CC09-10-2020Min LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
MINUTES
September 10, 2020
6:00 P.M.
(Virtual Meeting—Zoom)
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
Craig Dunn, Information Technology Director
Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director
Shad Smith, Public Works Director
Judith Rosado, Finance Director
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Morgan called the meeting to order at 6:08 p.m.
2. MOMENT OF SILENT MEDITATION
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Mayor Morgan led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
A. Election of Mayor
A motion was made and passed unanimously at the May 4,
2020,City Commission meeting to hold reelection for Mayor at
the first meeting in September.
Mayor Morgan said there are many folks in the City of Longwood who do
not understand how this works. Every year in May, the City
Commissioners vote on who they want their Mayor to be.The Mayor
chairs these meetings, but we are all equal as far as what our
responsibilities are to the City of Longwood. In May 2019, my fellow
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Commissioners made me their Mayor, and then COVID hit. On May 2020,
I wanted to hand the gavel over, but at the time, we did not want to
make a change to the Mayor that had been sitting in on very important
meetings with the County and these executive orders. He said he wanted
to come back to this election in September once we got through COVID
enough to pass the baton to one of his fellow Commissioners. He then
turned the meeting over to the City Attorney to conduct the Election of
the Mayor.
Mr. Langley said he will ask for nominations for the position of Mayor.
Any Commissioner can nominate any other Commissioner or themselves
for the position. Once nominations are closed, I will conduct the election
by a roll call vote in the order upon which nominations were made.The
first Commissioner that receives a majority vote or more, will be elected
as Mayor. He opened the floor for nominations.
Mayor Morgan nominated Commissioner Drummond as Mayor.
Commissioner Drummond stated he accepts the nomination.
Mr. Langley closed the floor for nominations.
Nomination carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS (PART I)
A. Read by title only, set September 21, 2020,as the public hearing
date,and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 20-2190,
which fixes the tentative rate of ad valorem taxation for the
fiscal year commencing October 1, 2020,and ending September
30, 2021.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 20-2190 by title only.
Mayor Drummond read the following statement:
The City of Longwood hereby proposes for Fiscal Year 2020/2021
a millage rate of 5.5000 per$1,000 of non-exempt assessed
valuation. The said rate is 5.88% higher than the rolled-back rate
of 5.1948 per$1,000 of non-exempt assessed valuation as
computed by Florida Statute 200.065.
Mayor Drummond opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to Ordinance No. 20-2190.
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Commissioner Shoemaker moved to close the public
hearing. Seconded by Commissioner Paris and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Deputy Mayor Sackett said this is an unusual year for us in that we
sold a property for almost$1 million and are going to add it to our
Reserve Fund and use it as necessary.This might be the year we
use it. We have about 4,500 homes in the City. If we rebated
every one of them $100 to lower their tax bill that may not be a
bad thing. We were not planning on this money. He asked if the
actual total is$483,000.
Mr. Gioielli said he would have to confirm. We are closer to 5,100
homes, which would put us around $510,000.
Deputy Mayor Sackett said this might be a year to be kinder with
our money. He suggested a way to somehow give away$50 to
$100 to homestead exempted homes to enjoy some of that
money. He said it is money that we were not planning on and I
would feel bad spending it. He asked if we needed to add this
money to the Reserve Fund or if there was a way to gift or rebate
personal homes.
Mayor Drummond asked if the millage rate could be changed.
Mr. Langley said you can reduce the millage from the 5.5 down
but you cannot go up.
Commissioner Paris said he loves the idea of considering a tax
rebate but what we are trying to set here is the millage rate. I say
we accept the millage rate as it has been planned. We do have the
$500,000 windfall.The Commission can at any time, arbitrarily,
decide on what we want to do. He suggested having our finance
department look into how many homesteaded homes we have,
how much money is going towards our Reserve, making sure we
are above 20%, and then maybe taking a portion of that and
advertising a rebate for those who need it. This does not affect
the millage rate and we should probably move forward with this
as it stands.
