BY MELISSA PYLE
Special to the Telegraph
The May Lawtey City Council meeting covered various points of concern for citizens and council members, all of which led back to issues of policies, procedures and possible rule changes needed for many of the proposed topics.
The biggest issue of the night was a public records request by Council Member Emily Hoffman. Hoffman, who has been requesting information from the city for months with no results, has hired Attorney Bobi J. Frank to represent her. Frank has sent a Chapter 119 public records request to the city to receive the following: “All emails, telephone records, written notes, memorandums, calendar entries, digital correspondence, written correspondence, incident reports, complaints, and text messages—including messages sent via any and all electronic platforms; mediums—relating to Emily Hoffman, between any member of the City of Lawtey.”
The requested information covers more than 16 months of records. To this request, City Clerk Lisa Harley said she will “have to close city hall down for at least three days.”
City Attorney Dan Sikes said that the cost for this request would need to be stated and a request for reimbursement is in line with previous cases he has handled. Sikes also warned the city and the clerk that “this could be very expensive for the citizens and people can try to ruin government with this kind of request.” He suggested getting the cost up front before shutting down the city to complete the request.
Hoffman interjected with a few questions and statements of her own. She wanted to know why a public records request was brought to a council meeting because it had never been done before. Sikes said because it has never been on such a large scale and the citizens needed to be informed of any possible costs.
Hoffman said, “This stems from the whole thing with the trash, the truck, and the warden. I never got one report that I have asked for in regard to that.” Hoffman continued by addressing her concern that Sikes is currently representing an opposing side in a personal lawsuit against her, and she does not understand how he can represent her as a council person. Sikes said he “represents the council as a body, not an individual.”
Hoffman and Sikes continued to discuss his partiality for several minutes, with Hoffman holding to her stance that she doesn’t understand the legality of Sikes serving as the city attorney when there is a conflict of interest. Sikes held firm to his commitment to offer fair, legal counsel to members of the board as a body, not an individual. Sikes said, “My job is to represent the city of Lawtey.”
The discussion came to a temporary conclusion with Sikes telling Hoffman to call the Florida Bar, to which Hoffman said, “I did.” Sikes said he is not withdrawing as city attorney and told Hoffman she can file a bar grievance regarding this issue. Sikes later clarified that he will also call the bar to ensure he is not in conflict of interest.
Hoffman also addressed the cost and time it will take to send the records to her lawyer. Hoffman said it should not take that long because it “should not be creating records, it should be making copies.” Hoffman also suggested most of these records should be in QuickBooks and should not require paper copies. Hoffman said she will be responsible for all the costs incurred.
Clarification on Brandon Road
Brandon Road is a private road within the city limits of Lawtey. The legality of who maintains the road has been a source of frustration. The residents on the road are currently receiving public trash pickup and water services from the city, but many residents do not want to give the city an easement and are very protective of the road’s private ownership status. This leaves the city without the right to maintain the road, but residents expect city services.
Councilwoman Amy Blom revisited the issue because the road is in such disrepair that the city’s dump truck can no longer drive down the road without damage. Blom said the post office had to start putting the resident’s mailboxes at the end of the road for the same reason. She asked if this was a possibility for the trash, too. Her only concern is that if the trash gets knocked over or wildlife gets into it, that will cause more problems. The council suggested suspending trash pickup service for the residents of Brandon Road until repairs are made.
Members asked Sikes what they can do legally, but he told them they are entitled to decide with regards to trash pickup. As far as further road maintenance, Sikes said he will investigate the issue for further clarification and asked Blom to set up a meeting with him to discuss it and to help establish a solution.
Policies for special recognition
Blom also discussed the request previously made to the city for a special road sign to recognize actor Tory Kittles. She said after researching, they have discovered they need to make a resolution for the city to approve, but she was still unsure about several issues, including criteria needed and the costs.
Blom addressed Sikes for clarity on these issues. Sikes said if the city wants to “they can approve these types of requests on a case-by-case basis” or the city can create a resolution that spells out what is required for a person to receive such an honor. Sikes said the city doesn’t have to legally change the name of the road; they can put up a dedication sign on the road. He said ultimately it will be up to the city’s discretion.
After much discussion, council members decided to set up a workshop to create policies and procedures for special honors requests regarding road signs and other special recognitions.
Recreation board at a standstill
Councilwoman Debra Norman has consistently asked for clarification on the city ordinance regarding recreation board members. Currently the city charter requires seven board members to be appointed to the recreation board. For business to be discussed and approved, at least five members must be present at recreation meetings. Norman has complained that this has been a problem for a long time because most of the meetings can only be attended by three to four members at a time.
She asked Sikes if she could receive clarification on the requirements. Sikes told Norman to set up a meeting with him to go over all these topics. Council member Hoffman commented that the “rec board has been a wreck” before she suggested they have a workshop with Sikes to create a clear understanding of the recreation board’s rules.
In other business:
—the council approved $13,500 cost for the annual audit by Reddish and White.
—Norman requested city hall office hours be adjusted one day a week for the clerk to prepare for audits, work on grants or handle other city business without interruption
—$2,942.93 was approved to repair the city’s backhoe.
—Harley said the new computer system is in the process of being installed and it should allow for the city to begin taking credit card payments.
—a workshop is needed for an economic council to be formed.
—the fire department agreement between the city and the county is under final discussion amongst council members and will be sent to the city attorney for final review.
—inspection of the park and rec center on Middleburg Road has been completed and the city is awaiting the results.
—four crossing guards are needed.
—the police department opened two new bank accounts for RedSpeed Camera funds disbursement.
The next council meeting is June 3 at 7 p.m.
