VERO BEACH — In the next three weeks, the City of Vero Beach should have an appraisal of its electric utility, an attorney to negotiate a contract for the sale to Florida Power and Light and a referendum to place on Novermber’s ballot.
The city’s electric consultant, Gerry Hartman of GAI Consultants said he expects to have the electric valuation to the city by Aug. 29 for review by two citizen advisory committees.
“We’re on the home stretch on all the projects,” Hartman said, noting that two reports on the water-sewer utility will be delivered to City Hall next week as well.
To assist the city council in negotiating a deal with Florida Power and Light and formulating any upcoming offer into a contract for sale, the Vero Beach City Council narrowed down a list of transactional attorneys to two men to be interviewed Thursday and Friday.
Daniel DeCubellis of the Orlando office of Orlando law firm Carlton Fields will be interviewed at 2 p.m. Thursday in council chambers on live television.
John Igoe of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge of West Palm Beach will be interviewed at 9 a.m. Friday, also in the public, and the council is expected to select an attorney that day.
The council, except for Mayor Jay Kramer who opposed the measure, voted 4-1 on a first reading of an ordinance to place a referendum on the ballot regarding the electric sale. The question being put to the voters relates to a restriction in the city charter as to how it uses the riverfront land on which the Vero Beach Power Plant sits.
After much discussion and a few different versions being tossed about, the language approved Tuesday states:
“Do you approve of the lease of the City of Vero Beach Power Plant site north of the 17th Street bridge, west of the Indian River and east of Indian River Boulevard with the city retaining ownership of the land for the purpose of selling the electric utility if the City Council finds that such sale is beneficial to the citizens of Vero Beach?”
Former Vero Beach Councilman Charlie Wilson, who helped lead a referendum effort last year about the electric sale, cautioned the city council that the proposed referendum addresses too many issues in one item.
When asked about the legality of the proposed language, acting City Attorney Wayne Comment said he “thought” it would be okay.
The second hearing of the referendum will be in early September in order to get the item to Supervisor of Elections Leslie Swan by Sept. 12 for placement on the Nov. 8 ballot.