CC06-06-2022Min LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
MINUTES
June 6, 2022
6:00 P.M.
Present: Mayor Matt Morgan
Deputy Mayor Tony Boni
Commissioner Abby Shoemaker
Commissioner Matt McMillan
Commissioner Brian D. Sackett
Dan Langley, City Attorney
Clint Gioielli, Acting City Manager
Michelle Longo, City Clerk
David Dowda, Police Chief
Magdala Ridore, Human Resources Director
Molly Ralston, Human Resources Generalist
Trisha Fuston, Payroll/HR Coordinator
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Morgan called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. OPENING INVOCATION. Father Daniel Hickman, with St. Stephen
Orthodox Church, gave the invocation.
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Commissioner Sackett led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcements.
A. The City of Longwood will host a "Longwood Luau" a Hawaiian-
themed party on Saturday,June 11, 2022,from 11:00 a.m. until
3:00 p.m. at Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.
B. The "Downtown Longwood Cruise-In" Car Show will be held on
Saturday,June 11, 2022,from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the
Historic District of Longwood.
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C. The City of Longwood will host a Flag Retirement Ceremony on
Tuesday,June 14, 2022,from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at Reiter
Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.American flags that need to be
retired can be brought to Reiter Park for proper disposal.
D. The "Senior Matinee will be held on Wednesday,June 15, 2022,
from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Longwood Community
Building, 200 West Warren Avenue.This month's feature is The
Marksman.
E. The City of Longwood in partnership with Ladies 327 will host a
"Juneteenth" celebration on Saturday,June 18, 2022,from 11:00
a.m. until 3:00 p.m., at Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.
5. PROCLAMATIONS/ RECOGNITIONS
A. Proclaiming June 19, 2022, as "Juneteenth Day" in the City of
Longwood.
Mayor Morgan read the Proclamation and passed it to the City
Clerk.
B. Recognition of Aaron Holland for his service as the Citizens on
Patrol (COP) Chief.
Chief Dowda recognized Aaron Holland for his service as the
Citizens on Patrol Chief. He then presented him with a plaque and
photographs were then taken.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Presentation: Kathy Jordon, Consultant with Siver Insurance
Consultants to present their summary review and
recommendation regarding the Group Medical Insurance
Program provider.
Mrs. Ridore introduced Kathy Jordon and Siver Insurance the
consultants assisting the City with the preparation of the Request
for Proposals (RFP) and the entire process regarding the Group
Medical Insurance provider.
Ms.Jordan gave a presentation on their summary review and
recommendations. She stated the City received the following
three proposals: 1) Public Risk Management of Florida (PRM) with
coverages provided by Florida Blue 2) Florida League of Cities
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Florida Municipal Insurance Trust (FMIT) with coverages provided
by United Healthcare 3) Humana. Ms.Jordan said the City has
been with PRM for more than ten (10) years, and their proposal
was excellent with a 3 percent increase which in today's
marketplace is very good and it involved no changes. The proposal
from FMIT represented a reduction in the cost of health insurance
which was about a 3.5 percent reduction.The Humana proposal
was about the same cost as PRM. She added there was a
committee of six (6) staff members who reviewed the proposals,
scored them on a number of different criteria, and the
recommendation is to go with the FMIT program. She explained
FMIT is able to administer the same plans so employees will not
have much change in their copayment or deductible.The network
of providers with United Healthcare is actually better than Florida
Blue. Ms.Jordan said they looked at the 100 most used providers
by City employees and their family members, and United had
more of them in network than Florida Blue. Her company's
recommendation is consistent with the committee's
recommendation in scoring.
Discussion ensued including the City will realize $125,000 in
savings from last year with the FMIT proposal; what you have
accumulated in your deductible up until the transfer from Florida
Blue to United HealthCare will be transferred to the new
insurance; employees will receive a discount in services just like
they do now with Florida Blue; more doctors used by employees
are in the United Healthcare network than in Florida Blue.
Commissioner Sackett moved to have Item 12D under
Regular Business moved up on the agenda and handled
now. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Boni and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
12. D. Approve the award for Request for Proposal (RFP) #03312022 to
the Florida League of Cities Florida Municipal Insurance Trust
(FMIT) as the Group Medical Insurance Program provider for the
city.
Commissioner Sackett moved to approve Item 12D as
presented. Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker.
Commissioner McMillan said he like that the City is getting a 6.41
percent decrease over the other proposal at a time when
everything else is going up, and it expands coverage for
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employees in their selection of doctors. He commended the
consultant and city staff committee for a job well done.
