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Record of Proceedings

Venice City Council Meeting: Police Staffing, Airport, and Community Center Actions (June 23, 2026)

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, June 23, 2026
BodyVenice, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, June 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 7:02:47

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:54

Police officers are probably the most difficult group to wrangle.

1:03

I mean, we can wait.

1:04

Paul Paul can he doesn't need to go up, so it's okay.

1:09

All right.

1:10

Good morning and welcome everybody for this joyous occasion.

1:14

A council meeting, not anything else.

1:16

Um let's call this meeting to order, Madam Clerk, if you'll do a roll call, please.

1:20

Uh Mr.

1:21

Engelkey is absent.

1:22

Mrs.

1:22

Frank.

1:23

Here.

1:23

Mr.

1:24

Howard.

1:24

Here.

1:25

Mr.

1:25

Smith.

1:26

Mr.

1:26

Weed.

1:27

Here.

1:27

Vice Mayor Bolt.

1:28

Here.

1:29

Mayor Pechota.

1:30

Here.

1:31

Are you protecting us while we're recognizing you?

1:35

Not you, no.

1:38

Okay.

1:39

Lewis, if you if you can protect the room while he does the Pledge of Allegiance, that would that would mean a lot to me.

1:45

All right, we're gonna stand for the invocation, and then Paul will lead the pledge.

1:51

Our father, we pray for this session of the Venice City Council.

1:55

Bless those who are meeting here today with wisdom to guide their discussions and decisions for the common good of our residents, friends, and neighbors.

2:03

In your name we pray.

2:05

Amen.

2:05

Amen.

2:08

Why don't we just do the back of the United States of America?

2:12

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation.

2:27

Okay.

2:30

Well, let's let's go ahead and do this.

2:34

I'm a little hesitant because anything involving Paul is gonna take six hours.

2:37

So it's just I did I did lie to him before we started the meeting.

2:42

I told him we installed new microphones in chambers that were tracked into the floor so that he wouldn't have the opportunity to speak longer than 15 minutes.

2:50

But Master Patrolman Joyce, if you'd come up to the front of the room, Chief Lisenring, and City Manager Clinch, if you'll meet me up front, we're blocking the window.

3:42

So if you guys can just shift so that they can see through the window.

3:45

You can't see the team of people back there, which is kind of eerie, but they are there.

3:51

I've never had to do that in my career.

3:53

Shift people away from the window, but we're having some some tech issues this morning, so forgive me.

4:02

So let's see.

4:28

It's a blank piece of paper.

4:30

It's it's Bob, it's a blank piece of paper.

4:33

Okay.

4:35

I know that's gonna be the first thing that gets written.

4:39

So my interactions with Paul.

4:47

So it's it's very emotional, but humbling to be standing up here presenting him with his 35 years.

4:55

There's so many things I want to say about him.

5:00

Tabitha, everything I say really is is your doing.

5:01

Paul's just taking the credit for it.

5:04

But when it comes to a family man, a man that is so incredibly dedicated to his job.

5:11

Um I remember when I was in EMT school, this was back in 2002.

5:17

There was a show called Third Watch.

5:20

And it was late at night, and this was this was before if there's any kids in the room, before the DVR existed.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Development Code██████████████████18%
Public Safety█████████████13%
Airport Management███████████11%
Procedural██████████10%
Environmental Protection███████7%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Community Engagement█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Venice City Council Meeting – June 23, 2026

The Venice City Council met on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:13 p.m. (with a lunch break from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) to address a full agenda including a police staffing study, multiple ordinances, a quasi‑judicial appeal, an airport environmental review, and approval of a management agreement for the Venice Community Center. The meeting featured extensive community input on the airport and the 816 Ormond Street development.

Recognition

  • 35‑Year Service Award, Paul Joyce, Master Police Officer – Mayor Pachota and Chief Lisenring presented the award, highlighting his career from Explorer to Marine Patrol. Council unanimously recognized his service.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of May 26, 2026, and authorized acceptance of a utility easement from Sarasota County and purchase of the Venice Train Depot Lift Station for $10.00. All items passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Airport Update – Three speakers (Madeline Zubek, Chris Davis, Peter Fasio) addressed environmental concerns, noise, and stormwater runoff. Zubek urged comprehensive testing of Deertown Gully. Davis supported noise monitoring but expressed skepticism about the scope. Fasio praised current airport management.
  • Appeal Hearing (816 Ormond Street) – Five residents spoke against the six‑unit townhouse project, citing traffic, stormwater, height, and compatibility issues. Appellant David Topian emphasized code compliance but asked for conditions on landscaping and stormwater.

