Dunedin City Commission Work Session – March 18, 2025

The Dunedin City Commission held a work session on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at City Hall, 737 Louden Avenue, convening at 9:00 a.m. and adjourning at 12:45 p.m. Present were Mayor Maureen "Moe" Freaney, Vice Mayor Jeff Gow, and Commissioners Tom Dugard, Steven Sandbergen, and Robert Walker, along with City Manager Jennifer Bramley, City Attorney Jennifer Cowan, City Clerk Rebecca Schlichter, and other staff. The Commission unanimously approved the consent agenda and all four action items, then gave consensus direction to move forward with the Solar Feasibility Study recommendations as part of the FY2026 budget process.

Consent Calendar

• Approved minutes for four prior meetings: the 1/21/2025 Work Session, 1/23/2025 Regular Meeting, 2/4/2025 Work Session, and 2/6/2025 Regular Meeting.
• Historic Preservation Advisory Committee: Reappointed Elly McCook to a regular term expiring 2/1/2028, and moved Amy Connor from alternate to a regular term ending 2/1/2028.
• Motion by Commissioner Walker, seconded by Vice Mayor Gow; carried unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No speaker came forward during the general citizen input period or on any consent/item-specific public comment period for action items 3.a–3.d.
• Solar Feasibility Study: Alan Brand, representing the Sierra Club (the minutes use "Alan Brand"; the transcript renders the name "Alan Moran"), expressed support for the City's clean energy direction but opposed the study's "right-sizing" recommendation to offset only 90–95% of annual load. He argued the Ready for 100 commitment implies sizing systems for 100% and that selling surplus at the wholesale rate is less financially painful than it was ten years ago. He noted the Sierra Club's Suncoast Chapter has three members with professional solar experience and said the City had a resource on the Committee for Environmental Quality (CEQ) with relevant knowledge that was "largely ignored." He also questioned the feasibility of solar at $5–$7 per watt and requested a follow-up meeting with the Commission.
• Mary Schoonover of 35 Edgewater Drive, a former CEQ & Sustainability member, expressed support for the study and the City's sustainability direction, stating the study showed alternative power is "valuable and forward thinking" and makes good financial sense. She encouraged additional workshop-style public engagement and urged the City to use the volunteer talent available across its 37 boards and committees.

Action Items

• 3.a Miscellaneous Consulting Services Contract Renewal & Name Change Amendments: The Commission unanimously approved a two-year renewal of 27 continuing contracts with firms providing engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, survey, and planning services under the Consultant's Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA, in effect since 1973). The amendment adds federal contract language to facilitate future FEMA/storm-related work. Staff explained the pre-qualified consultant list allows task orders to be issued in roughly two months versus a full solicitation process of approximately six months, and that selection is based on qualifications rather than low bid, as Florida law requires for these professions. Several commissioners expressed concern about the nine-year gap between full re-solicitations; staff confirmed a new solicitation process would begin in 2026 for 2027. Motion by Commissioner Sandbergen, seconded by Commissioner Walker; carried unanimously.
• 3.b Award of Bid #25-2503 – FY25 Mill & Overlay: The Commission unanimously awarded the FY25 milling and overlay contract to Gator Grading & Paving, LLC of Palmetto, FL, in the amount of $1,281,850.15, covering 21 street locations. Seven bids were received, ranging from $1,281,850.15 to $1,458,428.05. Staff noted the City budgets $1.5 million annually for repaving and that new camera/vibration-based pavement assessment software mounted on City vehicles will improve condition tracking. Discussion addressed pavement design assumptions (truck traffic, not passenger vehicles, drives wear calculations), the 2% industry-standard drainage slope from the road crown, private road dedication, and whether the program is keeping pace with road conditions. Motion by Commissioner Walker, seconded by Vice Mayor Gow; carried unanimously.
• 3.c Approve Change Order #1: The Commission unanimously authorized the City Manager to execute Change Order #1 increasing Bid #25-2503 by $200,240 plus 45 additional contract days, for an adjusted total contract amount of $1,482,090.15. The change adds 2,956 linear feet of valley gutter removal and replacement, including 1,292 linear feet on Jackmar Road, 1,547 linear feet on Summit Drive and Valley Drive, and additional work on Meadow Lane and Briar Circle, taking advantage of favorable concrete pricing. Motion by Commissioner Walker, seconded by Vice Mayor Gow; carried unanimously.
• 3.d Award Bid #25-2507 – Ranchwood Drive South & Hitching Post Lane Water Main & Under Drain Replacement: The Commission unanimously awarded the construction contract to Evolution Contracting, Inc. of Clearwater, FL, in the amount of $614,675.55. The existing 4-inch cast-iron water main on Ranchwood Drive South has experienced four breaks in five years, most recently in 2023; both it and the Hitching Post Lane main will be upsized to the new standard 6-inch PVC, with two new fire hydrants and 926 linear feet of 6-inch underdrain. The project is expected to take 6–8 months and is entirely within the public right-of-way, with full restoration of sidewalks, sod, and many driveways. Motion by Commissioner Sandbergen, seconded by Commissioner Dugard; carried unanimously.
• 3.e Proposed Agenda for April 1, 2025, Meeting: Approved unanimously.

