Special City Council - February 19, 2022

City Council 

Special Meeting

February 19, 2022

 

The City of Titusville City Council met in special session on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at Titusville City Hall, second floor, Council Chamber, 555 South Washington Avenue, Titusville, Florida 32796. Mayor Diesel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Those present in the Council chamber included Mayor Daniel Diesel, Vice-Mayor Robert L. Jordan, Jr., and City Council Members Joe C. Robinson and Dr. Sarah Stoeckel. City Council Member Jo Lynn Nelson was absent. City Manager Scott Larese, Assistant City Manager Thomas Abbate, Assistant City Attorney Chelsea Farrell, Assistant City Clerk Jolynn Donhoff, and several City staff members were also present. Approximately 17 citizens were in attendance that sat amongst four of six group tables that were set up for the citizens and community. Assistant City Clerk Jolynn Donhoff completed the minutes of the meeting.  


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Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Community Conversation – Mayor Diesel reviewed the purpose of the special City Council meeting and community workshop. He summarized that Council’s role was to listen to the community in preparation of the FY 2023 budget. 

 

City Manager Larese advised that a copy of the City’s Talking Points Magazine, the City’s Annual Report, and a list of some of the City’s accomplishments was placed on each of the group tables. He also reviewed 20-30 questions and answers about the City to give the citizens (attendees) a sense of the current and upcoming budget environment and budgetary needs. In relation to the City’s current estimated population of 49,085 residents, City Manager Larese advised there were an estimated 22,000 Titusville citizens in the workforce and there were approximately 19,000 rooftops. He advised that prospective businesses (e.g., restaurants like Chick-fil-A) evaluated this type information when considering whether to open a business in Titusville.

 

Next, City Manager Larese gave a presentation that reviewed the following information:

 

  • Agenda for the special meeting and community conversation
  • The City’s Vision
  • The City’s Mission
  • The City’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Strategic Goals and Objectives
  • The City’s Strategic Planning Model for FY 2023
  • FY 2023 Budget Priorities

 

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Kristin Bakke from LEAD Brevard facilitated the remainder of the special City Council meeting. She advised that she was charged with objectively seeking the citizens’ input on strategic planning and how the City Council might allocate the City’s resources for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. To this, Facilitator Bakke reviewed the City’s FY 2022 Strategic Goals, as followed:

 

1. Quality of Life 

2. Effective and Efficient Services 

3. Financial Stability

4. Economic Development

5. Effective Governance

 

Facilitator Bakke advised that City Council was seeking the citizens’ input on three of five FY 2022 goals. The goals of Financial Stability and Effective Governance would not be reviewed at this meeting, due to these goals were persistently pursued by the City Council, the City Manager, and the City’s departments. The approximate 17 citizens that were in attendance had assembled into four groups of roughly similar size. Facilitator Bakke advised that at the end of the meeting, she would also ask the groups of citizens to share what they felt was the single most important need in the community. 

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Goal 2. Effective and Efficient Services.

 

Facilitator Bakke sought the citizens’ input on Goal 2. Effective and Efficient Services. She allocated a few minutes for the citizens to discuss the goal, keeping in mind these considerations: needs, opportunities, improvements, strengths, and exceptions. Following the group discussions, Facilitator Bakke received the following feedback from citizens on issues that were important to them. The citizens that spoke during the meeting and that represented their respective groups did so from their chairs and not all provided their names or identified themselves. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 1

  • Commit to funding Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) - funded vs. non funded projects.
  • Develop alternative and creative funding sources for non-funded projects, like foundation groups that may support or fund projects (e.g., Brevard Schools Foundation provided financial support to public school projects).
  • Collaborate with for profit and non-profit businesses to raise funding.
  • Collaborate with County and entice or provide incentives for small or large businesses that shopped and spent time in Titusville (make it part of an incentive package and commitment to be part of the community).
  • City and County service sharing. 
  • Encourage give-back from corporate or private businesses. 
  • Set up expectations for businesses coming to Titusville. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 2

  • Make a strong sustainability plan and stick to it; do not abandon plans and be sure to budget for them.
  • Coordinate and communicate well amongst City offices and other agencies like Brevard County Parks and Recreation, etc. (e.g., planned coordination in advance to avoid spraying pesticides on environmentally sensitive areas, etc.).
  • Respond to citizen requests in a timely manner.
  • Concern for lagging information.
  • Train City staff on best management techniques. Some citizens were upset by a number of trees that were recently removed or impacted at an old grocery store parking lot. If the City had any oversight or responsibilities for trees on the property owner’s property, train staff on these matters to improve outcomes. 
  • Listen to citizen advisory boards. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 3

  • Notify the public on important issues. 
  • Be quick to remove garbage on side of street.
  • Form partnerships to help the homeless.
  • Test the Indian River Lagoon for various pollutants, polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), etc.
  • Ask for semi-annual reports about the lagoon.
  • Allow citizens to comment under scheduled presentations on City Council agendas and allow citizens more time to speak at public meetings. 
  • Maintain ditches outside City limits.
  • Have a plan to respond to questions and complaints from the public. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 4

  • Have the Water Department improve communications with the public. 
  • Address sewage needs or concerns at the south end of the City. 
  • The City may be efficient, but it needed to be more effective.

