City Commission Regular Meeting Brief for May 27, 2025

City Commission Approves Purchase of Topsoil for Athletic Fields
The City Commission approved the purchase of topsoil (COMAND 80/20) from Golf Agronomic & Supply in the amount of $65,142.80 to support ongoing renovations and maintenance of Cooper City’s athletic fields. This purchase falls under the previously approved Athletic Field Renovations Contract No. SIS2025-8 and aligns with the City’s strategic priorities to enhance recreational spaces and ensure safe, high-quality play areas. The topsoil will be applied to the Bill Lips Softball Fields, Suellen H. Fardelmann Multipurpose Fields A and B, and the Suellen H. Fardelmann Baseball Fields as part of summer field maintenance. The COMAND 80/20 blend, comprised of sand and organic compost, will improve soil structure, enhance turf health, and increase resilience to high usage and drought conditions. The expenditure will be covered by the City’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget line item for Overseed & Sod, which has a sufficient balance to accommodate the purchase.

City Commission Approves Agreement for Website Redesign and Hosting Services
The City Commission has approved a five-year contract (BW2025-2) with Apptegy, Inc. for the design, development, and hosting of a new City website and mobile application. The agreement, totaling $73,019 over five years, includes an initial one-year term at $25,500, followed by four optional one-year renewals with gradually increasing annual costs. Apptegy’s “Thrillshare” platform offers a modern, user-friendly content management system that integrates web, mobile, and social media platforms. Key features include ADA-compliant templates, real-time push notifications, unlimited users and support, and annual site redesigns. Although the City originally issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) and received 13 proposals, all were rejected at the May 13, 2025, City Commission Regular Meeting. The Commission has now approved a bid waiver based on Apptegy's ranking, capabilities, and pricing. The contract supports the City’s Strategic Plan goals to improve transparency, digital engagement, and operational efficiency. The Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes sufficient funding for the project.

City Commission Approves Resolution Opposing New Offshore Drilling Near Florida
Cooper City Commission approved Resolution No. 25-30, stating the City’s opposition to the inclusion of new offshore oil and gas leasing off the coast of Florida in the proposed 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The resolution underscores the City’s concerns about the environmental and economic risks associated with offshore drilling, including oil spills, habitat destruction, and negative impacts to tourism and coastal property values. It affirms Cooper City’s commitment to protecting marine ecosystems and sustaining local industries that rely on a clean and healthy coastal environment. The Commission urges the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to exclude Florida’s coastline from future leasing plans and calls on federal legislators to support policies that prioritize ocean and coastal protection. Copies of the resolution will be distributed to BOEM, Florida’s U.S. Senators and Representatives, and other relevant officials.

Presentation and Discussion Regarding Public Safety Station Location Study
During the meeting, a consultant presented findings from its Public Safety Station Location Study, which assessed the current state of Cooper City’s fire and EMS operations and examined whether the addition of a new public safety facility is warranted. The study revealed the City’s single fire station has a total response time that exceeds national benchmarks, due to 25% of calls reaching the scene within 4 minutes, 66% arriving between 4-8 minutes, and 9% exceeding 8 minutes. EMS calls account for nearly 64% of all service demand, while fire-related calls remain minimal at about 1%. The consultant evaluated three deployment scenarios: maintaining the current station setup, adding a second station with new staff, or relocating existing resources. While adding a station would improve 4-minute response coverage, it comes with significant financial costs, estimated at $5.79 million initially and $3.24 million annually. Relocation would compromise 8-minute coverage and increase risks in areas that are currently well-served. The study ultimately recommends delaying construction of a new station and focusing instead on improving operational efficiency. Suggestions include enhancing dispatcher staffing and training, upgrading alert systems, implementing peak-hour EMS deployments, and expanding dynamic staging models to better match service demand. During the meeting, the City Manager also informed the Commission that a Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued for architectural services to explore potential improvements to the existing public safety buildings, providing a parallel track for evaluating both renovation and expansion needs.

More Information
For more information related to the May 27, 2025 agenda, please visit: https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument/index?cc=COOPERCITY&me=cb8cc1afe78748fabcb066fc27e50309&ip=true.

The next City Commission Regular Meeting will be held at City Hall, located at 9090 SW 50 Place, Cooper City, FL 33328 on June 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM.