City Council Workshop - Amended backup added to item #4a

City of Dunnellon MASTER City Council Workshop Date: November 03, 2025 Time: 5: 00 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: 01p. 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 provided. Roll Call Walter Green, Mayor, Seat 1 Reese Taschenberger, 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 William Ary, Community Development Manager Chief Ron Bray, Police Department Michelle Leonard, Assistant City Clerk Julie Danowski, Records Clerk Legal Counsel Andrew Hand Shepard, Smith, Kohlmyer& Hand, P. A. Proof of Publication The agenda was posted on the City' s website and City Hall bulletin board on Monday, October 27, 2025. The agenda was amended on October 30th to add backup to items # 3a, # 5a, # 5b, and 7a and on November 3rd to add backup to item # 4a. 1) Public Comments Bill White, 12115 Palmetto Way, addressed the Council regarding the proposed Track Line railroad tie project. He presented a three- minute video from a reclamation company in Coos Bay, Oregon detailing an alternative process where ties are taken to a central, full- time industrial facility rather than being processed on- site. He emphasized the on- site processing proposed locally is an economic decision to save money. Mr. White provided an update on the collective efforts against the project, noting State Representative JJ Grow, Marion County, Rainbow River Conservation, the Sierra Club, and the Concerned Citizens of Chatmire have united in opposition.

City Council Workshop November 03, 2025 Page 2 of 7 He said the coalition has hired Terrell Arline, a Tallahassee- based attorney with 40 years of experience in land use and environment controls, and the Sierra Club has approved funding for legal expenses should this move into a court challenge. The goal is for Track Line to choose to back off voluntarily from the project due to the negative publicity and unified opposition. Responding to questions from Councilman Lehmann regarding whether or not the activity at the site is being monitored daily, Mr. White stated resident advocates are assisting. When asked about potential environmental damage from ties already leaching chemicals into the soil, Mr. White noted in Newberry, the City Manager reported even after the operation ceased, four acres of soil had to be removed 5- 6 inches deep and taken to a toxic waste dump. Councilman Lehmann suggested the City might explore initiating its own lawsuit to recover damages. Council thanked Mr. White for his presentation. David Porter, 11835 E. Blue Cove Dr., echoed Bill White' s sentiments about the community' s united efforts. He stated his attorney was informed by CSX Track Line does not have a lease for the property specified in its permit application. He encouraged City staff to use a FOIA request and ask FDEP for proof of a lease or easement. He warned them without a fixed location, the company might use a mobile facility closer to the river. Councilwoman Hanchar expressed confusion about how an applicant could use an address within Dunnellon City limits when the activity is occurring outside those limits. Vice- Mayor Inskeep clarified they discovered one parcel of the property in question has half of its area within the City limits. He explained this finding is what granted the City authority to issue notices of violation to the applicant. Mrs. Odom added further clarification utilizing a map and showing Councilwoman Hanchar the properties location. She stated Code Enforcement has given them until November 14th to comply. David Pahl, 12088 Wekiwa Circle, expressed serious concerns about the Track Line site, focusing on three issues: the potential for the operation to become permanent, the extreme fire hazard posed during the dry season, and the question of how the City would indemnify itself from liability when CSX or Track Line might use legal structures like LLCs to avoid responsibility. There was further discussion regarding the location of CSX properties. 2) Board Reports There were no board reports. 3) Dunnellon Chamber and Business Association Reports Paisley Bower, Executive Director, read the following into the record: Our Two Rivers Music Festival was a great success, rain dampened the evening a bit, but the overall feedback was extremely positive. Our Volunteers were absolutely amazing and we truly could not have done it without them. Special thanks to the City for all of their help, Tim for helping

