20 August 2019

Meeting Specifics: The Cedar Key City Commission met on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, at 6 pm, at Cedar Key City Hal.    Present were Heath Davis, Sue Colson, Royce Nelson, and Susan Rosenthal. Jim Wortham was not in attendance.

Staff in attendance included: City of Cedar Key Attorney Norm Fugate, Police Chief Virgil Sandlin, Fire Chief and Emergency Operations Director Robert Robinson, Public Works Director James Custer, City Clerk Nicole Gill, Assistant City Clerk Crystal Sharp, Staffers Telicia Winfield and Jennifer Sylvester, and Legal Assistant to Mr. Fugate Leslie Landress.  

Among those in the audience were: Libby Cagle, Mary and Phil Prescott, Rose Cantwell, Leslie Sturmer, Susie Horner, Christi Sheldone, Dell Weible, David Weible, Ricky Cooke, Tom Liebert, Buddy Scruggs, Lynn and James Martindale, Jeri and Bob Treat, and Mandy and Frank Offerle.

PUBLIC COMMENT

STRAIGHT TALKS:

Vice-Mayor Sue Colson announced the September 3 workshop entitled Rapid Response Mental Health. The program is the third in the Straight Talks series, presentations designed to make Cedar Key a safer and healthier place to live and grow.   In this September program, Meridian Health will explain how it intends to serve the county with 24-hour response to calls regarding mental health issues.

The earlier two Straight Talks topics centered on caring for those with memory loss and dementia and the dangers of vaping and its alarmingly increasing use in young adults.

All programs are scheduled for 4 pm at the upstairs meeting room in Cedar Key Library; all are scheduled to be forty minutes in length. Iced tea and snacks are constants.

The series is designed to be a quick, information-laden, easy-to-attend ever increasing knowledge base for area residents who are living in an increasingly complex world.   The City of Cedar Key and its Police Department produce these talks.

KAYAK CEDAR KEYS

Having created Kayak Cedar Keys and after sixteen years of helping adventurers enjoy the Gulf waters, Tom Liebert will retire.   Liebert, now 76, said, “Those kayaks are getting heavier.”   Vice-Mayor Colson thanked Liebert for his years of assisting city efforts.

Liebert offered kayaks for the city’s participation in the International Coastal Clean Up effort for many years. Daily, he cares for the beach. Annually he performs as Santa Clam, delighting area kids who tell him of their Christmas wishes. The audience applauded Liebert.

Liebert requested that the commissioners transfer his outside Marina dock to the two purchasing his lease. Unanimous approval was granted when the paperwork is complete.  

ATT SERVICE

Resident Wynn Martindale suggested the city write a letter requesting AT&T to update its services here in Cedar Key.   Martindale has met with AT&T service persons who say that without updated wiring, they simply patch things. Martindale offered a letter template to assist the city’s efforts.

Mayor Davis asked that Emergency Management Director Robert Robinson to speak with the Martindales to see what might be done.

NEW BUSINESS

ART IN PUBLIC PLACES

Art in public has been discussed at city commission meetings in the past. Mayor Davis asked Attorney Fugate to investigate what such a city ordinance might email.  Attorney Fugate offered an ordinance from St. Lucie warning that it was most probably far more extensive than what Cedar Key needs.     Indeed, the document is some 12 pages long.

After some discussion, commissioners decided to forward the document to the Cedar Key Arts Center for input.

MARINA MANAGEMENT

After years of discussions about how to make the Marina a more functional enterprise, commissioners unanimously voted to ask the Cedar Key Aquaculture Association to suggest possibilities.

Davis offered the prospect of having the CKAA operate out of the north side of the inner Marina as a possible means to help maintain deeper water. He suggested that visitors, as well as residents, might be attracted to the area as it would showcase the watermen industry in a tourist area and personify the Cedar Key “working waterfront.” CKAA’s Rosie Cantwell thanked the commission for its consideration and stated her plan to present the idea to her board in hopes of getting a dialog started between groups for the purpose keeping the water moving in the marina.

Such a collaboration between the city and the CKAA has worked well at Anchor Hole for years. Cantwell will return to the commission soon.

FLOATING DOCK

Commissioners directed Public Works Director James Custer to research the relocation of the floating dock in the inner Marina to the south side of the Marina and relocate the handicap ramp to the north side.

