City Commission Meeting Summary - February 25, 2009
The City Commission met in regular session and took the following action:
Recognized members of the Tallahassee Electric Utility staff who had worked to help the City of Thomasville restore electricity following a recent tornado
Recognized and commended the community's response to volunteering in the rebuilding of a home for the George and Barbara Kadzis family, featured in the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" ABC television series
Item 1 - Mayor Marks presented, and a proclamation to Darian Hands and to Darius Hands, of Lincoln High School, recognizing each of them for receiving one of the Governor's Points of Light Awards for February 2009; he also presented them with a letter from the Governor
Ms. Alicia Joyner, representing the Governor's Points of Light Awards Program, also appeared before the Commission relative to this item.
Item 1.1 - Voted 5-0 to 1) approve a 30-day extension of the 60-day timeframe for the Charter Review Committee (CRC) to bring back a report of its findings [extending the timeframe to the City Commission meeting of April 29, 2009], and 2) approve a linkage of the CRC's website to the City of Tallahassee's homepage website (www.talgov.com) to assist the CRC in informing the citizenry of a Charter Review Public Forum scheduled for noon on Monday, March 9th to receive input from community organizations such as the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) and the Chamber of Commerce, and an open public forum on Monday, March 16th (at 5:30 p.m.), in the City Hall Commission Chambers, to hear from interested citizens
Charter Review Committee Chairman Buddy Streit appeared before the Commission relative to this item.
Items 2-7 - Voted 5-0 to approve the staff's recommendations presented in Consent Agenda Items 2-7, taking the following action:
Item 2 - Adopted Resolution No. 09-R-04, authorizing application to Florida Department of Transportation for the appropriate permits to close streets for special events in 2009 (Option 1 recommended by the City Attorney)
Item 3 - Approved the award of Hopkins Waste Water Treatment Pond #3 Refurbishment Project (IFB #0057-09-RM-BC) to Comanco Construction Corporation, low bidder meeting specifications, in the amount of $64,985; and authorized the City Manager to approve contract amendments up to an additional $20,000 if needed (Option 1 recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 4 - Authorized the City Manager to execute the Woodville Delivery Point and Transmission Services Agreement between Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc. and the City of Tallahassee with the concurrence of the City Attorney (Option 1 recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 5 - Authorized staff to enter into a three-year zero-percent interest loan with the Oracle Corporation in the amount of $458,400 (quarterly payments of $38,200) for license expansion for the PeopleSoft Financials, and approved the additional maintenance cost of $100,848 associated with the license expansion (Option 1 recommended by the Chief Information Systems Officer)
Item 6 - Approved the award of bid for the cleaning and painting of Elevated Water Tank No. 5 (IFB #0048-09-TJ-BC) to H20 Towers, LLC, of Saline, Michigan, low bidder meeting specifications, at a fixed cost of $129,900 (Option 1 recommended by Underground Utilities)
Item 7 - Approved the award of the Engineering Consultant contract for the design and initial implementation of the Underground Utilities Asset Management Program (AMP) for Wastewater Plants and Lift Stations to EMA, Inc., the selection committee's top-ranked applicant meeting specifications, in the not to exceed amount of $600,000; and if an agreement cannot be reached on a satisfactory contract with EMA, Inc., authorized the City Manager/designee to attempt contract negotiations with the second-ranked consulting firm (Option 1 recommended by Underground Utilities)
Item 8 - DELETED FROM THE AGENDA a request by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners to provide input on the issue of making a financial commitment to proposed regional lobbying services (an item brought forward by Mayor Marks)
Item 9 - Voted 5-0 to approve the disbursement of $49,971 from the proportionate share mitigation funds from the FSU Campus Development Agreement, Fund 300, for an analysis of the potential for designating transit lanes on Tennessee Street between Ocala Road and Monroe Street, and approve the award of a negotiated task assignment to accomplish the analysis with Genesis Group, one of the City's Continuing Engineering Services civil engineers, in the amount of $49,971 (Option 1 recommended by Public Works)
