The Altamonte Springs City Commissioners hosted their bimonthly meeting February 4 at 7 p.m., approving a $100,000 lighting contract and received updates on local projects, grant pausing and the state’s proposed immigration legislation from the city manager’s report.
The commission approved SESCO Lighting, Inc. as a single source vendor for the purchase of materials for street light repair and mainte nance for $100,000 for the fiscal year of 2025.
The Public Works Department requested the increase from the previously approved amount of $50,000 to $100,000 to build up in ventory of repair parts to increase responsive ness to outages due to the four to six week delivery time, according to the agenda memo.
City Manager Frank Martz provided his re port, updating the commission on recent im migration legislation and its coordination with local law enforcement, increases in project costs and grant issues, employee training with Seminole State College and the Florida Depart ment of Transportation’s project.
The proposed TRUMP Act, or Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act, would create a new Office of State Immigra tion Enforcement and make Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson the Chief Immi gration Officer of Florida if signed by the gov ernor.
The bill will also allocate $100 million for grants to local law enforcement agen cies for training, equipment and reimbursement for leas ing detention facilities to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $25 million to give $1000 bonuses to cooperating local law enforcement officers, according to the Associated Press.
Martz said that Chief of Police James Riggs, Deputy Chief Terry Nicholas and Commander Evelyn Steinkamp are following the legislation closely.
“One of the bills that was filed included that a police chief could be suspended if, in the opinion of someone, the police chief did not assist the federal agency in the right way,” Martz said. “I expressed that I was not comfortable nor supportive of targeting police officers. And I also expressed that this could become quite expensive and that the state, or the federal government, should reimburse the local taxpayers for the cost of this.”
Martz also informed the commission of price increas es of projects, citing the lack of repairs to the boardwalks at Lake Lotus Park as an example. According to Martz, the project’s antici pated price of $3 million has now increased to $8 million.
Martz also reported that the federal government’s suspension of grants will impact the several law enforcement grants and FEMA funding the city has received.
He also announced the city began a program with Seminole State College to help people improve their work skills post-COVID with four people already signed up for March.
Another program the Seminole State College is doing in collaboration with the city focuses on training city employees in skills like customer service, project management and Microsoft tools. Martz said 110 employees have enrolled, and if demand continues, funding may be extended beyond its current expira tion in September and it will be included in the city budget.
During the report, Martz also addressed the ongoing projects at State Road 436 and 434, readdressing a comment made at the January 7 meeting regarding a facebook post criticizing the city for doing the project during the holidays.
Martz clarified that the city’s coordination on the project is technical as it is the Florida Department of Transportation’s project. He also said there is less traffic during the holidays and that employees on the proj ect need to work.
Martz followed up on Commissioner Turney’s request for the gates at the 434 and 436 tunnel or bridge alternative project to be open 24 hours, which the county commission said will be closed at dusk because of concerns of safety and com plaints of misuse of the trails at night.
