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Council hears six‑month TCDA update; approves routine procurement and interagency agreements
Summary
Taylor County development authority staff briefed the council on local economic‑development outreach and site readiness; the council approved several routine actions including advertising an engineering RFQ, a payroll-related budget amendment, updates to the purchasing manual, and a memorandum with VA police.
Taylor County Development Authority staff briefed the City of Perry council on six months of industry outreach and site‑readiness work, then the council approved a set of routine administrative actions including a request-for-qualifications (RFQ) for continuing engineering services and a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Veterans Affairs Police.
The TCDA presentation described active recruitment of industry and support for existing employers, site visits to Perry and Taylor County, and work with infrastructure partners and training institutions. The presenter said TCDA has been tracking a pipeline of projects that range in potential investment and employment; he emphasized vetting leads and coordinating with Florida Commerce and local partners.
“First is support existing industry. We do not need to lose any more industry in Taylor County,” the TCDA presenter said, summarizing priorities. The presentation named Laura Di Bella — identified in the meeting as a former Florida secretary of commerce who now works part time with TCDA — as part of the local team. The presenter said TCDA’s work includes site identification, readiness assessments and coordination with utilities, rail and workforce partners.
After the presentation the council considered several agenda actions. The council voted to advertise a request for qualifications for continuing engineering services, asking staff to contact potential firms and return ranked responses for council review. Council minutes show a roll-call vote in favor.
The council also approved Resolution 2025‑04, a budget amendment to pay a raise for staff holding a Class C wastewater license; approved updates to the city purchasing manual (including revised thresholds for quotes and formal bids tied to inflation since 1997); and authorized a memorandum of understanding to continue a working relationship between the Perry Police Department and Department of Veterans Affairs Police at the local VA clinic.
On immigration enforcement, staff briefed the council about the federal 287(g) program and said the city is reviewing an agreement and awaiting attorney analysis. The police chief noted the program would deputize a limited number of trained local officers to handle immigration paperwork in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations; the chief and council members said normal policing priorities and civil‑rights safeguards are expected to remain in place.
Votes at a glance
- Motion to advertise RFQ for continuing engineering services (agenda item 6a): passed (roll-call yes votes recorded). - Resolution 2025‑04, budget amendment for Class C wastewater pay increase (agenda item 6f): passed. - Approval of updates to the purchasing manual and revised bid/quote thresholds (agenda item 6g): passed. - Memorandum of understanding with Department of Veterans Affairs Police for local clinic support (agenda item 6h): passed. - Motion transferring funds for Boys & Girls Club kitchen upgrades (agenda item 6e): passed (covered in separate article).
Council members asked for additional detail and follow‑up on several items: staff agreed to circulate the RFQ template, provide legal analysis where needed for intergovernmental agreements, and update council members when procurement thresholds or draft contracts are available.
