Lynn Landry, Marathon City Council Member, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the city.
The city council will meet tonight at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Landry said, “We’re doing a mental health awareness month proclamation, and then a couple other informational things for the Keys 100 that’s coming through the Keys on May 16. It looks like we’re going to have some kind of a discussion about the golf course again, which I’m not sure what that’s going to be. We’ll find that out tonight, and then hopefully we’ll get an update with the city manager where we’re at with all that, along with some other stuff that’s that’s coming through, we have a watershed management plan that we’re hopefully going to approve tonight that will get us a few more points toward our CRS rating for the community that gives us discounts on our insurance.”
A new Public Information Officer was hired. The city manager search is continuing, as well as a fire chief search.
Landry sai9d, “As council members we can add items under council for discussion, items which we’ve done pretty much every meeting. Most of the time when we add these on last minute or with no real context to it, we’ll discuss it at the meeting, and usually give staff direction on what to do moving forward, if any at all. So looking forward to that, and also we did an impact fee study, which is something we haven’t done in a very long time. Hopefully we’ll adopt that. We see some deficiencies that are impacts that we charge impact fees for public safety, Parks and Rec and roads. Doesn’t really make a huge impact on our overall capital infrastructure, but it does help us move forward with some of the projects and some of the things we’re trying to do in the future.”
It looks like budget time is approaching again.
Landry said, “It seems like as soon as we finish the budget, we’re starting on the next one, at least staff is anyway, but this will be the meeting where we kind of set our draft meetings, or budget meetings, for our draft budget and all the workshops and everything for that. We’ll go over that tonight and try to get that on the calendar as official, so everybody will know what we’re doing and when we’re doing it, as far as the budget goes.”
The state still doesn’t have a budget.
Landry said, “You never know until the budget’s finalized. We have some stuff in the budget for Stewardship and some other things that we’re watching, but once it’s approved and asked to go to the governor, he can veto, line item or full measures of whole sections, which he did last year. So we’re looking at that, but you never really know until it’s actually finished if it’s going to really have any impacts on the city of Marathon. But I’m assuming that they’re going to find a happy medium, but it’s paramount, because they have to have all this done by June 1. We were just discussing, we’re not exactly sure what happens if that doesn’t happen, but they’re supposed to have it done by June 1.”
The splash pad will also be discussed tonight.
Landry said, “We have a resolution to approve the design build contract with the group who is building our state park to move forward with the splash pad. If we approve that tonight, they’ll have all the go ahead and start building that splash pad, which is something. We had a $500,000 donations through the United Way that helps fund that. So we’re going to have to put a little money out of capital infrastructure. And it looks like we’ve saved some money on other projects that we’ll be able to put toward that. So looking forward to that, moving forward. I hope we approve it tonight and get that thing going. I think it’ll be a good addition to this community.”
The Tiki hut has been incredibly positive for the community.
Landry said, “That has been a great, great addition to the community. One of the things we did, we had the neon light skating event about a month or so ago, and what a great venue to have it there under the Tiki hut, with all the neon lights on the skates and everybody wearing neon with black lights under the Tiki. It was a great community event. Our community events committee is doing a fantastic job. And I believe in June, I think it’s June 13, we’re having a Havana nights back there as well. So I think that’s going to be an interesting event. I know all five of us on City Council are very open to community input. We’re an open book. Please reach out to us if you have any questions, attend the meetings or watch them online. We do stream them online as well.”
For more information, click here: https://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/