CC06-01-2020Min LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
MINUTES
JUNE 1, 2020
6:00 P.M.
(Virtual Meeting—Webex)
Present: Mayor Matt Morgan
Deputy Mayor Brian D. Sackett
Commissioner Abby Shoemaker
Commissioner Richard Drummond
Commissioner Ben Paris
Dan Langley, City Attorney
Clint Gioielli, Acting City Manager
Michelle Longo, City Clerk
David P. Dowda, Police Chief
Chris Kintner, Community Development Director
Shad Smith, Public Works Director
Lee Ricci, Human Resources Director
Craig Dunn, Information Technology Director
Judith Rosado, Accounting Manager
Phil Kersey, Building Official
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Morgan called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. MOMENT OF SILENT MEDITATION
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Mayor Morgan led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcements.
A. Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital will sponsor the
"Concert in the Park"event on Saturday,June 6,2020,from 7:00
p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.
Music starts at 7:00 p.m. and food and beverages will be
available for purchase. The band will be Black Canvas and this is
a free event.
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B. The "Downtown Longwood Food Trucks" will be held on
Thursday,June 11, 2020,from 5:30 p.m.until 8:30 p.m. at Reiter
Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.
C. The "Downtown Longwood Cruise-In" Car Show will be held on
Saturday,June 13,2020,from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the
Historic District of Longwood.
5. PROCLAMATIONS/ RECOGNITIONS. None.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Public Participation. None.
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District#5. Deputy Mayor Sackett said it is nice to see the concerts and
Farmer's Market back in the park. He said June 6 is my 44th wedding
anniversary. He said Memorial Day at the park which was put on by our
local VFW was a solemn occasion. The speech that was given this time
was the best one I have ever heard. It was relevant, poignant, and spot-
on. He was concerned about the price of getting your name engraved on
a plaque at the memorial. He suggested lowering the price for Veterans.
He also suggested doing something special for the quartermaster of our
local VFW who recently passed, like getting his name engraved on our
Heroes section. He thanked Mr. Gioielli and said the Florida Department
of Transportation (FDOT) signs on the corner are smaller but the lot is
overgrown and he suggested for it to be cleaned up a little better. He had
an extensive meeting with Mr. Gioielli about Babe Ruth.They were going
to open this past weekend and have not.There are still conditions they
said they would get back to Mr. Capizzi and Mr. Gioielli on and they have
yet to do so. We are still up in the air about the refunds that were due
and the summer season, which is free for those who played T-Ball in the
spring, although this may not happen because the sign-ups are low.The
conversation still needs to continue. Mr. Ryan was told to maintain
communication with Mr. Capizzi and Mr. Gioielli about the breakdown
and making it better.There is no understanding of what is going on with
Babe Ruth yet. He said he went to a baseball tournament in Clermont to
see how social distancing worked. It worked very well but the concession
stand is a point of contention with people being a little too close to each
other.The bathrooms are the biggest problem.Things can be worked
out; we just need Babe Ruth to get back in touch with our people as to
what their needs are.
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District#1. No Report.
District#2. Commissioner Drummond said the Charter Advisory
Committee held its last meeting this week. He thanked everybody that
served on the Committee. He said they spent so much time combing
through the Charter and looking at what they could do to make things
better and smoother for the City of Longwood.They came up with a few
recommendations that will be presented to the Commission at the next
meeting where we will get a chance to review them. A lot of them are
changes in wording to make things smoother. It is great to see the events
in Longwood starting back up, especially the Concert in the Park. It is
going to be great this weekend. Lastly, he wished his daughter,
Brooklynn, who turned 15 today, a Happy Birthday. She was so excited to
have completed her online training for her learners' permit a couple of
weeks ago. She did her test today online and when she went to schedule
an appointment she found she could not get in for a couple of weeks.
District#3. Commissioner Paris clarified that there are stopgaps around
the Babe Ruth baseball side of things.The City of Longwood has done
what they are supposed to do and allowed them to have a summer
season. If that happens great, if not, we did our part. It is not the
government's job to run this baseball league; it is our job to allow these
things to occur. Babe Ruth is a non-profit, independently run league that
has been in the City for decades. On May 27, I filed paperwork to run for
County Commissioner in District 3, and on the 28th, I did submit my letter
of resignation to the City Clerk, the Governor, and the Secretary of State
as according to the State Statute. It will not go into effect until November
10, so I will be here through our first meeting in November. I wanted to
make it known here, first, that I have had a great six years with the City of
Longwood and think we have accomplished a lot. I feel very good and
believe the City has been left better than when I found it. I find that this
is the best Commission the City has ever had. I am more proud to be
working with these Commissioners and this staff than I can imagine.
When I started here 13 years ago, changing garbage cans at night, I did
not think I would be resigning from something I wanted so badly. I want
people to know I fought and worked hard for this position and have
wanted nothing more than it. He said this is one of the most difficult
decisions he has made; voluntarily giving up my term before it is over,
but I believe I am leaving the City in great hands. We have the very best
leaders here.This is not a goodbye, it is a let it be known. If you have, any
questions please feel free to reach out to me. All of my information is
public record.
District#4. Mayor Morgan congratulated Commissioner Paris. He said on
May 20, he went over to one of our resident's homes to say goodbye to
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our Lyman High School baseball seniors.They usually do this at Lyman's
ball field but due to COVID-19, they held this at a parent's house and the
whole neighborhood gathered. There was a quick message of hope and
how proud they are of them. Three of them are moving on to play
college baseball. On May 21, I attended Lyman High School's graduation
celebration.The seniors drove their decorated vehicles through a parade.
It was cool to see so many people come out and support them. Kudos to
everyone who made that possible. He said we have a new lead over at
the FDOT, who has been outstanding so far and has finished putting up
the fence at Candyland Park by the railroad tracks, that he had asked for
a while back. When they first put it up, they missed a couple of yards. It is
nice to see they have a border there to prevent people from going on
those tracks. He said the Farmer's Market was great. On May 24, he went
to the American Muslim Community Center for Ramadan and said a few
words. He said Memorial Day was a solemn day and the speech by the
VFW Post was very well done. Afterward, he went to the hall and spoke
to them a little longer. He thanked Mr. Gioielli for handling the flagpole
rope that was tied and knotted together and broke.The next day there
was someone out there to fix it. He had a call with Dr.Todd Husty and he
said everyone is doing what he or she are supposed to be doing regarding
COVID-19. I am looking forward to seeing the public come back out and
the Concert in the Park.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA. None.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of the May 18, 2020, Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for April and May 2020.
C. Approve a donation in the amount of$2,000 to the Central
Florida Council Boy Scouts of America from the State Law
Enforcement Confiscation Fund.
Deputy Mayor Sackett moved to approve Items 10A
through 10C as presented. Seconded by Commissioner
Drummond and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS. None.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 20-1532,which
amends the Fiscal Year 2019/2020 Budget,to provide for a
transfer of funds within the Building Fund to cover the cost of
new permitting software.
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Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 20-1532 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Sackett moved to adopt Resolution No. 20-
1532 as presented Item 12A. Seconded by Commissioner
Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
B. Approve a purchase order in the amount of$149,705 to Dude
Solutions, Inc.for the purchase of new Building Permitting and
Public Works software.
Deputy Mayor Sackett moved to approve Item 12B as
presented. Seconded by Commissioner Paris and carried
by a unanimous roll call vote.
C. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 20-1535,which
amends the Fiscal Year 2019/2020 Budget to provide for a
transfer from the Stormwater reserve to complete Phase II of
the Reiter Park/Fire Station Drainage Evaluation.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 20-1535 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Sackett moved to adopt Resolution No. 20-
1535 as presented Item 12C. Seconded by Commissioner
Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
D. City Commission approval of an emergency expenditure not to
exceed an amount of$90,000 to rehabilitate and update Oak
Reserve Lift Station No. 12.
Mr. Gioielli presented the Item. He said there have been
emergency requests for repair to the Lift Station on West Warren
Avenue. While initially,this request was to increase the existing
purchase order (PO) with an existing vendor for$90,000, it is
going to be cheaper than we originally asked. He said because of
the ongoing repairs and our constant requests for the Commission
to put money back on the PO, we just requested the same
amount in anticipation of further expenses before the end of the
fiscal year.
Mr. Smith said this Lift Station has a 1 Y2 inch exiting line causing it
to be clogged. We had problems with towels and other issues. It is
so old; the rails that bring the pumps up are all broken. We cannot
even get the pumps out so we have to rebuild the whole thing
with new pumps. It services Wendy's, Firestone, Dunkin Donuts;
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this tiny pump services a big area. We are trying to rehabilitate
the whole thing. We wanted to put it off until the next budget,
but it became so urgent we had to do it now.