Deputy Mayor Sackett agrees that the 5.5 is fine but said within
two meetings from now I want to see that the$500,000 is
directed to the people out here.
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Commissioner Paris moved to approve the first reading of
Ordinance No. 20-2190 and set September 21, 2020, as
the public hearing date. Seconded by Commissioner
Morgan and carried by four-to-one (4-1) roll call vote with
Deputy Mayor Sackett voting nay.
B. Read by title only, set September 21, 2020,as the public hearing
date, and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 20-2191,
which adopts tentative revenues,expenditures,and fund
balances for the City's fiscal year budget commencing October 1,
2020,and ending September 30, 2021.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 20-2191 by title only.
Mayor Drummond read the following amounts that reflect the
recommended changes:
General Fund $18,374,390
Public Utilities $12,824,735
Public Facilities Improvement Fund $5,456,404
Capital Projects $4,228,929
Stormwater Management $1,139,238
Other Funds $1,925,743
Fund Balance—Reserves $8,020,240
Total Resources $51,969,679
Mayor Drummond opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to Ordinance No. 20-2191.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Shoemaker thanked the staff for their diligence and
hard work. I could not be more pleased with the budget and was
even more excited to see the 22% Reserve after the workshops.
Commissioner Paris moved to approve the first reading of
Ordinance No. 20-2191 and set September 21, 2020, as
the public hearing date. Seconded by Commissioner
Morgan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcements.
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A. The "Downtown Longwood Food Trucks"will be held on
Thursday, September 10, 2020,from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.at
Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.
B. The"Downtown Longwood Cruise-In" Car Show will be held on
Saturday, September 12, 2020,from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in
the Historic District of Longwood located off Church Avenue.
C. Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital will sponsor the
"Concert in the Park"event on Saturday, September 19, 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 ColorBlind Dinosaurs
and this is a free event.
5. PROCLAMATIONS/ RECOGNITIONS
A. District#3 Nomination of the Business Person of the Month
Award for September 2020.
Commissioner Paris nominated Michael Kryger, Owner of Pegasus
Insurance Agency, as Business Person of the Month for September
2020. Nomination carried by a unanimous voice vote.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Presentation. Merchant McIntyre Associates, LLC to give a
presentation on the work they have done on federal grants for
Longwood.
Mark McIntyre, Dre Donaher, Will Hoing, and Kathyrn Peterson
with Merchant McIntyre Associations, LLC gave an overview of the
work they have done for Longwood on federal grants.
B. Public Participation.
Brian Roy, 291 West Warren Avenue, Longwood. He said he owns
Royal Consulting Services at the Clauser House across the street
from the parking lot and Longwood Community Building. My wife
and I also own the house adjacent to it that I built for my parents,
which I am currently living in and I own three lots next to it. I have
a lot invested in the City of Longwood. I have been here for about
19 years.The reason I wanted to talk to you tonight is that I know
there is a potential for redevelopment that is coming up and not
on the agenda tonight. I am not a person that likes change. I
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would like to see Longwood the way it is. However, my family and
I are very interested in the redevelopment and we want to
encourage people to get behind it and support it.The reason I am
bringing it up ahead of the vote is that I want to make myself
available so that if anybody wanted to sit down and discuss with a
local vested interest person, I would be available to do that either
with Commissioners or residents. He said although he does not
like everything that is proposed if we do not do something this
Community will die. It will be a slow death but I think we need to
invest in our futures and I am here to support that.This is a good
step forward.
Craig Govan, 240 West Bay Cedar Circle,Jupiter. He said he is
with Taurus Investment (TI) Group who was fortunate enough to
be selected as the development company to put forward a
potential development proposal for the City's Historic District. We
answered the call back in January and have been working
diligently with staff, Commissioners, and the general public,
particularly those in the Historic District, for quite some time.The
original proposal has gone through a good number of changes
recently, mostly at the request of the local district stakeholders. I
would like to thank those who have participated in that. In other
projects in other cities, we have worked in; it became very
important for the Commissioners to hear from the constituents.