Motion carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
Mrs. Ridore thanked PRM and said they have had a great
relationship with them over the past ten (10) years and continue
to have one on the Property and Casualty side. They have been a
great partner. PRM has also offered its assistance in the
upcoming transition to FMIT. She also thanked the committee
members for their help with the proposal reviews which involved
several meetings and several documents. She said the decision
was not taken lightly especially dealing with people's insurance
and money. The committee included Michael Saylor, Utility Billing
Manager; David Dowda, Police Chief; Michael Peters, Fire Chief;
Molly Ralston, Human Resources Generalist;James Miles, Fire
Department Lieutenant; and Matthew Hockenberry, Stormwater
Supervisor. She also thanked Greg Kirby, Purchasing Manager, for
his assistance during the entire process as well as the City
Commission.
Mr. Gioielli also thanked the same group and recognized Mrs.
Ridore for her leadership on this project.
B. Public Participation.
Al Krulick, 750 N.Thistle Lane, Maitland. He said he was here to
introduce himself as a courtesy just as Mayor Morgan had
introduced himself prior to the meeting. Mr. Krulick stated he is a
candidate for the United States Congress from District 7 which
includes all of Seminole County and parts of Southeast Volusia
County. He is visiting all of the cities in the district to introduce
himself, and his website is krulickforcongress.com. If any member
of the City Commission wanted to discuss an item of concern, he
would be happy to hear from them. He said if and when he wins
the election he looks forward to working with the Commission for
the benefit of the people of Longwood, Seminole County,Volusia
County, and of course the country. He left his card with the City
Clerk if anyone would like to contact him.
Kurtus Hayes, 460 Tullis Avenue, Longwood. He said he and his
wife grew up in Longwood and have family here totaling sixty (60)
plus years. His wife works for the Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinic and
a pest control and wildlife business. They have a trailer on their
property with a side-by-side on top of it. They received a code
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violation for it being parked in the front yard. At their home's
location, he said they cannot get the trailer on the side yard due
to the fact one side has an AC unit and water lines. On the other
side,there is a 9.5-foot oak tree and a pool pump. They have sent
multiple emails and could not figure out a resolution other than
building a carport which is a lot of money. Unfortunately, his wife
wakes up every morning at 4:30 a.m. and she is out the door. The
storage places in the area are not available to access the trailer
until 6:00 a.m. so that will not work for them as well. He is
proposing some kind of recoding like paying a monthly fee for
legitimate businesses that are in the community which is tagged
as such paying perhaps through the water bill. This would be
something they would have to apply for and make sure it is up to
code, for example, not having four-foot grass around it. The City
would receive something monthly and the businesses can still
keep their equipment on hand.
Robbie Chartier, 3434 Hancock Bridge Parkway, Fort Myers. She
said she is the PRM Executive Director and she thanked the City
for their ten (10) plus years of partnership with the group health
trust. She also apologized they were inadequately represented in
the city committee interviews, and they are taking responsibility
for that. They will address that issue in their June 17 board
meeting. She wished the City well in their new medical health and
was happy to see they would receive a reduction. Lastly, she
wanted to send a hello from Don Roper, who was unable to
attend, to Commissioner Sackett.
Ryan Ramirez, 141 Fig Tree Run, Longwood. He said he wanted to
address the topic of Longwood Babe Ruth, as well as, Candyland
Sports Complex. He was aware of accommodations being made
for pickleball organizations, and he has been reaching out to local
pickleball leagues and clubs. They have branches in Sanford, Lake
Mary, and Longwood. He suggested building pavilions over the
courts to accommodate players who often are part of an older
population and have the sun beating down on them. He said the
pavilions would be a draw to pull in pickleball players from other
cities to use the new facility at Candyland Sports Complex.
Mr. Ramirez commented in regards to Longwood Babe Ruth. He
said Chris Capizzi gave three (3) options to move forward: 1)
Extend the Longwood Babe Ruth contract 2) Rent out the fields to
private teams or travel teams 3) Seek another league. He recalled
option one (1) Longwood Babe Ruth always being there, as well
as, travel teams so he did not think it was one or the other. He
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thought during the off-season the City can still have revenue from
the travel ball teams coming into the park. He added regarding
the parking, which is a dirt lot, there are no organized parking
spots, and it gets filled up all the time. There is a need for
organized parking spots at the park.
Lindsey Larson, Account Executive. She said she is from the
Florida League of Cities/FMIT/United Healthcare, and she is the
account executive who will be working with the Human Resources
team and the group health insurance moving forward. She
commended the staff on the process and cyber group. They were
diligent with their questions and made sure they were getting the
best insurance for the City. She and her organization look forward
to partnering with the city on October 1.