Deputy Mayor Sackett moved to approve Item 12D as
presented. Seconded by Commissioner Drummond and
carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
E. Schedule Thursday, September 10,2020,and Monday,
September 21,2020, as regular City Commission Meeting dates
and public hearing dates for the adoption of the Fiscal Year
2020/2021 Budget.
Commissioner Shoemaker moved to approve Item 12E as
presented. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Sackett and
carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Gioielli said regarding COVID-19,the City and staff are experiencing
no issues and moving along very successfully with their jobs.The lobby
areas opened today. I am also excited to announce that today is the first
day of the City of Longwood's Summer Camp. We are at a modified
capacity, which is less than our previous years, but at the same time, we
are full. Leisure Services has worked very hard to get those programs that
normally send the children on field trips, have transportation, and
provide meals, worked out. Mr. Capizzi, Mr. Rinaldo, and staff were able
to put together an exciting calendar for the next two months for our kids.
He said the City received a demolition permit last week for the trailer
park that is on Wildmere Avenue at East Street. We are going to start
seeing that park torn down.The demolition equipment and large
dumpsters are on site.There has been some interest from the neighbors
in the area about the plans in place to mitigate any issues during the
transition such as the infestation of animals, stray cats, and garbage. We
are staying on top of that and Community Development is staying
involved day-to-day.This Wednesday, staff along with our arborist Mr.
Maingot, will be traveling to South Florida to pick up 16 Sabal Palm trees
to take the next step in replacing all of the trees in the park with trees
that are appropriate for our soil and its PH level and such. We are fixing
all of the issues regarding the warranty work with the air conditioning
and lighting.The contractor has agreed to add additional lighting in the
park as part of the package we had come to terms with. We are hoping to
have a ribbon-cutting for the anticipated grand opening of Publix on June
18. Public Works has taken steps to work with Duke Energy to start
converting all of the City maintained streetlights to LED.This will give a
more modern look and fewer streetlights will burn out as much. He said
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the staff is still working hard for the kids to play baseball. We are trying to
be supportive of Babe Ruth and whatever internal issues they are
working through.The Directors have submitted their budget for the next
fiscal year 2020/2021. We are going to start doing our internal reviews in
preparation for the presentation to the Commission. He asked the
Commission if they would be interested in participating in an optional
budget workshop on or around July 13.
It was the consensus of the Commission to hold an optional
budget workshop on or around July 13.
Mr. Gioielli said staff is preparing the budget and will have a hard copy
for the Commission a week or two in advance for their review. It is a full
budget. He asked if the Commission prefers to meet in the evening.
Commissioner Paris said the evening works best for him. He suggested
having a table set up where everyone can be together and discuss the
budget. He would rather have more of a one-on-one session.
Mr. Gioielli said the Commission approved for water bill shut-offs to be
suspended.This ended on May 31. He asked if the Commissi n wanted to
extend this. He confirmed Casselberry is running through August 1,
Oviedo through July 1, Lake Mary through July 7,Altamonte Springs is
open-ended until the end of the emergency, and Sanford through July 1.
Discussion ensued on the day to extend water bill shut-offs.
It was the consensus of the Commission to extend water bill shut-
offs until August 15.
Mr. Gioielli said there had been some conversation about going to a
Request for Proposal (RFP) for health insurance. We currently use Public
Risk Management (PRM). He is looking for direction from the Commission
recognizing the City has had a significant experience this year. He
suggested going to an RFP next year. He said under the current
agreement, there are some restrictions or caps on how much health
insurance can increase and suggested staying with them this year.
Commissioner Paris stated at this current time it may not be a good time
to make a change. We are dealing with a global pandemic and civil
unrest and next year may be a better time to have the RFP process.
Commissioner Paris moved to stay with PRM until next
year. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Sackett and carried by a
unanimous roll call vote.
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14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. None.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT
A. Consider canceling the July 6, 2020, City Commission Regular
Meeting.
Commissioner Paris moved to cancel the July 6, 2020, City
Commission Regular Meeting. Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
16. ADJOURN. Mayor Morgan adjourned the meeting at 6:42 p.m.
Minutes approved by City Commission: 06-15-2020
Matt Morgan, Ma
ATTE T: „4 /
Michelle Lon , , CRM
City Clerk
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