CC07-17-17MinLONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
MINUTES
July 17, 2017
6:00 P.M.
Present: Deputy Mayor Sackett
Commissioner John C. Maingot
Commissioner Ben Paris
Commissioner Mark Weller
Dan Langley, City Attorney
Michelle Longo, City Clerk
Troy Hickson, Director of Public Safety
David Dowda, Interim Police Chief
Chris Kintner, Community Development Director
Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director
Lee Ricci, Human Resources Director
Lisa Snead, Financial Services Director
Michael Peters, Interim Fire Chief
Mike Aiken, Deputy Fire Chief
Giselle Gonzales, Public Safety Administrative Coordinator
Kelly Morrow, Public Safety Administrative Coordinator
Absent: Mayor Joe Durso (Excused)
CALL TO ORDER Deputy Mayor Sackett called the meeting to order
at 6:00 p.m.
2. OPENING INVOCATION. Rabbi Majestky from the Chabad Lubavitch
of North Orlando in Longwood gave the invocation.
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcement.
A. Senior Matinee Movie will be held on Wednesday, July 19,
2017 from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., Longwood City Hall
(Chambers), 175 West Warren Avenue. This month's feature
is The Zoo Keeper's Wife.
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5. PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS
A. District 95 Presentation of the Business Person of the Month
Award for July 2017 to Jeff Sonksen, Paint the Trail Artist,
located in Longwood, Florida.
Deputy Mayor Sackett read a brief biography on Mr. Jeff Sonksen
and then presented him with the Business person of the Month
Award for July 2017. Photographs were then taken.
B. Presentation of the Beautification Award to Biscuits
Restaurant located at 724 South U.S. Highway 17-92.
No one was present to accept the Beautification Award and
arrangements will be made to deliver it to them.
C. Recognition of Firefighter/Paramedic Troy Feist for his efforts
and diligence beyond his normal duties.
Interim Chief Peters presented Troy Feist with a certificate.
Photographs were then taken.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS
A. District #3 Nomination to the Parks and Recreation Advisory
Board.
Commissioner Paris nominated Ms. Crystal Drummond for
appointment to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Nomination carried by a unanimous voice vote.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Public Participation.
Judi Coad, 1695 Grange Circle, Longwood. She spoke about
consent Item 1 OD and regular Item 12F. She said she has been a
resident of Barrington for thirty-one (31) years and been involved
with the beautification program after the residents of Barrington
were notified by then City Manager John Drago, that we would be
receiving a bill for maintenance for the Barrington front entrance.
She said many residents showed up for that initial meeting. What
was not divulged by the Commissioners at that time, before their
implementing this program to make the City more beautiful and
wanting to tax residents, is the City had always owned this
property from the time it was developed. That is how it was
handled between the City and the developer, which was Florida
Residential Communities, Inc. (FRC). She said Barrington never
will have a Home Owners Association (HOA) due to requirements
spelled out in their covenants with the Homeowners consent,
which are perpetual. She said Helping Hand Lawn Care, Inc. had
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the contract for maintenance of the front entrance for several years.
Their work was sloppy and the front entrance looked unkempt.
They also did no oversight of the irrigation system and simply did
not fulfill their contract. Yet, they were paid and we were billed.
Eventually, a position was created and moved to the Parks
Department to oversee this program. She said, unfortunately, the
same problems kept existing. She stated, myself or others would
have to call and inform the City that the problems were continuing
at our front entrance. This company should not be allowed to once
again have a contract for what I only see as continuing issues. She
said the beautification program should not need a part-time person
to oversee the programs, since the position was originally
designated to be managed. Unfortunately, the new contractor has
not fulfilled his contract, and the management of the program is
way out of line. She said the busy time for this program is about
seven (7) months a year, and then the maintenance is cut back.
The program needs to be organized and then overseen with a
format that is implemented and followed, hence, making this
program function properly. As for billing, Barrington for water
use last year was $10,984.83. It is not a responsibility of the
residents to pay. She said we do pay for the maintenance, for
which the City is responsible. She asked, why it took four months
for someone to notice some type of irrigation leak and get it
resolved. Each subdivision's water use should be constantly
monitored. She said if someone was walking the property and
checking the irrigation system on a regular basis, this issue would
have been discovered the first month. She asked, where the rain
gauges were. She said this would not be an agenda item if it was a
reliable landscape contractor that did their work according to the
contract. She stated, thus there would be little management
oversight on behalf of the City. This has become a snowball
problem for over ten (10) years. Excessive staff time required due
to contractors and delays in addressing the problems. She said
hiring part-time staff to handle an oversight, yet to continue to
have poor performing contractors, will only exasperate the
problem. She requests that this be tabled and consider a workshop
with the subdivisions to remedy the situation. In addition, the City
does and has freely maintained subdivisions with no charge to the
City residents.