DEBRIS REMOVAL

The city has received two responses to its request for proposals for disaster debris removal and disposal services: Wood Resource Recovery and Grubbs. The bids totaled $1,889,450 and $2,301,962.50 respectively. When everything was considered, the bids for comparable services were close enough to consider both companies. Commissioners voted to approve contracts with both companies and when the services are needed either company may be chosen.

FLOATING DOCK AND CEMETERY SONAR

No bids were received for the parts of the city’s floating dock and the request for a sonar survey of the city cemetery. Ultimately, commissioners decided to give the floating docks to the Chamber of Commerce for fireworks positioning and continue the search for the sonar survey.

The current policy for the cemetery is one casket or urn per plot. Police Chief Virgil Sandlin requested approval to allow one casket and one urn per four by eight plot at the Cedar key Cemetery explaining that some couples prefer different internments and would like to be buried together. The motion was made and passed unanimously.

ORDINANCE 534 LIVING SORELINES

Commissioners unanimously approved the first reading of Ordinance 534 which establishes the Cedar Key Living Shoreline Management Plan as a guideline reference tool for residents. The ordinance modifies the language of the City Code and the Comprehensive Plan making it more grant friendly and further uses this Master Plan as the basis for seeking a regional permit from the Department of Environmental Protection to work with residents to implement living shorelines, provide education and outreach, and provide property owners implementing living shorelines the ability to reduce the coastal construction setback line.

ORDINANCE 535 TREES

Commissioners unanimously approved Ordinance 535, which amends the Laws of Cedar Key to coincide with the new state law that provides an exemption for tree removal permitting requirement if the tree is in deemed as a potential safety hazard by a licensed landscape professional.

DOZIER FINAL ORDER

Final Order 2019-01 requesting approval of a replat or a minor replat of the Dozier property on Ingleside Place and Indiana Avenue was delayed until the following commission meeting because a legal survey has not been submitted.

In June 2019, Quasi-Judicial Hearing 2019-01 considered property owner John Dozier’s “minor replat” request to re-orient the lots and reduce the total number of lots on Block 5, Indiana Avenue and Ingleside Place, from five to three.

FLEMING FINAL ORDER

The Final Order 2019-05, allowing James Fleming to further his development plan proposal for his property on Second Street, was unanimously approved by commissioners. It is Fleming’s intention to move the once Island Arts building several lots west and renovate it for another use. As the building being relocated is owned by Drummond Bank, Mayor Heath Davis recused himself from the vote.

 MINUTES APPROVED

Minutes from the following July 16, 2019, meetings were unanimously approved:

• Commission Meeting,
• Commission Workshop, and
• Budget Workshop.

ONGOING / CONTINUING BUSINESS

EXTRA TITLES ADDED FOR DEPARTMENT HEADS

The following titles were added into the record for the following department heads and Deputy Clerk:

• Fire Chief Robert Robinson, Emergency Management Director
• Police Chief Virgil Sandlin, Code Enforcement Officer and Cemetery Director
• City Clerk Nicole Gill, Building and Planning Administrator
• Deputy Clerk Crystal Sharp, Police Administrator

 CITY CLERK’S OFFICE:

INNER MARINA SLIP FEES

Commissioners unanimously approved City Clerk Nicole Gill’s suggestion that the fees be waived for those docking their boats in the inner Marina while the dredging progresses.

PARKING

Commissioners approved Gill’s request to wave the parking fees at the downtown Parcel 0850700000 owned by Ron Taylor. The vacant lot will be used to create a temporary parking area during bridge construction at the marina.

CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE:

DEEDED STREETS UPDATE

Mayor Davis directed Attorney Fugate and Public Works Director James Custer to work together to produce a map of what streets the city is responsible for and which they are not.

LAWS OF CEDAR KEY

Attorney Fugate reported that he was two-thirds through finishing updating the 2018 Laws of Cedar Key.

POLICE DEPARTMENT:

STORAGE SHED CODE ENFORCEMENT

Police Chief Virgil Sandlin reported of the twelve violations that have occurred, ten cases have been closed, and two with citations are still outstanding.

OFFICER PAGAN REVIEW

Commissioners approved Chief Sandlin’s report of officer Hector Pagan’s 90-day review.

MEETING ADJOURNED

The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 pm.