CC09-18-17MinLONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
1VINUTES
September 18, 2017
6:00 P.M.
Present: Mayor Joe Durso
Deputy Mayor Brian Sackett
Commissioner John C. Maingot
Commissioner Ben Paris
Commissioner Mark Weller
Dan Langley, City Attorney
Jon C. Williams, City Manager
Michelle Longo, City Clerk
Troy Hickson, Assistant City Manager
David Dowda, Interim Police Chief
Michael Peters, Interim Fire Chief
Mike Aiken, Deputy Fire Chief
Lisa Snead, Financial Services Director
Lee Ricci, Human Resources Director
Chris Kintner, Community Development Director
Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director
Tom Smith, Division Manager Streets
Warren Wahl, Supervisor Streets Division
Trisha Fuston, Payroll/Human Resources Coordinator
Magdala Ridore, Human Resources Generalist
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Durso called the meeting to order at 6:00
p.m.
2. OPENING INVOCATION. Paul Truman with Central Florida Free
Thought Community gave the invocation.
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS (PART 1)
A. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 17-2123, which
fixes the final rate of ad valorem taxation for the fiscal year
commencing October 1, 2017 and ending September 30, 2018.
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The final tax rate being proposed for Fiscal Year 2017/2018 is
5.500 per $1,000 of non-exempt assessed valuation. Said rate is
5.38% higher than the rolled -back rate of 5.2191 per $1,000 of
non-exempt assessed valuation as computed by F.S. 200.065.
Mayor Durso opened the Public Hearing by announcing the City of
Longwood's City Commission convenes this Public Hearing on the
City of Longwood's Fiscal Year 2017/2018 Final Millage rates and
Final Budget as required by Florida Statues, Chapters 129 and 200.
Item 11A recommends the City Commission read by title only and
adopt Ordinance No. 17-2123, which fixes the final millage rate of
ad valorem taxation for the fiscal year commencing October 1,
2017 and ending September 30, 2017. The final tax rate being
proposed is 5.500 per $1,000 dollars of non-exempt assessed
valuation. This rate is 5.38% higher than the rolled -back rate of
5.2191 per $1,000 of non-exempt assessed valuation as computed
by Florida Statue 200.065. Chapter 200 requires that a final public
hearing on the budget be preceded by a two to five day notice of
that hearing; Chapter 129 requires that they advertise a summary of
the final budget.
Mr. Langley announced having a proof of publication and read
Ordinance No. 17-2123 by title only.
Mayor Durso opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
in opposition of Ordinance No. 17-2123.
Commissioner Maingot moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Paris and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Paris moved to adopt Ordinance No. 17-
2123 as presented item 1 1A. Seconded by Commissioner
Maingot and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
Mayor Durso stated the City of Longwood has determined that a
final millage rate of 5.500 mills is necessary to fund the final
budget. The final millage rate represents an increase of 5.38%
from the rolled back rate of 5.2191 mills.
B. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 17-2124, which
adopts final revenues, expenditures and fund balances for the
City's fiscal year budget commencing October 1, 2017 and
ending September 30, 2018.
Mayor Durso stated Item 11 B recommends that the City
Commission read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 17-2124,
which adopts revenues, expenditures and fund balances for the
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City's fiscal year budget commencing on October 1, 2017 and
ending September 30, 2018. Chapter 200 requires that a final
public hearing on the budget be preceded by a two to five day
notice of that hearing; Chapter 129 requires that they advertise a
summary of the final budget.
Mr. Langley announced having a proof of publication.
Mayor Durso said the City of Longwood's Fiscal Year 2017/2018
budget proposed revenues, expenditures and fund balances for the
City's fiscal year budget commencing on October 1, 2017 and
ending September 30, 2018 are as follows:
General Fund:
$17,231,694
Public Utilities
$10,509,113
Public Facilities Improvement Fund:
$5,223,574
Capital Projects
$1,797,797
Stormwater Management
$642,974
Other Funds
$1,266,320
Fund Balance — Reserves
$12,616,493
Total Resources
$49,287,965
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 17-2124 by title only.
Mayor Durso opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
in opposition of Ordinance No. 17-2124.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Ordinance No. 17-
2124 as presented Item 11B. Seconded by Commissioner
Paris and carried by a three -to -two (3-2) roll call vote with
Deputy Mayor Sackett and Mayor Durso voting nay.
