2024-06-12 CC Minutes - Approved

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City of Centerville City Council Meeting Minutes June 12, 2024 in support of TIFF used for prime real estate in our city. She stated as of this afternoon 973 people have signed a petition to ask that City Council not to approve Tax Increment Financing for the LaLonde proposal. She stated that now, if 970 signatures may not seem like much, she wanted to put it into some perspective. She also stated 973 is equivalent to 36% of the City’s population for 18 years of age or older. She also stated that it was also equivalent to 68% of Centerville residents who voted in the last mayoral election. She also stated that 973 signatures on a petition for a small town like Centerville is significant. She stated that she was submitted the petition for the official record and in addition to collecting signatures for the petition, she reported that she visited 115 homes going door-to-door and speaking with Centerville neighbors and of all the people she spoke with, I found only three people who supported the use of TIF in this project. She reported that 97% of residents that she spoke with opposed it. She stated that if the Council was in any doubt about the use of TIF for future projects, please remember this effort around the petition. Lastly, she wanted to ask City Council members to re-examine the Master Plan aa throughout this process she had heard multiple times that the Master Plan is the City’s guiding document for all development in Centerville as it was based on strong citizen input at the time that it was created in 2006. As Planning & Zoning Commissioner Jeannie Seppala mentioned at the May 7, 2024, public hearing and former Commissioner Linda Broussard-Vickers said at a Planning & Zoning meeting last October, that the Master Plan may no longer represent current citizens of Centerville. She stated that in her career she worked as an organization development professional in public higher education and has led colleges, universities and nonprofits through planning and engagement efforts. She stated that in her experience, no successful organization bases its decisions on a planning document with public input that is nearly 20 years old. She stated that she felt it was time for a refresh. She reported that she spoke with Council Member Raye Taylor the day prior and that she had commented that the public discourse surrounding the LaLonde proposal and that TIF has been stressful. She stated that she had understood that, and that Council probably had received tons of calls and lots of emails. She stated that, but what she said really stuck with her and could be seen as a catalyst for positive change and that she agreed with that. She also stated that people are paying attention and that they have engagement here in Centerville and that people care. She encouraged them to take advantage of this moment in time and engage residents in working on a new plan that serves the city and its residents. She thanked Council for their time. Mayor Love requested that the audience refrain from clapping, booing, etc. and thanked Ms. Rios for her comments. Ms. Nancy Golden, 1654 Lakeland Circle, stated that she has had the pleasure of meeting many of the Council Members and that a large number of her comments had been mentioned already this evening. She stated that when the journey started for her back in January when she learned of the LaLonde proposal, of course she did not want it as it was in her backyard. She stated that she was not the type of person to get involved in things like this and now she has been attending monthly meetings, watching meetings and that she appreciated that. She wanted to thank Council for their time as she had only been involved in this issue for the last six months and the Council has been involved for a long time. She stated that she appreciated that, and she thanked them. She again stated that when she started the journey, she thought that it was may just her and that maybe she was the only one that thought that a TIF property should not be on that beautiful, prime real estate and that she knew that a large amount of the people that organized and went out and knocked on doors where residents and did live on Lakeland Circle. However, while knocking on doors throughout the community, it was a resounding no TIF. She stated that she met one person who supported it and she met five people that did not support or deny it. She stated that she had enjoyed the conversations that all have had and that she would like all to come together and try to build Centerville into the community that all want and deserve. She thanked Council for all their time and what they were doing. She also thanked everyone that was in the room as she stated that they were all together and everyone in the room made this happen and they are willing to stand up and speak about it. She thanked Council. Mayor Love thanked her for her comments. Page 3 of 7