Water quality concerns including a stomach illness linked to water; call for countywide boil-water notice announcements; allegations of a 'rogue council' with charter violations by the city attorney and city manager; criticism of two appointed council seats as illegitimate; allegation that the vice mayor accepted developer campaign donations and voted in their favor and authored a 2024 ballot charter amendment; opposition to any budget increases.
Criticism of a 2021-2022 council decision awarding a contract for a traffic light coordination system that has not worked; traffic signal wait times on SR-100; claim that Council Member Sullivan did not respond to an email (Sullivan disputed this from the dais); street flooding and mosquitoes in the speaker's neighborhood section; allegations about a Republican party group targeting candidates; a councilman allegedly barred from developments in Georgia and by the federal government for tax non-payment; water problems since 2020 and a council member's comment about affording $300/month water bills; developer contributions to council members.
Request for Chapter 8 city code rewrite to address: tethering (prohibit unattended tethering); outdoor shelter structural requirements (waterproof roof, ventilated walls, raised floor, ban on metal barrels/uninsulated sheds); overnight outdoor confinement ban (10pm–6am); hobby breeder permit restrictions modeled on Volusia County guidelines (national registry membership, microchipping, two-litter annual cap, written return plan, ongoing inspections).
Staff presented the proposed FY2027 general fund, IT operations, and facilities budget.
City Manager McGlothlin framed the recommended starting millage of 4.2296 as necessary given frozen positions, no new general fund hires, no COLA, capped 3% merit, and rising operational costs.
Finance staff walked through revenues, expenditures, and department budgets.
Flagler County Property Appraiser Jay Gardner testified on the projected fiscal impact of the proposed homestead exemption ballot amendment ($12–22 million to Palm Coast in years one and two per state revenue estimating conference figures).
Department heads presented fire, parks and recreation, public works, and IT budgets.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office represented the request for nine additional deputies ($1 million, unfunded in the base budget).
Council reached consensus to set the maximum millage at 4.2296, directed staff to research: keeping the Flagler Humane Society contract at current $156/animal rate; adding two public works FTEs without vehicles; finding funding for nine sheriff's deputies; analyzing Southern Recreation Center revenue growth options; reviewing the merit increase pool data; and assessing whether a complaint-based code enforcement model could reduce costs.
Staff reported approximately $960,000 remained from the $1.5 million approved for Indian Trails Sports Complex parking after completing that project in-house for roughly $540,000.
Five potential uses were presented: safety netting for the large baseball field (~$110,000), new batting cages (~$40,000 city share plus Little League contribution), a bullpen fence upgrade (~$10,000), Southern Recreation Center additional parking (~$800,000 scaled back to available funds), and a conceptual concrete skate park (costs ranging from $1.8M+ for full regional facilities).
Council reached consensus to proceed with the safety improvements at Indian Trails and the SRC parking expansion; the skate park was acknowledged as a SAP priority to be incorporated into the August CIP presentation and the forthcoming YMCA/Freda Zamba site master plans, with staff asked to explore cost of design and piggyback contract options.
Palm Coast Little League president and three youth skate park advocates spoke during the public comment period on this item.
Staff presented the annual 2026 nuisance abatement initial assessment resolution, covering wildfire mitigation, hazardous trees, unsecured structures, bulk trash, and illegal dumping abatements.
The city has collected $521,193 through the non-ad valorem tax roll from 2021–2025 with a consistent 98–99% collection rate.
The current year cycle shows $314,245 billed, $195,170 collected, and $119,075 remaining before the September 1 final assessment deadline.
Council had no questions and no public comment was received.
The item will proceed to the September 1, 2026 business meeting for the final assessment.
Staff presented the CDBG Federal Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Action Plan for adoption.
The total grant allocation is $481,889, allocated as: home repair ($299,606), first-time homebuyers ($50,000), public service mini-grants ($37,283), summer camp program ($35,000), and planning/administration ($60,000).
The 30-day public comment period has been completed.
The item will go to a public hearing at the July 22 business meeting before submission to HUD by August 16, 2026.
No council questions or public comments were received.
Staff presented CDBG program updates including: implementation of new case-management software (shared with Flagler County SHIP program allowing single application for both programs); launch of a public housing dashboard on the city website with demographic data and incentive strategy progress tracking; staff achieving Community Land Trust (CLT) certification; an HUD annual meeting update noting increased monitoring and environmental review requirements; and the 2026 Housing Empowerment Series schedule with a class and free counseling this Saturday at the Southern Recreation Center.
Council Member Miller asked about advertising; staff confirmed social media and web promotion beginning the following day.
No public comment was received.
Southern Recreation Center revenue opportunity: calculation showing that raising the approximately 4,200 pickleball memberships by $100/year would generate $420,000; suggestion of family and senior membership tiers; additional revenue from community and professional tournaments.
General fund budget gap: from FY2025 actual to FY2027 proposed, revenues are up ~13.5% while expenses are up ~18.5%; concern that the $2.5 million shortfall figure understated total needs when unfunded roads program ($9.9 million deficit) is included; request that code enforcement changes include explicit level-of-service standards so cuts do not become arbitrary service reductions.
Southern Recreation Center: request that council not make rash decisions about the facility; stated the speaker has sent an email about an unspecified matter the council was notified of; urged council to include community members with relevant expertise in revenue and tournament planning decisions.
Support for Palm Coast Little League batting cage project and Indian Trails Sports Complex improvements; praise for staff professionalism; framing of batting cages as investment in youth athletics, confidence building, and regional tournament capacity.
Youth advocacy for a concrete skate park: speaker is 12 years old; attended a Tampa skateboard camp; cited city's own research standard of 10,000 sq ft per 25,000 residents meaning Palm Coast should have 44,000+ sq ft; current parks (Ralph Carter 4,900 sq ft prefab; Wadsworth prefab) do not meet modern needs; asked council to fund a modern concrete skate park as investment in youth health, confidence, and community.
Youth advocacy for a concrete skate park: speaker is 15 years old; noted small overcrowded parks cause accidents; a larger park accommodates beginners and experienced riders, skateboarders, BMX, rollerblades, and scooters; families can watch and spend time together; asked council to invest in a facility that grows with the city.
Advocacy for concrete skate park and for a more central location than the YMCA site; grew up near Team Pain's Park in Sarasota; prefers concrete for durability and smoothness; noted batting cages improve sport performance but a skate park is more broadly foundational for youth who need a place to fit in; observed a Bible study has been meeting at a local skate park, illustrating broader community use.
Advocacy for skate park in a location more accessible to B and L section residents; YMCA site too far south; preference for something near B section or Wadsworth-area schools; stated he rarely skateboards himself but frequents skate parks for the social environment.
Advocacy for skate park; echoes desire for better central location than YMCA; lives in C section with friends in B and L sections who find Wadsworth a 20-minute drive.
Support for SRC additional parking and safety features at Indian Trails; also supports a skate park but urges it be properly researched and built in phases rather than rushed; highlights that SRC serves more than pickleball — over 2,600 youth program enrollments in two years, karate, dog park, and other programming; urges use of SRC to generate additional revenue.
The agenda worksheet and calendar were referenced as part of budget process scheduling; the next key dates noted were the July 22 business meeting (for maximum millage adoption and CDBG public hearing) and August 11 (for CIP/capital projects budget presentation).
No separate discussion occurred on this item.