Statutes; Authorizing The City Manager Or Designee To Affirm Compliance With Section 282.3185, Florida Statutes; And Providing An Effective City Attorney Mora read Resolution 2024-15 in title only. The Florida legislature adopted a statute indicating that municipalities across the state need to have a cyber security framework in MOTION was made by Councilmember Bankard and seconded by Councimember Wellings Date. (City Attorney Mora) place. toa adopt Resolution 2024-15. Councimember Bankard Councilmember Wellings Councimember Harper Councilmember Shirley Vice Mayor Roberts Mayor Gattis Yes Yes Yes Aye Aye Aye Motion passed 6-0(1Absent). (City Manager Riefler) 14. Consideration of Administrative Staff Wages Increase of Non-Departmental Positions City Manager Riefler said the executive assistant and administrative assistant requested an increase in pay. The provided a letter outlining the reasons and provided salary comparisons of other local, similar positions. Their job descriptions were revised to include additional responsibilities. Additionally, the executive assistant now directly supervises the administrative assistant, where previously that was not a supervisory role. Riefler recommends the administrative assistant position changes from an hourly wage of $20/hr to $23/hr and the MOTION was made by Councimember Bankard and seconded by Councimember Roberts to Councimember Bankard said what was presented is reasonable, but it's still a low wage. Councimember Roberts said they need to establish salaries that retain staff. The cost of executive assistant position salary changes from $55,0001 to $62,000 annually. approve wage increases for administrative non departmental positions. replacing staff isn't cheap. 6 City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 Councimember Harper asked for an overview of the city examples and which cities have a similar structural relationship to Belleair Beach. Riefler said Belleair Beach is small, but staff have a lot of responsibilities that are all-encompassing. They have talented staff in those positions and Riefler wants to retain them. They do a lot of different things well. For a comparison, Madeira Beach and Town of Belleair stand out as being most similar. Harper said there's a base cost to run a municipality. They can't negate the value of the base infrastructure and people. People can go to other cities for higher pay. He agrees with Riefler's goal of sustaining a strong city base. Councilmember Shirley said Ms. Thornsberry and Ms. Walsh are helpful and supportive and commended Riefler on hiring them. The recommended salaries are fair, and she supports the increases. This is one of the best staffs the city has had, and she doesn't want to lose anyone. Mayor Gattis called for a voice vote. Motion passed 6-0(1 Absent). 15. Consideration of Merit Pay Increase for City Manager Based on Annual Evaluation Mayor Gattis noted a correction in the calculation, saying the actual score is 4.71. If they move MOTION was made by Councimember Bankard and seconded by Councilmember Harper to Councimember Bankard said 5% is insulting. He noted a salary survey showing Manager Riefler's salary being the lowest among neighboring communities. Bankard said they need to reward Riefler for the safety procedures performed during the storms. He recommended 15%. Councilmember Harper said there couldn't have been a better choice for city manager. Manager Riefler stands above the rest. Harper supports the 5% increase but also suggested a significant merit bonus for storm recovery and the work over the year that went above and beyond. The city needs to be at market value of resources sO there's no possibility of going Councilmember Shirley didn't observe Manager Riefler's work for most of the year, so she didn't complete the evaluation. She was also not part of the budget process and asked what was budgeted for the city manager's increase. Riefler said 5% was approved in the budget. Shirley Vice Mayor Roberts asked what Manager Riefler's salary will be with the 5% increase. Riefler said it would be $131,775. Councilmember Bankard noted it was still several thousand below the interim manager salary at Indian Shores. Councimember Shirley said if they didn't put it in the budget, they can't give it. Bankard said they saved over $40,000 in the police contract, and this manager deserves more. Manger Riefler and Community Services Administrator Glanz put their lives on the line. The city could lose them if council doesn't take care of them. They were willing to MOTION was made by Councimember Bankard to amend the pay increase to 10% for City Councilmember Roberts asked if there was money in the budget and would the need to do a Mayor Gattis