Special Committee on Polices and Procedures

Town of Orange Park Special Committee for Policies & Procedures Friday, May 1, 2026 12:00 P.M. Minutes 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Vice-Mayor Winnette Sandlin, Chair of the Special Committee for Policies & Procedures. Other committee members in attendance were Councilman Doug Benefield and Councilman Ken Vogel. Others in attendance included: Town Manager Joe Taylor, Public Works Director Kyle Croce, Town Attorney Lawsikia Hodges and Town Clerk Courtney Russo. 2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Councilman Benefield moved for approval of the April 17, 2026 committee meeting minutes. Councilman Vogel seconded the motion, which passed 3 to 0. 3. OLD BUSINESS The committee reviewed the final draft of the standing rules presented by the Town Attorney, specifically regarding the reorganization of municipal committees. Under the revised rules, the Finance Committee will become a committee of the whole consisting only of the five Town Council members. Advisory standing committees will be comprised of three to five citizen members, at least three of whom must be Town residents, and will no longer include Council members as voting participants. The Town Attorney also noted that most rules would take effect on October 1, 2026, though specific governance changes would be delayed until January 1, 2027. Additionally, the committee discussed the future implementation of a master calendar to track recurring annual deadlines like the Capital Improvement Plan and budget milestones. Regarding ex parte communications, the Town Attorney explained the necessity of formal procedures to ensure due process and fairness during quasi-judicial hearings. Following this overview, Vice-Mayor Sandlin moved to recommend that the Town Council develop an ordinance to codify these conduct procedures. The motion was seconded by Councilman Benefield and passed unanimously. 4. NEW BUSINESS The meeting shifted to new business with a preliminary review of the Town’s procurement policy, featuring input from Public Works Director Kyle Croce. Committee members expressed concern that the current $1,000 threshold for requiring three quotes is antiquated and creates administrative burdens for staff. Councilman Vogel suggested incorporating a local bidder preference to support businesses within the Town and Clay County. The committee agreed to conduct a more granular review of procurement methods and descriptions in future sessions.

Special Committee for Policies & Procedures May 1, 2026 2 | P a g e 5. ADJOURNMENT The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 15, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. Vice-Mayor Sandlin adjourned the meeting at 1:14 p.m.

Town of Orange Park

Special Committee on Polices and Procedures Meeting

Friday, May 1, 2026

12:00 PM

Agenda

1. Call to Order/ Verification of Quorum

2. Approval of the Minutes

a. Approval of the April 17, 2026 Committee Meeting Minutes

3. Old Business

a. Budget Policies

b. Ex Parte Communication

4. New Business

a. Procurement

b. Ethics-Acceptance of Gifts

5. Audience Comments

6. Schedule Next Meeting Date(s)

a. May and June Calendars

7. Adjournment

2042 PARK AVENUE | ORANGE PARK, FLORIDA 32073 | 904.278.3011 townoforangepark.com

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Town of Orange Park Special Committee on Polices and Procedures Meeting Friday, May 1, 2026 12:00 PM Agenda 1. Call to Order/ Verification of Quorum 2. Approval of the Minutes a. Approval of the April 17, 2026 Committee Meeting Minutes 3. Old Business a. Budget Policies b. Ex Parte Communication 4. New Business a. Procurement b. Ethics-Acceptance of Gifts 5. Audience Comments 6. Schedule Next Meeting Date(s) a. May and June Calendars 7. Adjournment 2042 PARK AVENUE | ORANGE PARK, FLORIDA 32073 | 904.278.3011 townoforangepark.com 1

Town of Orange Park Special Committee for Policies & Procedures Friday, April 17, 2026 12:00 P.M. Minutes DRAFT 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Vice-Mayor Winnette Sandlin, Chair of the Special Committee for Policies & Procedures. Other committee member in attendance was Councilman Doug Benefield. Councilman Ken Vogel was absent. Others in attendance included: Town Manager Joe Taylor, Town Attorney Lawsikia Hodges and Town Clerk Courtney Russo. 2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Councilman Benefield moved for approval of the March 27, 2026 committee meeting minutes. Vice-Mayor Sandlin seconded the motion, which passed 2 to 0. 3. OLD BUSINESS- STANDING RULES The Town Manager introduced several draft documents for review, including committee training guidelines, a policy for resident agenda item requests, and a proposal for a budget advisory group. A significant portion of the discussion focused on the structure of the Budget and Finance Committee. Rather than forming a formalized citizen budget committee, which the Town Manager noted could be difficult for residents due to the complexity of governmental budgeting, the committee decided to move toward a "listening session" or "budget outreach" model. Under this new plan, the formal Budget and Finance Committee will be restricted to Town Council members only. To ensure transparency and public involvement, the Town will host informal listening sessions in various neighborhoods, such as local schools or parks, to gather resident input on budget priorities before the final adoption. The committee also addressed administrative procedures, including a $25,000 spending cap and the tracking of internal labor costs for budgeted projects like sidewalk maintenance. Additionally, a proposed policy regarding resident requests for agenda items was discussed but ultimately set aside. Legal concerns were raised about the difficulty of fairly determining which resident- suggested topics would be "appropriate" for a formal agenda, leading the committee to conclude that the existing public comment section remains the best avenue for resident participation Finally, Councilman Benefield moved to revise the standing rules to restructure the Budget and Finance Committee to be comprised exclusively of council members, effectively removing citizen members from the formal voting block. In place of the previous structure, the town will incorporate "listening sessions" or town hall-style meetings at various locations to be determined, allowing for more inclusive citizen input on the budget prior to its final adoption by the council. Regarding the implementation timeline, the motion specified that while the majority of the standing rules will become effective on October 1, 2026, the specific changes to the committee structure will not take effect until January 1, 2027. This distinction was made to allow sufficient time for recruitment and 2

