It was a busy Ocala City Council meeting on Oct. 20, with council members approving multiple agenda items, and one member revisiting a controversial topic.
Here's what we know:
Typically, when an issue is placed on the council's consent agenda, it signals the subject is largely agreed upon by the body and a vote is needed to make it official. Sometimes, a council member may request one or more items be pulled from the consent agenda for individual consideration.
On the consent agenda Oct. 20 was the reappointment of City Manager Pete Lee. Council member Jim Hilty asked for that item to be pulled for discussion.
At the September council meeting,Hilty voted not to renew Lee's contract. He questioned the city manager's leadership. All the other council members
voted in Lee's favor.
In the Oct. 20 discussion, Hilty again questioned Lee's leadership, adding concerns about what he considers the manager's lack of communication and transparency.
Similar to the September gathering, Hilty was the lone no vote. Council President Ire Bethea, Pro Tem Jay Musleh and member Barry Mansfield voted yes for Lee's continued tenure as city manager. Council member Kristen Dreyer was absent for that portion of the meeting.
One point of concern for Hilty was the city paying an extra $190,936 for four fire apparatus units from Matheny Motor Truck Co.
According to a city document, council in November 2024 agreed to buy the trucks and Matheny offered a pre-payment discount if the city paid in advance. City officials made the order in December 2024 and received invoices dated for February and June 2025.
However, the document states, "Because of a miscommunication among staff about the city's prepayment policy, the invoices were not paid upfront, and the city did not receive the prepayment discount."
With the lapse, the city owed nearly $191,000 more than what was originally approved.
City officials said since the money remained in the account, it earned a little more than $135,000 in interest for close to two years. Also, Matheny agreed to give the city $56,000 in discounts on five other OFR vehicles budgeted for purchase during fiscal year 2027, according to the document.
Hilty argued that this lapse is unacceptable. He also revisited a recent financial scam involving more than $492,000. He accused the city manager of a lack of transparency.
A city employee making the presentation about the fire truck payment told the council that Lee is not to be blamed, and the city manager does a fine job. Hilty said he felt the employee was taking the blame to protect Lee.
Addressing the council, Lee said no one needs to fall on their sword for him. He said any time there's a problem, he investigates, gathers information, takes care of it, and notifies the council.
![City of Ocala Assistant City Manager Pete Lee, lead one of two meetings Wednesday addressing the number of different locations for the city's next parking garage during a meeting at Institute For Human & Machine Cognition, IHMC, Wednesday afternoon, February 16, 2022. One of the sites, the Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church property, is for sale well below the market value at about $24 a sq. ft. Lee wants to get cost of the new parking garage to under $20,000 a space with a possible 600 spaces in the four deck structure. At $20,000 a space, that would cost the city about $12,000,000. The first parking garage built in 2016, cost just over $5,000,000 or $13,000 a space with 402 spaces. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]2022](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/02/16/NOSB/edf071c0-e11c-40e5-9b74-b379f8b351d2-OCA_Parking_Garage_10.JPG)
The other council members defended Lee, saying there are more than 1,000 employees overseeing a city budget of more than $1 billion. Mistakes are going to happen, and Lee and the staff are not being dishonest. They believe Lee is doing a good job.
The $190,936 fire truck payment was approved 5-0, with Dreyer, who joined the meeting late, part of the unanimous vote.
Also discussed at the Oct. 20 council meeting was an ordinance for a franchise fee agreement with People Gas System. The agreement "grants a non-exclusive franchise to use the public rights-of-way of the City of Ocala for the construction, maintenance, and operation of a natural gas distribution system," according to a city document.
Hilty said the contract expired several years ago and nothing was done. He said he was told that while the contract had expired, both parties continued to honor the agreement.
The other council members told Hilty that, while they may have concerns, they don't detect a lack of leadership. They said they're trying to find solutions to manage these type of issues.
Council unanimously approved the agreement.
Council members voted 3-1 to deny the owners of Spot on Liquors, 125 NW 27th Ave. Unit 107, permission to sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption. Council noted that there are similar businesses nearby, plus there is a day care center nearby.
Musleh voted yes, but Bethea, Hilty and Mansfield voted no. Dreyer was absent at the time of that vote.
Outside, one of the store owners told a Star-Banner reporter the vote was unfair because there are liquor stores operating near schools and churches within the city limits.
Meanwhile, the newly reopened Yummy House at 2510 SW 27th Ave. was given the green light to sell beer and wine for on-premises consumption. The vote was 4-0.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Criticism and support for Ocala city manager at eventful meeting
