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Council reviews $5.3M in surplus priorities; moves projects and requests cost reports for police presence
Summary
Council reviewed a $5.3 million surplus priorities list that includes parks projects and youth programming and voted to return a resolution on May 7 for formal approval; members also approved quarterly status reports on Fire Station 24 and asked staff for a cost study on a New Tampa police 'substation presence.'
The Tampa City Council reviewed a consolidated list of $5.3 million in FY25 surplus priorities and voted to direct staff to return a formal resolution for council approval on May 7.
Staff said the list was rolled up from district submissions and refined with parks staff to match available surplus. Major items highlighted included design funding for the Yellowjacket site (capital funding to follow in FY27), a River Tower Park boardwalk in Sulphur Springs, accessibility improvements and pool repairs, a $175,000 allocation for playground equipment for children with disabilities at New Tampa Nature Park, and a proposed $50,000 mobility item identified for Tampa Palms.
Councilmembers also discussed non‑infrastructure requests, including a proposal to increase summer youth program slots from 48 to 70; staff described that change as part of the non‑infrastructure portion of the surplus priorities.
At the close of the discussion, the council made a formal motion to return the consolidated list as a resolution on May 7; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff said formal approval would allow the projects to proceed with department planning and procurement as appropriate.
In new business, the council approved motions to reinstate periodic, in‑person status reports on the Fire Station 24 project to appear at the last regularly scheduled council meeting each quarter for the remainder of 2026. The council also directed Logistics and Asset Management to prepare a written report on the costs of a ‘substation presence’ in New Tampa (rental, staffing and related costs) so members can consider whether to include an allotment—one councilmember suggested a placeholder of about $100,000—when budgeting for the district.
Other procedural items approved included a commendation for Project Focus (Focus Academy), the acceptance of Edwin Narain as a District 5 appointment to the Citizens Advisory Budget and Finance Committee, and moving an EDC presentation on minority‑ and women‑owned small businesses to June 18. Council also approved cancelling the April 7 special‑call meeting after consolidating items for the April workshop.
Staff will return the surplus priorities resolution on May 7 for final action.
