City Council

City of Marco Island Florida 51 Bald Eagle Drive Marco Island, Florida cityofmarcoisland.com Meeting Minutes - Final Monday, August 25, 2025 2:00 PM Special-Called Meeting Community Meeting Room City Council Chair: Erik Brechnitz Vice-Chair: Stephen Gray City Council: Rene Champagne, Tamara Goehler, Deb Henry, Darrin Palumbo, Bonita Schwan City Manager: Mike McNees Assistant City Manager: Casey Lucius City Attorney: Alan L. Gabriel City Clerk: Joan Taylor City Council Meeting Minutes - Final August 25, 2025 1. Call to Order City Clerk Joan Taylor called the Special Meeting to order at 2:01 P.M. 2. Roll Call Present: 6- Councilor Champagne, Councilor Goehler, Vice-Chair Gray, Councilor Henry, Councilor Palumbo and Councilor Schwan Not Present: 1- Chair Brechnitz (Note: Vice-Chair Gray and Councilor Palumbo were confirmed as remotely available via Zoom teleconference connection at Roll Call. Chair Brechnitz was also expected to be connected remotely but did not confirm his presence at Roll Call; his remote participation was later confirmed at 2:20 P.M.) Also Present Casey Lucius, Assistant City Manager Joan Taylor, City Clerk Robert Myers, City Attorney Tracy Frazzano, Police Chief David Ennis, Police Captain Joe Belardo, Police Lieutenant Chris Byrne, Fire Chief Mat Marshall, Deputy Fire Chief Sharon Dangles, Acting Finance Director Daniel J. Smith, Community Affairs Director Justin Martin, Public Works Director Jose Duran, Information Technology Director Jeff Poteet, Water & Sewer General Manager Melissa Hinton, Budget Manager Martin Luna, Video/Broadcast Technician Citizens and Visitors Motion to Allow for Remote Participation by Chair Brechnitz, Vice-Chair Gray, Councilor Palumbo, and City Manager McNees MOTION by Councilor Champagne, seconded by Councilor Schwan, to allow Chair Brechnitz, Vice-Chair Gray, Councilor Palumbo, and City Manager McNees to participate in all matters coming before the Council at this meeting, and for Chair Brechnitz, Vice-Chair Gray, and Councilor Palumbo to vote on all matters coming before the Council. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING COUNCIL VOTE: Yes: 4- Councilor Champagne, Councilor Goehler, Councilor Henry and Councilor Schwan 3. Pledge of Allegiance Led by Council members Champagne, Goehler, Henry, and Schwan. Instructions From City Attorney Robert Meyers City Attorney Robert Meyers advised the Council that, in the absence of the Chair and Vice-Chair to physically preside over the meeting, a Councilor who is present may be nominated, seconded, and if confirmed by a majority vote of the Council, confirmed to preside over the business of the meeting. City of Marco Island Florida Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final August 25, 2025 Election of Special Meeting Presider MOTION by Councilor Palumbo, seconded by Councilor Henry, that Councilor Schwan be Appointed as Presider of the City Council Special-Called Meeting. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING COUNCIL VOTE: Yes: 6- Councilor Champagne, Councilor Goehler, Vice-Chair Gray, Councilor Henry, Councilor Palumbo and Councilor Schwan Not Present: 1- Chair Brechnitz (THE MEETING WENT INTO RECESS AT 2:06 PM TO ALLOW FOR RE-SETTING OF THE ELECTRONIC MEETING EQUIPMENT TO FACILITATE COUNCILOR SCHWAN'S ABILITY TO PRESIDE OVER THIS SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING. IT IS NOTED FOR THE RECORD THAT SIX COUNCILORS (EXCEPTION: COUNCIL CHAIR BRECHNITZ) WERE CONFIRMED AS PRESENT WHEN THE MEETING RECONVENED AT 2:11 P.M.) 4. Business ID 25-4657 FY26 Budget Options - Casey Lucius, Ph.D., Assistant City Manager Attachments: August 25th FY26 Budget Memo to Council Assistant City Manager Casey Lucius briefly recalled the direction by the Council at its August 18, 2025 Special-Called Meeting, requesting that the City Staff reconfigure its 2026 Fiscal Year budget recommendation in tiered options (and detailing the line item reductions) that could result in a 1.240 millage neutral property tax millage rate. Ms. Lucius outlined the