TOWN OF HAVERHILL TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2025 6:00 P.M. OFFICIAL MINUTES The regular monthly meeting of the Haverhill Town Council was held on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at the Town Hall, 4585 Charlotte Street, Haverhill, FL. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Foy called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Foy offered the Invocation and led in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Town Administrator Stevens called the roll, and Council Members present were Mayor Jay Foy, Vice Mayor Lawrence Gordon (via teleconference), Council Member Ray Caranci, Council Member Teresa Johnson, and Council Member Dennis Withington. Town Staff present included Town Attorney John Foster and Town Administrator Tracey Stevens. With a quorum present in the Council Chambers, the meeting proceeded. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC Mr. Stephenson and Ms. Tallent of 5304 Belvedere Rd spoke to the Council about their ongoing desire to operate a church and food pantry out of their residential home, and efforts by Code Enforcement to cease operation in that location as it is against the Town Code. Mr. Stephenson indicated that they have spent a lot of time and money on what they feel was support and direction from the past Administration and Council since 2006 to run prayer meetings. He opined that he has tried to do everything that was requested of him in accordance with the code. He also mentioned that in his conversations with Mr. Petrick, the Town's Code Enforcement Officer, Mr. Petrick ceased discussions with him when Mr. Petrick thought Mr. Stephenson accused him of being racist. He requested that the Council continue to work with them to operate a church from the home to serve the Haitian community. Town Administrator Stevens stated that Mr. Stephenson and Ms. Tallent came before the Council on May 23, 2024 after Ms. Stevens emailed them that operating a church in that location is not allowed since it is in the single-family residential zoning district, and they would also need at least three acres of land to operate a church due to parking issues, etc. Town Administrator Stevens read the excerpt from the May 23, 2024 meeting minutes to refresh the Council's memory regarding the conversation. She stated that she gave Mr. Stephenson and Ms. Tallent the re-zoning and text amendment applications SO they could submit them for review by the Council; however, they indicated that it would be cost prohibitive to hire a Planner to help them with the applications. Town Attorney Foster stated that if there is an application contemplated for this address, or there is an impending Code Enforcement case, the Council should not make any comments. Mr. Stephenson stated that in the past, the Council told them as long as there is someone living in the home they could conduct prayer meetings. They are requesting the ability to continue to do SO and requesting the ability to erect a sign at the property as well. Town Administrator Stevens indicated that she would follow up with Mr. Stephenson and Ms. Tallent after the meeting. REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 24, 2025 APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Mayor Foy inquired if there were any additions, deletions, or modifications to the agenda and suggested that item #6 be taken up prior to item #4. Council Member Withington moved to approve the agenda as amended; seconded by Council Member-Johnson. Motion carried 5-0. APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of the Minutes ofthe Regular Meeting of March 27, 2025 2. Approval of the Minutes ofthe Workshop Meeting of April 14, 2025 3. Approval of the Updated State Highway Lighting Maintenance and Compensation Agreement Council Member Caranci stated that he has a correction for the March 27, 2025 minutes as follows: #14 - In the sentence "Council Member Caranci stated that Florida's values are capped at 3%..." ? > the wording should be changed from "values"1 to "homesteaded properties". Council Member Johnson moved to approve the consent agenda as amended; seconded by Council Member Caranci. Motion carried 5-0. COMMENTS FROM THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (PBSO) Deputy Schnell reported on the statistics for the last 30 days which included two burglaries out of Gator Storage, a stolen vehicle recovery off Grove Street, 150 traffic stops and 219 business'residence checks. She stated that PBSO was able to link the burglaries from the storage yard to other burglaries from storage yards around the County and made multiple arrests. Council Member Caranci asked if he could contact Deputy Schnell with concerns as a resident, and Deputy Schnell stated that Town Administrator Stevens could share her contact information. COMMENTS FROM PALM BEACH COUNTY FIRE RESCUE (PBCFR) District Fire ChiefMartinez reported on the statistics for March which included 13 çalls including 1 vehicle accident, 9 medical calls, 2 investigations and 1 fire. The average response time was 6.44 with a turnout time of 26 seconds. He stated that a new engine will be coming online next week. He mentioned that a preemptive zoning program will begin soon where traffic lights will automatically change when fire/rescue units with lights and sirens