City Commission Workshop

APPROVED 8/17/2023 MINUTES City Commission Workshop 5:00 PM -Tuesday, August 08, 2023 - City Hall CALL TO ORDER: 5:00 P.M. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF QUORUM AND PROPER NOTICE PRESENT: Commissioner Gary Ashcraft, Commissioner Nan Cobb, Commissioner Willie Hawkins, Vice Mayor Emily Lee and Mayor Michael Holland 1. WORKSHOP ITEM WITH DISCUSSION, PUBLIC INPUT AND DIRECTION 1.1 Review of Development Services Department Tom Carrino, City Manager, announced that staff is currently reviewing the position descriptions for Development Services. He stated that he is still recommending the additional staff person due to the department's workload. He cited the amount of turnover within the department and commented on the amount of interdepartmental work. He stated that one of the issues cited in the one-on-one meetings was the accuracy and proofreading of the staff reports. Mr. Carrino then commented on the use of the Edmunds software and cited the possibility of utilizing new software for project management. He noted the number of departments that could make use of the software and how it could facilitate interdepartmental communication on projects. Mr. Carrino reviewed recommended department actions as follows: 1) Weekly meetings to discuss project scheduling, advertising, noticing, signage, etc. He stated that staff will resume doing the mailing of the 500-ft. notices. He explained how the signage has been handled and recommended that the developers continue to be required to handle the signage. 2) Review of existing Comprehensive Plan and LDR's for consistency and recommended changes. 3) City Attorney's office has offered to review best practices of other cities they have as clients. 4) Internal process improvement analysis. Mr. Carrino explained that the City's inhouse grantwriter performed process improvement analysis in a previous position and could be called upon to do that for the City. Commissioner Hawkins thanked Bill Howe and Tom Carrino for meeting with them individually. He expressed support for allowing the City Manager to take care of the situation. Commissioner Ashcraft expressed support for determining what needs to be done and developing an action plan to address those needs. Commissioner Cobb commented on the signage and requested that staff be responsible for installation of the required signage. She indicated they could take a picture when that was done and that the developer would be charged for that. She also asked for the City to hire a full-time building inspector. Vice Mayor Lee agreed with the need to hire an inspector and for that to be done within a few months. Eustis City Commission Page 1 of 6 August 08, 2023  Discussion was held regarding whether or not to set a short timeframe with Mr. Carrino confirming that staff will move forward and complete the necessary actions in a timely manner. Vice Mayor Lee commented on the need for better onboarding training . Discussion was held regarding the workload and the reduced staff and the need to develop best practices. Vice Mayor Lee expressed her desire for the Commission to have input during evaluations. Commissioner Hawkins disagreed and stated that is the City Manager's job and it is the Commission's job to hold him accountable. Vice Mayor Lee responded they could provide feedback when they see something that needs to be addressed with Commissioner Ashcraft agreeing. Mr. Carrino stated it is his responsibility to conduct performance evaluations on all of the department heads and he would engage the Commission regarding those. Mayor Holland thanked Mike Lane, Jeff Richardson, Bill Howe and Tom Carrino for listening to the Commission. He stated that the City Charter sets out the City Manager's responsibilities as well as the Commission's. He commented on the duties included under the new position. He expressed support for updating some of the City's tools as being antiquated. Vice Mayor Lee requested a copy of the slide presentation . Mike Lane, Development Services Director, commented on his original intent to provide some innovation to the department. He cited the challenges in dealing with those that are pro-growth versus those that are anti-growth . He expressed concern regarding the Commission's lack of trust in the department. He stated his door is always open if they have any questions or concerns. Vice Mayor Lee commented that the Commissioners need to go through the City Manager and not bombard staff. Commissioner Hawkins stated that he thinks the Development Services staff does a good job. He commented on how the department heads have to consider the concerns of five different Commissioners as well as the City Manager. Mayor Holland encouraged Mr. Lane and stated they will work through the issues together. He cited the importance of the department as the City moves forward . 