City of Mexico Beach Meeting Minutes TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025 - 9:00 AM The City of Mexico Beach City Council met in a scheduled regular meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 9:00 am at the Public Works Building in Mexico Beach. A quorum was present with all five council members in attendance. Mayor' Wolff and the following Councilmembers were present: Linda Hamilton, Jason Adams. Steve Cox and Erik Fosshage. Also present: City Clerk, Tammy Brunson, Interim City Administrator Mell Smigielski, and City Attorney, Tim Sloan. I. Call to order: Mayor Wolff called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. Il. Consent Agenda: All were unanimously in favor of the approval of the meeting minutes from February 21, 2025 Special Meeting. III. Regular Agenda: 1. Task Order = 4th Street Stormwater = Elizabeth Moore, Anchor CEI: Ms. Moore explained the task order for street stormwater projects, Avcon's stormwater master plan, and the need for detailed plans for construction. She stated the city staff did not want to build the project due to it being more than what the staff could handle but needed more detailed information for a contractor. Ms. Moore outlined thet task order which included creating at full set of construction drawings and coordinating with the contractor. The council discussed the need to define the scope of work to get a more accurate bid. Mayor Wolff mentioned the half-percent tax fund, which is over a million dollars, and suggests using it for the stormwater project. Ms. Moore confirms the cost estimate is around $200,000, not millions, and suggests defining the scope of work to get a more accurate bid. Mr. Fosshage questions the duration of construction administration services, which Ms. Moore clarifies is only for the tasks listed in the sheet. Mr. Adams motioned to amend the task order to just A and B in the amount of $9,800.00 for Anchor Engineering to start the preliminary analysis and the bidding and procurement process. Mr. Fosshage seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously 5-0. 2. NFWF Wetlands Mitigation Grant Closeout - Mr. Smigielski discussed the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant for $335,908 to remove non-native vegetation and restore native vegetation on 45 acres (part of 80-acre parcel off Hwy 386). Despite multiple attempts to get bids, no bidders responded, and the project is beyond the scope of the internal workforce. The council decides to reduce the grant by $304,000 and spend $31,000 on engineering and design fees. The remaining funds will be carried over for another NFWF project. Mr. Fosshage motioned to amend the grant to reduce the cost of the project by $304,838. Ms. Hamilton seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. 3. American Tower - Propane Tank Spark Zone - Mr. Smigielksi informed the council about a lease agreement with American Tower for communication towers, which requires a 10-foot no-spark zone around a propane tank. The lease agreement is still being reviewed by the city attorney, and the council discusses the possibility of amending the lease. 4. Ordinance 852 - Beach Vending (Second Reading) - Mrs. Hamilton made a motion to read Ordinance 852 by title only. Mr. Fosshage seconded the motion. Motion passes. Mrs. Brunson read Ordinance 852 by title only. Mr. Adams questioned the Class II permits allowing the use of Atv's on the beach. Mayor Wolff confirmed that if there was an emergency situation or a storm they would call the city administrator and notify him. Mr. Adams questioned raising the fee for the permit to $100 at a previous meeting. Mrs. Hamilton asked about the applications being approved by the council and not the administrator and location of vendors at operational and non-operational businesses. Mr. Adams motioned to adopt Ordinance 852 with the discussed changes on page 2 at the top of paragraph 2, deleting the Class II permit vendors from being able to use ATV's on the beach at any time, the application fee will be $100, and the application will be approved by the city council. Mr. Fosshage seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. City of Mexico Beach Meeting Minutes TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025 = 9:00 AM Mr. Adams motioned to adopt Ordinance 852 with the discussed changes on page 2 at the top of paragraph 2, deleting the Class II permit vendors from being able to use ATV's on the beach at any time, the application fee will be $100, and the application will be approved by the city council. Mr. Fosshage seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Ordinance 853 - Impact Fee Change Schedule (Second Reading) = Mrs. Hamilton motioned to read Ordinance 853 by title only. Mr. Fosshage seconded the motion. Motion passed. Mrs. Brunson read Ordinance 853 by title only. No public comments. Mrs. Hamilton made motion to approve Ordinance 853. Mr. Fosshage seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. 6. Planning and Zoning Board Applicants - The council discusses the appointments to the Planning and Zoning Committee, including Lisa Logan, Bruce Van Arsdale, Justin Bellesbach and Nearing Adams. Mrs. Hamilton motioned to appoint Lisa Logan to fill Seat 5 of the P&Z Board. Mr. Fosshage seconded the motion. Motion passes unanimously. Mr. Adams motion to appoint Bruce Van Arsdale to the Alternate I open seat. Ms. Hamilton seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Adams motioned to appoint Justin Bellesbach to the Alternate 2 open seat. Ms. Hamilton seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. 