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District#1. Commissioner Shoemaker said on May 19 she and Deputy
Mayor Boni attended the Tri-County League of Cities Ethics and
Luncheon. She noted it was the first time Deputy Mayor Boni attended
and he could elaborate. On May 30, she attended the Memorial Day
Celebration with VFW Post 8207. The next day, May 31, she attended the
ribbon-cutting for Alta Cypress and noted they are beautiful apartments.
On June 2 she attended the Board Appreciation Dinner, which was very
nice and she thanked Ms. Ralston, Ms. Longo, and Mrs. Ridore. On June 3
she went to the ribbon-cutting for Carstens Closet Boutique, which she
thoroughly enjoyed. The newly opened shop on State Road 434 features
women's clothing,jewelry, shoes, regular sizes, plus sizes, and items for
kids. She added the boutique represents another woman business owner
in the City. On June 4, she attended the Charity Poker Tournament
hosted by the Longwood Historic Society. It was only the third time in
her life she played Texas Hold'em and she was the last Commissioner to
go out of the game. Commissioner Sackett had to leave early so, in
reality, she may have come in second. She said the first annual event was
a lot of fun and she looks forward to the next one.
District#2. Deputy Mayor Boni said he attended the Ethics Course of the
Tri-County League of Cities along with Commissioner Shoemaker. The
instructor included humor which made the course enjoyable. He
reminded everyone of the Flag Retirement Ceremony scheduled for June
14 at Reiter Park. He commented the Longwood Historic Society's First
Annual Charity Poker Tournament on June 4 was a great success. It was
put on by Historic Cigars of Longwood, they were the title sponsor. He
did not play poker but instead, was the master of ceremonies (MC). He
reported the event raised $8,400 for the roof at the Bradlee-McIntyre
House, and he thanked the players, residents, and fellow commissioners
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for their participation. He gave special thanks to the twenty-one (21)
businesses in Longwood for their gift card donations for the top ten
poker players. He said the community was able to get together for some
fun for a few hours and raise money for a good cause.
District#3. Commissioner McMillan said he wanted to observe today's
anniversary of D-Day,June 6, 1944, and thanked his grandfather who was
a veteran of Omaha Beach, and all veterans. He also wished Happy
Birthday to his father who turned 75 years old last week and noted he
and his father share birthdays. He mentioned he posted on Facebook a
birthday fundraiser for Rescue Outreach Mission, of which he is a board
member. He thanked everyone for their quick response and
contributions to the homeless shelter program reaching his goal of$200.
He reported attending the Board Appreciation Dinner, he thought it was
a classy evening and well done. He said he appreciates the volunteers on
the boards; Land Planning Agency, Parks and Recreation, and Pension
who conduct important business, which is referred to the Commission.
He participated in the Charity Poker Tournament and thanked Deputy
Mayor Boni for all his hard work in putting the event together. He said he
was not the first player nor the last player standing, and he had a great
time along with his fellow commissioners.
Commissioner McMillan reported on the true, good and beautiful. For
the "true", he stated how many millions are in a billion, it is 1,000. He
said there was$3.1 billion vetoed in the state budget which is $3,100
million, and to put in that perspective each of the Commissioners is in a
district that has 3,100 voters, and if each one of them had a million
dollars in an entire district that represents the amount cut from the
budget. For the "good", he saw reverence during the Memorial Day
Celebration at Longwood Memorial Gardens. The ceremony conducted
by VFW Post 8207 was well done with Taps played and a wreath laid.
There was another ceremony later at the lunch hosted by VFW Post 8207.
For the "beautiful", he appreciated the ribbon-cutting at Carstens Closet
Boutique. He commented the shop was very stylish and offered plenty of
options for women to look beautiful.
District#4. Mayor Morgan said on May 17 he attended along with Mr.
