Port Richey council approves multiple administrative measures: special magistrate appointments, SRF loan application, payroll outsourcing, IT cabling, and Bay/B

City Council approved a bundle of administrative resolutions and contract actions during the meeting, covering code-enforcement appointments, a state loan application for water facility planning, information-technology and payroll-system upgrades, disposition of impounded vehicles, and authorization to pursue street-paving work on Bay Boulevard.

Key actions at the meeting included:

- Appointment of a special magistrate for code enforcement (Resolution 25-23) and designation of the same person as a local hearing officer (Resolution 25-24). Council approved both resolutions by voice vote.

- Approval of a request to apply for a State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan to finance planning and design of a potable water plant facility (Resolution 25-26). City staff said the resolution finalizes the loan application language requested by the state and does not yet commit to terms; council voted to proceed.

- Authorization to surplus and auction 11 impounded vehicles that had been stored 90 days and were not reclaimed. Staff said registered owners were notified by registered mail. Council approved sending the vehicles to the city's contracted auction vendor.

- Approval of an IT cabling upgrade for city hall and the police department. Staff recommended installing shielded CAT6a cabling across both buildings to replace roughly 25-year-old wiring. The selected vendor’s price was corrected in the meeting to $24,007.97; council approved the purchase. IT staff said the cabling will provide dual workstation drops, improved Power-over-Ethernet capacity, and certification documentation.

- Approval to outsource payroll services to Paylocity. Staff said Paylocity will provide an integrated timekeeping, HR and payroll platform, including employee self-service portals, onboarding and recruiting modules, and payroll tax reporting; the implementation fee and monthly/per-payroll pricing were discussed (monthly/per-payroll figures were provided during the presentation). Council voted to contract with the vendor.

- Authorization to proceed with milling and resurfacing Bay Boulevard under the piggybacked Ajax contract. Staff said the Bay Boulevard project is the top priority under the available ARPA-funded paving allocation and that milling/resurfacing work is expected to start about six weeks after the notice to proceed. The council gave concurrence to move forward with Bay Boulevard first and said staff will return with details on remaining streets.

Why it matters: These votes move forward the city's infrastructure, water-planning and administrative modernization efforts while placing several routine enforcement and disposition matters on a standard operational path.

Votes at a glance (outcomes as recorded in the meeting):

- Resolution 25-23 (appoint special magistrate for code enforcement): approved by council voice vote. - Resolution 25-24 (appoint local hearing officer / approve rate): approved by council voice vote. - Resolution 25-26 (authorize SRF loan application for potable water plant planning/design): approved by council vote. - Surplus of 11 impounded vehicles and authorization to send to auction: approved by council vote. - City hall & police department cable infrastructure replacement (CAT6a, vendor selection): approved ($24,007.97). - Outsource payroll to Paylocity (implementation and monthly/per-payroll fees discussed): approved. - Ajax milling/resurfacing for Bay Boulevard: council authorized staff to proceed; staff to finalize scope/timing with vendor.

What’s next: Staff will finalize contract paperwork and loan-application documentation, arrange the cabling and payroll implementation schedules, and advertise the impounded vehicles for auction according to standard city procedure. The Bay Boulevard contractor is expected to begin work after a lead time of roughly six weeks from the notice to proceed.