City Council Meeting

Detailed briefing

CITY COUNCIL — March 2, 2026 ATTENDEES: Five council members answered roll call, establishing a quorum; the transcript contains inconsistent spellings of their names. • Council selected confidentially numbered city manager candidates 1, 7, 9, 10 and 19 for interviews. The interviews are scheduled for March 14, beginning at 8:30 a.m., with candidate sessions planned for 9, 10 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2 p.m. The recruiter will contact the candidates first; identifying information is expected after they release confidentiality. • Council approved beach restroom contracts of $16,080 for plumbing and $18,850 for three steel doors with an automated locking and unlocking system. The broader project was reported at $47,671.59 against an $80,000 capital plan allowance. Staff said the seasonal restroom generally closes around mid-October and reopens around mid-May. • Council authorized submission of a Community Development Block Grant letter of intent seeking $150,000 for homeowner rehabilitation. The submission deadline is March 4. A volunteer offered to assist with the application, and the city manager said the city would investigate administrative obligations before accepting any award. • Council approved Holy Childhood of Jesus Church’s Corpus Christi procession for June 7 around noon, including a short street closure and no parking during the affected period. About 150 people participated the previous year. Police intend to provide advance public notice through alerts and social media; the exact operational setup remains with police. • Council approved substation material purchases as presented. Discussion focused on lead times of up to 66 weeks, payment timing and uncertainty about how much more equipment must be purchased or financed. Council members requested a clearer project checklist showing purchasing progress and remaining borrowing needs. • Annual reports highlighted both services and staffing pressure. The Parks Board reported $1.6 million in private capital donations from 2021 through 2025 and said programming may need to change when dedicated staff support ends. Police reported 15,148 recorded events, 1,005 traffic stops, 86 crashes with no personal injuries, and $7,617 in parking-ticket revenue during 2025. Worth watching: • Whether the city receives candidate information and needs a second round of city manager interviews. • The final scope, financing and schedule for the substation amid long equipment lead times. • Parks programming and staffing after current part-time support ends March 31. Upcoming: Grant letter deadline March 4; city manager interviews March 14; FEMA reimbursement and bike-path discussions expected March 16; procession June 7. Why it matters: The council advanced leadership recruitment and infrastructure projects while leaving significant staffing, grant-administration and project-financing questions for follow-up.

Agenda items

• 3 · Approval of Agendaapproved
• 4 · Consent Agenda - Bills, Feb 2 and Feb 16 2026 Minutesapproved
• 5A · Selection of Candidates for City Manager Interviewsapproved
• 5B · Parks and Recreation Annual Reportdiscussed
• 5C · Beach Restrooms Rehabilitation Approvalapproved
• 5D · Police Department Annual Reportdiscussed
• 5E · MSHDA Community Development Block Grant Letter of Intentapproved
• 5F · Corpus Christi Processional (Holy Childhood Church) Street Closureapproved
• 5G · Substation Material Quotes and Selectionapproved
• 6 · City Manager Reportdiscussed
• 8 · New and Old Businessdiscussed

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.

Related issues

• Electric Infrastructurediscussed