OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Hart Board of Directors Regular Meeting - February 5, 2026

Hillsborough County Archive View Page — Thursday, February 5, 2026
BodyHillsborough County, Florida
SessionHillsborough County Archive View Page
DateThursday, February 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:37:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:28

Good morning.

0:29

I'm Council Member Gil Schussler, Chair of the Hart Heart Board Chair.

0:32

Please silence all electronic devices for the duration of the meeting.

0:36

Welcome to the February 2nd, 2026 Board of Directors regular meeting, which is now called to order.

0:42

The meeting format is hybrid with board members physically present at the Heart Administrative Offices, 1201 East Seventh Avenue, Florida Conference Room, and participating via communication media technology.

0:55

If you are able, please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:05

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:13

Thank you.

1:18

Yeah, before um before staff takes attendance.

1:21

I just wanted to state on the record that Councilmember Alan Clenden previously notified staff that he will not be attending the meeting due to a scheduling conflict.

1:29

Thank you.

1:29

Okay, staff, please take attendance.

1:38

Present.

1:41

Present.

1:43

Director Knight.

1:44

Present.

1:47

Present.

1:49

Director McConaughey.

1:52

Here.

1:55

Here.

1:59

Here.

2:00

Director Kniebrick.

2:02

Here.

2:04

Chair Schisler.

2:06

Here.

2:07

Director Riera.

2:09

Here.

2:10

Director Williams.

2:12

Here.

2:13

Director Wastel.

2:14

Here.

2:15

You do have a quantum.

2:17

Thank you very much.

2:18

Next we have public comment, which will we will start with a statement for board council, Mr.

2:22

Jeffrey Gibson.

2:24

Thank you.

2:24

Members of the public have the right to speak on any relevant issue during the public comment process.

2:30

However, certain items may be rooted in contract, pending legal recourse, or prohibited by this board's policy, which prohibits involvement by this board in the normal employer employee relationship between the CEO and any other employee or employee or employee union of heart.

2:46

While the public could address those matters, board members are advised not to discuss them during this meeting.

2:52

Thank you, Mr.

2:53

Gibson.

2:54

The Heart Board of Directors welcomes comments from citizens about any issue or concern.

2:59

Your opinions are valued in terms of providing input to the board members.

3:03

When addressing the board, comments should be directed, shall not be directed personally against the board member or staff member, but rather directly directed at the issues.

3:12

This provides a mutual respect between board members, staff, and the public.

3:58

Good morning.

4:00

Good morning.

4:00

I want to wait till uh she pass out this uh copies that I've right.

4:36

Okay, during the last meeting, um, it was mentioned that the board wouldn't deal with the human resources issues.

4:44

So um I brought the book.

4:46

This is your contract that the board signed for uh February 20, February 3rd, 2025, uh September 30, 2027.

5:00

What I have from this book is an article of out of class work, and uh the CAO mentioned last meeting that all his um managers are here and on top of the issue.

5:09

So I want to raise the question about bus drivers versus pair transit, and uh as you can see, uh I put an asterisk or try to put an asterisk by uh six out of class work provisions, and I underline substantially difference.

5:30

So, what I want you to do in private is ask the managers and the CEO.

5:36

What's the difference?

5:38

First is buses, pair transit.

5:42

Is it a significant difference in what they do?

5:46

Secondly, I would like to for you to pay attention to uh C what is it compensation, right?

5:56

So if there is not a difference in how they get pay or a difference in what their work does, I would say that yeah, the pay should be different, and it shouldn't be a class issue.

6:09

Uh uh class, a class work issue, right?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transportation███████████████████████████27%
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████26%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Community Engagement████████8%
Public Engagement██████6%
Procurement Process██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis██2%
Legal█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Hart Board of Directors Regular Meeting - February 5, 2026

The Hart Board of Directors held a regular meeting on February 5, 2026, at the Hart Administrative Offices. The meeting covered routine approvals, public comments, committee appointments, adoption of policy revisions, approval of a priority projects list, a presentation on proposed service changes, and a vote on CEO merit compensation. Key outcomes included the election of Director King as Vice Chair, approval of procurement policy revisions, and a 5% merit increase for CEO Drainville on top of a previously approved 5%.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mr. Green, a member of the public, raised concerns about out-of-class work provisions in the union contract, specifically regarding pay disparity between bus drivers and paratransit operators. He urged the board to examine the policy and warned that a class action grievance could result if the issue is not addressed.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes of the January 5, 2026 board meeting.
  • Approved the consent agenda (items 8A through 8F) from the Finance and Audit and Operations and Safety Committee meeting of January 12, 2026.

