Merchants advocate to permit murals.
On September 22, the room filled with residents and city staff including a handful of Scouting America youth and also adults who have joined the Chamber of Commerce 2025-26 Leadership Plant City training.
Mayor Nate Kilton called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Vice-Mayor Jason Jones, City Commissioner Mary Mathis, City Commissioner Bill Dodson, City Commissioner Mike Sparkman, and City Manager Bill McDaniel were present for the meeting. The group stood for an invocation by Pastor Dave Criner of City Pointe Church, and followed with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
During the time for public comments, Rosa Jones came forward. She has appeared at several recent City Commission meetings, saying her street needed repaved, and asking when that would be done. This night, she said that the pavement near her address on W. Ball St. was being taken care of. She asked about the timing for the rest of the street. “I appreciate what you are doing,” she said. A second citizen, Ms. Washington, expressed concern about a retention pond near the corner of W. Bates St. and S. Empire St. that is owned by the city, saying she believes it is currently too shallow to hold enough water to avert flooding, and asked the city to elevate the location. Kilton asked both to leave their information so city staff could contact them to address their issues.
The following are among routine items on the consent agenda that were addressed in one vote.
25-455 – A resolution approving a real estate purchase agreement with Carl L. Carpenter, Jr. and Marilyn S. Carpenter.
25-460 – A resolution authorizing the Intergovernmental Transfer Program with the State of Florida for Medicaid Managed Care Patients.
25-461 – A resolution approving the write-off of various delinquent and uncollectible utility billing accounts.
25-406 – A resolution authorizing the city manager to execute an elevator maintenance and inspection agreement.
25-437 – A resolution authorizing the city manager to take all action necessary to purchase vehicles and equipment approved by the City Commission for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.
The City Clerk’s office brought an item to the City Commissioners:
25-476 – Consideration of a resolution appointing Michael Jemison to the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission. Matthew Buzza’s term expires October 1, and he is not seeking reappointment. It is important for someone from Plant City to have a seat on this commission to represent the interests of Plant City. Vice-Mayor Jones asked those who know Buzza to thank him because he has served in this capacity for eight years and this role is a big commitment. Jemison was the only applicant for the position, and Jones expressed confidence he will be a strong advocate for Plant City.
Commissioner Mathis thanked the large group for coming to the meeting. She informed those in attendance that there is a Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s office in Plant City that can service many of the needs of taxpayers.
25-447 – A public hearing on a resolution adopting the final millage rate for the year. This is the final City Commission meeting for the fiscal year ending September 30, and the final discussion on this matter to set the millage rate at 5.7157 for fiscal year 2025-26, which begins October 1.
25-446 – A public hearing on a resolution adopting a final budget of $147,883,443 for fiscal year 2025-26. Major allocations are:
• $64,359,454 for the General Fund, which is allocated for things like equipment for fire rescue and police, the library, and the Parks & Recreation Department
• $32 million for the Water and Sewer Fund
• $12.6 million for the Solid Waste Fund
• $5.7 million for the Stormwater Fund, which is an increase of $1,178,608 from last year.
• $4.1 million for the Street Fund
25-448 – A public hearing on a resolution adopting a capital improvement budget, which includes an asset management program, for fiscal year 2025-26 and the next four years thereafter. The allotment is $27,868,481 for the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and Asset Management Program.
25-443 – A legislative public hearing on an ordinance regarding a text amendment adding Article XIII Chapter 102, Murals (PB-2025-26). The feature item of the night proved to be the discussion about murals. The presentation of the changes and the discussion lasted for 75 minutes. For the last 10 years, downtown ordinances have restricted murals. This hearing aimed at relieving restrictions to allow for murals on the sides and rears of many buildings. To initiate the discussion, Mayor Kilton spoke about how removing the restrictions in question would open the possibility of murals that some people may object to, and people need to be prepared for this possibility. The idea that someone could have something obscene painted on an exterior is out of the question because other regulations would not permit something like this. Kilton also wanted to make sure there was a clear understanding of what is considered to be the front of a building, for example, a structure that sits on a corner.
Several residents spoke ain favor of mrals, each garnering applause. The merchants advocated for murals because they believe art could breathe life into the historic downtown by tying together past and present. This exterior art could cause downtown to flourish by giving businesses increased visibility, attracting visitors to travel to downtown, take selfies with the art, and linger as patrons.
All items the City Commissioners voted on passed 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:23 p.m.
