City Council Holds Last Meeting of 2023

Some might have thought that the calm winds the island has been experiencing during the first four days of December might be an omen for the month ahead, however, that was soon short lived as council moved through some ordinary business, such as the election of a chairperson and vice-chair for the 2024 year. Council chose the present Vice-Chair, Jared Grifoni, to move one chair over to assume the position of Chairman and elected Eric Brechnitz as Vice Chairman. After a short break, they began the journey through a three-hour and 45-minute agenda.

Fire Captain Jesse Yarnell, who began his city service working in the Utility Services Department, stepped forward to receive his 15-year service pin. For the last nine years he has worked within the Fire/Rescue Department and has quickly risen in the ranks and now serves as a Captain within the department.

The next item on their agenda recognized the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in this multi-year celebration of the founding of our nation. The celebration began in 2020 and will extend through 2026. The DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) celebrated this occasion on December 12, 2023 with a community tea party of their own.

That item might have been somewhat of a precursor to the number of citizens who came forward to speak on items which were not on the agenda but were obviously on their minds. Those in attendance were there to discuss a potential change in the city’s Land Development Code (LDC) which some believed would threaten their property values.

The issue began a few months ago when the chairman of a condo board at the south end of the island and across from the Marriott inquired of council whether an amendment could be made to the city’s LDC which would potentially allow condominiums to rent out parking for access to the public beach. The council would refer that inquiry to the Planning Board for their review.

City Staff drafted a potential ordinance which was to be discussed by the Planning Board at their December meeting. However, that hearing was not advertised with adequate notice, and the meeting was canceled, which saw a firestorm of controversy throughout social media and resulted in hundreds of emails opposing those changes.

In the end, Council retracted its request to have the Planning Board review the proposal, and the issue found no support to continue.

Ms. Holmes of Eubanks Court requested that the No Parking signs at the front of the YMCA be removed. Ms. Holmes is an employee of the YMCA, and she has no problems parking because she arrives early, but some of her students do because they arrive late and are forced to park some distance from the main building.

She had met with the City Manager, and he suggested she bring her request to the council. She has circulated petitions to support her position and has received 100 signatures. It was unclear whether these were YMCA members or neighbors.

Historically, when the YMCA expanded its campus footprint one of those conditions to allow the expansion involved adequate off-street parking. It is unclear whether the popularity of the new pickleball courts, which were added within the last 12 to 18 months, may have impacted the parking matrix which was originally designed prior to the explosion of the pickleball phenomenon and the addition of those new courts.

No member of the executive staff from the YMCA made any presentations.

Councilors took the first step forward to bring a Charter change to the voters in 2024. That change would encompass changing the titles of the two Chief Elected Officers from Chairman and Vice-Chairman to Mayor and Vice-Mayor. That change was brought forward by Councilor Grifoni, who now serves as Chairman. That change was originally brought forward by Councilor Eric Brechnitz but was now being championed by Chair Grifoni.

Those positions would be elected by the council for two-year terms from the seven board members.

Vice Chair Brechnitz gave reluctant support to the Ordinance. He still believed strongly that the position should be elected directly by the people instead of the council.

The council would vote 6-1 in favor of the ordinance on the first reading, with only Councilor Rola voting in opposition.

A second change would involve increases in salary for the Chairman/Vice-Chairman and Council Members. The chairman's salary would go from $9,000 per year to $17,200 per year. Councilors would go from $6,000 per year to $11,500 per year.

Councilor Brechnitz cautioned his fellow councilors on increasing the numbers as it may be sending the wrong message and said that service on behalf of one’s community should not be tied to a dollar figure. 

“If we are doing this for the money, we are pretty stupid,” commented Councilor Folley, but he would be voting for it.

The council would vote 5-2 in favor of the change in salary, with only Councilor Rola and Vice-Chair Brechnitz in opposition on the first reading of the ordinance. 

The council also passed a Health Freedom Bill of Rights to mirror the Collier County legislation recently passed. This passed by a 7-0 vote to protect residents from any future overreaches regarding healthcare mandates in the future.

The next meeting of the city council will be Monday, January 8^th, 2024.