Sometimes people do not like to come to these kinds of meetings
and come up to speak but it was very effective in the past and
hopefully tonight as well. We took a few days to go out and visit
the stakeholders directly in the Historic District and presented
them with a very open and honest petition describing the
different projects that are involved. We asked them if they would
approve or disapprove of them. As of a few hours ago, we have 50
respondents from people who operate their businesses or live in
the Historic District. I wanted to present these forms to you.You
will probably know most, or if not, all of the people there.They
have weighed in, some commented, others checked marked in. I
thought this was a wonderful tool for everyone to communicate.
Additionally, you can open the map and see how the Historic
District is represented by the little yellow dots. Each petition is
reflected by a yellow dot on the map. We have circulated a
number of those petitions. By the time this comes up to vote we
will probably have another 50 or so petitions and will represent
those on an updated map.
Frank Ramseur, 172 West Warren Avenue, Longwood. He said his
wife and him own the property at 172 West Warren Avenue and
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the adjacent lot for 17 years. Four or five years ago, we were
asked by a former Commission to serve in an Ad Hoc Committee
to do some deep research on the future of the Historic District. He
said Mrs. Putz, Mrs. Dowda, and I worked for about 18 months
diligently trying to come up with a program that would suffice for
the future of the Historic District. Realizing we have been here for
a long time, it is time for us to benefit from what we have been
waiting for years and years. I think that, unfortunately, in our
lifetime, we are never going to get 100%support. In this case, I
would like to see credibility. Looking back on the work we did on
the Ad Hoc Committee, the properties that the City owns were
chosen and had the best opportunity to allow and expand the
growth of the City.Taking the City properties and allowing them
to be developed into a quality, historically designed product,
would benefit us dramatically and it would stimulate all of the
small business owners adjacent to the Historic District.This group
was active and looking for a solution. I believe we have a solution.
By chance, we have a credible developer that the City has
selected for this type of project. I researched what they are doing
at Apopka and the Apopka City Center and it is the most quality,
City-type developments that use the City government properties
and develope them into quality development. He encouraged
everyone to look at Apopka's City Center.There is a brand new
Hilton Garden Suites next to what we used to call Townsends
Plantation as you come into the southeast part of the City of
Apopka. I want us to not only see that but to embrace and
support this. I have met Mr. Govan and researched TI Group. We
could not have selected, nationwide, a better, and more credible
group to come into our Community.The good thing about this is
that you have a developer who will come in, invest the energy and
dollars into this Community, and then stay in this Community as a
stakeholder effectively becoming the largest stakeholder in the
Historic District. I heard over$100 million of investments have
gone into this project. We are looking forward to what is ahead.
Jon Roemer, 465 West Warren Avenue, Longwood. He said he is
the owner of J. Raymond Construction. I have been a part of the
City of Longwood for a little over 20 years. What are the chances
of a contractor coming out in favor of new development? He said
Mr. Govan visited him as a business owner.There is a difference
between development and redevelopment. What he showed me
was an incredibly,well thought out redevelopment and
repurposing of buildings and properties that are already occupied.
We are taking what is already there and making it better and
more useful. We are consolidating City and Police and creating
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things that are going to hopefully draw people into Longwood. I
wanted to come out very much in favor of the plan, having
reviewed it.The things that I have looked at are much different
than a development. It is maximizing the space already used and
making it better.