Gioielli the Mayors& Managers meeting. He learned the City of Winter
Springs continues to negotiate the interlocal agreement related to school
capacity whereas the City of Longwood and other involved government
entities have already come to an agreement with that. He reported also
at the meeting there was a discussion allowing for a better understanding
of unified police dispatching. For the first time, law enforcement
agencies in Seminole County are being dispatched from the same center
that is the Seminole County Sheriff's Office which he expressed gratitude
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for. On May 18, he was invited as a guest speaker for Seminole County
Public Schools, Night of Champions Event. He spoke at an event for
Players of the Year, which honors the athletes from each sport at each
high school. He congratulated the athletes from Longwood who did a
good job representing the City at the awards event held at Hagerty High
School in Oviedo. The next day he helped give a presentation at the
meeting of the Seminole County Opioid Council. Later that day, he did an
interview on a podcast by Fox News with Tyrus, a co-host who is a former
pro-wrestler friend of his. He took the opportunity to explain what he
does as an elected official for the City of Longwood. On May 25,the Wild
Hare Natural Market in Longwood took part in a transition to living
cuisine. He said there has been a change in ownership over the last
couple of years so he was happy to see the new owner continuing to
want to include the community in as many things as possible. Regarding
the Memorial Day Celebration, he said the event was the first time for
the City. In years past, the VFW Post held the event on their own at
Longwood Memorial Gardens. However, he would receive inquiries from
residents asking if they could attend the VFW event and pay their
respects. He thanked Mr. Gioielli and Ms. Longo for their follow-up from
a prior Commission meeting to see what the City could do as a co-host of
the Memorial Day Celebration. He hoped in the future the event could
be expanded to continue to honor those who lost their lives for
everyone's freedom. On May 31 he attended the ribbon-cutting for Alta
Cypress with his fellow commissioners. On June 1, he and his son Jackson
participated in a football camp held by Nate Jefferson and his non-profit
organization called Wishing for A Hero. He explained Mr.Jefferson is a
talented football player and graduate from Lyman High School who is
currently a sophomore at FIU in Miami. His organization raises money for
back-to-school supplies and gifts for children during the holidays. In
addition, they recently held a football camp for grades K-6 for a
discounted price of$15. His son did very well at the camp with the other
children and coaches. Also, the second day of camp was held for grades
6-12 and Mayor Morgan participated as a guest speaker. He commented
on the outstanding leadership Mr. Jefferson has demonstrated at such a
young age and mentioned the city should think about recognizing him.
Mayor Morgan said in regards to the Board Appreciation Dinner many
residents give up time from their families to volunteer for City boards and
committees. The Commission reviews a lot of the ideas and
recommendations from the boards. He thanked Ms. Longo, Ms. Ridore,
and other staff for their hard work on the event. He mentioned he got a
phone call from a woman who has a special needs child in Winter Springs.
She was upset because she was told her daughter could not participate in
the Special Olympics because she did not have a COVID vaccine. He
reached out to the state governor's office and he got a call back from the
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staff, as well as, the child's mother. They showed up at a press
conference with Governor DeSantis. He said thousands of Special
Olympians who were unable to get a vaccine were now able to
participate. He and his wife watched the Special Olympics on tv and saw
the woman's daughter named Chelsea in the opening ceremonies. He
explained Chelsea could not get a COVID vaccine because she is allergic
to one of the ingredients and a doctor's note confirmed that. He thanked
the governor for allowing these athletes with disabilities to participate in
Special Olympics.
Mayor Morgan thanked Deputy Mayor Boni for his many efforts in the
first annual Charity Poker Tournament. He added he is not a poker player
but still participated making large bets with his chips so he could attend
other events. He won three hands in a row to his amazement.
Nevertheless, he said everyone had a great time, and he gave special
thanks to the business sponsors of the event, as well as, the Longwood
Historic Society. He encouraged others to join the historic society and
become involved with the community. He reported attending the
Concert in the Park. He thanked Ladies 327 for helping with the event
which featured food trucks, various vendors, and a band called Switch.
Unfortunately, the weather was bad raining just before the event but
people did attend. Yesterday, he had a Longwood Babe Ruth Board
meeting and thanked the Citizens on Patrol (COPs) group for allowing
them to use their office for the meeting.
District#5. Commissioner Sackett said he attended the Memorial Day
Celebration at Longwood Memorial Gardens. He pointed out it was a
solemn event honoring those who lost their lives in past wars. He added
he wished he knew all the names of the people in attendance along with
their military service. He noted it was nice to be asked to provide the
invocation for the Board Appreciation Dinner recognizing all the people
who work hard in the City. He mentioned Aaron Holland who was
recognized earlier in the meeting for all his volunteer work with COPs.
He described Mr. Holland as a sensitive, kind, straight-forward thinking
man with a great sense of humor. Commissioner Sackett reported
attending the ribbon-cutting for Carstens Closet Boutique. Initially, he
thought the store involved closets but instead, it features women's
clothing and accessories. He said when he arrived he discovered he had
taught the children of the owner before he retired as a teacher. He
enjoyed speaking with them as well as their mother who he also knew
and is now an entrepreneur in the City.
