Clearwater City Council Work Session Summary – January 12, 2026
Clearwater City Council Work Session Summary – January 12, 2026
The Clearwater City Council held a work session on January 12, 2026, at 1:30 PM in the Council Chambers of the Main Library. The agenda included service awards, an update on The Sound performance venue, sunsetting the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, a property surplus transfer, roof repairs and marketing strategy for North Ward Elementary, reinstatement of public comment for non-agenda items, and the city attorney's resignation. Many items were approved by consent, and the council reached consensus on several key decisions.
Consent Calendar
- January Service Awards: Recognized Christy (20 years), Heather Parsons (25 years), and Kelsey Johnson (Employee of the Month).
- The Sound Quarterly Update: Presented by Susan Crockett, CEO of Ruth Eckerd Hall. Reported 59 events in 2025 (up from 24), record attendance for Old Dominion and T-Pain, and ranking third in the world for Polestar. Average attendance increased by nearly 400 patrons per show. The council expressed strong support.
- Sunset Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC): Adopted Resolution 26-01, acknowledging completion of the committee's work for fiscal year 2025-26.
- Surplus Property Transfer: Declared 706 N. Missouri Avenue surplus and approved transfer to the Community Redevelopment Agency.
- Gas System Purchases: Authorized purchase orders for galvanized steel pipe/fittings ($200,000), design consulting for Clearwater Beach Gas Pipeline Intercoastal Crossings ($934,000), and ratification of increased purchase order with Trillium CNG ($15,575.74).
- Dredging Services: Approved a piggyback contract with Bayside Dredging LLC for stormwater dredging up to $750,000 annually.
- Roadway Transfer Agreement: Continued to next meeting due to need for public advertisement.
- Annexations: Approved annexation and initial land use/zoning for two properties on S. McMullen Booth Road and 2265 N. McMullen Booth Road (first reading of ordinances).
- Information Technology: Approved Spectrum services agreement ($400,000 over 5 years) and Accela Inc. renewal for ePermitHub ($388,964.53).
- Customer Service: Approved Cayenta agreement for utility billing system support ($1,192,873.13 over 5 years).
- Marine & Aviation: Accepted FDOT grant amendment ($1,100,000) for parking lot expansion at Executive Airport and approved modular building lease ($147,833.16).
- Public Utilities: Approved purchase orders for ductile iron pipes ($400,000), increase to Odyssey Manufacturing for sodium hypochlorite ($300,000), SmartCover Systems renewal ($438,398.64), and brass fittings ($395,000).
- Parks and Recreation: Approved PBK Architects design agreement for Eddie C. Moore Complex renovations ($1,430,149) and mid-year fund transfer ($740,000).
- City Clerk: Appointed/reappointed members to Brownfields Advisory Board, Housing Authority, Public Art and Design Board, Code Enforcement Board, and Community Resiliency and Leisure Services Advisory Board (seven individuals). Also scheduled strategic planning sessions for February 9 and March 4, 2026, and approved the 2026 State Legislative Agenda.
- City Attorney: Adopted Ordinance 9858-26 (pension plan amendments) and Ordinance 9859-26 (public-private partnerships) on second reading. Approved retainer agreements for two slip-and-fall cases and renewal of workers' compensation agreement.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the meeting. The council discussed reinstating public comment for non-agenda items (see Discussion Items).
Discussion Items
- North Ward Elementary School Roof Repairs and Disposition Strategy: Staff presented two options: roof replacement ($280,000) or shrink wrap covering ($83,000 with a one-year warranty). The council reached consensus to proceed with shrink wrap and to actively market the property through tours and a dedicated website. Staff will prepare for developer interest.
- Reinstating Public Comment for Non-Agenda Items (Councilmember Cotton): Councilmember Cotton proposed reinstating public comment with a 30-minute total limit, 3 minutes per speaker, no time sharing, and positioning it at the end of the meeting. After debate about safety and past disruptions, the council agreed to a three-month trial period. The city attorney noted that a viewpoint-neutral rule is defensible and that the council can adjust the time/sequence. Staff will draft a resolution for the next meeting.