City Council Workshop November 03, 2025 Page 3 of 7 with pre- event coordination, Valerie for volunteering during the event and Rex for all his expertise and hard work before, during and after. New& Returning Members 10/ 1/ 25 Roof Systems Unlimited Bridget Hanley Studio Cleaning by Alix Liberty National First Federal Bank Life and Love ALF 2 Steadfast Plumbing Ron Benfield CPA & Associates PLLC Captain Paul' s Flight School Citrus Lending Chamber& Member Events: Our last dinner mixer, held at Paige' s Root Beer was attended by 65 people, we acquired one new member at the dinner. Gift baskets/ prizes were donated by- Citrus County Life Magazine, Assured Home Inspections, Tupperware Tara Ballantyne, Julie Mancini Photography, One Rake at a Time, Cannon Farms, Brannen Bank& Cheryl Regina with Rainbow Springs Realty Group. We have our next networking dinner mixer at The Works Bistro on November 16th at 5: 30. Seats are still available. We are currently looking for New Members to join our Board of Directors, we had several people express interest over the last few weeks. We will be conducting interviews with interested members in the upcoming months. November 5th at 5: 30 Business After Hours for One Rake at a Time December 3rd at 5: 30 Holiday Open House Dinner Mixer at and Benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of Dunnellon hosted by Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty December 6th- Dunnellon' s Small Town Christmas Parade. We are always looking for volunteers for both in the office and for our events, and sponsors for our events, and we would like to encourage anyone who is interested in doing either to contact us." Councilwoman Hanchar asked for the date of the next business dinner and Ms. Bower replied it would be on November 18th Councilman Lehmann asked about the potential of having food at Ernie Mills Park during the Christmas Parade and hosting a light post decorating contest much like what is done in Inverness. Ms. Bower stated she would bring both suggestions up to the Chamber Board. Mayor Green asked for a status update on a fireworks display in July and Ms. Bower stated although there are many road blocks she is still working on it. Mayor Green asked Vice- Mayor lnskeep to provide an update at the meeting. 4) Regular Agenda Items 4. a) Bid # BID2025- 05 Surplus Property, 12014 S. Williams Street

City Council Workshop November 03, 2025 Page 4 of 7 Mrs. Odom stated the Police Department building was declared surplus in September via Resolution # RES2025- 36, and the deadline for offers is today. The City advertised for offers in accordance with Chapter 163. 380 of Florida Statutes and received a single bid of$ 150, 000 from Jim Gissy. The offer will first go before the CRA board at its meeting next Wednesday for a recommendation to either accept or reject. If the recommendation is to accept, the City Council will hold a public hearing on November 12th to make a final decision. Public notice of this hearing will be posted on the City' s Public Notices webpage. The Council discussed Mr. Gissy' s offer. Councilman Lehmann, Councilman Taschenberger, and Vice- Mayor Inskeep supported accepting the bid due to the building' s poor condition and lack of other interest. Mrs. Odom stated she is negotiating to retain the Air Conditioning and various electrical switches for City use at other buildings. Councilwoman Hanchar viewed the offer as a fair" as- is" price, especially since Mr. Gissy plans to demolish the structure. Council unanimously agreed to move forward by placing the offer on the Community Redevelopment Agency ( CRA) Board agenda for a recommendation and scheduling a public hearing for the November 12th Council meeting. 4. b) Agreement# AGR2025- 21 SafeParc Draft Parking/ Boat Launch Mrs. Odom requested to defer this item until next month. She explained the City needs to workshop parking regulations further after discussions with Attorney Hand. The plan is to bring the parking regulations Ordinance back for a second and final reading in December, at which point an agreement can follow the Ordinance' s adoption. Attorney Hand noted the specifics of the agreement depend heavily on the final version of the Ordinance, which SafeParc will need to review. He added SafeParc has provided suggestions for the Ordinance, some of which will be incorporated into the next draft. 5) Staff Agenda Items 5. a) Certified Local Government ( CLG) - William Ary, Community Development Manager Mr. Ary proposed the City apply for CLG status to obtain access to dedicated federal funding, technical assistance, and stimulate economic development. He highlighted this status would also allow owners of historic structures within the district to apply for federal grants to offset their maintenance costs. Since the primary prerequisites are already in place, staff only needs authorization from Council to submit the application. The Council agreed to add this to the consent agenda. 5. b) Bid # BID2025- 04 5- Year Capital Road Improvement Plan Mrs. Odom presented the five- year capital plan for roadway improvements and requested authorization to solicit bids from licensed contractors for all projects identified within the period. The City intends to establish a long- term contract with a single contractor for all five years' worth of improvements, avoiding the need to bid projects annually. The invitation to bid will use the same language utilized for the CRA Road projects and includes a termination clause, ensuring the City is not locked into a five-year commitment if the selected contractor is unsatisfactory. Funding for the initial fiscal year projects is already budgeted. Legal counsel will review the

