The Pensacola City Council meets tonight. They have a full agenda. Here is what happened at their agenda review meeting:
Homeless Blanket Debate Round 2
The Pensacola City Council voted, 4-3, to prevent the city council from changing any of the city’s homeless ordinances, including the infamous “no-blanket” one, until the 11-person task force on homeless makes its report.
Voting Monday to allow consideration of the additional tasks on Thursday were: Johnson, Andy Terhaar, Gerald Wingate and Jewel Cannada-Wynn. Voting against were: Charles Bare, Sherri Myers and Megan Pratt. Absent from the meeting were: Brian Spencer and P.C. Wu.
“The purpose of this is to basically keep these ordinances from being repealed and to kick the can down the street for the next eight months and hope (the homeless controversy) will go away.â€
The task force is expected to make recommendations on viable solutions to help the city help the homeless.
Buttercup Ordinance
Buttercup may earn a reprieve after Pensacola code enforcement proposed banishing her from the city limits.
The 2-year-old, 250-pound potbellied pig owned by the Kirkman family of East Pensacola Heights may become legal, thanks to Pensacola City Councilwoman Sherri Myers cleaning up the city’s animal control ordinance. Buttercup and others of her ilk would be considered a “domestic†rather than “livestock†animal under the law.
The nine-member Pensacola City Council holds Buttercup’s fate in their hands at their regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.
City Council Vice President Megan Pratt almost killed Buttercup’s hopes for salvation when she suggested at Monday’s agenda conference that the city staff research the issue or a public workshop be held before consideration of un-muddying the ordinance.
Myers reacted angrily to any delay, pointing out the North American Potbellied Pig Association and other groups offer plenty of information showing they make good pets. “I am offended. I’ve done extensive, extensive research on this. I’ve worked myself crazy drafting this ordinance. It’s not like we’re allowing anyone to have pig farms.â€
Besides classifying potbellied pigs as pets, Myers’ proposed law requires male pigs to be neutered, allows only one pig per household and prohibits breeding.
Myers challenged Pratt and other city council members to badmouth Buttercup and her fellow potbellied pigs at Thursday’s meeting with television cameras rolling.
“I hope to have the eyes of the nation on this,†Myers said. “This is ridiculous.â€
Domestic Partnership Registry
Pensacola may allow couples living together to pay a $60 registration fee to sign up for the “Domestic Partnership Registry.â€
The Pensacola City Council will consider whether to approve the initiative at Thursday’s regular meeting. The proposed ordinance may be unenforceable outside Pensacola city limits.
The registry, which will compile the names of partners, would allow those who register to make healthcare choices and funeral and burial decisions for their partners.
Projects Stallion, Stork and Flash
The Pensacola City Council was set to discuss economic development projects dubbed Stallion, Stork and Flash.
Stallion (ST Aerospace) will be discussed to iron out how much the city is willing to contribute to the incentive package for the company.
Stork refers to Offshore Inland Marine, which proposes investing $10-12 million and adding 100 jobs, if it can develop another 3.5 acres at the Port of Pensacola. This project has been delayed for discussion until March 13.
Meanwhile, Flash, regards an LED company that would like to relocate to Pensacola and proposes adding 15 jobs with salaries averaging $32,000 a year.