 

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Goal 4. Economic Development.

 

Facilitator Bakke sought the citizens’ input on Goal 4. Economic Development. She allocated a few minutes for the citizens to discuss the goal, keeping in mind these considerations: needs, opportunities, improvements, strengths, and exceptions. Following the group discussions, Facilitator Bakke received the following feedback from citizens on issues that were important to them. The citizens that spoke during the meeting and that represented their respective groups did so from their chairs and not all provided their names or identified themselves. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 1

  • Address, measure, or take another look at the prior economic expectations and comprehensive plans on the trail systems built in Titusville in recent prior years. Help the community capitalize and leverage the benefits of having the trails. 
  • Have a definition of appropriate businesses and encourage or incentivize them in the community. 
  • Address blight and rundown buildings. Collaborate with the County to solve the problem of blight and liens against properties. Tear down blighted buildings and create new economic opportunities. 
  • Provide more parking in the downtown. 
  • Move the farmer’s market from the downtown to Sand Point Park. The reason – the farmer’s markets caused a shortage of parking for downtown business customers that were not coming to the farmer’s market. Implement a short term solution in the interim. 
  • Traffic on U.S. Highway 1 moved too fast through the downtown. This was a safety concern. 
  • Provide additional lighting on side streets near City’s corridors. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 2

  • Vitalize existing (commercial) spaces over developing new spaces.
  • Develop green spaces. 
  • Pursue addressing blight and improvements west of rail lines and incentivize.
  • Clean up and improve appearance. 
  • Attract more men’s clothing retailers.
  • Focus and market motto “gateway to nature…” to strengthen economic development (tree preservation, river, parks and restoration, caution to sewage spills, community involvement, beach access, etc.). 
  • Market the City’s parks.
  • Listen to citizens.
  • Beach access and space expansion – concerns for community’s use of beach.
  • Focus on and market Low Impact Development (LID) and implement LID when building. 
  • Minimize high rise buildings. 
  • Preserve trees in new developments. 
  • Promote green spaces in the City’s subdivisions and market this to others. 
  • Minimize big impervious spaces (parking lots). Too much asphalt. Have more tree islands. 
  • More canopy trees.

 

Group Table Feedback – 3

  • Change perception by some that mom & pop businesses were treated differently than large commercial businesses. Trace new business processes and see if they matched what is required of all applicants, etc. Improve communication in this area, too. 
  • Have a plan for diverse economic development. Per one citizen(s), there was a chamber of commerce for persons of color in the south part of the County. Improve communication with the community on the knowledge and availability of various services. 
  • More focus on revitalization.
  • Have a 5-year plan for infrastructure needs, repairs, and improvements. 
  • To create more parking, but not take on the financial costs, incentivize having a developer build a public/private parking garage on City owned property and allow the developer to earn the revenue or profits.   It was noted the cost to build a parking garage equated to roughly $20,000 per parking space. Not all persons in attendance agreed with this suggestion. 

 

City Manager Larese reviewed future plans to replace City Hall (aging infrastructure was costly) and plans on parking. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 4

  • Improve accessibility (the indication was beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act) for all persons at places like parks and park observation towers, trails, etc. 
  • Clarify and spell-out processes for the public, for items like business applications, contact information for various offices, procedural timelines, etc.
  • Save infrastructure when possible, but do so expeditiously. 
  • Encourage family businesses to locate to the downtown. 

 

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At 10:45 a.m., Facilitator Bakke called for a 5-minute break (recess). 

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Goal 1. Quality of Life.

 

Facilitator Bakke sought the citizens’ input on Goal 1. Quality of Life. She allocated a few minutes for the citizens to discuss the goal, keeping in mind these considerations: needs, opportunities, improvements, strengths, and exceptions. Following the group discussions, Facilitator Bakke received the following feedback from citizens on issues that were important to them. The citizens that spoke during the meeting and that represented their respective groups did so from their chairs and not all provided their names or identified themselves. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 1

  • Create a master plan for restoring the Indian River Lagoon and emphasize Titusville’s area of the lagoon. Identify goals and create a plan for actions to support the goals (e.g., include water quality testing, hold training on low impact development (LID), encourage citizen scientists and their participation, require regular reporting and provide this information on the City’s website, report and manage sewer spills, be transparent, restore seagrass and measure this progress, market & emphasize the view of river, etc.).
  • Continue and promote a positive image of the City.
  • Promote water sports and activities like jet skis, wind and kite surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, etc.
  • Explore the feasibility to finance or bond and build a City community center, in the downtown area on the water front. Rent the building out for revenue, promote a place where citizens can gather, etc. 
  • Promote a low rise (low building heights) community. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 2

  • Improve the Indian River Lagoon.
  • Create youth job shadowing opportunities.
  • Create low costs ways to engage youth and provide meeting spaces.
  • Leverage existing clubs (like Rotary Club, big employers, the Police Athletic League---now the Titusville Police Program, etc.) to assist with mentoring and engaging youth and providing them positive opportunities for their growth and betterment.
  • Collaborate with the County and Parks and Recreation to make more opportunities for youth. 
  • Make signage at the City’s entrances stand out and set Titusville apart from other towns. 