Commissioner Sackett reported attending the graduation ceremony for
his granddaughter from Lyman High School at the University of Central
Florida Arena. He said they went to four (4) parties and all the kids
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behaved well. He also participated in the Charity Poker Tournament and
mentioned he knocked Mayor Morgan out of the game twice but in the
end, another player knocked him out getting all of their chips. He
thanked Deputy Mayor Boni for putting together the event, and his wife
was happy to help with the finances of the tournament. Afterwards, he
and his wife attended the Concert in the Park across the street and
celebrated their 46th Anniversary. He thought the concert was the best
yet even though the volume was loud. Commissioner Sackett said the
next morning he and his wife planned to take a flight to Minneapolis, and
they would likely visit the Spam Museum amongst other stops. He said
while out of town he will miss several events in Longwood but will return
late on June 18. He expressed gratitude for everyone working on all the
activities in the City.
Deputy Mayor Boni asked to recognize key sponsors of the Longwood
Historic Society's Charity Poker Tournament including Historic Cigars
Longwood, the title sponsor, Chianti's Italian Restaurant of Longwood
which provided all the food, Waste Pro USA which provided all the gift
cards for top ten (10) prizes, Orlando Predators which donated two
hundred (200) tickets, and City of Longwood which provided the
Community Building.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA. None.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of May 16, 2022, Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for May 2022.
Commissioner Sackett moved to approve Items 10A and
10B as presented. Seconded by Commissioner McMillan
and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS. None.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Schedule Wednesday, September 7, 2022, and Monday,
September 19, 2022, as regular City Commission Meeting dates
and public hearing dates for the adoption of the Fiscal Year
2022/2023 Budget.
Commissioner McMillan moved to approve Item 12A as
presented. Seconded by Commissioner Sackett and
carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
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B. City Commission to designate one Member of the City
Commission to be a voting delegate for the City of Longwood for
the August 2022 Florida League of Cities Annual Business
Meeting.
Mayor Morgan nominated Deputy Mayor Boni to be a
voting delegate at the August 2022 Florida League of Cities
Annual Business Meeting. Seconded by Commissioner
McMillan and carried by a unanimous voice vote.
C. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 22-1602; Florida
Department of Transportation (FDOT) State Highway Lighting,
Maintenance, and Compensation Agreement.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 22-1602 by title only.
Mr. Gioielli presented the Item.
Commissioner Sackett moved to adopt Resolution No. 22-
1602 as presented Item 12C. Seconded by Commissioner
Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
D. Approve the award for Request for Proposal (RFP)#03312022 to
the Florida League of Cities Florida Municipal Insurance Trust
(FMIT) as the Group Medical Insurance Program provider for the
city.
Item addressed after the presentation by Kathy Jordan under
Public Input.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Gioielli thanked the Commission for recognizing the staff and all their
hard work. He reported the water meter upgrade system to the AMI
system is in progress. The system-wide antenna has been installed, and
some of the test meters have been placed for testing, which will keep the
City on its proposed track of having the entire system upgraded before
the end of the fiscal year. He said as a reminder the upgrade will make
the system more efficient, more accurate, and supports environmental
conservation.
Mr. Gioielli said last October, he reported a peak at the Community
Building where for the first time revenues from rentals exceeded
$14,000. He was happy to report they have exceeded that peak last
month in May with a new record of over$17,000. He stated staff
anticipated a slower summer but it is good to see the hard work,
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marketing, and support from the Commission has allowed for the111
increase of revenue offsetting some of the taxpayers' expenses.
Mr. Gioielli said hurricane season is upon us effective June 1. He wanted
the Commission to be aware and for those citizens watching that city
staff is prepared. He said the city's emergency operations center here
locally is operational and tested. Staff who works closely with the
Seminole County Emergency Operation Center in the State of Florida are
prepared, should there be a need. He added there is an anticipated
above active season projected.
Mr. Gioielli reported staff is engaged with an acoustical engineering
company, and they are facilitating a meeting in hopes of getting started
on options to balance the need for events at the park and doing anything
possible to limit the impact on the neighboring residents.
14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. No report.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT
Ms. Longo reminded the Commissioners of the two upcoming ribbon
cuttings. One will be held Friday, June 10th at 5:00 p.m.for Alestone
Brewing Co., located at 351 N. Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The second will
be held on Wednesday, June 15th at 5:00 p.m. for Doggo Lovers, located
at 460 N. Ronald Reagan Boulevard. She thanked the Commissioners for
their support and attendance at the Board Appreciation Dinner. She
thanked Summer Raines, Records Coordinator for her assistance with the
preparations for the dinner. She also thanked Mayor Morgan and Mr.
Gioielli for their participation and assistance, along with Commissioner
Sackett for providing the invocation.
16. ADJOURN. Mayor Morgan adjourned the meeting at 7:16 p.m.
Minutes approved by City Commission: 06-20-2022
Matt Morgan, Mayor
ATT T:
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City Clerk
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