Council Meeting Cheat Sheet: Feb. 11

Council Members meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. to discuss topics ranging from village procurement processes to fertilizer use. (Key News/Tony Winton)

Last week’s village council meeting ran out of time leaving issues unresolved that will be picked up in council chamber on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

This week’s meeting will kick off with presentations by the Village beautification board and of the Youth Lead Change awards, followed by top topics including the Village procurement process, fertilizer usage and provisions for the defense of officials in ethics matters.

The Consent Agenda

First, approval is needed on resolutions for the selection of providers for miscellaneous surveying services and design criteria service for stormwater utility and right-of-way improvements.

Next is the hiring of a firm to perform a workforce analysis of the village’s public safety departments. The analysis will focus on optimal staffing and structure to preserve or improve the current  level of service. The contract award requires a budget transfer of $28,000.

Also pending is authorization for the purchase of 40 assault rifles for $64,034 to provide responding officers with appropriate firepower in an active school shooting scenario.

Ordinances

In response to concerns about the efficiency of Village procurement of goods and services, the council will vote to approve updates to the procurement provisions which would allow Village Manager Andrea Agha to sign off on up to $30,000, up from $10,000.

Still on the agenda is fertilizer use within the village, an issue postponed by Council Member Katie Petros to allow time to integrate more feedback from local watchdog Miami Waterkeeper. The new ordinance stipulates a 15-foot setback from waterways and storm drains, usage bans during the summer and year-round bans on nutrient phosphorous.

Also up for second reading is an ordinance amending provisions for the defense of officials in ethics matters to provide for the cost of defense of the mayor and council members.

Reports and recommendations

In the reports and recommendations portion of the meeting, Mayor Mike Davey will address the selection of the interim village clerk and job announcement for a permanent replacement, talk about crossing guards and report on Tallahassee trips.

Council Member Ignacio Segurola is scheduled to discuss the community group grant and funding application form, the Key Biscayne publicity campaign and Florida Senate Bill 648 on the sargassum seaweed matching grant program. Vice Mayor Brett Moss will also follow up on Florida Power & Light undergrounding and discuss FreeBee grandfathered pricing, while Council Member Allison Mccormick will speak to the school hours update.

Agha is expected to fill in the council on ongoing projects including the federal shoreline protection feasibility study (currently on budget but eight weeks behind schedule), conversion to septic tanks (152 on septic to date), the civic center park at 530 Crandon Boulevard and the PADL Paddleboard Sharing Program at the Beach Park. She will also provide a 1st quarter financial report for revenue and expenditures between Oct.1, 2018 and Sept. 30, 2019 along with the status of the Village’s Capital Improvement Projects.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Village Council Chamber behind the Fire Station and is broadcast on Channels 77 and 99.

Annali Hayward contributed to this report.