The commission’s discussion about Chief Ry’s recent 25-day suspension without pay dominated the meeting. This suspension came after a hearing concluded the process, which had been heavily scrutinized by the community. The city manager’s decision to suspend the chief was highlighted, with commissioners noting feedback from the community, including emails and social media activity.

One commissioner openly disagreed with the city manager’s decision, citing concerns over Chief Ry’s history and the negative publicity surrounding his position. This commissioner expressed a desire to revisit the idea of censuring the city manager. This sparked a broader debate among the commissioners about the appropriateness of the city manager’s actions and the role of legal counsel in guiding their decisions.

Another commissioner clarified that advice from the city attorney and HR counsel had recommended withholding action until the entirety of the case was understood. This commissioner highlighted the difficulty in countering legal outcomes, especially when the prosecutor agreed with the plea deal, making it challenging to justify firing the chief after the legal process had concluded.

The importance of adhering to the legal system’s decisions was emphasized by yet another commissioner, who argued that concerns about the chief’s character would resurface if warranted. This commissioner also expressed confidence in the city manager’s decisions, urging the commission to focus on moving forward rather than dwelling on past issues.

The debate revealed a split among the commissioners, with some questioning the chief’s suitability for his position based on past history, while others defended the city manager’s swift actions following the adjudication. This led to a call for a vote to formally express confidence in the city manager’s actions.

Following the heated discussion on Chief Ry’s suspension, the commission shifted its focus to the consent agenda, which included a crucial project involving a lift station generator. This project required an extension until 2025 due to delays in associated grants. Although the generators were scheduled for delivery in November, the commission discussed the installation and noise mitigation measures, noting that the generators would be quieter than standard equipment due to special noise packages.

The commission then turned to the final reading of Ordinance 1166, which involved updating language to align with current FEMA regulations. This ordinance was driven by updates to floodplain maps set to take effect on October 24th. The changes, suggested by FEMA, aimed to reorganize and repeal certain local technical amendments to the Florida Building Code. While extensive, the ordinance did not introduce changes but was intended to complement an ongoing vulnerability study.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing a resolution amending Chapter 70 of the fee schedule concerning utility rates. The proposed increases included a 15-cent rise per thousand gallons for both residential and commercial water, a 15-cent increase for residential sewer volume, and a $3.75 increase for commercial sewer. No changes to sanitation rates were mentioned.

Commissioners debated the potential increase in costs for commercial sanitation, with concerns about the size and efficiency of dumpsters provided by Waste Pro compared to Baldwin Container. It was noted that Waste Pro had an automatic 3% increase built into their contract, similar to the previous contractor, Baldwin Container, which had been disqualified due to incorrect pricing.

Some commissioners argued that commercial customers should bear the costs of rising prices, similar to the way taxes are handled. There was a suggestion to review how Waste Pro’s rate increases aligned with Baldwin Container’s previous rates.

The commission also addressed a development order for a new Circle K location, which raised questions about stormwater management. The development order lacked stormwater facilities in its site plans, prompting inquiries about how stormwater would be managed for the entire parcel, which includes other anticipated businesses. It was clarified that the stormwater facilities designed would serve the whole commercial subdivision.

Finally, the meeting featured a discussion on a proposed $7,000 resident survey aimed at gathering feedback and analytics. Some participants questioned the necessity and cost of the survey.