- October 7, 2024
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Palm Coast is looking to update its charter to extend the city’s ability to enter financial contracts.
The city’s charter currently limits the council to loan contracts that are within a 36-month time frame or within a $15 million limit. Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo said the policy limits the city’s ability to enter into pay for capital projects, public private contracts or respond to emergencies.
“Recently, capital projects are more and more expensive, and so this has a significant limitation on your ability to pay for capital projects,” Delorenzo said.
The ordinance changing the charter, by law, requires the Palm Coast City Council vote to approve the ordinance twice and then will be added to the Nov. 5 general election ballot for approval by the voters.
The changes would allow the city to secure loans using future impact fees or enter into public private partnerships — like the one needed to build a proposed sports complex in west Palm Coast, which was proposed last December.
But that is just one way it could impact the city. DeLorenzo pointed out that, as it currently stands, if the city were severely damaged in a storm — say, if City Hall were destroyed — the city would not be able to enter into a contract to fix the damage if the contract were longer than 36 months or exceeded $15 million.
And $15 million today does not go as far as $15million from 1999, he said.
The July 2 council vote was the first vote, and the council approved the ordinance 4-0, with council member Cathy Heighter absent from the meeting.