Joe Tamulonis, 124 Sandy Oaks Place, Longwood. He said he was
here on behalf of Longwood Babe Ruth 14U, the fourteen (14) and
under girls' softball team. As of last week, they are the District
and State Champions, and we are trying to get to the World Series
in Jensen Beach which starts this Wednesday. He said his
daughter has played at Candyland for the last five (5) years, and
Mr. Sackett is there on opening day. He said we have only had a
couple of weeks to get our budget back up for a seven (7) day
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tournament and six (6) nights for a whole team. He said tonight
we are asking to see if the City can come up with some money to
help with lodging for the girls, it is about $6,000.
Deputy Mayor Sackett said we will address this during the
Commissioners Reports.
Karen Delgado, 163 Sandalwood Way, Longwood. She said she is
here to talk about the 20 mile per hour (MPH) speed on Church
Avenue that has been there since the construction started. She
would like to see it continued as a regular posted speed. She said
cars fly down there even at night. During the school year, on the
curve there are children standing at bus stops. She said there are
many older people out walking animals at night and an older
gentleman on an electric scooter. She said because of so many
people being on the road, she would like to see the speed limit stay
at 20 MPH and make it that way to Rangeline Road. She said
there needs to be someone monitoring it for a while for the few
people who tend to speed, before an accident occurs.
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District #5. Deputy Mayor Sackett said he went to Jack Caldwell's
Memorial Service, which was very touching. He said our Citizens on
Patrol (COPs) did a great job. He also attended the Food Truck event, and
the activity there was nice to see. He has a problem with Code
Enforcement as far as banners that he is seeing everywhere. He saw
sixteen (16) of them on Saturday..
Mr. Kintner said they are working on some Code changes. He said staff is
looking into sending a letter to those businesses that have a banner up
now. He said they are going to inform them they are inconsistent with the
Code and ask them to come forward with what is important to them, as far
as advertising goes, and giving them a date to come into compliance. He
said we have done research on both, our Code as it relates to all the Codes
in Seminole County, and we are more permissive on temporary signs than
the other communities. He said there is an enforcement issue; but also, we
are trying to get a long-term solution because we don't want to prevent
any business owners from becoming successful. He said we need to
improve what we allow for permanent signage because you want people to
invest in permanent signage rather than invest money on the wind feathers.
He said we allow the banners, but in terms of appearance, they can go the
whole spectrum. He said we have prepared a letter to go out within the
next week to those businesses.
Deputy Mayor Sackett asked Mr. Williams about a donation for
Longwood Babe Ruth.
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Mr. Williams said he believes a contribution has been made to Longwood
Babe Ruth.
Chief Dowda said they have previously made donations to Longwood
Babe Ruth from the Police Confiscation Fund, and will check to determine
if they can make another donation from it this year.
Mr. Williams said the Commissioners have a line item budget where they
can make contributions to various organizations.
Deputy Mayor Sackett told Mr. Tamulonis that the City Manager would
be getting back to him regarding a donation for Longwood Babe Ruth.
District #1. Commissioner Maingot stated, regarding these signs, we
have to strike a proper balance. He said the businesses that have them up
permanently have lost their effect because you don't recognize them
anymore. He said that could be part of our rationalization of trying to
equate the situation between permanencies and when used temporarily.
He did state as well, we want to help them.
Commissioner Maingot went on to discuss a project that they recently
approved, which was for In Too Deep. He said, we should ensure we have
a complete landscape plan presented to us. He said we saved that
particular project over $12,800 in agreeing to go with those four (4) crepe
myrtles. He said that does us no good and I don't want us to get caught
like that again in the future. In addition, we should also require the
location of all utilities in the particular sites, which will help in making a
determination for what plant materials to use. He said he was privileged
to be part of the Wayman Project along with various city staff and the
COPs and CERT organizations.