Discussion Items

  • Board Appointments: Director King was elected Vice Chair for 2026. Director Nebrick was appointed as regular member to the Tampa Historic Streetcar Board, with Director Williams as alternate. Director King was appointed as regular member to the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), with Director Diebrick as alternate. The alternate position for the Affordable Housing Advisory Board was left open.
  • Policy Revisions: The board adopted revisions to Hart Board Policy 500 (procurement policies), specifically Section 510.01 Procurement Manual. Five changes were approved, including adding a special exemption for litigation expenses, ensuring FTA compliance, incorporating Build America Buy America requirements, and revising selection processes for legal services and CEO recruitment.
  • FY 2032 Priority Projects List: The board authorized the CEO to submit a prioritized list of seven projects to the TPO. Top priorities include bus replacements, heavy maintenance facility, and bus stop improvements. The list also includes support for City of Tampa projects (TECO Streetcar extension and airport-to-downtown transit corridor) and paratransit and BRT projects.
  • Proposed June 2026 Service Changes (Informational): Staff presented a cost-neutral plan to remove routes 24LX, 25LX, and Hartflex South County, while improving frequency on Route 38, adding an extra morning trip on Route 360LX, and adjusting schedules on Routes 7 and 46. Public engagement included 37 events and 212 comments. The plan is projected to add 200 daily rides while impacting 178. Board approval is scheduled for the March meeting.
  • CEO Merit Compensation: After extensive discussion, the board voted 10-2 to approve a 5% merit increase on top of a previously approved 5% (total 10% increase) for CEO Drainville, retroactive to January 5, 2026. The initial motion for 10% additional (total 15%) failed 6-5 on a revote, prompting a substitute motion for 5% additional which passed.

Key Outcomes

  • Elections and Appointments: Director King elected Vice Chair. Board appointments made to the Tampa Historic Streetcar Board, TPO, and Affordable Housing Advisory Board (alternate deferred).
  • Policy Adoption: Revisions to procurement manual approved.
  • TPO Priority List: Approved for submission by February 20, 2026.
  • CEO Merit Increase: Additional 5% merit increase approved (total 10% for 2026), retroactive to January 5, 2026.
  • Old Business: Motion passed to bring back a status report on the TECO Streetcar naming rights and potential monetization.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. I'm Council Member Gil Schussler, Chair of the Hart Heart Board Chair. Please silence all electronic devices for the duration of the meeting. Welcome to the February 2nd, 2026 Board of Directors regular meeting, which is now called to order. The meeting format is hybrid with board members physically present at the Heart Administrative Offices, 1201 East Seventh Avenue, Florida Conference Room, and participating via communication media technology. If you are able, please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Yeah, before um before staff takes attendance. I just wanted to state on the record that Councilmember Alan Clenden previously notified staff that he will not be attending the meeting due to a scheduling conflict. Thank you. Okay, staff, please take attendance. Present. Present. Director Knight. Present. Present. Director McConaughey. Here. Here. Here. Director Kniebrick. Here. Chair Schisler. Here. Director Riera. Here. Director Williams. Here. Director Wastel. Here. You do have a quantum. Thank you very much. Next we have public comment, which will we will start with a statement for board council, Mr. Jeffrey Gibson. Thank you. Members of the public have the right to speak on any relevant issue during the public comment process. However, certain items may be rooted in contract, pending legal recourse, or prohibited by this board's policy, which prohibits involvement by this board in the normal employer employee relationship between the CEO and any other employee or employee or employee union of heart. While the public could address those matters, board members are advised not to discuss them during this meeting. Thank you, Mr. Gibson. The Heart Board of Directors welcomes comments from citizens about any issue or concern. Your opinions are valued in terms of providing input to the board members. When addressing the board, comments should be directed, shall not be directed personally against the board member or staff member, but rather directly directed at the issues. This provides a mutual respect between board members, staff, and the public. Good morning. Good morning. I want to wait till uh she pass out this uh copies that I've right. Okay, during the last meeting, um, it was mentioned that the board wouldn't deal with the human resources issues. So um I brought the book.

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