City Council Workshop - Amended to add backup to item#3a.

City of Dunnellon 1 ..- City Council Workshop Date: March 03, 2025 Time: 5: 30 p. m. Place: City Hall, 20750 River Dr., Dunnellon, FL 34431 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Green called the meeting to order at approximately 5: 35 p. m. and led the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. Opening Prayer/ Moment of Silence Mayor Green invited any citizen wishing to volunteer to open with prayer. No one stepped forward and a moment of silence was observed. Roll Call Walter Green, Mayor, Seat 1 Wally Dunn, Councilman, Seat 2 Tim Inskeep, Vice- Mayor, Seat 3 Valerie Hanchar, Councilwoman, Seat 4 Rex Lehmann, Councilman, Seat 5 Staff Present Mandy Odom, City Clerk Schonna McLean, Finance Officer Chad Ward, Public Works Manager Captain Ron Bray, Police Department Michelle Leonard, Assistant City Clerk Legal Counsel Andrew Hand, Shepard, Smith, Kohlmyer& Hand, P. A.— Attending remotely via Teams. Proof of Publication The agenda was posted on the City' s website and City Hall bulletin board on Monday, February 24, 2025. The agenda was amended on Tuesday, February 25th to add backup to items# 6a.,# 6b. and remove item # 6d., and on Wednesday, February 26th to update backup to item# 6a. and on Thursday, February 27th to add backup to item # 3a. 1) Public Comments Art Jones, 12163 Palmetto Way, reminded everyone about the City Beach cleanup to be held on March 6th. He stated he is working on obtaining a special permit to hold an event at Ernie Mills Park. The event is entitled Dunnellon Springs Festival and will be held on July 5th from 11: 00 a. m. to 10: 00 p. m. and July 6th from 8: 00 a. m. to 5: 00 p. m. He provided details about the event, and asked Council about installing a permanent horseshoe pit.

ity Council Workshop March 03, 025 Page 2 of 9 Kathy Dunn, 11386 Hendrix Dr., thanked Mr. Ward for trimming foliage on San Jose Blvd., and spoke about a fence in that area which borders Blue Run Park which is in need of repair. She asked Council who is responsible for its repairs. Mayor Green asked Mr. Ward to research the cost of repairing the fence. Vice- Mayor lnskeep stated we have been working with the County to maintain the park considering they receive all the proceeds gained from it. He suggested he or staff should reach out to the County about the fence. After further discussion Council agreed to allow Mr. Ward to obtain a ballpark figure for repair before reaching out to the County. Mrs. Odom suggested getting pictures to send to Mr. Couillard. Kathy Dunn offered to take the photos. Mrs. Odom recommended Council allow Mr. Easom to speak about Agenda Item 6c. at this time. Council agreed to allow the agenda change. Jay Easom introduced himself and provided his background with the Fire and Police Pension Board. He listed the members who are currently participating and collecting. He spoke about the current benefits, and past requests to enact enhancements which weren' t brought to fruition. He stated the plan is capable of offering a better benefit than what is currently being provided. He explained how the multiplier for the plan works and suggested raising it to 3. 5%. He advised there is no cost- of- living adjustment currently, and this would help Dunnellon compete with the State' s plan. He commented the purpose is to be more competitive with other businesses, and it would not have a negative effect on the City. Captain Bray stated part of the fund is excise tax money received from the State which prevents a taxpayer liability. He said if we continue to avoid enhancing the benefits, we risk losing the funding. He advised Council the Board needs to increase it for this reason, and for making it an attractive benefit for hiring new officers. Councilwoman Hanchar stated she remembers the topic coming up a few years ago. She said there is no cost to the taxpayers, and she doesn' t see a negative side to this request. There was further discussion regarding current retirees, future retirees and what each group would receive. Mrs. Odom stated if every person who is a part of the plan received a lump sum of what they are eligible for, there would still be 1. 6 million dollars left in the account. Councilman Lehmann asked if there would be enough money in the account to continue payments to the retirees if the City decides to resource MCSO. Captain Bray replied absolutely. Councilman Lehmann asked if we have 1. 6 million dollars left and there is no one else to pay, where do the funds go.