Judi Coad, 1695 Grange Circle, Longwood. She said you will again
be reviewing an adjusted contract with CGI to participate in a 3-
year banner program.This proposal failed in the last Commission
meeting.The currently proposed 72-inch double-hung banners
will have 20%of solid advertising at the bottom.This area will be
14X60.The aesthetic look of this format is not very pleasing since
Longwood will be hanging double banners in the median on
Ronald Reagan Boulevard (County Road 427), where most cities
hang single banners on the side of the road, it does not have the
same look. When asked about this type of code for advertising it
was stated, it would be called a public information sign and that
exempt the banners from our current City codes. Advertisement is
advertising.The information would be such as "City Hall",
"Parking", "Historic Area", or"Library". What it does is take away
from the City the availability of using Church Street and County
Road 427 corridor as an area for promotion of City events such as
the Fall Festival and the Pirate Festival. Once the County Road 427
intersection with Church Street renovation is complete we would
be losing what current banners we have. Currently, the holiday
banners are moving forward this year, which was supposed to be
done last year.There is a 7 to 8 pole allotment for the City to hang
these holiday banners. She asked if you like the program, why not
exempt these poles at the intersection of County Road 427 and
Church Street to remain as Longwood's sole use for year-round.
The Longwood City Codes must still be changed for this project.
This type of advertising currently does not meet Longwood's Code
Supplemental Standards for Specified Land Use Activities -5.4.0.,
Permitted permanent on-site signs- 6.4.0., Definitions Advertising
- 6.1.4., and General Provisions- 6.1.0. If the Commission moves
forward you first must address changing these code standards to
meet the requirements to put out CGI's program. I am very pro
having a banner program. I just want it to all be on top of the
table so every other business has the same right to advertise.
Tammy Uliano, 224 West Magnolia Avenue, Longwood. She said
she is a 27-year Longwood resident. My husband has been in
Longwood probably 45 years. She said she and her husband are
right behind the Police station separated by an 8-foot fence and
are not in favor of this new development. We have several
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neighbors in the building who are also not happy with it. We
started a petition and have over 350 signatures of people who are
not a fan of this. We also have over 50 houses in this area who are
not a fan of it. We plan to stay in Longwood and have always
planned to stay in Longwood. I teach at Longwood Elementary
school. I was the only educator to be asked back to that school
when it was reopened. I came back to Longwood because I love
the City and how small and quaint it is.The apartments next to
the Longwood Grove subdivision ruined that neighborhood.Those
property values decreased. Some of my students' parents looked
into buying a house in that area and did not because of those
apartments. We are not a fan of whatever is going to be built. We
firmly believe the Police Department needs a new facility and the
Fire Department needs to be rebuilt.That has been in the books
for about 20 years since we have moved here. We are 100%
behind those two projects. We do not need any more traffic in
this area and we like small, quaint businesses. We spoke to the
owner of the Craft Shack and she is not a fan of this either.This is
something I would like to see the plans. Anyone else who would
like to talk to our group, we will be here at the next meeting.
There is a large number of people that do not want to change the
Historic District.
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District#4. Commissioner Morgan said on August 28, I stopped by
Zanzibar's Coffee Shop that has been in the City for quite a while now.