Solar Feasibility Study Workshop

• Sustainability Program Manager Natalie Gass and Sol Haroon, Director of Renewables at McKim & Creed (participating virtually), presented the municipal Solar Feasibility Study, a 16-facility, 460+ page analysis tied to the City's Ready for 100 goals: 100% clean, renewable energy for municipal operations by 2035 and community-wide by 2050.
• The study's original budget was $100,000; Duke Energy performed building energy audits at no cost, and McKim & Creed's solar analysis cost $51,196, yielding $48,804 in savings.
• Using the Dunedin Public Library as a case study, Haroon explained the "right-sizing" approach: the maximum roof array would be 376 kW-dc, but the recommended 290 kW-dc system offsets 95% of annual consumption, with estimated annual electricity savings of $42,749 and roughly a 12-year payback at $2.00/W-dc. At $2.00/W-dc with IRA incentives, the library's internal rate of return is 11.5% with an 8.6-year payback; at $3.50/W-dc without incentives the project is not financially feasible (IRR 3.6%, 20.2-year payback).
• Key findings: solar PV is financially feasible for most City buildings at $2/W-dc; most buildings are not feasible at $3.50/W-dc without the 30% direct-pay incentive; systems should be sized to 90–95% of load to avoid selling surplus at the wholesale rate; Florida requires grid connection.
• Staff recommended developing RFPs for the Library, Community Center, and Hale Senior Activity Center (which have new or soon-to-be-completed roofs), using Duke Energy audits to guide efficiency upgrades, and reporting clean energy production on a public-facing dashboard.
• Commissioner Dugard expressed concern that the analysis omits negative externalities such as carbon emissions and asked for research on battery storage economics and storm-driven rate increases. Vice Mayor Gow asked about progress toward the 100% goal and battery pricing. Staff clarified the study covers only one component of the broader Ready for 100 plan, which also relies on Duke Energy's Clean Energy Connection Program, energy efficiency, and the resident solar rebate program (25 cents per watt, up to $2,500 per resident, with more than 154 rebates awarded since 2019; the $50,000–$75,000 annual fund has been depleted every year).
• The Commission gave consensus direction to move forward with the study's recommendations to pursue financially viable energy efficiency and solar PV system projects as part of the FY2026 budget process.

Commission Discussion: Caladesi & Honeymoon Islands Letter

• Commissioner Walker proposed a letter on City of Dunedin letterhead urging the State to accelerate restoration of Honeymoon Island (currently open at limited capacity of about 250 cars per day) and Caladesi Island (which may open at limited capacity by early May rather than the reported summer 2026 timeline). The letter would be co-signed by the Mayor, the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, and carried during the Commission's upcoming Tallahassee trip.
• Vice Mayor Gow suggested also sending the letter to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Governor's Office; Commissioner Walker favored a single letter with three signatures — "one letter, one voice." Commissioner Dugard disclosed his membership on the Friends of the Island Parks Board and offered a cautionary note about how the State might receive the letter. The Commission agreed to proceed with the letter.

Informational Items & Commission Comments

• City Clerk Rebecca Schlichter gave no update; City Attorney Jennifer Cowan gave no update. City Manager Jennifer Bramley referenced the March 2025 City Manager's Update Report and noted City vacancies were approaching 45.
• Commissioner Sandbergen reported he would meet with the Toronto Blue Jays about the Fourth of July Hometown USA event. Commissioner Dugard reiterated his concern that the City's cost-benefit analyses should include full environmental costs such as carbon emissions. Mayor Freaney noted the successful St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously (four sets of minutes; two Historic Preservation Advisory Committee appointments).
• 3.a: Renewed 27 miscellaneous consultant contracts for two additional years (unanimous).
• 3.b: Awarded Bid #25-2503 to Gator Grading & Paving, LLC for $1,281,850.15 (unanimous).
• 3.c: Approved Change Order #1 for $200,240 plus 45 days, adjusted contract total $1,482,090.15 (unanimous).
• 3.d: Awarded Bid #25-2507 to Evolution Contracting, Inc. for $614,675.55 (unanimous).
• 3.e: Approved the April 1, 2025, proposed agenda (unanimous).
• Solar Feasibility Study: Commission consensus direction to use the study's recommendations to move forward with financially viable energy efficiency and solar PV projects, to be considered in the FY2026 budget process.
• Caladesi/Honeymoon Island: Commission agreed to send the tri-signed letter urging accelerated state restoration and to deliver it during the Tallahassee trip.

Note on name discrepancies: The minutes identify the Sierra Club speaker as Alan Brand, the staff presenter as Senior Public Works Designer Alejandro Gonzalez, and the McKim & Creed consultant as Sol Haroon; the transcript renders these names as "Alan Moran," "Alison Gonzalez," and "Saul Haroon," respectively.