said they are back to the original motion. Councilmember Wellings agreed with the intent from Councilmember Bankard. Because they didn't budget for it this year and have made some savings in other areas, Wellings asked if council would consider a one-time merit bonus, approve the 5% increase, and then consider a higher salary in the next budget process. Gattis said they can consider that idea, but it's not something they are prepared to do tonight. He Criteria Merit increase based on City Council Employee Evaluations forward, Manager Riefler will receive the full 5% increase. approve the calculated pay increase of 5% for City Manager Riefler. through the replacement process. said they can't do anything outside of that. pay $50,000 more when they were searching for a city manager. Manager Riefler. Motion died due to lack of a second. transfer. Manager Riefler said they would need to make al budget amendment. 7 City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 suggested discussing a merit bonus at the next work session. Councilmember Bankard said in the past the city attorney said they can't do a bonus under state law. City Attorney Mora clarified in reference to FS 215.425, there are provisions that bonuses can be done if there is a policy in place detailing how an employee can achieve a merit bonus. The city has not yet established a policy. The current discussion is about a salary increase. Bankard said a 10% raise is still insulting, but ift they can do it with a budget amendment, they should do it. Councilmember Bankard Councimember Wellings Councilmember Harper Councimember Shirley Vice Mayor Roberts Mayor Gattis Yes Yes Yes Aye Aye Aye Motion passed 6-0 (1/ Absent). Mayor Gattis said he'd like to review the evaluation process as there were certain questions 16. Consideration of Merit Pay Increase for City Clerk based on Annual Evaluation Criteria Mayor Gattis noted a correction in the calculation, saying the actual score is 4.35. If they move MOTION was made by Councimember Bankard and seconded by Councilmember Roberts to Councilmember Bankard said, as a premier city, they are underpaying the city clerk. She's that weren't applicable, and the city clerk evaluation used the same questions. Merit increase based on City Council Employee Evaluations forward, City Clerk Rose will receive the full 5% increase. approve the calculated pay increase of 5% for City Clerk Rose done an excellent job and deserves 10%. Councilmember Bankard Councimember Roberts Councimember Wellings Councimember Harper Councilmember Shirley Mayor Gattis Motion passed 6-0 (1/ Absent). Yes Aye Aye Aye Yes Aye Mayor Gattis again reiterated the request to update the evaluation process. He also noted that the city manager can increase the pay in the budget process when it's time for council to approve the budget. 17. Unfinished Business 18. City Council Comments Councilmember Roberts thanked councimembers fori their support for the vice mayor position. Councimember Bankard wished everyone a Merry Christmas. He apologized that the salary Councilmember Wellings said this is his first in-person meeting and thanked everyone for endorsing him. He supports the city manager and city clerk and wants to give them more but need He will represent this seat the way it should be. increases weren't higher. 8 City Council Meeting Monday, December 2, 2024 to follow process. How they voted today doesn't reflect how they feel. He supports discussing a Councilmember Harper wished everyone Happy Holidays. He is thankful to be here and thankful to everyone for the hard work that's transpired in the past month. Returning to the topic of city management, the employees are the asset and value to the city. He agreed with Councilmember Shirley that a budgeting process needs to be followed. He also agreed with Mayor Gattis that the evaluation forms should be reviewed. He wants to move forward with Mayor Gattis appreciates Manager Riefler and his staff. All have worked tirelessly to clean up the city. He commended Riefler on finding more resources to help everyone recover. The substantial damage reports are not coming in quickly. He recommended council and manager review building services and consider finding a private company to handle the city's building services instead of Pinellas County. The storms exposed a lot of issues. He commended Riefler budget amendment at the next work session. regularly scheduled work sessions. for everything he's doing. Adjournment MOTION was made by Councilmember Bankard and seconded by Councilmember Roberts to adjourn the meeting at 8:08pm. Motion passed 6-0( (1 Absent). Sanmarb,2025 Date Approved ATTEST: APPROVED: Salatts Dave Gattis, Mayor - Renee Rose, CMC City Clerk 9