Special Committee for Policies & Procedures April 17, 2026 2 | P a g e the updating of application forms under the new guidelines. Vice-Mayor Sandlin seconded the motion, which passed 2 to 0. Vice-Mayor Sandlin made a motion to finalize the draft committee training guidelines with specific minor revisions. These changes include adding language to the front of the document specifying that the training will be conducted or directed by the town manager or designee. Following these tweaks, the committee moved to recommend the guidelines for inclusion on a future Town Council agenda. Councilman Benefield seconded the motion, which passed 2 to 0. 4. ADJOURNMENT Vice-Mayor Sandlin adjourned the meeting at 1:14 p.m. 3

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10.24.2025 - DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION ONLY SGR/81204983.2 CHAPTER 3. – PROCEDURES GOVERNING CONDUCT OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS WITH RESPECT TO EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS Sec. 3-1. Purpose. The purpose of this Section is to establish procedures to remove the presumption of prejudice from ex parte communications, that is, any communication which occurs outside of a public hearing, with local public officials who are members of any Town Council committee, board, or commission, including the Town Council, which recommends or takes quasi-judicial action as a member of such committee, board, commission or Town Council. Further, the purpose of this Section is to entitle the appointed and elected public officials of the Town of Orange Park, Florida and its citizens to all of the benefits available pursuant to the authority of Section 286.0115, Florida Statutes. Sec. 3-2. Definitions. As used herein: (a) Town Board means any committee, board, and commission created by the Town Charter or the Town Code, including the Town Council; (b) Ex parte communication means any form of communication, either oral or written, including any other form of non-verbal communication, with public officials which occurs outside of a public hearing. Such communications include, but are not limited to: conversations, meetings, site visits, mailings, or presentations during which substantial factual information about an item is gathered by or submitted to a local public official; (c) Local public official or public official means any elected or appointed public official of a Town Board, which recommends or takes quasi-judicial action; (d) Quasi-judicial is a term which applies to the action of public officials or bodies who are required to investigate facts, or ascertain the existence of facts, hold hearings, weigh evidence and draw conclusions from them, as a basis for their official action, and to exercise discretion of a judicial nature. Sec. 3-3. Applicability. This Chapter shall apply to any and all quasi-judicial proceedings of a Town Board. Sec. 3-4. Declaration of policy on ex parte communications; procedures for disclosure. During the course of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of local public officials, situations may arise in which ex parte communications occur. Recognizing that such communications may, at times, be unavoidable, and that an outright prohibition on such communications interferes with the public's right to voice its opinions to public officials and with the performance of the duties and responsibilities of public officials, on those occasions when ex parte communications are received by local public officials, they shall be handled in the following manner: 9

SGR/81204983.2 (a) Communications generally. All communications involving matters of a quasi-judicial nature should occur at public hearing(s), except as otherwise specifically permitted hereunder or in subsection (b) of this Chapter. (i) Written communications. Public officials may read written ex parte communications concerning quasi-judicial matters which are before, or likely to come before, the quasi-judicial body, provided that the public official shall transmit a copy of the written communication to the secretary of the quasi-judicial body in order that such written communication may be placed on file for public inspection and made a part of the record as soon as reasonably practicable before final action on the matter. (ii) Oral communications. Local public officials shall disclose the substance of all oral ex parte communications which have significantly influenced their preliminary views or opinions concerning a particular matter, as well as the identity of the person, group or entity with whom the communication occurred, before or during the public meeting at which a vote is taken on the matter, but preferably no later than the beginning of the last public hearing before final action on the matter, and such disclosures shall be made a part of the record before final action on the matter. (iii) Investigations, site visits and expert opinions. Public officials may conduct investigations and site visits and receive expert opinions in deciding a specific matter before the quasi-judicial body; provided however, that such information, shall be disclosed at the public hearing and made part of the record before final action on the matter. (b) Oral communications subsequent to first advertised public hearing. Oral communications regarding pending quasi-judicial matters which occur subsequent to the first advertised public hearing before the quasi-judicial body in a public meeting and pursuant to due notice in writing to the applicant and all interested parties who appeared before the quasi-judicial body, either orally or in writing, are permitted, provided the tape or minutes of such meeting are prepared and placed on file for public inspection within seven days from the date of such meeting or before final action on the matter, whichever occurs first. Sec. 3-5. Process for disclosure. All disclosures of ex parte communications must be made before or during the public meeting at which a vote is taken on a matter, and prior to the vote being taken, so that persons with opinions contrary to those expressed in the ex parte communication are provided a reasonable opportunity to respond to or refute the communication. Local public officials shall disclose the substance of all oral ex parte communications which have significantly influenced their preliminary views or opinions concerning a particular matter, as well as the identity of the person, group or entity with whom the communication occurred, before or during the public meeting at which a vote is taken on the matter, but preferably no later than the beginning of the last public hearing before final action on the matter, and such disclosures shall be made a part of the record. Disclosure alone shall not be deemed a sufficient basis for a request to defer an item. 10

3 Sec. 3-6. No penalties for nondisclosure. The failure of a public official to disclose the substance of any ex parte communication shall not be deemed to constitute a violation of the Town Code, and public officials shall not be subject to fines or penalties as a result of such nondisclosure or non-compliance with these procedures. Sec. 3-7. Additional rules and procedure permitted. Each Town Board may adopt additional rules and procedures or more stringent rules and procedures relating to ex parte communications, so long as such are not in conflict with this Chapter. 11

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