Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 05-27-08 regular minutes — reading text

147 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 27, 2008 INTRODUCTION A regular meeting of the City Council of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was held on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, at 7: 00 p. m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, with the members following present: Mayor Mike Anderson Councilmen: Mike Holmes, Dennis Reeves, Bill Garvie, Mayor Pro Tern; Dr. Wayne Pullen Jim Hartwell, and Mike Minich Absent: Councilman Virgil Miller and City Manager Joyce Shanahan Also Present: Helen Spencer, City Clerk; Brandy Wunker, Interim Finance Director; Toni Craig, City Attorney; Department Directors and Media. CALL TO ORDER The Mayor called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone. He requested anyone who wished to address Council to approach the podium after being recognized, then state his or her name and address for the record. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE Pastor Charles Sansom, Sr., Family of Faith Church gave the invocation and led in the Pledge of Allegiance. SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS The Mayor gave special recognition and presented Certificates to the graduating seniors of the Youth Committee Isaac Cooper, Caitlin Corrigan, Courtney Parker, and Korie Schaeffler. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Minich moved to approve the agenda as the business of the day. Mr. Hartwell seconded motion and it carried unanimously with Holmes, Reeves, Garvie, Pullen, Hartwell, and Minich in favor (Miller absent). CONSENT AGENDA Mr. Minich moved to approve the following consent agenda items. Mr. Reeves seconded motion and it carried unanimously with Holmes, Reeves, Pullen, Hartwell, Minich, and Garvie in favor Miller absent). MINUTES Approval of the minutes of the Strategic Planning Session of May 10, 2008, the Council Workshop of May 13, 2008, and the Regular Council meeting of May 13, 2008. REPAIR WELL #2 Award Bid # 08- 116,Repair Well # 2, to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, Donald Smith Company of Headland, AL, for the bid amount of $ 29,442. 00. ITEM REMOVED FROM THE AGENDA PENDING A RESOLUTION Consideration of a request to approve the Citizens Participation Plan for the Community Development Block Grant Program.  Regular Council 5- 27- 08 148 SPECIAL PRESENTATION Presentation of General Employee Pension Fund quarterly reports. Chris Toma with AllianceBernstein and Joe Liles of Merrill Lynch presented their quarterly reports for the period ending March 31, 2008. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS No adjustments were made to the Future Workshop agenda items. AMENDING PROCEDURES FOR ALL CITY BOARDS/ COMMITTEES Consideration of amending procedures for all City of Fort Walton Beach Boards and Committees to include an invocation and the pledge on every agenda. Mr. Hartwell said it was brought to his attention through reading the minutes there were members of a City board who felt uncomfortable with standing for the Pledge of Allegiance or participating in an invocation. He first addressed the First Amendment that " Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof' and his interpretation that it meant the Federal Government could not establish a national church. He said Government was not opposing religion but rather they were opposing a national religion and they were not stopping people from engaging in their preferred worship. He recalled the first prayer was offered in the halls of Congress in 1774 by Benjamin Franklin who made the motion " I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business." He said from that date forward to this day every session of both houses of Congress open with a prayer. He expressed if the leaders of our nation seek divine intervention prior to their governmental business, then the leaders of this City should seek that divine intervention before every meeting. Mr. Hartwell then discussed showing respect for our nation by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before every City sanctioned meeting where City business is conducted. He cited the procedures used each day by national, state, county and city government that open each session with its members standing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to this country. He recounted the first pledge to the flag was penned in 1892, it changed a little over the years with the last change made on Flag Day in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he added the words " Under God" and then said " In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America' s heritage and future. In this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country' s most powerful resource in peace and in war." He expressed that the pledge is a profession of loyalty and devotion, not to a flag but to a way of life, the American ideal. The Mayor noted the procedures for meetings could not be amended tonight as it would require a resolution or an ordinance. He said right now they can discuss moving it to the next step. The Mayor opened the floor for public comment. Dr. David Ward addressed the statistics on the increase in violent crimes, illegitimate births, divorce rate, single parent homes, teen suicides and the decline in the SAT scores since prayer was taken out of the schools. He voiced his support of prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance being standardized in all City meetings. n. Glenn Swiatek, 428 Sherry Circle, current member of the Board of Adjustment and former member of the u Municipal Planning Board, stated neither group opened with a prayer or pledge. He voiced his opinion that opening with the pledge is appropriate since they are governmental agencies. He voiced objection to being told how to pray by any government agency and expressed concern over the effect on the participation of people who want to sit on government boards. He asked Council not to consider an ordinance for the prayer. Regular Council 5- 27- 08 149 AMENDING PROCEDURES FOR ALL CITY BOARDS/ COMMITTEES Reverend Charles Sansom, Sr., President of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Christian Ministerial Association, said they heartily recommend what is being proposed and suggest it be approved because they believe in prayer and to begin these meetings and every meeting in the City with a prayer and pledge. He said the forefathers began with prayer and in 2008 they still begin with prayer in Washington, in the House and the Senate, in the Judicial System, in the State, in the County, and in the City and encouraged Council to listen carefully and be led by God to continue to allow prayer to be a part of what they do in their City and every part of their life. Joyce Gillie Gossom, CRA Chairman, 25 Bay Drive, stated she did not want to speak against or for the proposed amendment, but wanted to address the CRA decision so everyone would understand. She said the CRA Board made a decision to institute an invocation and pledge and several members were unsure whether they were crossing the line in the First Amendment in establishing the practice of a religion so they sought the advice of the City Attorney who provided an opinion. She said because the opinion indicated if they were going to open with prayer or invocation that they had to make it accessible to anyone to pray, in any way, to any deity, of any kind. She said they do not have the attendance as Council meetings so they did not have anyone at the meetings to offer the invocation. She explained because of the concern of several Board members that they were crossing the line and establishing a religion they revisited the issue and chose not to have an invocation, primarily because it was only being offered by one member and they did not have people coming forward to participate in the invocation. She said they did decide to continue with the Pledge Allegiance to the then addressed the many forms that flag patriotism comes in and expressed that prayer is personal. She commented that when the Constitution was written and the Bill of Rights was penned, the majority of the people in this room were not considered citizens. She said that has since changed and perhaps it is time for others to change as well. Thomas Jebb, resident of the next county, voiced his support for the pledge and support for prayer. Doug Reed, CRA member, 842 Santa Rosa Court, expressed his view that Council needs to allow the boards to make the decision on their own and asked Council not to legislate and religion patriotism. Pastor Jonathan Sansom, Gulf Coast Community Church, expressed his belief it is important as a sitting government not to remove themselves from the heritage of the forefathers and his belief that it is wisdom to call for wisdom from God. He asked Council to consider a resolution. Reverend Scottie Thigpen, Beulah Baptist Church, voiced his strong support of the proposal and expressed it is really not about religion as it is about the right to pray and seeking God' s guidance. Pastor Mike Thome, Abundant Life Church, expressed there is no separation of church and state in the constitution, that there is no detriment to having prayer before any function in the nation and it has always been a blessing to have prayer, and voiced support for the proposal. Pastor Charlie Anderson, Fishers of Men Ministries,