1.2 Discussion regarding use of Clifford Taylor house Mr. Carrino commented on the issues with the transition of the Chamber of Commerce to the Clifford Taylor house. He stated that the question is what level of historic programming the Commission wants at the Clifford Taylor house. He asked if the Commission wants to clear out the house and just operate it as a rental venue ordo they want to continue operating it as an historical museum and offer tours. He clarified if they want to operate it as a rental venue, then it may need to be overseen by Parks and Recreation. However, if they want to continue to operate it as an historical museum , then maybe it needs to be operated under Events and Tourism. Eustis City Commission Page 2 of 6 August 08, 2023  Mr. Carrino commented on the contents of the building and how historic some of the items are. He then questioned whether or not the City is actually taking over the Eustis Historic Society and how some of the accounts are tied to the 501 (c)(3). He noted that, if they retain the 501 (c)(3), it opens up some fundraising possibilities. Mr. Carrino then stated his understanding that the Chamber is not interested in conducting historical tours or providing historic programming. He added they will need to discuss how the Chamber would fit in with the building. He noted the attendance by members of the Historical Society and the Chamber. Mayor Holland stated that his belief was that the Chamber and Historical Society would cohabit the building. He acknowledged that the Historic Society Board has since indicated they want to step away. He stated his vision that they would work together. He then questioned whether or not the location would be a good permanent location for the Chamber. He cited the possibility of the Chamber providing a "welcome center" for the City and Events and Tourism providing oversight of the facility. Commissioner Ashcraft stated it is up to the Chamber if they want it to be temporary or permanent with Commissioner Hawkins agreeing. He questioned how the two entities would co-exist. Mr. Carrino stated that, if the City wants to continue to have a robust historic program there with historic artifacts, then it would be difficult for it to be a permanent home for the Chamber. He indicated that the question is whether or not the Commission wants to continue to have robust historic programming. He stated it would be difficult for the Chamber to utilize the building permanently if that is the case. Commissioner Hawkins stated that to continue historic programming would require that the City have staff on site. He suggested that Parks and Recreation take over the facility. Vice Mayor Lee expressed concern about the Chamber co-existing in the building and cited the issues with it being a temporary location and them having to relocate again. She questioned whether or not there could be another location for them. Commissioner Ashcraft commented on the issues with the Chamber's existing location and whether or not it would be replaced. Mr. Carrino stated that, if the current location is salvageable, then the City needs to have an evaluation of the building. Otherwise, the building needs to be demolished. He explained his understanding that, when the Commission declined to have it evaluated, it would be demolished. He stated that if there is any desire of the Commission to salvage the building, then they need to spend the money to have it evaluated. Discussion was held regarding the history of the Chamber building and the other Chamber locations and then how the Chamber could co-exist in the Clifford Taylor house. Commissioner Cobb acknowledged the Chamber couldn't do historic tours but the City could develop a mobile app to allow self-guided tours. She commented on the contents and what could be done with them. She stated the initial goal was to get the Chamber into a building that is safe. She further commented on the contents of the house and how the City needs to be prepared for when the Chamber moves. She stated the basic question is whether or not the Chamber wants to be there permanently. Eustis City Commission Page 3 of 6 August 08, 2023  Further discussion was held regarding the physical state of the Clifford Taylor house and the need to reduce the volume within the house. Gary Marshall, Eustis Historical Museum Director, requested an extension for them to relinquish custody of the museum to the City to September 18th. He commented that Mr. Clifford built the house so it should be referred to as the Clifford house, not the Clifford Taylor house. He stated his belief that it would be very unfair to expect the Chamber to move in and be expected to operate the museum. He reported that the Historic Board has voted to completely dissolve the 501 (c)(3) effective September 18th. Mr. Marshall expressed concern regarding the possible use of a mobile app and the amount of people that have stolen small items from the museum. He stated that the original charter from 1983 states that the house must remain as a museum. He indicated that 85% of the contents belong to either the City of Eustis or Lake County. He commented on his efforts to clean out some of the items that did not belong to the City or County. He added that there is very little that pertains to the State. Karen Marshall, Board President, commented on the insurance held by the museum and that all of the artifacts are insured for $200,000. She added that the financial assets of the society will be donated to the City. Mr. Marshall stated that because they are registered with the state as a house museum they are supposed to provide any monetary assets to the state; however, the board voted to give it to the City. He indicated the current amount is $11,000. He confirmed that the Board wants to dissolve the 501 (c)(3) with Commissioner Cobb stating it could