Votes at a glance: New Port Richey council adopts floodplain change, advances land-development edits and approves utility contracts

The New Port Richey City Council took a series of formal votes at its Feb. 4 meeting on land-use code updates, pension language, personnel changes and multiple public-works contracts.

Key outcomes

- Floodplain ordinance adopted (Ordinance 20 24 23 14): The council approved on second reading an amendment that reduces the substantial-improvement lookback from five years to one year while keeping the cumulative cost threshold at 50% of market value. Staff said the change codified an emergency ordinance adopted in October 2024 and aligns the city with surrounding jurisdictions. Vote: unanimous.

- Land development code amendment — home-based businesses (Ordinance text read as 20 25 23 15): Council advanced the first reading of an amendment to update terminology from "home occupations" to "home-based businesses," broaden allowable residential zones in line with state statute, clarify employee/remote-employee provisions, address vehicle and parking expectations and prohibit storage of heavy equipment at residential properties; the DRC and LDRB recommended approval. Vote: unanimous (first reading).

- Police pension DROP amendment (Ordinance 20 25 23 17) — first reading: Council approved language to extend DROP participation from five to eight years to match changes enacted at the state level and negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement effective Oct. 1, 2024. Staff said no additional funding was required for the ordinance's language change. Vote: unanimous (first reading).

- HR reclassification and budget amendment: The council approved reclassifying an HR Business Partner position to Assistant Director of Human Resources and City Initiatives and a budget transfer to cover an estimated $7,000 of additional payroll expense for the remainder of FY2024–25. Staff said the funds will come from vacant-position savings. Vote: unanimous.

- Donation accepted: Council accepted a $1,000 donation from Trinity Rotary to the New Port Richey Aquatic Center to fund swim-lesson grants for Title I school students. Vote: unanimous.

- AMI project closeout: Council approved a deductive change order of $54,240 and acceptance of the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system closeout; staff reported roughly 7,477 residential meters were replaced with iPerl smart meters, funded from water and sewer revenue. Vote: unanimous.

- Wastewater procurement actions: • ITB 25-004 (Clarifier #4 recoating): Award to Quick Painting Group, $90,000; funding from water pollution control capital; Pasco County liable for approx. 42%. • ITB 25-005 (Clarifier #1 gearbox): Council rejected the low bidder (Razorback LLC) based on incomplete bid/reference concerns and awarded to Ovivo USA, not to exceed $141,767. • ITB 25-006 (Biosolids hauling/disposal): Award to Appalachian Materials Services, Inc. at $84.43 per wet ton; the city produces ~80–100 wet tons annually; Pasco County share approx. 49.3%. All three procurement items were approved by voice vote.

What it means

Taken together, the votes update local codes to align with state statute, finalize a long-running utility upgrade (AMI) and place several wastewater maintenance and disposal contracts in place ahead of seasonal needs. Several items included noted Pasco County cost-sharing percentages.

Next steps

Most ordinance changes approved on first reading will return for final adoption at a subsequent meeting; contracts will move to execution per procurement rules.