City Council Workshop March 03, 2025 Page 3 of 9 Mrs. Odom stated we must meet the requirements for whoever is eligible to collect, and continue to have quarterly meetings, until the last member of the plan, or their dependent if receiving benefits, is deceased. She explained if there are no employees left, and we have a surplus; we are trying to find out if we can give them COLA. She advised that Jeremy Langley with FMPTF is looking into it. Vice- Mayor Inskeep stated he wants to keep the fund safe to protect our taxpayers from absorbing future financial expenditures. He explained the economy has been very good, but at some point, it will turn, and there must be enough money in the account to take care of the retirees. He asked Mr. Easom what makes the plan grow. Mr. Easom replied investments are well managed by the Florida League of Cities. Mrs. Odom explained there is also approximately 50,000 in excise tax monies added to the fund annually in addition to employee contributions. Councilman Dunn stated it appears we are 1. 677 million over funded, and it has not cost the City anything. He said if we allow the 3. 5% multiplier it will use$ 467, 000 of the fund, and we will still be overfunded. He commented he sees nothing wrong with making the requested change, and it would prevent the State from withholding future funding. He added whether we maintain our own Police Department or go with MCSO, the funds will be maintained here. He asserted Council should seriously consider it. Mayor Green spoke about Mr. Easom' s qualifications and his confidence in Mr. Easom' s recommendations. Mr. Easom replied he has heard there are many pensions which are underfunded, and it felt like a worthy request. Councilwoman Hanchar thanked Mr. Easom for his years of volunteering. She asked Mrs. Odom if this topic needs to be added to the agenda for approval. Mrs. Odom replied it must first be discussed at the bargaining session to be held on March 17th, and it will be presented to Council for consideration afterward. She added she needs Council to provide her direction which she can share with the PBA during negotiations. Council agreed with Mr. Easom' s suggestion and authorized Mrs. Odom to share their decision with the PBA. 2) Board Reports There were no board reports. 3) Dunnellon Chamber& Business Association Report 3. aj March City Council Report Mrs. Odom announced Ms. Terwilliger was unable to make it to the meeting and was unable to find someone who could speak on her behalf. She stated they would like to defer the report to the next week' s meeting.

City Council Workshop March 03, 2025 Page 4 of 9 3. b) Boomtown Request for Alcohol Waiver Mrs. Odom explained to Council this is an annual request and there are no changes. She stated if Council is okay with allowing the DCBA to serve alcohol again during the Boomtown Festival, she will add it to the consent agenda. Council agreed with the request. 4) Council Agenda Items 4. a) Liaison Assignments The Council spent several minutes discussing the various available liaison assignments, along with who is currently serving, and which groups were underserved. The following was decided: Planning Commission - Councilman Lehmann Historic Preservation — Councilwoman Hanchar TPO— Vice- Mayor Inskeep with Councilwoman Hanchar as Alternate DCBA— Vice- Mayor Inskeep SWFWMD— Mayor Green County Commission— Councilman Dunn with Councilwoman Hanchar as Alternate Concerned Citizens of Chatmire— Vice- Mayor lnskeep Tourist Development Council— Councilman Lehmann Police Department— Mayor Green Emergency Operations— Mayor Green with Councilwoman Hanchar as Alternate 4. b) CRA Grant Program Vice- Mayor lnskeep stated nothing in the program has really changed. He explained we just need everyone to review our program, and the information he had provided about other city plans. He said we might like to include some of their features in our program. He informed Council we need to agree upon the definition of the term " blighted". He spoke about roofs which utilized CRA funds but to him were maintenance issues rather than blight. Councilman Lehmann asked if each Councilmember could make a point to prepare their own bullet point list by next workshop. Council agreed with this idea. Mrs. Odom advised Council she thought tonight' s discussion was going to be about recommendations for amending the document. She said this would allow her to revise it and then be able to bring it back to them for a full review. She explained she didn' t want to make any changes until they settled on something. She stated she would like to bring it to them for a final approval in April. There was further discussion about what each Councilmember thought they were going to be discussing tonight. Vice- Mayor Inskeep suggested he and Mrs. Odom work on a draft. He said when it' s complete, Mrs. Odom will send it to everyone for review. He explained after which it could be brought to a meeting for discussion and changes. Council agreed with this suggestion.

City Council Workshop March 03, 2025 Page 5 of 9 Councilman Dunn reminded everyone of a question Vice- Mayor lnskeep posed during another meeting. He asked when a person applies for a grant, who is physically going to the property to confirm the project is about blight. Mrs. Odom provided an explanation of the current process, which didn' t include anyone physically going to the property. She said they work from photographs. Vice- Mayor lnskeep stated it would be prudent to have someone go to the property to make the decision. Councilman Lehmann stated the hard part is learning what is being done with the entire structure. He said the key is defining if the whole job is maintenance or restoration. Councilwoman Hanchar stated her concern is the legality of sending staff or a Councilmember out to the properties. There was further discussion regarding the grant process, how much funding is available, the possibility of purchasing a property with CRA funds specifically for demolition, and CRA limitations. Mrs. Odom stated Attorney Hand has some ideas as well, and she asked Council if they were okay with her including Attorney Hand in her meeting with Vice- Mayor lnskeep. She said if they approve she could bring a draft to the April workshop. Council agreed with Mrs. Odom' s suggestion. 4. c) Police Department Public Education Development Mrs. Odom stated Council directed her to add this topic to the agenda to discuss public outreach regarding the Police Department considerations. She said she reached out to Sheriff Woods, and he provided some unofficial terms which could be worked into an agreement. She explained we were going to discuss options for recruiting a Chief of Police, and work to develop a method to educate the public before inviting public comments. Vice- Mayor Inskeep asserted we need to have a special workshop about this to iron out what the County program would look like. He stated he has a lot of data which includes a notation to have further discussion about service for vehicle crashes and marine patrol. He said these two topics are very important. He explained Lt. Vowinkle assured him they would train their deputies to work crashes, and they would patrol the entire river. He said he invited her to the special workshop, and he recommended Council hold the workshop as soon as possible. Councilman Lehmann-expressed his concern that since Council is not willing to discuss seeking a new Chief of Police, they must have already decided to go with MCSO. Councilwoman Hanchar explained that Vice- Mayor Inskeep is simply providing all the information he has gathered during his research, and this is only one Councilmember' s opinion on the topic. Captain Bray stated while working under Lt. Vowinkle over the past month, there has been a strong and healthy partnership. He said it has led to some changes in our processes, and inefficiencies have been identified. He assured Council they are working to change those

City Council Workshop March 03, 2025 Page 6 of 9 inefficiencies. He informed Council additional training has already been provided by the Sheriff' s Department. Councilwoman Hanchar asked Captain Bray if he believed a new Chief would have found the deficiencies as well. Captain Bray replied someone with the training of her caliber would have, but also a fresh set of eyes helped. He explained the Dunnellon Police Department, at best, is always going to be a limited- service Police Department. He clarified we will never have a swat team nor a homicide investigator, and there will always be a need for a strong partnership with the County. He said a larger department is obviously going to have a stronger, and more robust budget to allow for a great deal of resources. Councilman Lehmann suggested Council move to start advertising for a Chief of Police during the next meeting. Vice- Mayor lnskeep replied the first step is to decide what our Police Department is going to look like. He said after that we can decide how we want to resource it. He remarked " whether you like it or not, we are going to take a serious look at going with the County." Councilman Lehmann responded the search for a new Chief and reviewing the County resources should be conducted at the same time. Captain Bray suggested Council first define the type of Police Department the citizens of Dunnellon deserve. He asserted we all must remove emotions and objectively discover the best way to achieve it. He stated you need to know what you want, before you can look for the person who can do it for you. He implored Council to do their due diligence and do it in a timely fashion. He described difficulties in recruitment if we keep returning to this issue year after year. Councilman Dunn suggested each Councilmember review the pros and cons of both options on their own. He asserted car accidents and river patrol are definitely something we need to have good answers for. He explained Florida Highway Patrol is great, but they are too busy to work our crashes in a timely manner. He stated this isn' t just about money, it' s what' s right for this town. He added officers won' t want to work for a department that is constantly having problems. He suggested not having a public meeting until Council knows what they want to do. Councilwoman Hanchar asked Captain Bray if he has interested applicants. Captain Bray replied yes we do. Councilwoman Hanchar stated she knows people who would like to help reenvision the City too, and they have a lot of experience. She said she thinks a special workshop on March 10th is a good idea, and it would be helpful to allow the citizens to hear what we are thinking. She added and then we give everyone a decision in April. Vice- Mayor lnskeep stated he doesn' t agree with Councilwoman Hanchar' s timeline because it' s just too important. He said we need to provide guidance to Mrs. Odom on educating the public, and the best way to do it is to notify every one of the meeting on Monday. He stated if they cannot attend, they can watch it on the website.

