Council City DELEIP Work Session Monday, January 27, 2025 Community Center, 6:00 PM City of Belleair Beach, Florida FLORIDP PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Mayor Dave Gattis followed by a Pledge of Roll Call: Present were Councilmembers Frank Bankard, Todd Harper, Kim Shaw Elliott, and Anders Wellings; Vice Mayor Lloyd Roberts and Mayor Dave Gattis; City Manager Kyle Riefler, City Attorney Randy Mora, and City Clerk Renee Rose. Councimember Jody Shirley joined the For continuity, items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that 1. Presentation and Discussion of gth Street Pump Project (Gemini Engineering) Barbara Nogueira Nguyen, Gemini Engineering, provided an update and presented design plans for the gth Street Pump Station project, along with a preliminary construction cost estimate. This project addresses localized flooding during high tide events. The pump station will be located behind the community center, at the intersection of gtSt and Harbor Dr., and will follow the current drainage infrastructure to avoid disruptions and not interfere with other utilities. However, they will need to relocate a potable water line and remove two trees. The pump will primarily function during rainy season storms and is expected to run for an average of 2-6 hours per month, depending on rainfall. It will be a fixed-speed pump, turning on and off, and will not be used during large storm events, but for localized flooding. The pump is designed to move up to 64,000 gallons per hour. Landscaping will be installed around the control panel and other equipment. A geotechnical study will be needed to ensure soil stability, which was not included in the cost Following a discussion, there was consensus of council to allow Gemini Engineering to proceed with the soil test. Gemini Engineering will address council's questions ini the next updated Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. meeting at 6:02pm. order. estimate, but will cost $2500-$3000. presentation. 2. Discuss Budget Amendment to Increase Salaries (Mayor Gattis) Mayor Gattis requested this item, along with Councilmember Bankard, to increase the city manager and city clerk salaries to be comparable with surrounding communities. Gattis did not single out the community services administrator, as the position answers to the city manager and not to council, and suggested City Manager Riefler ask for a budget amendment for that Manager Riefler said the original budgeted increase was 5%. The proposal is for an additional one-time 5%, totaling a 10% merit increase. Future merit increases will revert to the budgeted amount of 5%. There is money available in the general fund. Discussions focused on the importance of retaining quality staff. It was the consensus of council to vote on the proposed budget amendment at the next council meeting. 3. Discuss Amending the City's Lookback Period Councilmember Bankard) Councimember Frank Bankard said they changed the lookback period from 5 years to 1 year. Following the recent storms, he proposes eliminating the lookback period. If they experience another storm this year, they are putting residents at risk with a 1-year lookback. There was confusion as to when the lookback period starts, whether is from the permit issue date orw when the permit is completed. Manager Riefler clarified that the lookback period starts on the issue date of the permit. Discussions revealed frustration with FEMA's inconsistent application of the 50% rule and difficulty getting answers. There was concern about removing the lookback period without fully understanding the possible consequences, including impacts on flood insurance eligibility and the city's CRS rating. Mayor Gattis suggested waiting to see how increase. FEMA's policies and state regulations change under a new administration. City Council Work Session Monday, January 27, 2025 4. Discuss Belleair Beach 75th Anniversary (Manager Riefler) City Manager Kyle Riefler said it was Mayor Gattis' idea to commemorate the city's 75th anniversary. Community Services Administrator Glanz designed mockups of 75th Anniversary banners. Gattis expressed excitement with the first banner design. He realized the city was 75. years old when he ordered a Belleair Beach t-shirt from Amazon and it read Established in 1950". Discussion included making the banners oversized, holding community events, and possibly working with the county on a banner across Causeway Blvd. It was discussed that they should plan to spend $100 per banner; there are 40-45 poles with hangers. Attorney Mora said he would find the official date of incorporation and share it with council. 5. General Business Councilmember Todd Harper noted a proposed ordinance change taken up by the Planning and Zoning Board concerning outdoor working hours. Council previously proposed limiting work hours from 8am to 8pm. Based ont feedback from contractors, Harper suggested changing the start time from 8am to 7am. That one hour is critical for contractors ini the summer. There was discussion to allow a 7am start for landscaping, but not for loud construction. It was noted that separation of different trades will cause confusion and enforcement issues. There was consensus Councimember Bankard said residents have approached him about establishing a boat parking and trailer storage at the marina. He visited the marina lot and suggested a designated area with four or five spots. He estimated the city could charge $60-$175 per month. These would bet for Belleair Beach residents who are currently on the waiting list for a slip. Concerns were raised about the need for increased police patrols. Bankard said the residents would be responsible for their own vessels and trailers and suggested a waiver to remove liability from the city. There were other concerns that the areai is tight and it would be difficult to line up a boat and trailer. Additionaly, the undergrounding. project contractors are staging int that lot, sO the project would need to be finished before considering this. Mayor Gattis would like to see the lot paved, but Manager Riefler said it can't be done because of Southwest Florida Water Management Bankard continued, noting concerns with debris and weeds around the city. There was discussion that code enforcement was relaxed after the storms, but the city should issue a reminder to residents about adhering to the city's codes regarding lawn care and debris removal. Councilmember Shirley informed council about issues with the permitting process for condo owners. The county requires each condo association to determine the value of the entire building, including common areas, then break it down by individual units. This has caused confusion and delays, especially when some oft the condos have suffered damage to ground floor units, but the upper floors have no damage. It is clear that the condos are not substantially damaged, yet the system still requires extensive paperwork and delays. Manager Riefler has been working through these issues by gathering accurate data and communicating with condo associations. He is producing a packet to help simplify things for the condo associations and make the process more Vice Mayor Roberts shared a positive observation regarding the recent paving and WastePro. While his street was being paved, there was concern that garbage trucks would drive on the fresh road and damage it. Manager Riefler worked with WastePro to reschedule collection to a different day. Since then, Roberts noticed that' WastePro drivers have a new driving approach. Instead of hard stop and go, which causes damage to the road, the drivers are driving much slower and stopping more carefully. This adjustment by the drivers will extend the life of the resurfaced road. to amend the start time to 7am. requirements. manageable. City Council Work Session Monday, January 27, 2025 Adjournment MOTION was made by Councilmember Bankard and seconded by Councilmember Shirley to adjourn the meeting at 7:51pm. Motion passed 7-0. Plamay3,2025 Date Approged ATTEST: APPROVED: Daseatin Dave Gattis, Mayor 5 Renee Rose, CMC City Clerk