- City Attorney's Resignation (Councilmember Mannino): The council discussed three options: (1) accept resignation as written (effective April 13, 2026), (2) accept resignation effective February 9, 2026, triggering a severance clause (20 weeks salary plus unused leave, estimated at ~$175,000), or (3) set a different date. Councilmember Mannino advocated for option 2 to provide clarity and allow the city to move forward. The city attorney, David Margolis, noted his ethical obligations and stated he would be available for questions regardless. The council reached consensus to accept the resignation effective February 9, 2026, with severance. The city manager and HR director were directed to implement accordingly.
- City Attorney Search Process (Mayor Rector): Mayor Rector recommended engaging Strategic Government Resources (SGR) for the search. Councilmember Cotton suggested three other firms. The council agreed to solicit quotes from SGR and the three additional firms, with a special meeting to be scheduled to select a firm. HR will begin the solicitation process immediately.
Key Outcomes
- Approved all consent items as listed above, with the roadway transfer agreement continued to the next meeting.
- North Ward Elementary: Directed staff to proceed with shrink wrap roof covering and begin marketing the property via tours and a website.
- Public Comment Reinstatement: Directed staff to draft a council rule for a three-month trial: 30 minutes total, 3 minutes per speaker, no time sharing, placed at the end of the meeting. To be added to the next agenda.
- City Attorney Resignation: Accepted resignation effective February 9, 2026, triggering severance (20 weeks salary plus unused leave). The city attorney will be available for knowledge transfer.
- City Attorney Search: Directed HR to solicit quotes from SGR and three other firms (Major Lindsey & Africa, Renee Norlog, Baker Gilmore) and schedule a special meeting to select a search firm.
- Strategic Planning Sessions: Scheduled for February 9, 2026 (9:00 AM) and March 4, 2026 (2:00 PM) at Morningside Recreation Center.
Meeting Transcript
Current market conditions and provide sufficient funding for financial commercial projects and further support to North Greenwood CRA goals. Staff recommends approval of these updates, and I'm happy to answer any questions at this time. Any questions from the trustees? Is there anyone here today from the public that desire to speak to agenda item 4.5? Hearing saying the honors their motion. Motion to approve agenda item 4.5. Second. All those in favor? Right. Proposed, unanimous. And if I can just say one thing, I'd say the best for last. If you want to apply for any of these grants, go to my Clearwater CR.com slash grants. Okay, thank you, Debbie. Appreciate it. Move to agenda item 5.1. Director's report for December 2025. Good afternoon. Hey, Susanito, CR executive director for the record. Today I'll be presenting the director's report for the December 2025 month. Walk you through some of the updates in the downtown CRA, the North Greenwood CRA, and our property disposition strategy. There we go. Thank you, Ed. Don't see it up on the screen. It's just a bit. Thank you. So the agenda overview today, you know, first we'll go again over this downtown CRA updates, second, North Freedom Wood CRA updates, and then the property disposition update. So this one is a very fun slide. You know, we do community of police and innovations in the CRA. That's one of the items we're allowed to spend some of the increment funds. So we have partnered up with the police department on multiple occasions, but this last one was nice. But the CRA does sponsor the purchase of e-bikes for the downtown. So far, they've been very successful to the PD offices. On the agenda, and that is to adjourn the community redevelopment agency meeting of January 12, 2026. And we'll move to item 2.1 on the agenda. Then to public information coordinator, a title she holds today. In addition to supporting her department's programs, Christy manages the city's Facebook and Instagram feeds, and she serves as editor of connection, the newsletter for city employees and retirees. She's a highly skilled builder of content for the city's website. She's built complex web pages such as landing pages for the marina construction, new city hall, launch pad photo galleries, and many more. Christy is always happy to jump in and help her teammates whenever needed. She's a leader among public information team and is a strong mentor for our new employees and interns. She often will step in and land a hand and do whatever it takes to get the job done. In her spare time, Christy and her family can usually be found somewhere at Disney where they visit many times a year. She's a great mom and aunt, volunteering time for her sons and nephews after school activities. Through her work, Christy constantly advances the city's strategic priorities of building a high performing government and developing delivering superior public service. She ensures information is accurate, timely, and accessible, helping residents and employees better understand city services, projects, and initiatives. Christie's collaborative approach, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence excellence strengthen internal operations and enhance public trust, directly supporting the City's strategic plan. Our team would not be what it is without Christy. Her bubbly personality, kindness, and positive attitude make every day better in public communications department. Thank you, Christy. Thank you.
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