One of my jobs as a part of Longwood Historic Society is to raise money
for the Monster Dash 5k Run. The Longwood Historic Society take care of
these historic buildings and protect our City's history. He encouraged
everyone to come out to the Monster Dash 5k Run this Halloween. He
said all financial contributions for this goes right back to the City. Even
amid COVID and struggling for business, Zanzibar stepped up and were
willing to put together a Longwood Latte/Strongwood Latte drink. One
dollar towards every sale is going towards our Monster Dash 5k Run. He
thanked Zanzibar for being willing to contribute to their City. He said
these are the small Mom & Pop owned businesses we need to do our job
of protecting and making sure we set the table for them to succeed.That
same evening my family and I went out to Promise Church who hosted a
Movie Night under the Stars outside. It was incredibly fun. He shared the
sad news of the Longwood Farmer's Market store fire.They lost just
about everything. I have been working with the owner Mr. Sue and his
family on trying to do different types of fundraisers to do what we can to
help him raise money.Those who can contribute to their GoFundMe
please do. One of our local Seminole County small business owners had a
cupcake sale event for them.That was incredibly kind. Every penny was
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contributed to the Longwood's Farmer's Market. He addressed the
development of the Historic District and stated he still has questions. He
said he is not on board with this at the risk of the overall look of the
Historic District. He said it is a very tough situation because you want to
be able to create revenue. We want this Historic District to be self-
sustainable but we have to be able to set the table for that. We can do so
smartly. I am hoping they can come back with some different plans,
especially with this Police Department property.That is my biggest
concern. He said, about the banners, if we are trying to create a
downtown feel, I think banners are a part of that. I do think it is
important to have our small business owners have the opportunity to be
able to advertise their business because they are the ones that have the
most skin in the game. As of two months ago, the City of Longwood had
1,736 businesses and 1,734 are small businesses. We are a City of small
business owners. We have an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone
and create a downtown feel.These flags play a big role in that. Originally,
I did not like how big the advertisement was, but I think with the
improvement made I am more in favor of it this go around. He reminded
everyone that when it comes to the different developments happening
here you want to get in front of these projects when the zoning starts. He
said at the next City Commission meeting when the City will be discussing
the potential movement of zoning, I hope residents attend to voice their
opinions. He thanked Ms. Rosado for helping out the customers that
were experiencing higher than normal water bills. He asked for the wands
and the readers to be looked into. He also thanked the different
Committee and Board Members that have been serving the City of
Longwood. We are trying our best to get gifts to all of our Board
members. We appreciate them and that is where we get a lot of our
insight.
District#5. Deputy Mayor Sackett said there is no way I would be
accepting of a Senior Facility in the Historic District.This is not the vision
these Committees have had. He said we have had so many of these
meetings and that is not what we are looking for especially when we
have a train. We are looking for a train that has a reason to come to this
City. I do not believe we can get an abundance of people as we do for
Fall Festival if we have a Senior Center here. I would like to see Food
Festivals in the park and I want this to be a place to come to and move to.
When we get to six stories, it means we are going to have to buy a ladder
truck so that is going to cost us more money. Maybe that is my half
million dollars I was talking about early, I do not know. Something is
going to have to be done. Ms. Uliano is the one that wrote a letter to me
about the heroes at 9/11. Her fourth-grade class wrote it to us and read it
to me as Mayor at the time, that the kids need to honor our heroes. I
sent it back to her and said you are a teacher, this is terrible, it needs to
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be more grammatically correct, and rewrite it, and they did.They sent it
over to Woodlands Elementary and many kids signed it. As a result, we
have that$300,000 project sitting over there. It is many thanks to her.
Speaking of which, the flags were being put out this afternoon for
tomorrow being 9/11. We have to do some sort of celebration to say that
we are proud of our service people in 2021, the 20th anniversary. I hope
Parks& Recreation and the whole City gets behind celebrating in
Longwood all the great things.This is an agenda item for someone's
plate. He said I noticed this week that Dr. Griffin,the Superintendent of
Seminole County Schools, and Dr. Anna-Marie Cote the Deputy
Superintendent of Equity& Excellence have announced retirement at the
end of this semester. I told Dr. Griffin that he is retiring when I retire. He
has been phenomenal for our school district and has gotten us through
this COVID. We are in the fourth week of school and we are doing pretty
darn well with face-to-face communication. My wife almost fell off the
stool at home when we opened our water bill and it was$500 last
month. When I looked at what is going on with our new month, we are
using 3,000 gallons a day. Our new bill would be over$1,500. The wands
could not have been reading the meter because the meter was full of
water and water was all through the yard. It was not noticeable but I took
video and showed them it was a defective meter and wand reader. We
were going close to 90,000 to 100,000 gallons of water for the month. I
called Mr. Gioielli while he was on vacation and the people came out and
saw it was a meter problem and not on my line and it was replaced.The
water is now down to our$50 rate. He said he got his quart of black
raspberry ice cream from Nan & Pops. If you want, go over there it is
available.
