All City Council meetings may be viewed at www.youtube.com/cityofdestin.
August 1st Council Meeting Recap
Public Comment:
Mayor Gary Jarvis asked staff to report locations of sunken vessels to FWC so they can follow protocols for removal of the vessels. Councilmember Dewey Destin recommends the city takes the initiative of marking the location, such as placement of a buoy, in the interim instead of waiting for FWC to act which could take a while as they will need to follow rules and regulations before taking any action. Deputy City Manager Webb Warren reported that staff has been working with Okaloosa County regarding this issue, and that the county is going through the process. The city will take the necessary measures to remedy the situation on an interim basis.
Councilmember Hebert requests the city takes the necessary action to remove the nearly sunken and abandoned vessels as reported by a previous speaker from the Holiday Isle Improvements Association. She will send the information to staff so they can report it to the county or FWC.
Councilmember Dewey Destin recommends contacting Mr. Alex Fogg of Okaloosa who has been spearheading the removal of derelict vessels with the State of Florida.
City Manager Report:
Establishing the FY2023 Tentative Millage Rate and Budget Public Hearing Dates - Motion passed 6-0, to set the tentative millage rate for ad valorem taxes at 1.6150 mills which is 12.22% more than the rollback rate of 1.4391 mills and confirm the date and times of the public hearings for the FY 2023 Budget on September 8, 2022 at 5:30 PM and September 19, 2022 at 6:00 PM.
Capital Project Management provider recommendation - Motion passed 4-2 (with Council members Bagby and Braden dissenting), to direct the City Manager and City Attorney to negotiate with Matrix Design Group, Inc. for Capital Project Management services and report back to the council with a contract to consider.
Councilmember Bagby requests staff obtain the following information during their negotiation with Matrix and report it back to council:
• Names of the project managers
• Names of the construction managers
• Managers’ background and certification
Councilmember Bagby also wants to know how staff intends to deconflict this contract with their existing continuing services contracts with other firms.
Medical & Ancillary Benefit Renewals - Motion passed 6-0, to authorize the City Manager to renew existing ancillary benefits with Guardian and to accept Florida Blue’s proposal of PPQ Plan 03769, with its companion Health Savings Account Plan to be effective September 1, 2022.
Cross Town Connector / Stormwater Update - Motion passed 4-2 (with Council members Schmidt and Braden dissenting), to direct the City Manager to enter into the addendum to the agreement with Atkins Consultants and execute the redesign of the Destin Cross Town Connector retention system, in order to underground retention pond #2, in the amount of $45,491.58, to provide council the option to turn that area into a park/green space, as previously designated.
Flood Insurance Update / Risk Rating 2.0 - Public Works Director Michael Burgess provided the Flood Insurance Update to the council.
Baseball Conversion Costs @ DES - The Deputy City Manager provided council the information on the costs to renovate the Destin Elementary School baseball field to meet high school standards. Staff will bring back the cost analysis for renovating the Morgan Sports Center baseball field on August 15th council meeting.
Announcements:
1. Okaloosa County Schools start back on Wednesday, August 10th.
2. The Library will be closed on Friday, August 19th, for staff to attend the annual OCPLC staff training day and will open as usual on Saturday, August 20.
3. Many thanks to the staff for hosting Big Truck Day on Friday, July 29th.
4. The Destin City Council will host a Budget Workshop on Thursday, August 11th at 5:30 PM.
5. For the month of August, randomly selected Destin households will receive information to participate in Destin’s 2022 Community Survey. There will be a Motion to direct the City Manager to enter into the addendum to the follow on survey for all residents to participate at a later date. Staff is working with POLCO which is overseeing the survey and the letters that are going out to the households will be signed by Mayor Jarvis.
6. Early voting for the primary elections is scheduled for August 13 – 20, from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Destin Community Center.
Councilmember Bagby - Place City Manager Evaluation under his name on the August 15th council meeting agenda. Staff to contact FWC and get all the pertinent and related decisions on the derelict vessels and provide information to council.
Councilmember Schmidt - Morgan Sports Center Baseball Field - Will wait for the cost analysis for renovating the Morgan Sports Center baseball field staff will bring back on August 15th council meeting. Helicopter Usage and Safety - Motion to direct the City Land Use Attorney to coordinate with county staff to determine and provide to the council the current permitted uses and future allowable uses of the property currently being utilized by the tour helicopters. Requests the following categories be added to the Code Enforcement Report: Reactive and Proactive Responses.
Mayor Jarvis - Requests staff includes the following information to the Morgan Sports Center renovation cost analysis report they plan to bring back on August 15th: * Pros and Cons (positive and negative impact). Councilmember Bagby would also like to see a list of other things the city is already doing for the Destin High school, i.e., the use of the soccer field and softball field.
City Attorney - Motion passed 6-0, to schedule a Council Executive Session concerning litigation involving the Destin Fishing Fleet, Inc., v. City of Destin, Okaloosa County Court Case No. 2019-CA-000425F, on August 15, 2022, at 5:30 PM.