activated are coming through, which will aid in traffic safety. He also updated the Council on PBCFR's community outreach efforts including free smoke and carbon monoxide detector installations for residents. PRESENTATIONS There were no presentations on the agenda. PUBLIC HEARINGS & ORDINANCE READINGS There were no public hearings or ordinance readings on the agenda. REGULAR AGENDA (Note: Item #6 was taken up prior to Item #4) 4. Approval of LED Lighting Agreement with FPL to Install Additional Street Lights on Town Roadways and Authorize the Budgeted Expenditure Not to Exceed $50,702.02 for the Contribution in Aid of Construction of the Street Lights Project to be Expended out of the Infrastructure Surtax Account Town Administrator Stevens reported that FPL's street lighting plan has been finalized and includes additional lighting. The monthly energy costs are now $687.20, and the costs in aid of construction (CIAC) remained the same at $50,702.02. Page 20f5 REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 24, 2025 Mayor Foy stated that the street lighting project is for the safety of the residents, and he hopes the County will provide lighting on the county roads within the town as well. Council Member Johnson asked if the project would be funded by the ARPA grant, and Town Administrator Stevens responded that the. ARPA funds were fully obligated by December 31, 2024 in accordance with the grant agreement. This street lighting project will be funded from the infrastructure surtax fund. Mayor Foy called for public comments, and there were none. Ilan Kaufer of FPL thanked the Council and mentioned that Town Administrator Stevens was great to work with. Council Member Caranci asked if Mr. Kaufer could help with facilitating the clearing of vegetation in the power lines along Club Road. Mayor Foy asked if FPL is installing fiber along Belvedere Rd, and Mr. Kaufer stated a separate subsidiary of FPL is installing fiber due to an increase in data usage. Mayor Foy reported that the construction caused a hole near one of the utility boxes and he asked Mr. Kaufer to look into fixing it due to safety concerns. Council Member Withington moved to approve the FPL street lighting agreement as submitted: seconded by Council Member Caranci. Motion carried 5-0. 5. Discussion Regarding Request by Meritage Homes and WGI to Amend the Town's Land Development Code in Reference to the Merrimack Towns Development Town Administrator Stevens reported that Meritage Homes and WGI came before the Council last month with a proposal for 20' wide interior units and 8 units per building. The Council made a trip to one of Meritage Homes' newly built communities in Stuart to view the smaller 20' wide interior units and larger 8-unit buildings in conjunction with the 6-unit buildings on the lot and will now need to discuss the possibility of a text amendment with the developer. Town Administrator Stevens stated she included the site plan in the meeting packages and the amount of 8-unit buildings on the site is limited to three. Jerrod Purser of WGI also noted that there are 4- unit buildings along with the 8-unit and 6-unit buildings with an overall average of under 6-units per building. The Council voiced concerns about the following: a text amendment would apply to all developments in the airport overlay district going forward; the 20' interior units seemed large enough from the inside, however, the exterior width didn't leave enough room for proper landscaping in conjunction with enough parking; placement of the water & sewer lines can interfere with proper landscaping; placing trees in areas that won't interfere with overhead utility lines; and ensuring that the reduced unit size to 20' would equate to a lower selling price of the unit. There was discussion regarding these items with the developer. Jeff Alexander of Meritage Homes estimates that they will be able to sell the smaller interior units in the low to mid $400,000 range. He also noted they are open to doing a street tree program which makes a huge difference. Town Attorney Foster will work on amended draft language with the developer's Attorney that will work forl both the developer and the Town. Page 3 of5 REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 24, 2025 The Council asked for a rendering to be submitted to show what the site will look like with the draft changes. Mr. Purser stated he would like confirmation from the Council to proceed with working with staff to formulate the language for the text amendment application SO they can proceed to the next step. Mayor Foy noted that the Council wants the end product to work well for the Town, and the landscaping is important in those efforts to ensure the community doesn't feel like a rental community or a row home community. Ample parking is also important. Council Member Caranci stated that it's extremely important to ensure all designers, engineers, landscape architects and utilities are working together on the project SO everyone is on the same page and not causing conflicts for each other. 