St. Petersburg City Council will take up a $2 million staffing increase, a South St. Petersburg land-use change and an early-stage infrastructure partnership when it meets April 2, offering a clear look at how the city is managing daily operations while planning for longer-term capital needs.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at City Hall.
Staffing demand drives $2 million increase
The largest financial item on the agenda is a proposed $2 million increase to a contract with Personnel Solutions Plus, a Tampa-based firm that provides temporary workers across city departments.
City staff is asking council to expand the allocation to maintain services through the end of the contract term. The agreement, executed in 2021, has already seen more than $7.2 million in spending.
Temporary workers support sanitation crews, water resources operations and facilities management, where departments are relying more heavily on contract labor to cover operational gaps.
Part of that demand comes from the Mahaffey Theater, where the city terminated a management contract early and now plans to use temporary workers to maintain operations until a new agreement is in place.
Alley vacation advances neighborhood project
Council will also consider vacating a 20-foot-wide, dead-end alley near 1013 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South.
The proposal would allow the property to be incorporated into adjacent land and used for a community food garden. The site has drawn complaints tied to dumping and illegal activity, according to application materials.
City staff and the Development Review Commission recommend approval, and no public objections were recorded during the review process.
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The alley does not support traffic or access, and departments reported no future need for public use. The move aligns with a broader pattern in South St. Petersburg, where the city has supported the conversion of unused rights-of-way into neighborhood-scale projects focused on safety and reinvestment.
Procurement rules extend communication limits
Council will review an ordinance that clarifies how long the city’s “cone of silence” remains in effect during competitive bidding.
The proposed change defines the end of the restriction as the point when a contract is fully executed.
The update extends the period during which bidders are barred from contacting elected officials, selection committees and project consultants, reinforcing a stricter separation between vendors and decision makers throughout the procurement process.
City explores public-private partnership for utilities
Council will also receive an update on an unsolicited proposal tied to advanced metering infrastructure, a system that tracks water usage and feeds operational data back to the city.
The proposal is structured as a public-private partnership under state law. The city has retained Bryant Miller Olive as special legal counsel, with a fee cap of $10,000, to evaluate the proposal.
The discussion signals the city’s interest in using private capital and expertise to modernize utility systems, a model that could influence how future infrastructure projects are financed.
What to watch
The agenda includes items tied to staffing costs, neighborhood land use and early-stage infrastructure planning, all scheduled for consideration at the same meeting.
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