Commissioner Maingot said this morning the City Manager, City Engineer
and myself spoke with Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
officials. He said for the last two (2) years, we have been trying to finalize
the landscaping on State Road 434 while dealing with many interruptions.
He said there have been four (4) revisions. He said they were told there
will be some signal fixes to help the traffic being impacted by the railroad
crossings on State Road 434 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
Commissioner Maingot commended the Police Department for being so
vigilant with the speeding on Longwood Hills Road. He also mentioned
that Longwood is the fastest growing city in Seminole County.
District #2. No report.
District #3. No report.
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District #4. Commissioner Weller said he also attended Jack Caldwell's
Memorial Service and he will be missed. He loved this City and the COPs
Program also. He attended the grand opening for the Wayman Street
Complex, and it is remarkable about the amount of donations and free
labor that development received. He said one of our fire trucks went
down, and we had to borrow one from Seminole County. He thinks it is
time we need to start talking about replacing the fire truck. He said he
researched and it takes eight (8) months from the time you order a fire
truck until the time you receive it. He said if our back-up truck is in that
bad of shape, can we get an update of where we are and how we are going
to address this.
Chief Peters said we have gotten all the trucks repaired at this time. He
said the back-up is twenty-two (22) years old and we have requested a
new truck in the new budget. He said at this time we have made all
repairs we possibly can. He said we are hoping that request will get
approved, get one in production, and get it here.
Commissioner Weller said he was talking with residents over the
weekend, and they stated when it comes to public safety and fire trucks,
they want efficient, working machines. He said it looks like there will be
a new fire truck in your budget. He also mentioned that he noticed on
U.S. Highway 17-92, he read it was the fourth worst road in Central
Florida as far as appearance. He said the semi -trucks have been parking
over at the old Albertson's to the point where they are actually
disconnecting, and that needs to be addressed.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
Deputy Mayor Sackett stated the City Manager requests that Item 1 OG be
added to the agenda. He read the item into the record.
Approval of an Amendment to the Grant Award Agreement No. NFO10
between the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection and
the City of Longwood providing an additional $1,000,000.00 in Federal
Financial Assistance and Funding Reimbursements relating to the South
Longwood Septic Tank Removal Project.
Item l OG added by a unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Weller requested that Item 1 OF be pulled for separate
discussion.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of the June 19, 2017 Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for June 2017 and July
2017.
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C. Approve the Monthly Financial Report for June 2017.
D. Approve the award to Helping Hands Lawn Care, Inc. for the
City Assessed Properties contract.
E. Approve a change order in the amount of $25,000 to purchase
order # 160192 for Hydra Service Inc. for sewer related
repairs.
F. Approve City Manager's recommendation to sunset the Public
Safety Director's Position and create the Assistant City
Manager Position.
Added On. G. Approval of an Amendment to the Grant Award Agreement
No. NFO10 between the State of Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and the City of Longwood providing
an additional $1,000,000.00 in Federal Financial Assistance
and Funding Reimbursements relating to the South Longwood
Septic Tank Removal Project
Commissioner Weller moved to approve Items I OA, 1 OB,
IOC, 1 OD, IOE and IOG as presented. Seconded by
Commissioner Maingot and carried by a unanimous roll
call vote with Mayor Durso absent.
Discussion ensued on Item 1 OF.
Commissioner Weller said the Assistant City Manager's position,
in his opinion, is all about economic growth. He said when he ran
for City Commission in 2014, he ran on a pro -growth platform.
Most of you in this room can agree, the City of Longwood for a
multitude of reasons, did not experience the growth other Cities
have had in Seminole County. He has spoken at length with
residents that have been here a lot longer than he has. He said it is
his understanding that the lack of growth in Longwood is attributed
to a small, but vocal group that have had or still have their agenda
for Longwood, some good and some bad. He said from those he
has spoken with over the years and more recently, he has not heard
one resident in Longwood say that Longwood is growing too fast.
