Dunedin City Commission Workshop – March 3, 2026

The Dunedin City Commission workshop was held Tuesday, March 3, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:37 p.m. at Dunedin City Hall, 737 Louden Ave. Mayor Maureen "Moe" Freaney presided, with Vice Mayor Robert Walker and Commissioners Jeff Gow, Tom Dugard, and Steven Sandbergen present. City Manager Jennifer Bramley and other staff also attended. The workshop included proclamations, recognition of Dunedin's 100 years under the commission-manager form of government, a detailed Public Works efficiency implementation update, and a revised Dunedin Marina Master Plan presentation. No members of the public spoke during citizen input or public comment periods.

Presentations

• Florida Bike Month 2026: Commissioner Gow read the proclamation designating March as Florida Bike Month in Dunedin. City staff announced a community celebration on March 14, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Lari White Gazebo on the Pinellas Trail. Representatives from the Forward Pinellas Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee attended, and Commissioner Gow noted that Pinellas County has one of the highest pedestrian and bicycle fatality rates in Florida.

• National Procurement Month: Commissioner Sandbergen read the proclamation designating March 2026 as National Procurement Month. Purchasing Agent Tammy Winton accepted it, and the city was recognized for 25 years of membership in the National Institute for Public Procurement.

• FCCMA 100 Years of Commission-Manager Government: Matt Spoor, FCCMA District 7 Director, presented a certificate recognizing Dunedin's 100th year under the commission-manager form of government. City Manager Bramley noted the city has had 30 city managers and 33 mayors since 1926. Mayor Freaney expressed strong support for the form of government.

Public Comments & Testimony

No citizen spoke during the citizen input period or during the public comment portions of either workshop item.

Workshop Item: Public Works Efficiency Implementation Status

Public Works Director Sue Bartlett, Deputy City Manager Jorge Quintas, and Harry C. Lorick of LA Consulting presented the status of the Public Works Efficiency implementation. The project was described as not an audit, but an effort to optimize performance; implementation is about halfway complete, and the software is only a tool within a larger business-process change. LA Consulting has done this work since 1993 with over 200 agencies.

• The 162-page report produced 75 recommendations. To date, 37% are complete, 46% are ongoing, and 17% have no action taken yet.

• Early identified savings total $564,704: equipment savings of $195,004; staff positions for half a year of $194,230, with a future decision by the Commission; Solid Waste unincorporated County support elimination saving $117,208 net annually; and $58,263 from fuel and maintenance reductions through route optimization.

• Results so far include a reduction of 13 pieces of equipment, compared with only 1 in the prior five years; 8 positions frozen pending data; elimination of Solid Waste service in unincorporated County; and reduced travel and fuel costs. Future improvements planned by July 1, 2026 include full accountability for productivity and cost, service-level agreements, further labor and equipment optimization, allocation based on actual data, and continuous improvement.

• The city chose the Mainstar software, implemented in about 3.5 months, and now tracks 100% of employee work for the first time. The software cost $110,500, with a $35,000 annual fee, is hosted outside the city firewall, and was competitively bid as a flat fee with unlimited users.

• The project includes 119 preventive maintenance strategies, 67 electronic Solid Waste routes, and 135 activity guidelines developed with employees. Short-term weekly scheduling is underway, and dashboards are being developed. The American Public Works Association asked Dunedin to present on the fast implementation at its April 6-9, 2026 conference.

• Additional potential savings were identified through overtime scheduling optimization, pavement management system changes of at least $38,000 per year, and a possible five-day-a-week schedule. A resource allocation opportunity was estimated at $148,358, including $65,366 for Parks and Recreation with another 20-30% unaccounted, and $82,992 for Utilities Department work such as street cut repairs.

Commission members unanimously voiced support. Commissioner Gow praised the management buy-in; Commissioner Dugard described it as a strong example of systems change; Commissioner Sandbergen called Sue Bartlett a good leader; Mayor Freaney said the city is on the right track. No formal vote was taken; consensus was to continue the implementation, with a final report expected in June and additional staff improvement recommendations in July. City Manager Bramley also said she wants to explore rolling the system out to other departments, including Parks Maintenance and Utilities, after full implementation.

Workshop Item: Dunedin Marina Revised Master Plan

Parks and Recreation Director Tony Mulkey introduced Kimley-Horn consultants James Pankonin and Casey Long. The revised plan follows the August 2024 master plan and the two 2024 hurricanes, updating phasing, dock materials, design elements, and the budget. The earlier preference for floating docks remains, and the next decision is the floating dock material.