7. Concern with Number of Food Truck in Mexico Beach - Mrs. Hamilton raised concerns from several citizens about the increasing number oft food trucks in Mexico Beach and their impact on brick-and-mortar restaurants. She stated since the City now has 8 food trucks that maybe the council needs to make a motion to limit the number of food trucks in the City. Mr. Sloan stated he would have to review the Ordinance and bring it back to the council. Mr. Fosshage asked if the issue is the actual number of food trucks or the location of the food trucks. Mr. Adams stated we are already limiting the food trucks by the zoning. Mayor Wolff asked Mr. Sloan if he was aware of any city that restricted the number of food trucks. Mr. Sloan stated not that he was aware of. Mr. Cox stated that the parking question may be an easy was to. maybe help prevent growth in the future and maybe fix some of the problems we currently are having. Mr. Smigielski cited the state statute which says a municipality, county or other local government entity may not prohibit mobile food dispensing vehicles or temporary commercial kitchens from operating within the entirety of the entity's jurisdiction. He also stated that we can control where they go. The council decides to table the issue and have the city attorney and city administrator review the state statutes and local regulations. 8. Citizen Comments Rock Kries, MB - expressed frustration about the slow progress in removing blue tarps and other storm damage debris. Jesse Tyrus, MB - asked for an exception to the no peddling law for Point Broadband, which the council declined, citing the need to maintain consistency in enforcement. Bobby Pollock, MB - voiced concern of the development on 386 and the importance of annexing into the city. 9. Council Comments - Mayor Wolff asked the council if they had concerns or questions concerning the Nickel Creek Development on 386. Mr. Adams expresses concern about the City Council's exclusion from decisions regarding the Nickel Creek development in Bay County. Ms. Hamilton questioned why the City Council hasn't been included in the process. Mr. Sloan discussed the similarities between the Nickel Creek development and Farmdale's development process and the need for land use change and the role ofthe Department of Commerce. He also suggested inviting the developers to come and speak to the council to discuss their plans. Mr. Smigielski referenced a City Council video from July 23, 2024, where the Nickel Creek development was discussed. Mayor Wolff recalled a meeting in late August where the developer discussed their plans with the city administrator and emphasized that the city did not guarantee anything to the developer. He also mentioned a recent conversation with the developer about the need for a larger forum to discuss the development. Mayor Wolff asked Ms. Brunson to read a statement from the developer explaining their decision to remain in Bay County and their plans for zoning and utilities. Mayor Wolff discussed the developer's decision to avoid public meetings to prevent comments being taken out of context. He also mentioned the city's capacity for water and sewer and the need to discuss this further as well as staying involved in the development process. Mr. Adams wanted to make sure and stay on top of the dune walkovers. Mr. Steve Cox thanked the council for appointing him to the council. City of Mexico Beach Meeting Minutes TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025 - 9:00 AM 10. Mayor Comments Mayor Wolff discussed the boat ramp grant extension to 2046 and the need to review the lease agreement with St. Joe. Company. Mr. Sloan mentions concerns about the lease agreement's termination clause and the need for city funds. Mr. Adams suggested reviewing the lease agreement to ensure it benefits the city. Mr. Smigielski mentioned the need to hold up the lease agreement discussion for the next meeting. Mayor Wolff discusses a request from Seaside Market to place a grease trap on city property. Mr. Sloan expresses concern about setting a precedent for private citizens to encroach on city property. Mr. Adams suggests looking at other options for the grease trap's location. Mr. Fosshage stated that they needed to hear from the developer to discuss other options. Mr. Smigielski will reach out to Lance Watson to come and speak to council to possibly come up with other options. Mayor Wolff asked about the Facebook Live and YouTube transition. Ms. Brunson explained the transition and confirmed that Bay IT is in the process of reactivating the City YouTube account and should be able to go live in the next couple of meetings. 11. Staff Comments: Mr. Smigielski provided a weekly update including the budget process, capital improvement plan, Duke Energy franchise, dune walkovers, ICMA Senior advisor recommendations for city administrator, the pier pre-bid meeting, jetty bids, amphitheater pre-construction meeting and the use of shells for the city. He also mentioned the need to update the employee handbook and personnel policy due to the HR investigation and JLAC recommendations. Mr. Smigielski acknowledged the department heads and staff for their hard work. 12, Adjournment: Ms. Hamilton motioned to adjourn at 11:12 a.m. ATTEST: Danny Bwon Mayor, Richard Wolff City Clerk, Tammy Brunson