 

On mentoring youth, Police Chief John Lau commented on one particular or prior police involved program(s) that mentored or provided youth engagement. The Police Department found that police officers or police staff often found themselves having to transport children back home, because parents or guardians did not always pick their children up at the end of youth program activities. The Police Department desired seeing a cultural shift in communities and having communities mentor children. He advised that fathers and other role models were lacking in children’s lives. He also shared information on a scholarship(s) and other opportunities for youth betterment, support, and growth.  

 

City Manager Larese provided information on the City’s youth intern program. Approximately, twelve to fifteen high school aged students interned at the various City departments each summer. More advertising on this program was requested by a citizen. City Manager Larese also provided information on scholarships for professional training. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 3

  • Improve the Indian River Lagoon. It was the lifeblood of the community. Start testing for pollutants. 
  • On the lack of sea grass and harm to the lagoon, widen or open the river at the NASA causeway that presently blocked a majority of water that could flow up and down through the lagoon system. 
  • Protect or increase sandy beaches along the lagoon’s edge (Scobie Park) to prevent the loss of the horseshoe crab population. Be careful that development did not harm these habitats and beach areas. 
  • Facilitate Titusville becoming a top community for environmental educational at parks. 
  • On the City’s gateways project – use canopy trees and native vegetation. Get away from using date palm trees. 
  • Support and back every program involving youth—like the Fighting Edge (program). 
  • Clean baffle boxes or slow the flow of leaves that shed from oak trees every spring and fall. 
  • Implement a dedicated tree planting program. Trees reduced heat and enhanced the City’s appearance. 
  • Consider having a Citizens’ Academy like the City of Cocoa. 
  • Get kids involved in lagoon science, ecology, etc. 

 

Group Table Feedback – 4

  • Empower citizens to improve the quality of the lagoon, promoting the growth of sea grass, for manatees, etc. 
  • Take possible legal action against the State, if the State prohibited actions that the citizens wanted that could improve the concerns for the lagoon, etc. 
  • On the City’s gateways project – ensure that long term maintenance of the gateways was planned. 
  • If public tours of facilities were held, get youth interested in how the City runs. 

 

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Bonus question: What was the most important issue the City of Titusville should address in the next year? To this, Facilitator Bakke sought each citizens’ individual input on the question. The citizens’ responses were, as followed:

 

  • Reclaim and restore the Indian River Lagoon (requested by many).
  • Support projects to restore the lagoon.
  • Improve communication and getting back to citizens.
  • Ensure that commitments were honored.
  • Operate efficiently. 
  • Address blight. 
  • Strengthen equity and diversity throughout City. Create a citizen advisory board on these matters. 
  • Funding.
  • Address homelessness (The Salvation Army had reportedly closed and caused a gap on services that it previously provided to the community).
  • Have City Council and staff respond to citizens. 
  • Have a living plan(s) – for the lagoon’s improvement, a citizens’ academy, youth engagement, etc.
  • Low Impact Development (LID). 
  • Have and implement incentives and strategic plans for business development. 
  • Simplify the development process. One citizen and business owner of a marina indicated it took him three years to get a permit from a State agency or other government office for a sea wall.   
  • Clean up the Indian River Lagoon. Get rid of muck.  
  • Use local suppliers for goods and services (this was indicated to every citizen and the municipality), due to the current local, State, or national supply chain was threatened by current events. 

 

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City Manager Larese reviewed the next steps in the City’s annual strategic planning cycle and preparing for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget process. The next special City Council meeting in the cycle was scheduled for March 15, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.  The City’s department heads or the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) would attend this meeting. 

 

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Public Comment – 

 

Liz Mikitarian felt the citizens at this meeting provided solutions in the various conversations.

 

Stan Johnston felt that more parking could be provided using the right-of-way on the east side of City Hall.  

 

Herman Cole thanked the City Council for hosting the meeting. He felt there was a great cross pollination of ideas to improve the City. He also requested forming a manatee advisory group. 

 

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Council thanked the citizens for their participation and valuable input. Member Stoeckel looked forward to receiving the citizens’ input and a summary report of the meeting. She heard the citizens’ concerns on the importance of restoring the Indian River Lagoon. Member Stoeckel also reviewed information provided on the City’s website on these matters. Education was key. 

 

Vice-Mayor Jordan commented on the importance of receiving input from the citizens and the Council did not take this for granted. He wished more citizens attended these meetings and provided input. He commented on how different the lagoon was now compared to when he and his family first began to enjoy it in 1979 and not knowing why sea grass was not returning yet. About trees, he loved them and the challenge in some of these matters included that tree growth took time, property owners having rights---an issue that affected blighted buildings, too, etc. 

 

Mayor Diesel advised that the Council’s biggest challenge was to balance economic and environment goals. With growth, there was the threat of infringement. Compromise was important in these matters to all communities. 

 

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With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at noon (12:00 p.m.).