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Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting Summary - September 18, 2023

City Council — Monday, September 18, 2023
BodyGulfport, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, September 18, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker 1

4:28

To the regular City Council meeting for Gulfport, Florida for September eighteenth, twenty twenty-three.

4:33

Our invocation tonight is given by Vice Mayor Paul Ray, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Speaker 1

5:03

Thanks for the help.

5:04

Well done.

Speaker 2

5:08

Vice Mayor Ray.

5:09

Stephen Coban.

Unassigned speaker

5:12

Vice

Speaker 2

5:12

Mayor Ray.

5:13

Here.

5:14

Councilmember O'Hara.

5:15

Here.

5:16

Councilmember Thanos.

5:17

Here.

5:17

Councilmember Brown.

5:18

Here.

5:18

Mayor Henderson.

5:19

Here.

5:20

City Attorney Salzman.

Speaker 1

5:21

Here.

Speaker 2

5:21

City Manager O'Reilly.

5:22

Here.

5:23

City Clerk Carico present.

Speaker 1

5:25

All right.

5:26

So again, we have the second reading of our uh two ordinances for the millagerate for 2023, 2024 fiscal year, as well as the budget itself.

5:35

So we'll go ahead and begin with ordinance number 2023-10, second reading.

Speaker 2

5:39

Ordinance 2023-10, second reading and public hearing, an ordinance of the city of Gulfport, Florida, providing for the ad valorum tax levy for the fiscal year beginning on October 1, 2023 and ending September 30th, 2024, and providing for an effective date.

5:55

Section one states that a levy of 4.0258 operating mills be placed on upon the total assessed valuation of real and personal property lying within the city of Gulfport, Florida, and said monies raised by the 4.0258 mills shall be used for the general general operation of the city of Gulfport for the aforementioned fiscal period.

6:15

The adoption of the 4.0258 mills is a 13.13% increase over the rollback rate of 3.5587 mills.

Unassigned speaker

6:24

All

Speaker 1

6:25

right, thank you very much.

6:26

Council will entertain a motion.

Speaker 2

6:27

I'll make

Speaker 3

6:28

a motion on 2023 10.

Speaker 1

6:29

Second have a first and a second.

6:31

Public comment on this item tonight.

6:36

Seeing no one council comments or questions on the second reading.

6:40

Okay.

6:41

Seeing none, we'll call the

Unassigned speaker

6:42

vote.

Speaker 2

6:43

Vice Mayor Ray.

Speaker 1

6:44

Yes.

Speaker 2

6:45

Councilmember O'Hara?

Speaker 1

6:46

Yes.

Speaker 2

6:47

Councilmember Thanos?

6:48

Yes.

6:49

Councilmember Brown?

6:50

Yes.

6:50

Mayor Henderson.

Speaker 1

6:51

Yes.

6:52

Carries to passage.

6:53

And ordinance number 2023-11.

Speaker 2

6:56

Ordinance number 2023-11, second reading and public hearing, an ordinance of the city of Gulfport, Florida, adopting the operating budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2023, and ending September 30th, 2024, and providing for an effective date.

Unassigned speaker

7:10

All right, council entertain a motion.

Speaker 4

7:13

Should we accept ordinance 2023 11?

Speaker 1

7:16

Second.

7:21

Seeing no one council comments or questions.

Speaker 5

7:25

Unless anybody before me has a comment.

Speaker 3

7:44

Well, I would second that.

Speaker 5

7:46

It does take a lot of work.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████26%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████13%
Community Events████████████12%
Climate Change█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - September 18, 2023

The Gulfport City Council met on Monday, September 18, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Gulfport City Hall (2401 53rd Street South). The primary agenda items were the second readings and public hearings for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024 millage rate and operating budget ordinances. The meeting also included a consent agenda and council member reports, and concluded with an early adjournment at 6:13 PM.

Public Hearings

Ordinance No. 2023-10 (Millage Rate): The council held the second reading and public hearing for the ordinance providing the ad valorem tax levy for FY 2023-2024. The ordinance sets a levy of 4.0258 operating mills, which represents a 13.13% increase over the rollback rate of 3.5587 mills. No members of the public spoke, and no council questions were offered. The motion carried 5-0.

Ordinance No. 2023-11 (FY 2023-2024 Operating Budget): The council held the second reading and public hearing for the operating budget. Councilmember Thanos expressed concern about a line item related to the historical museum, stating a preference for limiting staffing additions to one person to ensure future council discussion on the matter. Finance Director Cheryl was recognized for her service during her final council meeting. She thanked the staff and council for their support over her nine years with the city. The motion passed 4-1, with Councilmember Thanos dissenting.

Consent Calendar

  • The council unanimously approved the meeting minutes from the September 5, 2023 meeting.
  • The council adopted Resolution No. 2023-74, authorizing the City Manager to provide payment to People Ready for anticipated temporary labor needs for the Sanitation Division.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public came forward to speak during the open public comment period.

Council Comments & Reports

  • Councilmember O'Hara thanked staff (Katherine Egan and Kelly Garcia) for providing birthday treats, recognized the 9/11 flag-raising event, and announced the upcoming South 49th Street Business and Neighborhood District meeting in October.
  • Councilmember Thanos reported attending local events (Food Forest, 9/11 ceremony) and a Suncoast League of Cities meeting where consolidation of planning organizations for Pasco, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties was discussed. He also shared information from a climate change webinar, noting the urgency of sea-level rise (one foot already recorded) and the availability of an EPA $100 million planning grant for the Tampa Bay region focused on clean energy projects like solar panel installation.
  • Councilmember Brown promoted an upcoming Lions Club fundraising event.
  • Mayor Henderson congratulated the Tampa Bay Rays on making the postseason and USF for a strong performance against the University of Alabama.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance No. 2023-10 (Millage Rate) adopted (5-0 vote).
  • Ordinance No. 2023-11 (FY 2023-2024 Operating Budget) adopted (4-1 vote).
  • Consent agenda items approved (unanimous voice vote).
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:13 PM.

Meeting Transcript

To the regular City Council meeting for Gulfport, Florida for September eighteenth, twenty twenty-three. Our invocation tonight is given by Vice Mayor Paul Ray, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thanks for the help. Well done. Vice Mayor Ray. Stephen Coban. Vice Mayor Ray. Here. Councilmember O'Hara. Here. Councilmember Thanos. Here. Councilmember Brown. Here. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Attorney Salzman. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Clerk Carico present. All right. So again, we have the second reading of our uh two ordinances for the millagerate for 2023, 2024 fiscal year, as well as the budget itself. So we'll go ahead and begin with ordinance number 2023-10, second reading. Ordinance 2023-10, second reading and public hearing, an ordinance of the city of Gulfport, Florida, providing for the ad valorum tax levy for the fiscal year beginning on October 1, 2023 and ending September 30th, 2024, and providing for an effective date. Section one states that a levy of 4.0258 operating mills be placed on upon the total assessed valuation of real and personal property lying within the city of Gulfport, Florida, and said monies raised by the 4.0258 mills shall be used for the general general operation of the city of Gulfport for the aforementioned fiscal period. The adoption of the 4.0258 mills is a 13.13% increase over the rollback rate of 3.5587 mills. All right, thank you very much. Council will entertain a motion. I'll make a motion on 2023 10. Second have a first and a second. Public comment on this item tonight. Seeing no one council comments or questions on the second reading. Okay. Seeing none, we'll call the vote. Vice Mayor Ray. Yes. Councilmember O'Hara? Yes. Councilmember Thanos? Yes. Councilmember Brown? Yes. Mayor Henderson. Yes.

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