6. Act on Request for Lien Reduction for 4773 Richmond Mews Town Administrator Stevens reported that the fines for this property are quite extensive, as the property owner did not call for a compliance inspection once they completed the necessary work. The fines stopped running once the Code Enforcement Officer noticed that the property was in compliance. The fine total is $19,700 and staff recommends reducing the fine to the actual costs to the town of $1,500 due to a hardship. Pierre St. Jean, the Attorney for the property owner, mentioned that there was a language barrier between the property owner and the town staff. Mayor Foy called for public comments, and there were none. Council Member Withington moved to reduce the fine from $19,700 to $1,500 for 4773 Richmond Mews; seconded by Council Member. Johnson. Motion carried 5-0. REPORTS 7. Town Attorney Town Attorney Foster did not have a report to present. 8. Mayor Mayor Foy, in reference to the comment made earlier in the meeting regarding a language barrier, asked if there's anything the town should provide to help our residents. There was consensus of the Council to look into it. Mayor Foy stated the hiring process for a new County Administrator was discussed at the District II/III meeting, along with a discussion regarding transportation planning efforts. The Council discussed the proposed 20' wide lot width again at this time. Mayor Foy gave an update on NPDES permitting process and permits from SFWMD for driveway culverts. 9. Town Administrator Town Administrator Stevens noted that her written monthly report was submitted in the Council packages and encouraged the Council to review the report with important information. She reported that the proposed FPL rate increase will increase the Town's electric bill and increase its franchise fee revenues, with a positive net effect for the Town. She also mentioned that the first public outreach meeting for the vulnerability assessment project was held this evening and none Page 4 of 5 REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 24, 2025 ofthe public attended. A recording of the meeting will be posted on the website for anyone who is interested in learning more about the project. Another public outreach meeting will be held in the future to discuss assessment results. 10. Treasurer Town Administrator Stevens reported on the Treasurer" S report for March 2025. Council Member Withington moved to receive and file the Treasurer's report for March 2025; seconded by Council Member, Johnson. Motion carried 5-0. 11. Committee Delegates Council Member Johnson reported that she will be visiting the re-entry center in Pahokee tomorrow with the Re-Entry Task Force. She thanked the Council for providing sponsorship funding to the PBC-BEO for scholarships and noted the process is going well. She asked for information to be included in the next newsletter regarding the importance of hiring a contractor to trim trees away from power lines. Council Member Johnson asked if the Council would continue its discussion regarding economic development, and Town Administrator Stevens stated that she has enough information to share at the economic development forum once it's held. She noted that the Council consensus was not to go higher than two stories and keep any economic development activity along Military Trail. Mayor Foy reminded everyone not to respond to an email that was sent to all Council Members regarding a code enforcement matter. Town Administrator Stevens stated she does not want to discourage Council Members from talking to constituents; however, when it's a code enforcement matter, please refer them to staff. If the property owner feels that staff is not addressing their concerns, it is appropriate for Council Members to speak to them about that as opposed to the specific code enforcement issue, and then bring the concerns back to the Town Administrator. Council Member Caranci suggested that communications with staff be in writing SO there is a paper trail of the conversation. Council Member Caranci stated that he is hearing concerns from his neighbors regarding the proliferation of people living in travel trailers throughout the community, and Town Administrator Stevens stated she could have code enforcement do a sweep of the community. Town Administrator Stevens mentioned that there is a new company called "Snitch" that residents can hire to make a code enforcement complaint SO they don't have to give their name and fear retaliation. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business to come before the Council. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business to come before the Council. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Town Council, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Minutes prepared by Town Administrator Stevens and adopted by the Town Counçil,on May 22, 2025. Approved: Tracey L. Stevens, Town Administrator Jax Foy, Mayor Page 5of5 SIGN IN SHEET TOWN OF HAVERHILL REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Thursday, April 24, 2025 6:00pm Name E- Mail Address Telephone Property Address Please Print Clearly Number Tlen Koufer Flon.Caukerpll Sul -30447 75 oourineznia, Sinno Bach FL 33408 Glady Reyks glagepet 407-8448242 2u Unic DWL33Y Maalp ckpdan dcersna GAAPIlst Bud pt sEalawh-camsi ASTEURSTEI AaW-6 60 1873 J3043 BElédere B.Hp4p HouaTAle yakeo. G 561635005t 587 PoeaTAI-O 5616350099 5304 bel RA3345 Jorod Purser Bowipsaser 561-577-4533 WPB TeE Arovarn kwwAPrady 3-1491-o7y wo erstz 8233ON 6/82238 4*3 RdGRoN MeSS hv Kesboz ADCE fauarot 561318-914B fint fuve