Item 10 - Received an update on negotiations with Leon County regarding the functional consolidation of Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS)/Advanced Life Support (ALS) services, and a report on preliminary information on the proposed rate structure provided by Government Services Group (GSG), the rate consultant to the City and County (brought forward by Department of Management and Administration [DMA])
Voted 5-0 to approve the following recommendations, consistent with comments made by the Commission to look review the scaling on setting the annual rate increase at 5% and finalize the agreement in March (brought forward by City Manager Thompson, Fire Chief Dick and Commissioner Gillum):
- Accept the proposed Interlocal Agreement with Leon county for the functionally consolidated provision of Fire-EMS/ALS services
- Approve the Memorandum of Agreement extending the current agreements with Leon county for fire services ad Advanced Life Support services for an additional three months with a new expiration date of September 30,2 009 and a payment from Leon County of $1,608,460
Commended everyone involved with negotiating the contract, which exemplified cooperation between the two governments
Item 10.1 - Voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution No. 09-R-03, amending the 2007-2010 Local Housing Assistance Plan (AHAP and adopt the implementation schedule for other approved AHAP recommendations (Option 1 recommended by ECD)
Item 10.2 - Voted 4-1 (Commissioner Lightsey opposed) to approve the prioritization list of City of Tallahassee capital projects for any project submittals related to federal stimulus funding (Option 1 recommended by DMA)
Mayor Marks also advised that he would provide the Commissioners with copies of a regional projects list for potential stimulus funds, as developed by a regional group, which had been well received by the Governor.
Additionally, the Commission voted 4-1 (Commissioner Lightsey opposed) to give Mayor Marks the flexibility of spending up to $20,000 to pursue a proposal to acquire professional lobbying services to enhance efforts of the Tallahassee Capital Region to secure federal regional stimulus funding.
Item 10.3 - Concurred with the tentative business recruitment package for attracting a medical device manufacturer to Tallahassee in partnership with the County, Innovation Park, and Sperry and Associates, as presented (brought forward by ECD)
Item 11 - Held a public hearing on a Notice of Proposed Change (NOPC) to the Airport Development of Regional Impact (DRI); and voted 5-0 to determine that the NOPC is not a "substantial deviation" to the Airport DRI and approve the City's Seventh Amendment to the Amended Development Order as presented (Option 1 recommended by Growth Management)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 12 - Held a public hearing on Ordinance No. 07-Z-43AA, introduced on August 29, 2007, and continued from June 25, August 20 and October 22, 2008, which would rezone a 508-acre parcel located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Fleischman Lane and Centerville Road, in the "Toe" of the Welaunee Plantation property, from CPA (Critical Planning Area) to Canopy Planned Unit Development (PUD) (PRZ #070015) (applicant: CNL Tallahassee I, LLC; agent: Moore Bass Consulting, Inc.); and by consensus, continued the public hearing to August 26, 2009, as requested by the applicant to resolve outstanding issues (Option 1 recommended by Planning)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 13 - Held the second and final public hearing on Ordinance No. 08-O-68AA, introduced on December 10, 2008; voted 5-0 to adopt the ordinance, establishing a mapped Primary Springs Protection Zone (PSPZ) and development standards in the Land Development Code, and initiating implementation of Comprehensive Plan Policy 4.2.5:[C] effective with Comprehensive Plan Amendment PCM 080117 (Option 1 recommended by Planning) (The first public hearing was held on January 28, 2009.)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 14 - Held a public hearing on Ordinance No. 09-Z-01, introduced on February 11, 2009, and voted 5-0 to adopt the ordinance, amending the existing Southeast Community Medical Campus Planned Unit Development (PUD) Concept Plan and reducing the area of the PUD from 31.98 acres to 30.99 acres (PRZ #080022), based on the findings and conditions of the Development Review Committee, the Planning Commission, and the information and evidence presented (Option 1 recommended by Planning)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 15 - Held a public hearing on Ordinance No. 09-Z-02, introduced on February 11, 2009, which would amend the existing Ox Bottom Meadows PUD, totaling 36.36 acres located on the northwest corner of Ox Bottom Road and Thomasville Road (PRZ #080023), based on the findings and conditions of the Development Review Committee, the Planning Commission, and the information and evidence presented; voted 5-0 to close the public hearing and defer action on this ordinance to the next regular Commission meeting scheduled for March 11, 2009, allowing additional time for staff to meet with the developer relative to some alternatives that might help resolve the citizens' concerns with plans for buffering, density, building orientation, parking and traffic (Option 1 recommended by Planning)