City Council Workshop November 03, 2025 Page 5 of 7 resulting contract before it is brought to the Council for final approval. Council expressed support for the approach and agreed to authorize staff to proceed with issuing the invitation to bid. 6) Ordinances 6. a) Ordinance # ORD2025- 12, Parking Regulations Attorney Hand presented the updated Parking Ordinance, noting the main changes from the first reading involve implementing a camera- enforced parking system. The Ordinance outlines procedures for handling violations and appeals with the City' s magistrate. He stated most changes are procedural in nature. Councilman Lehmann questioned the " Business Impact Statement" which cited $ 25, 000 to 50, 000 in initial costs and $ 15, 000 to$ 25, 000 in annual operating costs, noting the City currently receives no revenue from parking. Vice- Mayor Inskeep clarified those figures are outdated estimates from a prior City-wide parking meter discussion from several years ago. The actual City cost is primarily limited to signage and staff expenses. Attorney Hand stated the Ordinance modifications will provide the legislative basis to implement paid parking at the boat launch and overflow lots. Mrs. Odom added the specific fees will be established via Resolution, which is easier to modify than an Ordinance, while civil penalties will be defined within the Ordinance itself. Council agreed the impact statement needed revision and the current plan for the SafeParc system was much more cost- effective than previous City- wide plans. 7) Resolutions 7. a) Resolution # RES2025- 42 Surplus PD Building Contents and Equipment Mrs. Odom presented a surplus list of items from the former Police Department building and sheds. The items were deemed to have very low to no commercial value. Utilizing Florida Statute 274. 06, which provides authority to dispose of items without commercial value, the staff recommended several disposal methods including donation, auction, and recycling through Technology Conservation Group as appropriate. Chief Bray noted useful equipment has already been retained for current police operations and anything remaining holds minimal value. Mrs. Odom also mentioned a request from Andy Murray, curator of the Dunnellon Historical Society, for two sets of old building plans for the former Booker T. Washington School. She stated since the building is no longer standing, the City is not required to retain the plans. Council consented to donate the documents to the Historical Society. 8) Council Comments Councilwoman Hanchar praised staff for their handling of the railroad tie issue and proposed the Council ride a float in the December 6th Christmas parade, which Chief Bray agreed to organize. Attorney Hand confirmed this was permissible provided no City business is discussed during the parade. Councilman Lehmann raised concerns about proposed State legislation aiming to eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties, asking staff to analyze the significant financial impact

City Council Workshop November 03, 2025 Page 6 of 7 on City revenue. Vice- Mayor Inskeep argued it was premature to dedicate resources to researching the vague, early- stage proposals. Attorney Hand agreed the outcome is uncertain, suggesting the Florida League of Cities would be the best information source and any such change would likely involve a shift to a State- controlled sales tax system. Vice- Mayor Inskeep updated the Council on FDOT projects discussed at the recent TPO meeting. He reported FDOT will address the right- turn lane issue at US 41 and CR 484 by moving stop lines back. He said the long-awaited US 41 widening is in the 2030 five- year work plan, though he worried about future cost- related delays. He added the 2nd phase widening from SR 40 going north isn' t in the long- range work plan at all due to funding. The Council agreed to send a formal letter of comment about the FDOT five- year plan by the November 7th deadline. Mayor Green suggested the letter also commend FDOT for the early completion of a turn lane project on US 41 and SR 40 and emphasize the urgent need for safety improvements at the hazardous 180th Avenue and SR 40 intersection. Council provided consensus for Mrs. Odom to work with Vice- Mayor Inskeep to compose a letter. Mayor Green asked Councilman Taschenberger about his grandmother and Councilman Taschenberger shared she will be 100 years old in January. Council directed staff to prepare a Centenarian Proclamation for his grandmother' s 100th birthday. Mayor Green echoed Attorney Hand' s earlier suggestion and said the City must rely on the resources provided by the Florida League of Cities and the Florida League of Mayors regarding the proposed state legislation on property taxes. Mayor Green stressed the importance of local municipalities backing up these organizations' lobbying efforts, highlighting this issue is a major concern which affects local government funding across the State. 9) City Attorney Comments There were no Attorney comments. 10) Public Comment David Pahl, 12088 Wekiwa Circle, asked when the Comprehensive Plan proposals would be available for public review. Mr. Ary explained six draft elements were presented at recent joint Planning Commission and City Council meetings and were added to the City' s website today. He said he expects at least two more joint meetings before any changes are implemented. Vice- Mayor Inskeep added the Comprehensive Plan provides broad guidance, while the Land Development Regulations contain the specific standards which protect the City from undesirable development. Mr. Ary said the next joint meeting is scheduled for November 18th to review all current drafts and updated drafts are available on the City' s Comprehensive Plan webpage. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6: 31 p. m.

City Council Workshop November 03, 2025 Page 7 of 7 4i Penned signature of: Walter L. Green, Mayor Atte t: L. E). )/ 1 Penned signature of: Amanda Odom, CMC, City Clerk