Discussion Items

  • Venice Police Department Staffing Study – Dr. Marshall Jones and Dr. Brandon May presented a 123‑page study. Key findings: VPD is understaffed (current 54‑55 sworn vs. recommended 88 for a balanced 50% workload); calls for service increased 13% (2020‑2024), officer‑initiated calls up 20%; response times in north zone (Zone 7) average ~9 minutes, with a 90% increase in calls there; a 2.51 relief factor needed per officer. Recommendations included adding patrol officers, creating a professional standards lieutenant, and expanding detectives from 9 to 11. Council voted unanimously to hold a public safety workshop within 60 days with the consultant.
  • Airport Update (Staff/CMT Presentation) – City Manager Clinch reported on projects: PAPI lights repair (waiting FAA commissioning), remote tower prioritization, landing fees exploration, and noise abatement initiatives. CMT proposed environmental review: stormwater compliance ($13,560), and optional air quality/dispersion modeling (up to $100,000). Council added soil sampling and approved not‑to‑exceed $200,000 for the environmental package, to be funded from airport enterprise reserves.
  • Venice Community Center Management Agreement – Staff and VPAC M (Venice Institute for Performing Arts Center Management) presented a five‑year management contract. VPAC M will operate the center with a $280,000 annual fee, tiered pricing for community/nonprofit events, and a goal to increase occupancy from ~13% to 28% over five years. The agreement includes a 50‑50 surplus split with the city (credited against management fees). Council approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Police Staffing Study – Council unanimously directed staff to schedule a public safety workshop (target date July 17, 2026, or earlier) to discuss short‑ and long‑term goals and financial impacts.
  • Ordinances – First reading approved: Floodplain Management (Ordinance 2026‑07, 4‑0) and Unsafe Structures (Ordinance 2026‑20, 4‑0). Final reading approved: Land Development Code Amendment (Ordinance 2026‑16, 5‑0).
  • Budget Amendment – Ordinance 2026‑21 (increase revenues/expenditures by $255,000) approved 5‑0.
  • Resolutions – Emergency Pay Policy (2026‑07), Public Art Fund Endorsement (2026‑12), and Revised Land Development Fee Schedule (2026‑13) all passed 5‑0.
  • Appeal of Planning Commission Decision (816 Ormond Street) – Site and Development Plan for six‑unit townhouse was approved 5‑1 (Councilmember Smith dissented, citing need for more stringent conditions on buffering and drainage).
  • Airport Environmental Review – Council approved moving forward with CMT’s proposal (stormwater and air quality study) including soil sampling, not to exceed $200,000, with funds from airport enterprise reserves.
  • Venice Community Center Management – Management agreement with VPAC M approved unanimously, effective October 1, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Police officers are probably the most difficult group to wrangle. I mean, we can wait. Paul Paul can he doesn't need to go up, so it's okay. All right. Good morning and welcome everybody for this joyous occasion. A council meeting, not anything else. Um let's call this meeting to order, Madam Clerk, if you'll do a roll call, please. Uh Mr. Engelkey is absent. Mrs. Frank. Here. Mr. Howard. Here. Mr. Smith. Mr. Weed. Here. Vice Mayor Bolt. Here. Mayor Pechota. Here. Are you protecting us while we're recognizing you? Not you, no. Okay. Lewis, if you if you can protect the room while he does the Pledge of Allegiance, that would that would mean a lot to me. All right, we're gonna stand for the invocation, and then Paul will lead the pledge. Our father, we pray for this session of the Venice City Council. Bless those who are meeting here today with wisdom to guide their discussions and decisions for the common good of our residents, friends, and neighbors. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Why don't we just do the back of the United States of America? And to the Republic for which it stands one nation. Okay. Well, let's let's go ahead and do this. I'm a little hesitant because anything involving Paul is gonna take six hours. So it's just I did I did lie to him before we started the meeting. I told him we installed new microphones in chambers that were tracked into the floor so that he wouldn't have the opportunity to speak longer than 15 minutes. But Master Patrolman Joyce, if you'd come up to the front of the room, Chief Lisenring, and City Manager Clinch, if you'll meet me up front, we're blocking the window. So if you guys can just shift so that they can see through the window. You can't see the team of people back there, which is kind of eerie, but they are there. I've never had to do that in my career. Shift people away from the window, but we're having some some tech issues this morning, so forgive me. So let's see. It's a blank piece of paper. It's it's Bob, it's a blank piece of paper. Okay.

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