Mayor Durso stated the City of Longwood has adopted Ordinance
No. 17-2124, which adopts revenues, expenditures and fund
balances for the City's fiscal year budget commenting on October
1, 2017 and ending September 30, 2018.
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcements.
A. Senior Matinee Movie will be held on Wednesday, September
20, 2017 from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., Longwood City Hall
(Chambers),175 West Warren Avenue. This month's feature
is Megan Leavey.
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5. PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS
A. Nomination of the Beautification Award.
Deputy Mayor Sackett nominated the Heritage Business Center on
State Road 434 for the Beautification Award. Nomination carried
by a unanimous voice vote.
B. Proclaiming September 17 through September 23, 2017 as
"Constitution Week".
Mayor Durso read the Proclamation and presented it to MaryAnn
Pinkston, Sallie Harrison Chapter, Daughters of the American
Revolution; Martha Ladd, Teacher at Lyman High School; and
Michael Rice, Principal at Lyman High School. Photographs were
then taken.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Public Participation. None.
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District #4. Commissioner Weller thanked the City Manager and staff for
everything they did prior to the hurricane, during the hurricane, and
afterwards. He said he was involved with the sand bag operation, which
was phenomenal. He said even during the storm there was a situation with
a manhole cover over at Longwood Green, and an employee came out in
the storm to put a cone over it. He said his experience with the City, even
before being a commissioner, has always been top notch. He asked the
City Manager for a clear idea as far as the cleanup efforts.
Mr. Williams said the actual debris removal from the roadside began on
September 13'', and since then we have added two additional crews with
Cathcart Construction and CFE, and they are both on either side of the
City. He said we are adding some additional crews starting tomorrow. He
stated the volume of debris is rather large, so it has taken us some time to
be able to get it off the road. He said getting it off the road and away for
disposal is where the problem is because there is a lengthy wait time at the
landfill, sometimes over two hours. He also stated they have purchased
another chipper, so we will have crews on either side of the City using a
chipper.
Commissioner Weller asked if there could be a map drawn up of where
the clean-up crews have been and where and when they would be going
next.
Mr. Williams said we can explore that. He said they started over in the
Skylark Subdivision area and been to Longwood Plantation along the
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roads and outside Columbus Harbor. He said people need to be patient
because their expectations are that the debris will get picked up in a day or
two. There is a lot of debris that needs to get picked up.
Commissioner Weller asked about the flooding on Church Street near the
Weston property that affected three houses.
Mr. Williams said the houses do sit below grade and there was thirteen
(13) inches of rain and there is a small outlet in the back and once the
system got overwhelmed it can't take on any additional water. He also
commented that with all the debris and water from the storm it could
possibly block the storm drains.
District #5. Deputy Mayor Sackett said it was a stellar performance by
our City Manager and staff throughout the hurricane.
District N. Commissioner Maingot said the word "stellar" is perfect to
describe the performance of our City Manager and all the senior staff
involved. He found out today one of our Fire units picked up a lady at one
of the nursing facilities that broke her hip at 2:20 a.m., during the storm
and took her to the hospital. He praised the Police Department as well as
the Citizens on Patrol (COPS) program. He said there has been consistent
flooding at Fire Station 15, which he feels he can remedy. He also
mentioned having an inventory of small parts like small springs, so they
will be able to fix and operate their doors at the Fire Station.
District #2. Mayor Durso also thanked the staff for their service and all
they did. He also highlighted a few groups in the community - Northland
Church, City Church in Sanford and Lyman High School. He said
Northland had crews running all around the City in blue shirts helping
people clear away debris, helping people get their properties back in order.
City Church had the same thing, and Lyman hosted the shelter in this area.
He toured the shelter just before the storm hit, and it was amazing how it
was run by the school, not the Red Cross. He said it was run by school
officials and supported by Longwood Police Department and Seminole
County Sheriff's Office and was absolutely amazing how they operated
that place. He said the Principal, Mike Rice stated they were prepared for
150 people, and ended up with 450 people, many of them with animals.