The citizens in Longwood want growth, and he is very confident in
that fact. He said the City Manager's position is to run Longwood
in a fiscal, responsible way, grow the City economically, and
provide a safe place for our residents. He said if the City Manager
is asking for additional staff to help him effectively run and grow
the City, then the Commission should grant that position. He said
every year the City Commission reviews how well the City has
been run during the budget session. He said we also receive an
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independent, comprehensive, annual financial report. He stated,
each year since I have been a Commissioner, I have heard the
Commission claim the City Manager is doing a good job running
the City. Here are some facts the City Manager is responsible for,
since I have been a Commissioner: The City of Longwood is the
fastest growing City in the Metro Orlando market in 2016. He said
every independent financial audit since I have been a
Commissioner has shown the City has been managed in a fiscal,
responsible manner. The Weston Park and Heritage Village
Developments are adding 350 new residents to our City, planned
developments for eighty-five (85) new homes, renewed
commercial interest in the City of Longwood, the Reiter Park
Expansion, Ronald Reagan Context Sensitive Improvements are on
the way, the Gibbs Retail Study that was performed and the Smart
Growth of America Grant. He said I am sure there is more, but I
hope you get the point. He is doing a fine job of running the City.
The Assistant Manager's position is about helping the City
Manager grow the City, and he is requesting help to accomplish
growth. He said based on his accomplishments during the last
three (3) years, the Commission should grant that request.
Deputy Mayor Sackett said he is on the other side of this. The
Public Safety Director's position was promised and should be
sunset. To create the Assistant City Manager's position, he is
waiting to see how that works. He went through the CAFR, which
is the independent audit, and what he has found over the past ten
(10) on average it is about $500,000 in savings. He said this years'
is consistent with a 7.5% saved within these departments within
the past ten (10) years. He said he believes with the department
people we currently have, the Assistant City Manager position
should not exist. He views this as two -parts and because of that,
he will vote no on this.
Commissioner Maingot said he read through the report describing
his position, functional responsibilities, and his association and
direction to and from the City Manager. He said if we were to
identify everything going on in our City, that would take a
tremendous amount time and these things take effort, time, and
follow-up action to bring to fruition. He said no one is perfect, and
has known this particular gentleman for a number of years and he
has always performed admirably well with complete dedication.
He said our City is now moving forward and he has been on the
Commission for eighteen (18) unbroken years and has seen a vast
difference between then and now. He holds our City Manager in
the highest regard, although we do not always agree. He feels the
same for the person who has been put forward for our Assistant
City Manager. He has acted many times as the City Manager, and
those times were very difficult to deal with, but he dealt with them
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very well. He said he feels we need to harvest and harness the
talent we have before us. He said if we had the vision before this,
our City would have extended all the way through to Interstate 4,
but we had small thinkers. He knows Mr. Hickson thinks very
much like us and let us collectively move the City forward. He
gives him his full, unreserved support.
Deputy Mayor Sackett stated, as I have said before, it is not a
reflection on Mr. Hickson. He is a fantastic Police Chief and he
believes he could go back to that position. He said, when I said I
would have to vote no, that would mean he would not sunset the
Public Safety position, so he would need to do that, and that would
create the Assistant City Manager position. He agreed we are
moving forward, however this is an expensive position.
Commissioner Paris said he agrees on the ability of Mr. Hickson to
do the job, but he wanted more emphasis on the fact that the
position needs to be created. He said succession planning needs to
be talked about. The City of Longwood cannot afford to have a
lack or gap of leadership. He said when Mr. Williams moves on,
we need to have someone in place to take that position. He said
when Mr. Hickson moves on, this position should exist, not as a
separate layer of management, but as an ability to streamline the
City. He said when I need to come in to talk to the City Manager
and he is at a meeting, I can sit down with the Assistant City
Manager and have someone that has a direct say so on an executive
level across the entire City. He said the City of Longwood has
over 15,000 residents and a little over 150 employees. We do a lot
with very few employees. He said a lot of our Directors take on a
lot of extra hats and duties, and we do things other Cities don't do
like a CERT team, COP team, and a Volunteer Core. He said these
are not done elsewhere in the County on a City level. He said to
add an executive level person to oversee these special projects, I
see the savings there across the board. He supports this position
and will vote yes on this position.
Commissioner Paris moved to approve Item 1 OF as
presented. Seconded by Commissioner Weller.
Commissioner Weller commented that the reason he is approving
this position is that the City Manager is requesting it. I am certain,
that in the future if the City Manager realizes there is not a need for
an Assistant City Manager, he would make the appropriate
changes. He said this position, for him, is all about economic
growth.
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Deputy Mayor Sackett noted that in Florida there are only four (4)
cities that have an Assistant City Manager and the lowest
population that has one is 60,000.
