Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 12-04-1990 Workshop — reading text

143 MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 4, 1990 INTRODUCTION A Budget Task Force workshop meeting of the City Council of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was held on Tuesday, December 4, 1990, at 4: 30 p. m.. in the Council Chambers I at City Hall, with the following members present: Councilmen: Jim Wyatt. Mayor Pro Tempore J. C. " Buck" Smith David deVaux Nick Nicholson Absent: Mayor William J. Roberts, III Sid Rosenbaum Tom Maney Cissy Wyninegar Also Present: Chuck Keeler, City Manager; Helen Spencer, City Clerk; Charles Evans, Finance Director; Department Heads; media CALL TO ORDER The Mayor Pro Tem called the meeting to order at 4: 38 p. m. to discuss the Industrial Park ( IP), with hopes of generating a format for which to move ahead with the Industrial Park. INDUSTRIAL PARK Mr. Nicholson said the reason requested this be he placed in a workshop was in September they imposed a moratorium on the Industrial Park to be discussed at a later date to come up with some type of criteria. He feels there are mixed feelings on how it is best to utilize the land or how to sell the land; and perhaps the Workshop needs to look at all the criteria of what is going to be done with the Industrial Park. The Mayor Pro Tem asked if the City is required to bid the Industrial Park. and if that is the case how does Crestview or Pensacola get away with not having to do that. The City Manager said he thinks the Crestview property is put out for bid; he does not know the status for Pensacola. big The Industrial latest issue is, is Parkproperty considered surplus public property, or is I it considered land that was strictly purchased for industrial purposes to create jobs, issue. and that is a legal 144 Budget Task Force Workshop 12- 4- 90 INDUSTRIAL PARK ( CONT.) Mr. deVaux said he does not think there is a problem with clearing up the issues; one of the issues he is concerned with is. if the property is there for industrial use. then he has no problem, if it is there to give the property away at no cost provided it creates jobs. One of the problems is when the property is given away to people who do not create jobs, they are just buying for land speculations, then that is where he has a problem; it should be publicly bid and when the criteria is waived then it should go to the highest bidder. If the criteria is not waived, Council could choose by the amount of economic benefits it will give to the City. When the criteria is waived. that is when the problems begin with other people bidding on the property and whether Council is going to award it to the low bidder or high bidder, they have always had that problem when the criteria is waived and it was established in the newspaper that the criteria was waived for the Industrial Park and the amount of employees, the relocation of existing business both have been waived, that is when the big problems arise. The Mayor Pro Tem stated this is why the Task Force is discussing this to try to establish those guidelines. The City Manager said the number of employees per acre has been waived several times and it has been explained that they would have 20 employees per acre in five years. or in a year. He feels the criteria established now makes provisions for Council to be able to waive certain things. Mr. Jenkens said his company, Acme Moving & Storage, was one of the first to move in the Industrial Park, and asked how Council arrived to sell Lee and Schweizer the property in the Industrial Park on Mary Esther Cut- Off. It was explained Council tock that property out of the Industrial Park and made it public property, then it was appraised and put out for public bid and advertised as surplus property, not as Industrial Park property. It was further explained there was a study done by a Planning Company on that particular parcel fronting Mary Esther Cut- off and they recommended the City rezone the property; then after the City completed the rezoning process, the property went out for public bid. Mr. deVaux said he would like Council to set a policy on what land is available in the Industrial Park for sale, and on how it is advertised to let the public know there is property available for economic development. Mr. Mikel remarked the EDC may be able to answer some of the concerns. He then commented, on the subj ec t of waiving the criteria for employees per acre, that Micro Systems requested a waiver on employees and they are probably one of the biggest companies out there now.  145 Budget Task Force Workshop 12- 4- 90 INDUSTRIAL PARK ( CONT.) The Mayor Pro Tem remarked the way to possibly solve that problem would be to have a review board, and maybe the number of