Council debates National League of Cities membership and possible stipend for travel

Town manager Joe and Mayor Bridget Keating summarized participation options for national and state municipal leagues, presenting estimated costs for membership, conferences and fly-ins. "If we want to become a member of the National League of Cities, it's $981 annually," Joe said, and he outlined travel-cost estimates for attending the national conference and the Florida League "Fast Fly" event.

Council discussed whether the town should invest in membership and send representatives to Washington, D.C., for congressional meetings to press for infrastructure funding such as septic-to-sewer grants. Mayor Keating and other councilors supported testing the value of one trip and one year of membership; some councilors expressed concern about spending and competing priorities for staff benefits and retirement.

A separate proposal to add a monthly stipend for the mayor and possibly other councilors sparked legal concern. One councilor suggested a $500 monthly stipend to cover travel and representational costs; the town's legal counsel cautioned, "You can't then circumvent the law by taking a stipend and using it for something that the law doesn't allow you to use it for," and recommended further review with the county ethics office and a legal opinion. The council gave staff direction to research the stipend's legality, procurement deadlines for conference registration, and to return with recommendations at the February meeting.

No membership or stipend was approved at the meeting; staff will provide legal guidance and more detailed cost estimates for a future vote.