Motion carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 17-2117, a Small
Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment (SPA 01-17) for the
following properties: 1015 South Highway 17-92, 904 Lake
Irene Road and 898 Lake Irene Road.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 17-2117 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Sackett opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to the Ordinance No. 17-2117.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Weller and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Mayor Durso absent.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Ordinance No. 17-
2117 as presented Item 11A. Seconded by Commissioner
Paris and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
B. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 17-2119, a Small
Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment (SPA 02-17) for a
property located at 450 Longwood Hills Road.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 17-2119 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Sackett opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to the Ordinance No. 17-2119.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Weller and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Mayor Durso absent.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Ordinance No. 17-
2119 as presented Item 1113. Seconded by Commissioner
Paris and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
C. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 17-2120, amending
Section 10 of Article H — Occupational Licenses of Chapter 82,
Longwood City Code.
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Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 17-2120 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Sackett opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to the Ordinance No. 17-2120.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Weller and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Mayor Durso absent.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Ordinance No. 17-
2117 as presented Item 11C. Seconded by Commissioner
Paris and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
D. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 17-2121, amending
Section 90-38 of Article H — Water and Wastewater of Chapter
90, Longwood City Code.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 17-2121 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Sackett opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to the Ordinance No. 17-2121.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Mayor Durso absent.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Ordinance No. 17-
2121 as presented Item 11D. Seconded by Commissioner
Paris and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
E. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 17-1434, the State
Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan Program adopting the Facilities
Planning Report for the South Longwood Septic Tank
Abatement Project.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 17-1434 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Sackett opened the public hearing.
Mr. Don Berryhill, with The Berryhill Group, LLC spoke in favor.
He said we are sub -consultants to your fiscal advisor Public
Resources Management Group, Inc. (PRMG), and we have been
assisting with the SRF loans and the paperwork related to that. He
said the purpose of this public hearing is to give the public the
opportunity to review the documents, get input from the public,
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and to explain the financial impact on the public. He said, in your
case, the current rate structure you have adopted is sufficient to
support the additional loan funds for the next phase of the program.
He said you are also receiving some grant funds, which is greatly
assisting in the program. He said as a part of all this, a capital
financing plan is a projection of how the money will work out over
a five (5) year period. He said when we did the last hearing, we
used the projections that were developed by PRMG. He noted,
since your last hearing the next CAFR came out and we had to do a
year's worth of updates. He said they did miss their projection a
little bit on the revenue, but the interesting part is they were low on
the projection. He said you actually had over $200,000 more in
revenue than was projected. He thinks that is reflecting on the
health and growth of the City of Longwood.
No one else spoke in favor or opposition to the Resolution No. 17-
1434.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Weller and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Mayor Durso absent.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Resolution No. 17-
1434 as presented Item 11E. Seconded by Commissioner
Paris.
Commissioner Maingot asked if we are going to service
approximately 150 properties.
Mr. Williams said these projects include the second portion of the
South Longwood Septic Tank project, which is about forty (40),
the Lake Ruth Subdivision, the areas along County Road 427
(Ronald Reagan Boulevard), so there are about 150 new units.
Discussion ensued on the costs of the projects and how grants are
used to help cover cost.
Motion carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
F. City Commission to hear a public request for Special
Exception (SPE 02-17), for public park improvements at Reiter
Park; reduction of side yard setback, alternative design of wire
mesh fencing and additional square footage for signage.
Mr. Kintner reviewed the Item. He went over the setback
reduction from ten (10) feet to two (2) feet for the Restroom
Building, which is the Pavilion Building. He said the engineer's
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recommendation was to stay out of areas with twenty (20) plus feet
deep of muck, which we are going to be battling throughout. He
said the restroom requirements also need to be within a certain
distance of the splash pad. He said it does necessitate a reduction
and set back from ten (10) to two (2) feet. He said we received one
objection regarding the two (2) foot reduction was too close to the
traffic lanes for potential issues with pedestrians. He said two (2)
feet is from the setback line, which is the actual property line
doesn't reflect two (2) feet from the travel lanes. He pointed out
for special exceptions they do review if it is a site specific concern
and unique, and for this project it is. He said another point was
regarding a wire mesh material on the foot bridges along the
proposed water feature. He said the consultant felt strongly about
this material and thought it was very attractive and has been using
it in a lot of similar projects. A minor concern is the Code under
the fence section, which has a broad prohibition section on wire
mesh. He said the photos show this as not overly industrial or
chicken wire material. He said the value in this type of fencing is
it does allow visibility while still providing protection as a guard
rail. He stated since this will be around the water feature, he feels
you still want to have the visibility while maintaining visibility.
