CRA board moves Oak Lane into draft FY24‑25 budget, delays Civic Hub and public‑art project

The City of Cape Canaveral Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) board on Aug. 20, 2024, agreed by consensus to add Oak Lane paving to the draft fiscal year 2024‑25 CRA budget and to move the Civic Hub and a traffic public‑art installation into fiscal year 2025‑26, while directing staff to use remaining CRA reductions against the Presidential Streets line and report back at the September meeting.

The move was presented at a special CRA board meeting called to consider whether a $550,000 portion of the Oak Lane capital project could be funded from CRA funds. Registered agent said that, based on city‑attorney correspondence and a review of the statute, the CRA could fund the $550,000 portion. The board then discussed how to reallocate the draft CRA capital improvement program so the Oak Lane amount could be included without exceeding the adjusted revenue estimate.

Why it matters: The board’s reallocations change the CRA’s near‑term project priorities and free $550,000 to complete a long‑delayed neighborhood paving project. Board members said the decision also affects how much the CRA can contribute to stormwater work tied to the Civic Hub and the multi‑year Presidential Streets program.

Key actions and numbers: The board’s discussions produced the following changes to the draft FY24‑25 CRA program: move CR2 (Civic Hub, $1,050,000) to FY25‑26; move CR4 (traffic safety public‑art installation, $15,000) to FY25‑26; add CR7 (Nancy Hansen recreational rehabilitation) at $115,000 in FY24‑25; add CR8 (Oak Lane) at $550,000 in FY24‑25; and reduce the Presidential Streets (CR3) line as needed to balance remaining reductions. The draft CRA CIP initially listed $3,008,000 of expenditures for 2425; staff and board agreed the adjusted total for FY24‑25 is roughly $2,600,000 after earlier changes. Board members noted that a rollback millage rate of 3.3199 would reduce CRA revenue by about $61,000 and that a lower rate near 3.20 would reduce revenue by about $117,000.

Board debate and rationale: Vice Chair Kellum, who pressed for Oak Lane, said the neighborhood and a longtime business there had endured repeated flooding and poor pavement and asked that the $550,000 CRA share be shifted from the general fund into the CRA. “I would like to see Oak Lane come out of the general fund and be put in the CRA,” Vice Chair Kellum said. Several board members signaled support for finishing long‑delayed neighborhood projects and for directing a portion of CRA capacity toward basic infrastructure and maintenance rather than a larger, longer‑term amenity this fiscal year.

Opposing viewpoints: Board member Davis said she was not comfortable moving Oak Lane into CRA funds if it endangered the CRA’s ability to finance other priorities and urged caution about reducing funding for the Civic Hub and Presidential Streets. Other members recommended pushing the Civic Hub out one year while preserving monies to address urgent neighborhood needs and park building repairs.

Next steps and implementation: The board asked staff to present an updated September budget book with the revised line‑items and to carry forward the following directions: add CR7 (Nancy Hansen rehabilitation, $115,000) and CR8 (Oak Lane, $550,000) in FY24‑25; move CR2 and CR4 to FY25‑26; and apply any remaining necessary reductions first to the Civic Hub gap and then to Presidential Streets if further cuts are required. Board members said undesignated balances and precise reductions will be resolved at the CRA meeting in September.

Context and limits: The board’s August discussion was recorded as consensus rather than a formal, roll‑call vote. Registered agent referenced a statutory review that, in the agent’s reading, permitted CRA funding of the $550,000 Oak Lane share; the transcript did not identify a specific statute. The total Oak Lane project cost was discussed as $806,000, with $550,000 proposed from the CRA and the remainder from the Stormwater Enterprise fund.

Taper: Staff will update the FY24‑25 CRA budget book for the board and present the Kimley Horn design proposals for the Civic Hub and Presidential Streets at the regular CRA meeting in September for further action.