City Council Meeting - 2026-07-20

Detailed briefing

CITY COUNCIL — JULY 20, 2026 ATTENDEES: Council members Jamie Melky, Wendy Reeve, Tom Graham and Jeannie Benjamin; Kathy Mitchell was absent. A quorum was confirmed. • Council approved $148,824 to rebuild both blocks of Center Street between Lake and Pine. The original plan was to mill and repave, but crews found only about 1.5 inches of existing asphalt. The revised project will remove the remaining pavement, establish an adequate gravel base and install three inches of asphalt. A budget amendment is expected later. • A separate motion approved the recommended street patching discussed as roughly $40,000. Locations included two areas on Glen Drive, an area on Pine Street and work at the public works complex. Officials said completing the patches while a contractor is already mobilized in town offers some financial benefit. • Council authorized the city manager to spend no more than $15,000 replacing the salt shed roof. Written and verbal estimates discussed were above the manager’s existing $10,000 approval authority. The manager said additional written pricing was still being collected. • Council approved a temporary Beach Drive closure for a September 12 wedding, contingent on city staff establishing a charge that covers police and public works services. The request to use the Pennsylvania parking area for wedding overflow was not supported because boat and trailer users may need it. • Council voted to issue an RFP for city planning services. Separately, members reviewed a draft purchasing and procurement policy addressing spending thresholds, professional-service reviews, marketplace testing, local-vendor scoring and sole-source purchases. No policy was adopted; the city manager expects to revise the draft before bringing it back. • Seven written public comments omitted from the online council packet were read into the record. Several asked the city to begin dissolving the Downtown Development Authority. Other public concerns included Second Street and Glen Avenue deterioration, short-term rental enforcement, downtown building height, and unfinished or unavailable facilities at Zorn Park. Worth watching: 1. Council still must receive a budget amendment reflecting the expanded Center Street project and patching. 2. Planning staff may request a short extension of the downtown zoning moratorium while drafting Central Business District height rules. 3. Follow-through remains pending on dangerous-structure complaints, short-term rental guidance, a citywide street-condition update and the Kiwanis building plan. Upcoming: Swimming and s’mores was announced for July 28 from 5:30–7 p.m. A July 30 Planning Commission special meeting and a DDA open house scheduled for July 30 from 5–7 p.m. created a conflict that staff said would be adjusted. The lamppost survey period was described as running through August 4. Why it matters: Council committed additional street and facility spending while beginning broader reviews of infrastructure priorities, contracting practices, zoning and enforcement.

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