I took another week off, not because I didn’t want to preview the CRA agenda, I just ran out of time after taking a day to pull out a sleeping bag on Shell Key and sleep under the stars. Helps put all of this perspective. But I’ve been reflecting more about this site and where I started and where things are now.

I’ve mentioned before but now the agenda items are broken down by item when you review them on YouTube. Either with the scrubber or linked below the video. If you haven’t looked in a while it’s a much better experience and will make reviewing meetings easier. Check this past week’s CRA meeting for an example. Also, 18 months ago we were still on SIRE with its horrendously formatted agenda that was impossible to read or follow. I’m not singing the praises of OnBase but it is a better experience. And I have confidence in the staff working on it to make it as good as they can within their constraints. Do I think the agenda could be more readable? Both for humans and machines? Yes. And I’ll continue to advocate for that. I would encourage you to do that as well.

But recognizing that improvements have been made to the process is important. Whether it was due to any of my advocacy doesn’t matter—the progress does. And by recognizing that, it has helped me shape how I can best use my time with this site and my core goals with it. So if you read on the web, keep an eye out on a refresh soonish. For those keeping track at home, I’ve waffled back to keeping the site on WordPress. It’s the best way for me to keep current with best practices on a platform that runs more than 25% of the Internet. (I’ll have availability starting this summer if you’re looking for professional web consulting.)

Jumping to the Full Agenda there are not a lot of action items this week. A lot presentations to open the meeting and then some important topics staff will be briefing Council and the public on.

It’s been fascinating watching all of the vehicles and heavy machinery the city buys. I’d really like to understand though how they decide on what vehicle for what department. I appreciate the city buying hybrids at least in this purchase, but why does Dev & Growth management need AWD Toyota Rav4s that are $6K more than list? There’s probably a good answer but worth knowing. Also, the Parks & Recreation Department needs a therapeutic van so I’m larping on every single vehicle purchase until I see it on the agenda, or at least in the upcoming budget. This is item 65 under the consent agenda.

Item 74 Paving Budget This one is interesting. In 2022 this firm, Ajax was awarded a contract for $8.5 million for road resurfacing. Thursday Council will be voting to approve an amendment to the contract adjusting the final contract down to half a million. Meaning the city budgeted and went through the entire process of hiring a contractor to repave roads only to do a small fraction of the work over the last 2 years.. That should mean there’s now an $8 million budget surplus not to be confused with the extra $7 million that was budgeted to paving for FY24.

Items 75 & 76 Public Safety Master Plan – Police/Fire First, I would like to note the original date of this motion was March 25, 2021 by Council member Viera, seconded by Citro. What is being presented to City Council this Thursday still is not a Master Plan. It’s goals, objectives, and statistics related to the outcomes the community wants but it’s not a plan. It’s not an inventory of what we have, what we need and how much is it going to cost to get there. I have heard Council member Viera directly address this. He pointed to the Master Plan Parks & Recreation created as a blueprint for what he’s asking for.

Speaking of TFR and nothing there, item 77 – quarterly report on station 24 and Fire Maintenance and Supply Facility is a request for a written update on these two projects. Currently there is nothing new in Onbase for this but I trust by Thursday an actual update will be provided. These projects have been in the works long enough there should be some update on progress or alternate plan if they can’t find the land to move.

Item 80 Fiscal Year (FY) Mid-Year Review As we enter the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, it will be interesting to hear where the Admin thinks we are. These have tended to be high level looks at a few select CIP projects in the past, so as noted in the motion “staff to appear and present” we won’t know what direction this presentation will go. Which is fine, it’s informational and as long as any data presented is available after, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Item 86 Racial Reconciliation Committee Nominees Council will be presenting their nominees for the Committee. Beyond that, I’m not sure there’s any clear understanding of what’s next. Voting on the nominees isn’t mentioned. For the record, the Resolution is officially Resolution 2024-344. I think the language of both resolutions are important and will be more so come next February.

Item 88 amending Council Rules & Proceedures Several weeks ago Council brainstormed ideas for how to be more efficient with their time. This is the result in the form of a first review with formal adoption set for June 6. Rules are only as good as they are enforced. It’s my belief after observing Tampa City Councils via various televised forms since 1999, and particularly closely the last 3+ years, is that they never follow their rules so it doesn’t really matter what they finally agree on. It’s the exercise that matters. I think if they’d take more time to write concise, coherent motions for staff everyone’s time would be better spent and they’d be able to have all the presentations and accommodations they wanted. Constantly mired in confusion and broad topics isn’t going to change by limiting the number of staff items on an agenda. But I digress. Have a good week.