City Council Workshop March 03, 2025 Page 7 of 9 Mayor Green stated the most important thing he has heard from our citizens and businesses is their need for reassurance that our Police Department is fully functional. Captain Bray replied he can assure everyone this is true. Mayor Green said what is painted on the side of the car is not important, but the quality of the service is. He explained Monday' s meeting will give everyone- an opportunity to voice their opinions, and we want to encourage their involvement. He announced he believes the workshop is good idea, and it must be dedicated to this issue only. He also advised Council the format of the workshop should change to allow written comments because we need to give our citizens every opportunity to contribute. Council agreed to hold the special workshop on Monday, March 10, 2025, at 5: 30 p. m., and allow for public input. They agreed that Attorney Hand did not need to be present. 4. d) FLOC/ FLM Annual Conference Mayor Green stated this conference is scheduled for March 24 — 26, and he asked Council to agree to allow his attendance. He said he is really looking forward to it, as it will be the first time in many years he' s been able to go. He also spoke about the legislators he hopes to connect with who have supported Dunnellon in the past. 5) Regular Agenda Items 5. a) Update Ordinance# ORD2019- 01, Storm Water System Illicit Discharge and Connection Mr. Ward stated we need to update this Ordinance as part of our compliance issue which was discovered during the MS4 audit by FDEP. Mrs. Odom stated changes have already been made to the Ordinance, and they have been sent to FDEP for review. She explained they are waiting for an answer. 6) Staff Agenda Items 6. a) Vacation Rental Registration Fees Mrs. Odom stated they have utilized estimates for staff time and actual software costs to develop a proposed registration and annual renewal fee of$ 380. She said we will review the time and charges annually to determine what our revenues are, what we have collected, and if we need to adjust the fee accordingly. Councilman Dunn asked if a letter was going to be sent out to the short- term rental owners. He strongly recommended Mrs. Odom not put her name on it, because she will receive all the calls. Mrs. Odom agreed but stated she is the only available staff member to manage registration at this time until Community Development is staffed. Mrs. Odom stated she and Mrs. Wyen have been working for months to update the fee Resolution, and she would like to bring it to the meeting next week for Council review. She said she needs Attorney Hand to look at it first to make sure we are statutorily compliant. She announced Azavar has committed to going live on April 1st. She shared she is keeping Ms. Leonard and Mrs. McLean in the loop in the event of her absence. She said it would be great if we could fill the Community Development Manager position quickly so they can manage this.

City Council Workshop March 03, 2025 Page 8 of 9 Mrs. Odom stated 42 rentals have been confirmed as registered with DPBR. She shared the cost analysis and projections for both the first and second years. She said we should be able to recoup our costs over a three- year period, but the first year will involve a lot of staff time to implement. She advised Council she and Attorney Hand are very comfortable with the fee, and she will have a Resolution prepared next week. She reported Azavar will handle most of the calls because people will be directed to them specifically for the hotlines and registration. 6. b) Community Development Vacancy Mrs. Odom stated when Mrs. Wyen took over the department, she didn' t want the Community Development Manager position, and so it was molded into something she was comfortable with. She asserted she really needs a department head because she doesn' t have the time to manage it the way it requires. She recommended Council allow her to revert it to a management position at a salary of$ 65, 000. Councilman Lehmann asked if the salary is in line what others are offering. Mrs. Odom replied it' s likely a little less, but Council has the discretion to increase it if we find someone very qualified who requires more. Council agreed to allow Mrs. Odom to advertise for the Community Development Manager at a salary of$ 65, 000. 6. c) Fire and Police Pension Board Recommended Plan Enhancements This item was moved to the top of the agenda. 7) Department Reports Mrs. McLean stated she is still working through the software conversion. Mrs. Odom added BS& A went live this week, and we are now processing everything through it. She said this week will be our first payroll, warrants, and other financial processes through the new system. Mrs. McLean shared we have input some invoices and are working on controls. She stated her goal is to cut physical checks from BS& A tomorrow. 8) Council Comments There were no Council comments. 9) City Attorney Comments Attorney Hand stated the legislative session has begun, and there are a number of bills which will affect the City if they pass. He stated there is a CRA bill which will essentially stop CRA in its tracks. He said there are others involving sovereign immunity thresholds, and some which will preempt local land use decisions. He announced he will provide more information on the bills as it becomes available. 10) Public Comments David Porter, 11835 E. Blue Cove Dr. , spoke about the Police Department, and said the formal process Council should take is to form a clear vision of what it would look like to have the Sheriff' s

City Council Workshop March 03, 2025 Page 9 of 9 Department take over. He suggested creating a PowerPoint presentation to help citizens understand what Council is trying to convey. Art Fisher, 11897 N. Ohio St., spoke about the police department, and asked if the presentation will be discussed with Captain Bray alone or include MCSO. He stated there needs to be clarification regarding the term " vacation rental". Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8: 03 p. m. Penned signature of: Walter L. Green, Mayor Attest: o • PidPV‘ Penned signature of: Amanda Odom, CMC, City Clerk