The following persons appeared before the Commission relative to this item:
- Mr. Greg Jones, 6775 Circle J. Drive (opponent)
- Mr. Charles Wright, 6468 Heartland Circle (opponent)
- Mr. Bruce Meintjies, 6807 Heartland Circle, President of the Moore Pony Homeowners Association (opponent)
- Mr. Ben Boynton, 2735 Miller Landing Road, the developer/owner (proponent)
- Mr. Jay Boynton, 2540 Ox Bottom Road, an owner (proponent)
- Mr. Jake Beard, 6755 Circle J Drive (opponent)
- Mr. Allen Dean, 2252 Gooseberry Court (opponent)
Item 16 - Held a public hearing and voted 0-5 denying a motion to adopt Resolution No. 09-R-05, which would have authorized the use of a uniform method of collecting non-ad valorem special assessments, as the City did not anticipate using this method of collection and the resolution did not need to be adopted (Option 1 recommended by the City Attorney)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 17 - Held the first of two public hearings on Ordinance No. 09-O-06, introduced on February 11, 2009, which would amend the Land Development Regulations amending appropriate sections of Chapter 10 to implement Comprehensive Plan Reform changes from Comprehensive Plan Amendments 2005-1-T-35, 2005-2-T-026 and 2006-2-T-09; and by consensus, set the second and final public hearing on the ordinance for March 25, 2009 (Option 1 recommended by Planning)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 18 - Held a public hearing and voted 5-0 to adopt Ordinance No. 09-O-08, introduced on February 11, 2009, adding duties related to Fertilizer Ordinance variances to the authorized duties of the Environmental Code/Variance Board (Option 1 recommended by Legal)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 19 - Held the first of two public hearings on Central Urban Rezoning Ordinance No. 09-Z-09, which would rezone the CU Central Urban Zoning District to the CU-12, CU-18, CU-26, CU-45 and OS Open Space Zoning Districts (PRZ #080027); by consensus, set the second and final public hearing on the ordinance for March 25, 2009 (Option 1 recommended by Planning)
There were no speakers on this item.
Unagendaed Speakers
The following persons appeared before the Commission and discussed their objections to the proposed site of a cell tower in their Thomasville Road neighborhood:
- Dr. Roger Kaufman and Ms. Jan Kaufman, 1123 Lasswade Drive
- Mr. Sandler Dickson, 729 Kenilworth Road
- Dr. Joseph Cain, 2807 Sterling Drive - presented a petition, with three (3) signatures, requesting a delay in zoning and construction approval of the cell tower by delayed and any approval of this and any other cell tower erection be fully vetted for all relevant citizen and homeowner consideration (placed on file in the Office of the City Treasurer-Clerk)
The Commission concurred in directing that the staff inform the Development Review Committee of the speakers' concern with the siting this cell tower, and suggesting that Planning staff evaluate the current criteria for locating cell towers to ascertain the need for additional criteria for future locations.
Mr. Stephen N. Martin, 2625 Stonegate Drive, appeared before the Commission and discussed his objections to the Ox Bottom Meadows PUD Amendment (Item 15) and his concern for the preservation of trees.
Mr. Brian Lupiani, 607 McDaniel Street, appeared before the Commission and encouraged the Commission to have the televise Charter Review Committee proceedings televised on WCOT.
Mayor Marks suggested that staff investigate at a minimum televising the CRC's public hearing.
City Commission Information and Sharing of Ideas
Mayor Marks requested that the following individual City Commissioners take the lead and serve as liaison for a period of time with the heads of designated educational institutions as follows, keeping his office informed:
- Commissioner Mustian - Florida State University
- Commissioner Gillum - Florida A & M University
- Commissioner Katz - Tallahassee Community College
- Commissioner Lightsey - Leon County School Board
Commissioner Lightsey advised that the $5,000 that the City had contributed to the Wakulla Springs Symposium had been very worthwhile as the event had been successful with high attendance and substantive scientific papers delivered. She opined that it would have some good results and she anticipated that there was good potential for acquiring some funding in the future.
Mayor Marks recognized a number of students who were attending this meeting for a class.
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