Ocala council approves contracts, renewals and HUD Continuum of Care grant: votes at a glance

At its March 18, 2025 meeting, the Ocala City Council approved a slate of business items and budget actions covering information-technology systems, construction for a new fire station, routine contract renewals and a ratified U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care (CoC) grant.

Key approvals recorded by the council included: - A three-year agreement with Accelerated Technology Laboratories, LLC to provide a lab information-management system for the Water Resources Department’s compliance monitoring division. Christopher Ramos, director of Information Technology, said the software will be used by water compliance staff "to continue testing for water quality and ensure the city adheres to all local, state, and federal regulations," and highlighted features including templates for routine sampling and direct uploads of Excel data. - A one-year renewal of the city’s UKG time-management software used across departments for timekeeping, scheduling and integration with payroll and other systems. Ramos said UKG Pro is used for clocking in/out, timesheet approval, time-off requests and schedule management. - A design-build services agreement with Dinkins Construction LLC for Fire Station 8. Sean Lanier, city engineer, said the city received three responsive proposals on Sept. 11, 2024, and staff recommended Dinkins Construction; Jack Dinkins of Dinkins Construction was present for the meeting. - Budget Resolution 2025-139 to fund the Fire Station 8 design-build contract. - A one-year renewal of the parking lot improvement program task-order contract with CW Roberts Contracting Inc. - A contract amendment and first one-year renewal for the city’s quicklime supply used at Water Treatment Plant No. 1. Sean Lanier told the council quicklime is required for conventional lime softening and that the plant uses over 3,000 tons annually; staff requested an additional $250,000 in expenditures for the remainder of the current contract term and noted a 13.92% rate increase based on the producer price index for lime manufacturing. - Ratification of the city manager’s signature on the HUD Continuum of Care grant agreement (project number FL1026T4H142300) and acceptance of the award in the amount of $209,173 for HMIS software and personnel benefiting the county continuum of care; Budget Resolution 2025-140 was adopted to appropriate related funds.

Staff presentations stated that each contract aligns with the city’s strategic goals of operational excellence and quality of place. Several items were approved unanimously at roll call; no substantive public testimony was recorded on these business items during the meeting.

Votes and outcomes (selected): - Accelerated Technology Laboratories (3-year agreement): approved (roll call recorded ayes from Councilman Hilty; Councilman Buffet; Councilman Mansfield; Councilman Musley; Council President Pam Dreyer). - UKG renewal (1 year): approved (unanimous roll call recorded). - Dinkins Construction — design-build for Fire Station 8: approved; Budget Resolution 2025-139 to fund the contract: approved. - CW Roberts — parking lot improvement program renewal: approved. - Quicklime contract amendment (additional $250,000; 13.92% rate increase): approved; council questioned rate level during discussion. - HUD CoC grant ratification (FL1026T4H142300, $209,173) and Budget Resolution 2025-140: ratified and approved.

Council members asked few substantive follow-up questions during presentations; staff said they were available to answer questions. The city manager and department directors described the items as routine operational matters or capital investments needed to maintain compliance, services and infrastructure.

The council also scheduled several workshops and public meetings — including a water-rate study workshop on April 29 and a second public meeting about Parking Garage No. 2 on April 9 (two sessions) — and the manager noted legislative visits to Tallahassee on March 25–26.