City of Mexico Beach Meeting Minutes TUESDAY MARCH 25, 2025 - 6:00 PM The City of Mexico Beach City Council met in a regular meeting on Tuesday March 25, 2025, at 6:00 pm at the Public Works Building in Mexico Beach. Mayor Wolff and the following Councilmembers were present: Linda Hamilton, Jerry Smith, Jason Adams and Tim Linderman. Also present were City Administrator, Chris Truitt, City Clerk, Tammy Brunson and City Attorney Tim Sloan. I. Call to order: Mayor Wolff called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. II. Consent Agenda: Minutes for the following council meetings were approved unanimously. January 28, 2025, Regular council meeting. February 11, 2025, Regular council meeting. March 13, 2025, Special council meeting. III. Regular Agenda: 1. Amphitheater at Parker Park bid and task order was brought to the table. Elizabeth Moore with Anchor CEI discusses the amphitheater bid at Parker Park, mentioning one bid from BGN Contractors for $209,518 with a 240-day project completion timeline. Open public comment at 6:04 pm. No public comments were made. Closed public comment at 6:04 pm. Chris Truitt explains the funding options, including using Parks and Rec fees or the half-cent sales tax for the 15th Street Bridge. Tim Linderman and Chris Truitt discuss the impact fees and their usage, with Tim mentioning a provision that impact fees must be used within a certain number of years. Mrs. Hamilton motioned, and Mr. Smith seconded to accept the bid from BGN Contractors for $209,518.00 for construction of the Parker Park Amphitheater using budgeted funds. Motion passed unanimously. 2. Recycling service and franchise agreement was brought to the table. Chris Truitt introduces Richard Bracken from Florida 27 Recycle, who presents their recycling services and franchise agreement. Richard Bracken details their services, including weekly pickup, materials collected, and their current cross-contamination rate of 1.2%. Open public comment at 6:24 pm. Carol Bonanno asked about pricing and the effect on the Sanitation Department. Steve Cox opposes the franchise agreement, suggesting the city could handle recycling internally and questioning the need for additional fees. Closed public comment at 6:34 pm. Mayor Wolff and other council members discuss the franchise agreement, including the truck age requirement, community service hours, and insurance Mr. Adams motioned, and Mrs. Hamilton seconded to table the agreement to allow more time for review and discussion. Motion passed unanimously. 3. BCSD Deputy contract amendment was brought to the table. Chris Truitt presents the updated abstract for the governing contract amendment, including the addition of a new deputy. Open public comment at 6:37 pm. No public comments were made. Closed public comment at 6:37 pm. The council discusses the amendment and expresses concerns about the sheriff's right to call back the deputy. Mr. Smith motioned, and Mrs. Hamilton seconded to approve the deputy contract amendment with BCSD. Motion passed unanimously. City of Mexico Beach Meeting Minutes TUESDAY MARCH 25, 2025 - 6:00 PM IV. Regular Agenda Continued: 4. Ordinance 851 Beach and Dune Protection (second reading) was brought to the table. Chris Truitt presents the second reading of Ordinance 851, which amends the beach and dune protection zone. Mr. Adams motioned, and Mrs. Hamilton seconded to read Ordinance 851 with amendments, by title only. Motion passed unanimously. Open public comment at 6:44 pm. Steve Cox asked about the fines. Closed public comment at 6:44 pm. Mr. Adams motioned, and Mr. Linderman seconded to approve Ordinance 851 with amendments. Motion passed unanimously. 5. FROC Personnel Policy amendments were brought to the table. Chris Truitt presents two policy and procedure amendments: backfill employee policy and duplication of benefits policy. The council discusses the backfill employee policy, agreeing that employees should be paid their normal hourly rate when temporarily replacing others. The council also discusses the duplication of benefits policy, ensuring that funds are not used for the same project from multiple sources. Open public comment at 6:49 pm. No public comments were made. Closed public comment at 6:49 pm. Mr. Linderman motioned, and Mrs. Hamilton seconded to approve the backfill employee policy. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Linderman motioned, and Mrs. Hamilton seconded to approve the duplication of benefits policy. Motion passes unanimously. V. Citizen Comments: Diane Kenny read a letter from Mitch Coleman. She then talked about the post on Linkin and that derogatory comments are not good for employee morale. VI. Council Comments: Tim Linderman provides updates on the EV charging stations at the CDC, the ADA walkover engineering, and the 15th Street Bridge. Jason Adams clarifies his comments about the Sheriff's Department, emphasizing the need for proper handling of employee issues. The council discusses the HR concerns, with Tim Linderman suggesting a probationary period and restrictions on hiring authority. Mayor Wolff proposes a special meeting to discuss the HR concerns and the City Administrator's performance, with a tentative date set for April 3rd. VII. Mayors Comments: Mayor Wolff mentions that the bid included everything from start to finish, with three companies bidding. Tim Linderman states that $350,000 was requested in the appropriations for this project. Chris Truitt explains that they are still exploring options to reduce costs and will present recommendations soon. Mayor Wolff suggests going with aluminum for the bridge to save on maintenance costs and mentions a $30,000 savings by using trex decking instead of concrete. Elizabeth Moore with Anchor, CEI suggests re-bidding the project to explore more options, but Mayor Wolff points out the potential 25-30% tariff on steel. Tim Linderman and Jason Adams discuss the urgency of moving forward due to rising costs and the potential impact of tariffs. Tim Linderman highlights the complexity of sidewalk issues and gas lines, adding to the project's cost. Mayor Wolff proposes a special meeting to discuss the 15th Street Bridge and other related projects. Tim Linderman emphasizes the need to prioritize certain projects to ensure they are handled promptly. Mayor Wolff agrees to add the 15th Street Bridge to the agenda for the special meeting on April 3rd. City of Mexico Beach Meeting Minutes TUESDAY MARCH 25, 2025 - 6:00 PM VIII. Staff Comments: Tommy Davis, Public Works Director announced he has 3 days left before his retirement and thanked his employees and citizens for his time in Mexico Beach. City Administrator - Chris Truitt read a statement addressing the challenges faced in hiring a replacement for Tommy, emphasizing the need for a candidate with the right skills and experience. Truitt explains that none of the applicants had all the required skills, leading to the decision to hire an experienced individual from outside the city. Truitt acknowledges the mistakes made in the hiring process and offers apologies for any misunderstandings. Truitt expresses commitment to learning from the experience and improving the hiring process in the future. He reiterates his dedication to the city and his commitment to addressing challenges and learning from mistakes. City Attorney = Mr. Sloan had no additional comments. IX. Adjournment: Mr. Linderman and Mr. Adams motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:43 pm. By: Attest: Sanny BLwNgN Mayor, Richard Wolff City Clerk, Tammy Brunson