Cheat’s Guide to the Village Council Meeting: Oct. 29

The Key News cheat’s guide

Ready for another action-packed evening of discussion, debate and counting how many slices of pizza Council members manage to bolt behind the scenes? (They do feed them occasionally, you know). Let’s go! 

HOT TOPICS

There will be a lot of voting Tuesday, with at least three resolutions and one ordinance.

The prize for most public comments will likely go to either fishing or firefighters. But you know by now to expect the unexpected. 

Firefighters Ron Erbel and Angela Herrera stand to learn the fate of a resolution providing them the same compensation and benefits as designated in a new state law for firefighter cancer diagnoses on or after July 1, 2019 (theirs were before). The matter has been fumbled for many months, as explained in today’s Opinion section by Donald Elisburg. 

Village Manager Andrea Agha said it was a tight deadline to get together a memorandum of understanding with the union that represents Key Biscayne’s firefighters, as well as to gather Council intent. She said she hoped to have this done beforehand so that “it’s not a discussion on the dais.” 

It’s a safe bet we’ll get one though – as long as the MOU is ready and the item isn’t deferred.

Fishing fanatics were a let-down at the last meeting, leading to a ‘yes’ vote on first reading to ban the activity off Mashta Bridge. Will they have rallied for second reading, coming up with a new way to tackle (ahem) the problem? And if so, will four members of the Council vote to back them up? 

Agha said she is hearing both sides from residents and officials alike. 

2020 legislative priorities include beefed-up statements on sustainability, water quality and resilience in light of recent discussions. 

Requests for state funding are threefold: one for $750,000 toward the $18 million stormwater drain improvements package; another for a grant to cover 40 percent of the appraised value of those hot potatoes, the newly-minted pocket parks at 571/599 Harbor Drive; and finally a quarter of a million dollars for further bike and pedestrian safety improvements. Phew.

EVERYTHING ELSE 

Muster your staying power, as it could get very interesting around 9 p.m. (if the Gods are kind – 10 p.m. if they’re not) during Reports and Recommendations.

Council Member Ignacio Segurola missed out on the last meeting, so he has made up for it with no less than seven discussion items. Every one of them sounds intriguing – particularly the mysterious “interns” – but watch out for the library item, the beach water quality item, the plastics, and indeed the use of Suite 200, the former offices of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, with which Segurola has some history. 

There’s also a resolution asking the Council to approve an investment of $180,000 into some analysis of our shores, in order to meet the next steps required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get Key Biscayne included in its federal shoreline protection project. 

“We met with the Corps recently and we are moving forward at a pace,” said Agha. 

It requires hiring consultants, which some Council members have previously expressed a certain distaste for. Bon appetit! 

Look for coverage post-meeting from Key News, and don’t forget you can tune in at home on public access television.