Consent Agenda: (Public Comment just once for entire consent agenda, TABS 2 - 9)

Tab 2:Minutes from July 7, July 9, School Board/Council workshop July 21, Special Call Council meeting July 27

Tab 3:Approval of expenditures to fix air curtains on two canals ($8,534)

Tab 4: Purchase of Surveillance Equipment for generator building (103 Key Heights) $15,735.  Question - Contractor needed additional $258,000 over contract price to finish this generator building; drop dead date of 12/31/2025 approved by council.  Missed deadline? Building completed 7/10/26, 7 months later than date set by council. ($1,719,162 plus $258,000) Or did we miss something?

Tab 5: Updates to Personnel Manual. From staff report - Following recent employee engagement surveys, Village employees “expressed strong interest in additional benefits, including floating holidays and professional development incentives….  employees consistently identified expanded holiday options and greater flexibility in time-off policies as priorities that would better support work-life balance, improve morale, and help align organizational practices with employees’ personal and professional needs.”

Is there a morale problem that needs to be dealt with in other ways besides more time off?

Tab 6: RFP for Council Chamber Broadcast equipment upgrades. $85,481

Tab 7: Approval of future countywide distribution of Stewardship Funding from the state, typically $20 million/year total for county.  Islamorada’s share would be $2.5 Million of a $20 Million total.  Funding is for water quality - improvements the Village has used for wastewater and canal restoration.

Tab 8: Increase in EMS fees for patient transports by the Village. The increase would average approximately $45 to $100 more per transport and would bring about $50,000 additional revenue into the General Fund annually. It is estimated that 60% of transports are for non-residents of the Village.

Tab 9: Safety Action Plan project to improve highway safety. Grant funded with a 20% local match - which would be $80,000 of the $400,000 cost.

End of Consent Agenda - All items approved in bulk with a single vote, no council discussion. One chance for the public to comment before the vote to approve.

Do you need some help digesting the long complex agenda?

First up: “Reports” (usually no public comment).

• Raftelis Report on Wastewater Rate Study - Important study that could significantly change the distribution of wastewater expenses for all property owners. We’ve been waiting months and months for this study.  The study is not included in the agenda for the public to review.  Still not available?

  
  

  This study is intended to provide data to assure the Wastewater Enterprise fund is appropriately funded, by the users, in a fair and equitable way.

  
  

  The Council approved a contract with Raftelis, December 11, 2025 at $35,000. Attached is the Raftelis proposal as to the scope of the study, with an estimated completion time of 4 months (Approx. April - May, 2026)  

  
  

  Questions we have had -

1. Should all single-family homes be considered equal - 1 EDU no matter the size of home and water usage? Should a tiny 500 sq ft cottage and a 8-bedroom mega-mansion used for vacation rentals both pay the same hook-up fee; the same annual assessment?

2. Are the EDU counts consistently updated when there is a change of property use or expansion, that would suggest a change in EDU counts and added/reduced hook-up charges?

Village Council election on Nov 3, 2026

Seat 1: Anna Richards versus Joe Wischmeier

Seat 2: Steve Friedman versus Deb Gillis (Gillis switched Seats August 11)

Seat 3: Corie McGraw-Abel versus Sue Miller

Seat 4: Don Horton versus Tom Raffanello

Seat 5: Sharon Mahoney, elected, unopposed

Tomorrow (Today), August 18th, the Village Community Center will be a location for the Primary election. The monthly Tuesday Village Council meeting had to be canceled.

Was this primary election a surprise?  

We will now be having the regular monthly Council meeting combined with the Council Land Use meeting on Thursday August 20.

It is an extraordinarily lengthy agenda… 27 tabs, 999 pages!  And it was just made available to the public at 11:55 today - Monday - 3 days before the meeting, with no weekend in between for leisurely review.

We often don’t get an agenda for the Tuesday Council meetings until

the Friday before. That gives the public just 4 days to digest often lengthy (over 500

page) complex agendas over a weekend meant for fishing and relaxation by normal folks.

Does the average resident have that kind of time on weekends to assess

the often complex government matters that could impact them for years to come?

We think not. This is not conducive to public participation for the average resident.

If you are a speed reader with free time, this is for you.

I’m not a speed reader and don’t have much free time.  I am frustrated to think about how a 999-page agenda can be dealt with adequately.

Imagine just 72 hours to read and analyze 27 agenda items - assuming you don’t sleep much.

This type agenda sends a message to the public. “You do not run this Village and you aren’t important.”

If we were on the Village Council, we would insist that the monthly agenda should be available to Council and the public at least a full week before the meeting.

Where are our elected officials? Where is the Village manager? Informing the public is your job.

Additionally, supplemental information is often given to the council upon their arrival at meetings. This eliminates the opportunity for the council to read and analyze in advance and for the public to see the supplement.

Who does that serve?

A government that makes decisions without public involvement may move forward quickly, but perhaps not in the right direction.

Public participation in governance is a practical necessity for crafting policies that are effective, equitable, and sustainable. 

We get lip service and excuses.

Elections have consequences.

Vote for council members who vow to represent you.

Tom

*** Time permitting, we will send an email highlighting some of the issues in the Thursday agenda. Watch for it and attend the meeting****