detailed reductions as noted in her August 25, 2025 FY26 Budget Options memo to the City Council to achieve a total proposed budget reduction of $4,873,719.00, and she highlighted two categories of additional budget reduction options affecting: 1) proposed safety and risk mitigation initiatives for Fiscal Year 2026, and; 2) potential personnel reductions, that would address the remaining $607,399.00 budget reduction shortfall necessitated by strictly adhering to a 1.240 millage neutral property tax millage rate. Assistant City Manager Lucius recommended that the Council consider and approve one of four alternative courses of action: 1) Support a 1.29 mils property tax millage rate for FY 2026 to fund the identified safety and risk mitigation category of initiatives; 2) Maintain the 1.24 millage neutral property tax rate with reconsideration and adoption of a 3% LCEC Franchise Fee to fund approximately $1.5 million in Capital Improvements identified during the Council's previous 2026 Fiscal Year Budget Workshops; 3) Maintain the 1.24 millage neutral property tax rate, and further cut the proposed safety and risk mitigation initiatives proposed by the City Staff, or; 4) Maintain the 1.24 millage neutral property tax rate and offset additional Council-desired expenditure City of Marco Island Florida Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final August 25, 2025 priorities through reductions in the number of General Fund employees on the City's payroll. All members of the Council offered their inputs and shared their perspectives on the alternatives presented. Attorney Robert Meyers clarified a specific question regarding whether the current budget situation and the need to set a property tax millage rate rose to the level of being deemed an "emergency" as outlined in the City's Charter. Public Comment: The following members of the community came forward to offer their thoughts for the Council's consideration: 1) Ms. Barbara Edwards (S. Barfield Dr.) 2) Ms. Victoria Myers (Bluebonnet Ct.) 3) Ms. Lee Willer Spector (Rainbow Ct.) 4) Mr. Chris Scherzinger (Cape Marco Dr.) 5) Ms. Linda Scherzinger (Cape Marco Dr.) 6) Mr. George Vilk (Magnolia Ct.) 7) Mr. John Martini (Nassau Ct.) 8) Mr. Brad Henson (Marco Island Resident) 9) Ms. Teri Sommerfeld (San Marco Rd.) 10) Mr. David Boggs (Delbrook Way) MOTION by Councilor Palumbo, seconded by Chair Brechnitz, that authorization of the City Manager to craft a 2026 Fiscal Year City Budget Resolution under a 1.24 mils property tax millage rate without an addtional LCEC Franchise Fee, be Approved. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING COUNCIL VOTE: Yes: 4- Councilor Goehler, Vice-Chair Gray, Councilor Palumbo and Chair Brechnitz No: 3- Councilor Champagne, Councilor Henry and Councilor Schwan Mr. John Martini (Nassau Ct.) proposed that the Council consider conducting future City budget meetings later in the day to allow for employed, working residents to participate in the City's annual budget development workshops and meetings. Assistant City Manager Casey Lucius advised the Council that the City Staff will prepare the 2026 Fiscal Year Budget Resolution in accord with the Council's direction for the First Reading of the Resolution at its September 8, 2025 meeting, and, if any surpluses or shortfalls are identified after re-calculating the City Spending Cap amount, propose specific initiatives to potentially add or cut to the Council for its direction. 5. Public Comment None. 6. Adjournment There being no further business before the Council, Special-Called Meeting Presider Bonita Schwan adjourned the meeting at 3:59 P.M. __________________________________________ Bonita Schwan, Special-Called Meeting Presider City of Marco Island Florida Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final August 25, 2025 ___________________________ Erik Brechnitz, Council Chair ATTEST: ____________________________________ Joan Taylor, City Clerk PREPARED BY: ___________________________ Jim Kornas, Recording Specialist City of Marco Island Florida Page 4