He said regarding signage on the side of the building facing
Church Avenue, twenty-eight (28) square feet is what is normally
allowed and what is being proposed is eighty (80) square feet
because we want people to see it. He feels it is important to have
the visibility there.
Mr. Langley did point out that this Item is technically quasi-
judicial since the City is the applicant.
Deputy Mayor Sackett opened the public hearing.
The photographs that were part of the Item for the fencing were
shown on the screen.
Mr. Bill Waterman, 120 Ruby Red Lane, asked if the mesh goes all
around the pond or just in front where people walk.
Mr. Kintner said it is for the guard rails and the water feature, so it
is not a perimeter fence. He mentioned that it is not a fence, it is
just a guard rail.
No one else spoke in favor or against SPE 02-17.
Commissioner Weller moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Mayor Durso absent.
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Commissioner Paris moved to approve SPE 02-17 as
presented Item 11F. Seconded by Commissioner Maingot.
Commissioner Weller said he is concerned about the mesh fence at
the bottom becoming bent. He said it will involve more
maintenance and thinks the horizontal slats will last a lot longer
than this type of material. He also mentioned he does not like the
looks of it.
Mr. Williams said we can look at some alternatives to this fencing
but asked that the Commission approve the Special Exception.
Motion carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Approve a Historic District Matching Grant Application (HG
01-17) from Andrea Lynn Simpkins for the property located at
288 Freeman Street.
Mr. Kintner presented the Item.
Commissioner Weller made a motion to delay the Item
until the applicant could attend. Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Sackett and motion carried by a three -to -one (3-1)
voice vote with Commissioner Paris voting nay and Mayor
Durso absent.
B. Set the Tentative Millage Rate for the 2017/2018 fiscal year
beginning October 1, 2017, and authorize the City Manager to
complete the Certification of Taxable Value (DR-420) and
Maximum Millage Levy Preliminary Disclosure (DR-
420MMP) forms via the Department of Revenue's E-Trim
System.
Ms. Snead presented the Item and stated they are proposing setting
the tentative millage rate at 5.50. She mentioned that the tentative
millage rate of 5.50 is 5.38% higher than the roll back rate of
5.2191.
Commissioner Maingot moved to approve the tentative
millage rate of 5.50 for the 2017/2018 fiscal year beginning
October 1, 2017. Seconded by Commissioner Weller and
carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor Durso
absent.
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C. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 17-1435
authorizing the City Manager to apply for up to a $4,500,000
loan under the State Revolving Fund Loan Program to fund a
City Wastewater System Improvement and Expansion Project.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 17-1435 by title only.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Resolution No. 17-
1435 as presented Item 12C. Seconded by Commissioner
Weller and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with
Mayor Durso absent.
D. Read by title, set August 21, 2017 as the public hearing date
and approve the first reading of Resolution No. 17-1436, which
establishes the 2017 Wastewater Assessment Area and allows
for the Uniform Collection of Non -Ad Valorem Assessments on
identified properties.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 17-1436 by title only.
Commissioner Maingot moved to approve the first reading
of Resolution No. 17-1436 and set August 21, 2017 as the
public hearing date. Seconded by Commissioner Weller
and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor Durso
absent.
E. Approve an Easement Agreement with JAR Properties of
Longwood LLC and Albert Buehler for a lift station and utility
easement for the Lake Ruth Sanitary Sewer Project, which
includes a payment of $5,000 and includes connection of
existing buildings to the sanitary sewer.
Commissioner Weller moved to approve Item 12E as
presented. Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and
motion carried by a unanimous roll call vote with Mayor
Durso absent.
F. Approve the fiscal year 2017/2018 proposed Neighborhood
Beautification Assessment Rates related to Non -Ad Valorem
Assessments for certain neighborhoods along with a part time
person to oversee the program, and set August 21, 2017 as the
public hearing date to adopt the resolution related to the
Beatification Assessments.
