Regular City Council - March 28, 2023 at 5:30 PM

City Council

Regular Meeting

March 28, 2023

 

The City Council of the City of Titusville, Florida met in regular session in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 555 South Washington Avenue, on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. 

 

Mayor Diesel called the City Council meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Present were Mayor Daniel E. Diesel, Vice Mayor Joe C. Robinson, and City Council Members Herman A. Cole, Jr., Col USAF Retired, Jo Lynn Nelson, and Dr. Sarah Stoeckel. Also present were City Manager Scott Larese, City Attorney Richard Broome, and City Clerk Wanda Wells. Assistant City Clerk Jolynn Donhoff completed the minutes of the meeting. 

 

Mayor Diesel requested a moment of silence. He then led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. City Clerk Wells read the procedures for public comment and participation. 

 

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SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS & PRESENTATIONS

 

Employee of the Month for March 2023 - No action was requested. Police Department Commander Charles Demmon recognized Police Officer Joseph “Joey” Hamm as the Employee of the Month for March 2023. Commander Demmon highlighted Officer Hamm’s nomination and presented him with a plaque and a gift. 

 

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Proclamation - Red Cross Month - No action was requested. Mayor Diesel presented a proclamation proclaiming March 2023 as Red Cross Month, which was preceded by City Manager Larese reading the proclamation aloud. The proclamation was accepted by LaTonya Daniel, Executive Director of Florida’s Space Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross.  

 

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Support Services Department Spotlight - No action was requested. Introduced by Assistant City Manager and Support Services Director Thomas Abbate, the Support Services Department provided an overview of the department. 

 

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FY2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) – No action was requested. Zach Chalifour, CPA, of the accounting firm James Moore & Co. – CPA Tax Accountants and Auditors, gave a presentation that reviewed the following information on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 annual audit of the City of Titusville:

 

 


 

  • The City’s consecutive annual receipt of the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association
  • Auditors’ reports
  • General Fund
  • Business-type funds
  • Pension and Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) funds

 

There was no action or discussion by the Council. 

 

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Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations - No action was requested. Brian Canin, Eliza Juliano, and Angela Coullias, professional planning and urban design consultants of Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. gave a presentation on draft amendments to the City's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations. The presentation highlighted the following concepts: 

 

  • Presentation agenda, project background, and focus areas
  • Goals and key points of the Titusville Tomorrow Vison Plan
  • Creating value
  • Downtown – goals, enhancements, redevelopment initiatives
  • Leadership feedback summaries for the areas of focus
  • Opportunity sites, preliminary concepts, placemaking concepts
  • Identifying mismatches with the Future Land Use (FLU)
  • Designing for good neighbors
  • Planning concepts
  • Missing middle housing and opportunities
  • Vision Plan and gateway goals – leadership feedback, opportunity areas, Future Land Use (FLU) and zoning, lower and higher intensity mixed-use,
  • Key changes to policies and standards for all of the above
  • Next steps and more information at upcoming City Council meetings, etc.

 

Council thanked the consultants and staff for the presentation. Council briefly discussed the City’s vision on these matters, receiving inquiries and feedback from citizens, having tree lined streets, the agenda item was a large project to be phased-in, whether grant opportunities existed, short term goals that made improvements rather quickly, having transitional uses on properties, etc.  

 

Mayor Diesel requested the presentation be posted on the City’s website.  

 

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PETITIONS AND REQUESTS FROM THE PUBLIC PRESENT 

 

During the remainder of the meeting, several citizens spoke on the aforementioned presentation on draft amendments to the City's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations. 

 

Toni Shifalo advised her home was a historic structure in the west downtown area. She commented on objects, structures, and noises from equipment located beyond her property lines and concerns for these issues and for the safety of children playing in the area. On trees, she requested planting more trees, restricting permits that allowed clear cutting of trees, and strengthening tree ordinances. 

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Lisa Mosier requested keeping the parking lot at Mariner Way in downtown Titusville, for reasons she explained. Second, she felt all stakeholders, being downtown property owners, downtown business owners, and citizens needed to connect, join together, and “steer the ship”, in order to keep the health and vitality of the downtown moving forward. Similarly, she advised that a former non-profit agency known as the Greater Titusville Renaissance (GTR) was able to accomplish this several years ago, during an economic recession.  

 

Brief discussion ensued on a proposed or conceptual parking garage, to which Ms. Mosier indicated one concern for parking that persisted was traffic accidents in the downtown, some which may involve Uber drivers stopping along U.S. Highway 1 to let their passengers out of the car.  

 

Mayor Diesel indicated there was a thought to not mess with parking, unless there was an increase in parking. 

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Michael Myjak commented on concerns for the concept to relocate public housing (Titusville Towers). This concept was removed from the plans per the Kimley-Horn consultants. 

 

Second, Mr. Myjak did not support gentrification of a particular area of the downtown and seeing people displaced from places they had always lived. He felt it was okay to relocate industrial because people should not be forced to live next to industrial areas. 

 

Third, Mr. Myjak felt these types of plans were successful on obtaining citizen feedback, but rated poorly on transferring citizen feedback and desires into matrix goals. 

 

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Stan Johnston advised he was a professional engineer licensed by the State. He felt the City failed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public after a prior sewer spill. He said the City did not turn off the fountains where or near the sewer spill occurred. He also commented that nine City streets were affected by sewage following a prior sewage spill. Mr. Johnston continued and expressed his dissatisfaction with City officials and others concerning the sewer spill. 

 

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Member Cole reviewed his concerns about citizens degrading and making personal attacks about the character of individual staff at Council meetings.  Staff worked every day to make Titusville a better place to live. 

 

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With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.