Live Oak council approves DOT signal maintenance amendment, tables railroad reimbursement agreement and considers cathodic-protection bid

The Live Oak City Council approved an amendment to its traffic signal maintenance and compensation agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation, tabled a proposed railroad reimbursement/grade-crossing agreement after debate about cost-sharing and possible crossing closures, and began consideration of a bid award for a natural-gas cathodic protection project.

City Attorney read Resolution 2025-42, authorizing the city to execute an amendment to its traffic-signal maintenance and compensation agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation. A council member moved to approve the resolution, another seconded and the motion passed with council members saying "aye." There was no public comment on the item.

The attorney then read Resolution 2025-43, a proposed railroad reimbursement agreement involving state DOT and (as read) Bridal Gulf and Atlantic Railroad LLC. Council members raised concerns about contract language that appears to require the city to pay 50% of certain repairs after upgrades. Staff said they had recently discussed crossings with the railroad and FDOT and stressed that the city does not want to see crossings closed; one council member cited an incident in which a wheelchair user became briefly stuck at the Mussey crossing as an example of local safety issues.

Council members asked staff to confirm whether FDOT or the railroad would proceed with upgrades if the city did not enter the agreement and whether failing to sign would risk permanent closure of crossings. After the original motion to approve was withdrawn, a council member moved and seconded a motion to table Resolution 2025-43 pending staff confirmation of the cost and closure consequences; the motion to table carried (no roll-call tally recorded in the transcript segments provided).

On Resolution 2025-44 staff recommended awarding a bid for a natural-gas cathodic protection and rectifiers project to Southern Cathodic Protection in the amount of $141,390. A motion to award the bid was made and seconded; however, the transcript records conflicting recitations of the amount (one speaker said $441,390 and another said $141,390) and does not include a clear roll-call vote in the available segments.

Votes at a glance: - Resolution 2025-42 (traffic-signal maintenance amendment with FDOT): motion moved and seconded; approved (aye recorded) - Resolution 2025-43 (railroad reimbursement/grade-crossing agreement): motion to approve withdrawn; motion to table passed (tabled pending staff follow-up) - Resolution 2025-44 (bid award to Southern Cathodic Protection): motion to award made and seconded; final vote not clearly recorded in available transcript segments; staff recommended $141,390.

What’s next: Staff will check FDOT and railroad positions on upgrades and whether upgrades proceed absent a city agreement, and will clarify the bid amount and record the formal vote on the procurement item.