• Proposed slip sizes were adjusted with Harbormaster Laurie Ferguson. Examples include a 25-foot slip width of 10 feet with 24-inch finger piers; 30-foot slips with 30-inch fingers; 35-foot slips at 15 feet wide; 50-foot slips at 17 feet wide; and 60-foot slips at 20 feet wide. Handicap-accessible docks would have 5-foot-wide fingers.

• The fixed-dock layout would reduce the total from 192 slips to 170 with a different mix, while the floating-dock layout would allow one additional vessel. The presenters noted a slide typo on the 45-foot slip difference, stating the bottom totals were correct and the corrected slide would be uploaded. The parking summary shows public parking unchanged at 72, permit parking increasing from 34 to 38, golf cart parking from 0 to 3, and boat trailer parking decreasing from 17 to 16, for a net increase of 6 spaces; the proposed total should read 129, not 164.

• Key proposed upland and marina features include a shifted boat ramp, traffic calming, a continuous marina walk with shaded seating, an expanded plaza at Olde Bay, enhanced Sunset Park, an expanded day dock and fishing pier with breakwater, reconstructed docks with secure access, a new Captain's Walk on the south and west walls, and structural repairs to the Harbormaster Building. Upland improvements would result in about a 0.43-acre reduction in park space, mostly from straightening the drive aisle.

• Proposed phasing: Phase 1 East Wall modification is under construction; Phase 2 fishing pier replacement is about to begin; Phase 3 Dock A and B replacement is ready to begin design and permitting; later phases include restaurant building repair, Dock C and boat ramp work, south and west walls and parking, fishing pier extension, and parking area modifications. Estimated timing for Dock A/B is FY2028-2029, Dock C FY2030, dredging 2036 or 2037, and south/west/commercial walls 2039-2042, not including seawall replacement.

• ROM costs shown are based on 2026 projections with 6-7% annual escalation anticipated after 2026. Examples include $1.8 million for the fixed fishing pier; Dock A/B replacements of about $1.7 million fixed, $2.9 million concrete floating, or less for aluminum/hybrid; Dock C of about $1.2 million fixed or $1.8 million concrete floating; boat ramp modifications of $2.1 million; south/west/commercial docks of $2.2 million; upland improvements of $3,080,000; and Harbormaster Building repair and ADA improvements totaling $1,072,500.

• Finance Director Les Tyler presented Marina Enterprise Fund scenarios. The floating concrete dock option with full FEMA reimbursement, which is in the FY2026 budget, assumes 7% rate increases from FY2027-FY2031 and 3% from FY2032-FY2035, with an $8.072 million line of credit in FY2026/2027 reimbursed by FEMA and a $1.25 million loan in FY2030 for Dock C. In the worst case where FEMA pays only fixed-dock cost, the plan assumes 7% increases in FY2027-2028, 10% in FY2029-2032, and 3% in FY2033-2035, with an $8.072 million line of credit and a $2.95 million loan in FY2030. Tyler said these increases are lower than projections from a year and a half ago and are not drastic compared with the market.

• Fairway widths were discussed: the north commercial-to-Dock A fairway is currently 92 feet pole-to-pole but only about 75 feet of clear operating width because larger vessels encroach; the proposal uses 84 feet with larger slips, about one foot above the ASCE standard. Other fairways would be reduced by roughly 2-3 feet each, and the boat ramp fairway would go from about 48 to 44 feet. The proposed boat ramp slope would be 12-15%, closer to industry standard.

Commission comments included support for the revised plan with concerns. Commissioner Gow sought to minimize loss of green space and questioned whether the additional parking was worth taking parkland. Commissioner Dugard wanted remaining questions answered, including ramp access, before final approval. Vice Mayor Walker and Mayor Freaney urged accelerating dock replacements, with Walker citing lessons learned from the storms about pilings and floating dock materials. Commissioner Sandbergen said the marina anchors the west side of the city and is a community destination. No formal vote was taken. City Manager Bramley said the plan will return to the Marina Advisory Committee, then come to the Commission for formal adoption, with notice to slip renters. A design contract for Dock A/B will be considered by the Commission on March 19, 2026.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission accepted the proclamations and the FCCMA centennial certificate; no vote was required for the presentations.
• The Commission gave consensus direction to continue the Public Works Efficiency implementation, with a final report in June and staff updates in July.
• The Commission gave consensus direction to move forward with the revised Marina Master Plan as presented, subject to corrected slides and totals; it will return to the Marina Advisory Committee and then to the Commission for formal adoption.
• The Commission will consider the Dock A/B design contract on March 19, 2026.
• The workshop adjourned at 12:37 p.m.