They deserve a lot of credit for their work. He wanted to thank all the
neighbors and how they came out and helped each other the day after the
storm. It was a total effort on everybody's part. He said one group that
did not do so well is our friends at Utilities, Inc. He said they have made a
significant request for an increase to the Public Service Commission and
they have been granted that increase. They are trying to jack up the rates
on residents that live in the City that are not serviced by Longwood
Utilities. He stated their performance was abysmal. He said the fact that
we had raw sewage seeping into retention ponds and flowing into people's
homes, because they didn't get staff out in time to get those things up and
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running, and then won't allow us to step on their property and deal with
some of those things is outrageous and completely unacceptable. He
knows Seminole County is planning on moving forward on a legal action,
mainly based on the rate hike. He said they are asking for more money,
and their performance was not worth the money we are paying them now.
He requests that the Commission go along with the idea that we should
join the County in whatever legal effort they undertake to go after those
guys.
Commissioner Weller said we need to make sure that pond is cleaned up if
it is contaminated.
Deputy Mayor Sackett commented that he was in agreement with the
comments made by Mayor Durso regarding Utilities, Inc.
Commissioner Paris commented that he also agreed with the comments
regarding Utilities, Inc. and said the calls he received, he had to explain
that the company was not the City of Longwood.
Mayor Durso said the Public Service Commission is who you should call
about Utilities, Inc., Duke Energy, and Florida Power and Light. The City
of Longwood does not regulate any one of those bodies. He stated,
unfortunately, our ability to get information from them at times is very
limited despite our City Manager's best efforts to get their executives on
the phone to find out when restoration would happen with downed trees
and power lines.
Mayor Durso moved that we authorize the City Manager to, upon
receipt of Seminole County's legal action, bring that back to the
Commission for final approval, and indicate to Seminole County
we are willing to join, specific to Utilities, Inc. He stated this is
based on the rate hike and the poor performance of Utilities, Inc.
Seconded by Deputy Mayor Sackett and carried by a unanimous
roll call vote.
Mayor Durso explained his "No" vote on the budget was not related to
expenditures or any position or pay raise except for the Commission. He
said it is a purely economic vote and is a believer that all raises in the City
should be indexed. He stated he has argued this for years. He believes
raises should be indexed on money we are bringing in.
District #3. Commissioner Paris said he echoed the staff's performance
during the hurricane, and he asked that some sort of a bonus for the staff
that worked through the hurricane be looked into.
Mr. Williams said we did pay those employees regular time for Monday
who did not come in to work, and suggests that we pay double time for
those who worked -during the hurricane.
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He also checked Fire Station 15 for flooding. He thinks it is time to start
thinking about moving the Fire Station and suggests locating it to State
Road 434.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA. None.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of the September 6, 2017 Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for August and September
2017.
C. Approve the Monthly Financial Report for August 2017.
Deputy Mayor Sackett moved to approve Items I OA
through 1 OC as presented. Seconded by Commissioner
Weller and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS (PART I1)
C. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No.17-2127,
approving the extension of the Non -Exclusive Franchises for
the Collection of Commercial Solid Waste and/or Recovered
Materials for an additional six (6) months.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 17-2127 by title only.
Mayor Durso opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
opposition to Ordinance No. 17-2127.
Deputy Mayor Sackett moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Weller and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Ordinance No. 17-
2127 presented as Item 11 C. Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
D. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 17-1441, adopting
a Five Year Capital Improvement Program for the Fiscal
Years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 pursuant to the
requirements of Section 6.07 of the City Charter.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 17-1441 by title only.
Mayor Durso opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
opposition to Resolution No. 17-1441.
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1
Commissioner Maingot moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Deputy Mayor Sackett and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Resolution No. 17-
1441 as presented Item 11D. Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS. None.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Williams said he would also like to recognize all our city employees
for an outstanding and superior job for prepping for the storm, riding the
storm out, and continuing to respond to the storm. He has had the pleasure
of doing this for two years now, and he hopes to God he does not have the
pleasure of doing it any more this year and/or next year, but he cannot
think of a finer bunch of people to do it with.
14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. None.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT. None.
16. ADJOURN. Mayor Durso adjourned the meeting at 6:44 p.m.
�(.oseqlivuirso, Mayor
ATTEST:
C , City Clerk
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