Mr. Williams said this Item had a recommendation to adjust the
assessment cost to include that for a part-time position to oversee
the program. He said throughout this process of updating the
assessments we have had staff reach out to schedule meetings with
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the individual neighborhood beautification assessments. Through
that we have been able to share what we have been doing
differently in terms of accounting, staff time involved, and
hopefully that will diminish with time as we move forward. He
said he is comfortable not including any costs associated with the
part-time person with these proposed increases. He said we will
continue to monitor the amount of staff time over the next year, as
the demand is created by the various communities. He said if the
amount of time next year is as much as it has been this past year, or
more, we will bring back a recommendation in which we would
start allocating the staff time associated with these assessments.
He wanted to go on record as saying this year, going forward from
this point, if we have a request for anything above and beyond
what was originally approved, and we do not get the first two
individuals representing the community signing off on
authorization of those additional items, we will not do the work.
Ms. Snead passed out a document for reference. She said
regarding these sheets she handed out tonight, if you look at
Barrington and Tiberon Cove and look at the fiscal year 2015/2016
recoup rate, they have changed from the agenda package. She said
they have gone down because we -looked at the water, and we did a
leak adjustment for those months it was higher than average.
Commissioner Weller said it was brought to his attention that the
City is charging special assessments on properties that are owned
by the City. He is wondering if we should delay and find out what
properties are owned by the City and which are a development
owned property. He would like it shown for each of the
developments what is City -owned property and what they are
responsible for.
Mr. Williams said what we are asking to be done tonight is to set
this as a public hearing for August 21 ', and we need to continue
with that so we can properly adjust, or not adjust, at that public
hearing in order to get these things communicated back to the tax
rolls. He said he does not think it will take long to go back and
demonstrate what areas are included in the special assessment
program and have that information available for the public hearing
on August 21 st
Commissioner Maingot asked to have the backup paperwork
regarding his subdivision. He wants to make sure when he reviews
this with the residents, he has the backup information to be able to
say this is exactly what we have incurred.
Mr. Williams said with respect to Helping Hands, the reason we
did go out to bid was there was some dissatisfaction with the
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quality of service they were providing. He said staff prepared bids,
advertised the bids, reviewed the bids and made a recommendation
at the beginning of the fiscal year to go with a different provider.
He said early on, we had concerns with the level of service the
company was providing, brought them in and described to them
what our dissatisfactions were, and have given them an opportunity
to cure said dissatisfaction. He said since then, we have continued
to encounter poor service to the point that we are now ready to
suspend and terminate that contract. He said we got with the City
Attorney, we went back to the second low bidder, which happens
to be Helping Hands. He said since they continue to do City -
owned facilities, we meet with them regularly, their work is
inspected and monitored and is acceptable. He said one of the
things we are looking at, is for communities to follow City's
procurement procedures. He said this means obtaining the
necessary quotes for services. He stated, they can find their own,
they can have them set-up as a vendor with the City, turn them
loose in terms of the work, they can sign off on the invoices and
provide that information to us, and we will pay the bills. He stated,
this system has yet to be defined.
Commissioner Weller asked, we have two people signing in the
community for the entire community, is that a good thing.
Mr. Langley said this is the City's call.
Ms. Snead stated she failed to recognize the individuals in the
audience who represent these neighborhoods. She asked them to
stand and give their name. (they did not come to the podium -and
this could not be heard on the audio). -
Discussion ensued on the process of getting signatures for the
community, the program, and a recommendation was made to
notify everyone over a certain dollar limit. Further discussion took
place on the costs that were referenced on the document Ms. Snead
prepared.
Commissioner Maingot suggested holding a workshop.
Commissioner Paris moved to approve the fiscal year
2017/2018 proposed rates as described on the handout as
the fiscal year 2015-2016 re -coupe rate, this does not
include a part-time person and set August 21, 2017 as the
public hearing date. Seconded by Commissioner Weller.
Discussion ensued on the scheduling of a workshop.
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Motion carried by a three -to -one (3-1) roll call vote with
Commissioner Maingot voting Nay and Mayor Durso
absent.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Williams said Mr. Capizzi and he attended a meeting that morning at
Reiter Park. He said there is a significant amount of muck around the
eastern edge of the park. He said we are going to have to do some
alternative designs with some stormwater, and in the area where the
Amphitheatre is, we may be shifting it back to the west a little bit.
14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. No report.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT. No report.
16. ADJOURN. Deputy Mayor Sackett adjourned the meeting at 8:02 p.m.
ATTEST:
City Clerk
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