City Commission and CRA Board Workshop

CITY COMMISSION AND CRA BOARD WORKSHOP MINUTES Monday, March 02, 2026 at 5:00 PM Historic City Hall, Commission Chambers – 225 East Main Street, Suite 105 www.cityofwauchula.gov INVOCATION PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CALL TO ORDER Nadaskay called the workshop to order at 5:00 pm. ROLL CALL PRESENT Commissioner Anne Miller Mayor Pro Tem Russell Smith Mayor Keith Nadaskay Commissioner Sherri Albritton Commissioner Gary Smith STAFF PRESENT City Manager Olivia Minshew Deputy City Manager John Eason Assistant City Manager Sandee Braxton City Clerk Stephanie Camacho Director of Project Management and Procurement Ward Grimes Community Development Director Kyle Long City Attorney Kristie Hatcher-Bolin Chief of Police Ron Curtis CRA Director Jessica Newman OPEN COMMISSION WORKSHOP Nadaskay opened the Commission Workshop. 1. Downtown Market Study & Vision Presentation Tripp Muldrow - Arnett Muldrow & Associates Muldrow provided a presentation of the vision study that was conducted for Wauchula's downtown area. He provided data and statistical information, as well as suggestions to incorporate specific types of components that would increase traffic and economic growth in Downtown Wauchula. Newman explained there were a variety of projects already underway that came out of this study and additional projects that may be proposed in the future. 2. Inland Port Feasibility Study Update  Jamie Gwaltney - Kimley-Horn Gwaltney reviewed the results of the study, which suggested that an inland port would not be feasible in Wauchula. Vance Coley - via Zoom on behalf of the Hardee County IDA Coley thanked the City of Wauchula for working with the IDA on this study and answered questions from the Commission. 3. Community Patriotic Event - Jim Beckley Mr. Beckley shared information for the free community event celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The event will take place at the Hardee County Civic Center on Friday, June 26, 2026. 4. Bid Documents - Wauchula Municipal Airport Design/Build 10-Unit T-Hangars Eason presented the bid documents to construct a new 10-unit t-hangar building. 5. Lease Agreement with Hardee County - SW Water Tower Project Eason presented the agreement to lease a portion of land from the County in order to construct drinking water infrastructure in the southwest quadrant of Wauchula. 6. Resolution 2026-03 Heardbridge Rd Watermain Long presented the resolution to accept the grant agreement for funding in the amount of $510,000.00 for the construction of a new waterline along Heard Bridge Rd. 7. Comprehensive Plan Evaluation & Appraisal Report Overview Marisa Barmby - Central Florida Regional Planning Council Barmby presented the comprehensive plan evaluation, stating the State required agencies to update their plan every 7 years. Barmby explained the biggest update in the plan was updating the horizon year from 2030 to 2050. She also touched on the general housekeeping items that were being reviewed and amended as needed, which included updating requirements from Florida Statutes, updating references to the 10- year and 20-year planning period, updating timing related policies, and updating references to agencies with name changes. Barmby finished with an overview of the expected timeline, noting the Commission adoption hearing would be sometime in fall 2026. 8. Revokable License Agreement with Pamela Sellers & Kassie Knight Long presented the agreement, noting a few highlights - 90 days to bring the fence into compliance, 25-year term, insurance requirement Hatcher-Bolin noted some language throughout that may need to be amended in order to be more specific on certain terms of the agreement. 9. Annexation of 119 Ohio Long presented the proposed ordinance to annex the property into the City limits. 10. Ordinance 2026-04 Modifying Water and Sewer Capital Connection Fees Braxton presented the ordinance, noting the proposed connection rate changes which were based on the recommendation from the most recent rate study conducted. Braxton answered questions from the Commission. The Commission discussed their thoughts on the current and proposed connection fees. John Raymond - Barkdoll Land Development, Zolfo Springs Raymond addressed the Commission as the developer of two large housing projects in Wauchula, Bay Street subdivision and Gardens at Midtown. Raymond stated the projects had already been in the works for some time and, due to the moratorium that had been in place, they were not expecting this increase in fees. He suggested a tiered  approach to the rates being proposed for those who may already be in the process of a project. Jonathan Scott - 2014 Popash Rd Scott noted he works for Neil Communities, working with developers in different areas. Scott stated the impact of these fees would "squash" the entire subdivision project due to their very narrow profit margins. Some discussion was had regarding possible options. A potential approach was to implement the new rates as of October 1, 2026 but to allow developers to pay those fees in advance at the current rates in order to lock in their connection fees. ADD-ON: PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Caleb Burgin - Burgin Farmers Market Burgin addressed the Commission stating he recently received notice from the City of Wauchula's code enforcement department that his business sign was not compliant with City code regulations. Burgin stated he was leasing the property from the State, who would not allow him to place a permanent sign in their right-of-way, but did allow for a sign attached to a trailer, which was not allowed by City code. Burgin requested the City consider amending the code to allow signs on trailers. Long explained the code requirements regarding signage and noted that the City had recently required another business to move their sign that was placed on a box truck. Long provided a suggestion to amend the code to allow for trailered signage within the industrial zoning district with certain restrictions. The Commission discussed this at length. They were open to the amendment and directed staff to come back with drafted language at a future meeting. CITY ATTORNEY REPORTS No report. CITY MANAGER REPORT Report given. CITY COMMISSIONER REPORTS No report. CLOSE COMMISSION WORKSHOP Nadaskay closed the Commission Workshop. OPEN CRA WORKSHOP Nadaskay opened the CRA Workshop. 11. CRA RFQ 26-01 Professional Architectural Services - Historic City Hall Newman presented the bid documents to receive professional architectural services for phase V of auditorium renovations. 12. CRA RFP 26-01 Utility and Sidewalk Improvements - Bay St and 1st Ave Newman presented bid documents to receive proposals for the utility and sidewalk improvements at Bay St and 1st Ave. 13. Krause Services Contract Discussion Newman presented the current contract with Krause Services and requested to extend for an additional 6 months. Newman explained the City originally budgeted additional positions for Parks & Grounds to take over maintenance of the service area however, staff felt it would be a smoother transition to amend this contract for additional time. REMINDERS ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, Nadaskay adjourned the workshop at 8:05 pm.