be transferred by just changing the officer names. He asked that the name be changed to the Clifford house, not the Clifford Taylor. Jerry Cobb, Chamber of Commerce President, stated they would like to determine before the end of the year where they will go. He indicated they need two offices and a bathroom. He stated they only want to move once due to the need to install cameras and phones. He added that the current building is unsafe. He said some of the contents of the house need to be relocated before they can move in due to the items they need to store. He commented on the history of the Chamber location. He acknowledged the problem with theft and the lack of the bathroom upstairs. He stated he would like to have the situation resolved before the end of the year. He cited the benefits to locating at the Clifford house. Commissioner Cobb asked if the Chamber wants to be at the museum or do they want to buy their own building. Mr. Cobb indicated they are not in the position to buy a building. Rick Gierok, Public Works Director, indicated that the current Chamber building is continuing to settle. He stated that the flooring system is not addressing the current issue. He stated it was previously estimated to cost $180,000 to do the floor. To rehab the building, the price would exceed the cost to demolish and rebuild. He stated it would probably have to be built on pylons and it would be expensive. He expressed his opinion to not put additional money into the building. He stated they have had to redo the floors about every four years. He indicated the City had an engineering inspection done previously that cost about $8 or $9,000. Commissioner Hawkins stated ·that if the Chamber uses the two offices, there would still need to be space for a City staff member. Eustis City Commission Page 4 of 6 August 08, 2023  Mr. Carrino confirmed there is one functional bathroom on the ground floor. Discussion was held regarding whether or not there is another location that the Chamber could be located at including the Lake Community Action Agency (LCAA) building which the City also owns. Karen Marshall stated that the only really historic item on the ground floor is the desk which could be moved to the upstairs. She stated everything else downstairs is not historic. She cited the possibility of renting a storage unit for some of the items. She indicated that if the Chamber wants to be there permanently, that could be done. Erica Shay, incoming Chamber president, asked about available storage space. She also expressed concern about protecting their materials when the museum is open or during tours. Mr. Carrino responded that the City would have to clear out more than just the two offices to provide some onsite storage. Ms. Shay asked about parking for the trailer with Mr. Carrino responding that they could probably designate a parking space for it. Mayor Holland expressed support for investigating the possibility of utilizing the LCAA building for the Chamber particularly with the storage issues. Mr. Carrino noted the probability of LCAA asking for a reduction in their rent in the event they share space with the Chamber. Mayor Holland commented on the need to find a location for the Chamber as soon as possible due to the unsafe conditions at the current location. He noted the discussion about needing to replace the Community Building which might provide space for the Chamber in the future. Mr. Carrino indicated he could discuss space needs with the Chamber and then discuss that with LCAA. Tammy Roundtree, Executive Director, expressed concern regarding using the Clifford house and not being able to make certain changes due to it being an historic building. She commented on how the Chamber obtains revenue from renting out their conference room and how it is used as a benefit to the Chamber members. She noted how the Chamber could utilize the house's yard for events. She emphasized the need to have a place to move to so they can begin preparations. CONSENSUS: It was a consensus of the Commission to have Commissioner Hawkins and Tom Carrino meet with LCAA to discuss the possibility of having LCAA and the Chamber co-locate. Mr. Carrino asked the Chamber to consider their space needs. The Commission agreed that they would prefer to have the 501 (c)(3) stay intact and just replace the board members. Stefanie Carder expressed concern about the state of the Clifford house and cited the cost of operating the air conditioning . She cited the amount of materials the Chamber displays. She thanked the Commission for their assistance in helping the Chamber find a new location. Mayor Holland commented on the benefits to the City provided by the Chamber. Eustis City Commission Page 5 of 6 August 08, 2023  Commissioner Hawkins and Mr. Carrino agreed they would attempt to meet with LCAA the next day. 2. ADJOURNMENT: 6:26 P.M. *These minutes reflect the actions taken and portions of the discussion during the meeting. To review the entire discussion concerning any agenda item, go to www.eustis.org and click on the video for the meeting in question. A DVD of the entire meeting or CD of the entire audio recording of the meeting can be obtained from the office of the City Clerk for a fee . ~,..\)i \ CHRISTINE HALLORAN MICHAEL L. HOLLAND City Clerk Mayor/Commissioner Eustis City Commission Page 6 of 6 August OB, 2023