4970 CITY HALL BLVD

NORTH PORT, FL 34286

City of North Port

Meeting Minutes

City Commission Workshop

CITY COMMISSIONERS

Phil Stokes, Mayor

Pete Emrich, Vice Mayor

Barbara Langdon, Commissioner

David Duval, Commissioner

Demetrius Petrow, Commissioner

APPOINTED OFFICIALS

Jerome Fletcher, City Manager

Michael Golen, Interim City Attorney

Heather Faust, City Clerk

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

9:00 AM

City Commission Chambers

CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Stokes called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

ROLL CALL

5 - Vice Mayor Pete Emrich, Commissioner Barbara Langdon, Commissioner David

Duval, Commissioner Demetrius Petrow and Mayor Philip Stokes

Present:

ALSO PRESENT

City Manager Fletcher, Police Legal Advisor Rubino, Interim City Attorney Golen,

Assistant City Clerk Powell, Board Specialist Lane, Police Captain King, Fire Chief

Titus, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Sturgess, Interim Utilities Director

Wisner, and Parks & Recreation Director Pfundheller.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Trish

Sturgess.

1. PUBLIC COMMENT:

There was no public comment.

2. GENERAL BUSINESS:

25-2392

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 City

Manager's Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item.

There were no Commission questions or discussion.

There was no public comment.

25-2380

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 Fire

Department Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided a presentation including organizational

chart, performance measure, budget summary, impact of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 funded

proposal, and recommended FY26 unfunded proposal.

Peter Napoli, Stantec, provided a presentation including rate study, background, 2025

study recap, billing units update, budget updates, updated financial plan, and customer

impacts single-family.

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding decrease with grants,

residential population, growth, national average response time, defibrillator funding,

mannequin funding, partnership, property value and assessment decrease, format of

increase of rates, recovery rate, accounts receivable, impact fee usage, and future fire

station.

There was no public comment.

25-2381

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026

Utilities Department Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided a presentation including organizational

chart, performance measure, budget summary, impact of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 funded

proposal, and recommended FY26 unfunded proposal.

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding Information Technology

improvement, security, commercial growth plan, sewer plant, Peace River, rate

structure, Orange Hammock Wildlife Management Area, utilities rate increase,

maintenance funding, service desk tech funding, revenue, and well and sewer usage.

There was no public comment.

Recess was taken from 10:30 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.

25-2382

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026

Public Works Department Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided a presentation including organizational

chart, performance measure, budget summary, impact of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 funded

proposal, and recommended FY26 unfunded proposal.

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding deferring maintenance,

drainage work, transfer station funding, Solid Waste and Road and Drainage increase,

Solid Waste revenue, road rehabilitation, allocation, impact fee, tax revenue, efficiency,

utility tax, franchise tax, cutting cost, service reduction, recycling, illegal dumping, and

trash pickup schedule.

There was

budget

a consensus to direct the City Manager to increase the proposed

for the Public Works department by $500,000 to address the backlog of deferred

maintenance and necessary repair and replacement (R&R) funds.

Commission questions and discussion continued regarding ratification of budget

increase.

There was no public comment.

25-2383

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026

Capital

Improvement

Program

(CIP)

Public

Works

Department

Recommended Budget

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided a presentation including 10-year Capital

Improvement Plan (CIP) by fund, 20-year comprehensive CIP, CIP overview, CIP

projects by fund, CIP surtax proposals, CIP by department, and CIP for Public Works

Department.

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding funding parking along

U.S.41, and surtax funding.

There was consensus to fund Phase I of the parking project extending from North

Port Boulevard to Espanola Avenue in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, in the amount

of $650,000.

Commission questions and discussion continued regarding impact fees, and split

funding.

There was no public comment.

25-2384

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 CIP

Parks and Recreation Department Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided

presentation including Capital

Improvement Plan (CIP) for Parks and Recreation Department.

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding maintaining current system,

commercial development, CIP overview, investments, impact fees, current projects, and

dog park planning.

There was consensus to not fund the dog park east of Toledo Blade Boulevard in

the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, in the amount of $400,000.

There was no public comment.

Recess was taken from 11:56 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

25-2385

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 CIP

Utilities Department Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided

Improvement Plan (CIP) for Utilities Department.

presentation including Capital

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding wastewater expansion.

There was no public comment.

25-2386

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 CIP

Fire Department Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided

Improvement Plan (CIP) for Fire Rescue Department.

presentation including Capital

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding high-water vehicle (HWV)

ownership, grants, and Police HWV.

There was no public comment.

25-2387

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 CIP

Police Department Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item.

There were no Commission questions or discussion.

There was no public comment.

25-2388

Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 CIP

All Others Recommended Budget.

Mayor Stokes announced the item.

Mr. Fletcher introduced the item and provided

presentation including Capital

Improvement Plan (CIP) for Information Technology Department.

Commission questions and discussion took place regarding office phone usage, Mitel

Phone System, extending CIP project, training, outdated technology, software

implication, and system refresh.

There was no public comment.

Mr. Fletcher continued his presentation including CIP for Development Services

Department.

Commission questions and discussion continued regarding environmentally sensitive

property acquisition, proposed funding, scrub jay habitat, conservation area, additional

conversation land, and tree fund.

There was no public comment

Commission questions and discussion continued regarding funding priorities, increasing

revenue, millage rate increase, additional budget cuts, user fee adjustments, and

Sarasota County housing market.

3. PUBLIC COMMENT:

There was no public comment.

4. ADJOURNMENT:

Mayor Stokes adjourned the meeting at 2:09 p.m.

By: _________________________________________

Phil Stokes, Mayor

Attest: _________________________________________