District#1. Commissioner Shoemaker congratulated Mayor Drummond
and thanked Commissioner Morgan for his service and passing the baton.
I am going to miss you being the Mayor. Mayor Drummond has it all
going on. I just thank you for not nominating me. I was afraid
Commissioner Paris might do that on his way out the door to pick on me.
My report is based on many of the comments tonight. I have received
multiple emails and spoken with multiple residents and business owners
in the district. I was told that someone had it on very good authority that
I would be voting on the new development tonight. When a
Commissioner hears that somebody has it on good authority that I am
going to be voting on something that I am not aware of yet, it causes
great pause and concern.This is a proposal. We are nowhere near
completion. I do appreciate very much hearing everybody's opinions. As I
have spoken and told many, I do not govern for me, I govern for the
people so it is very important for me to know what our citizens want. We
have a unique opportunity with this proposal, one we may never get
again, where we can be in charge. We can make sure everything is just so
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and do everything in the best interest to the best of our knowledge. If
citizens do not tell me what they want then I have to guess.That does not
help me make a decision. Also, no one has spoken on the financial side of
this. It is a concern. I am not saying it is not doable I am just not certain
that the way to do it is favorable and I do not have the real numbers. She
thanked everyone that has taken the time to contact me and the other
Commissioners. She said sixty-plus people in the neighborhood The
Landings sent an email to all of our Commissioners in opposition. Ms.
Uliano has a petition going. We have maybe 100 people with the 50 that
we have here and Mr. Govan says he is going to get 50 more.That is very
important information for me. I do not know how my fellow
Commissioners feel but I just want everyone to know it is important to
me. Everybody's happiness is important but the money is on top of that.
If we do not have good money, we do not have a good City. If we do this
and cannot afford to pay the people to fix the potholes, we are in
trouble. She thanked everyone for telling her what they want.
District#2. Mayor Drummond said he has talked to several people and
we are going to get a lot of input on this Taurus Group redevelopment. At
this point, we are just taking in information, but we have an opportunity
that we may never get again in the City of Longwood. We have a chance
to develop downtown and make it a place where people will want to
come to, walk off the Sunrail, and come visit our parks, restaurants, and
shops. We have just begun to investigate this so it will not just go away.
There are different components to this and they involve several different
properties in the City. We need to realize these buildings are very old.
The upkeep on these just gets to be a little more every year. If you look
around you can see this building has been added on several times, our
water department is across the street, some of the Fire Captains are in
another building on the other side of downtown, and everyone is
scattered around.There is no cohesiveness with City Hall and the
employees. We need to address that issue and give the Police
Department a building they can work out of as well as the Fire
Department.Their building is so obsolete.They have a two-room
apartment with six firefighters trying to work out of it.Their building does
not even hold their fire trucks. We have so many things we are trying to
address so we need people to be patient and try to comprehend all the
different things that this will entail because there are so many different
moving parts here. I understand no one wants apartment buildings or
elderly care facilities but these are things we are going to be addressing.
We are going to be trying to go through this and discuss it at these
meetings. It has to be discussed at a Commission Meeting so everybody is
going to hear what we are talking about and what we are doing.
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II District#3. Commissioner Paris said we have a unique opportunity here.
This is the first time we are going to build a development where we are
the actual property owners. Often, developers come in and talk about
stuff and the end is we do not own the property and do not have a say.
This is one of the few situations where we own the property. With that
said, I know it will be easier to just fix the Fire Station and the Police
Station but we do not have the money for that. Anyone can come to our
public budget meeting and see the funds do not exist. If we took every
dime out of our Reserves Fund, we still could not complete those
projects. We would be left penniless in case of an emergency. Many of
you know, after this meeting I have four meetings left as a Commissioner.
The City of Longwood is on a time clock.The cost of running the City
increases every year when you just take into account the increases in pay
that we give out to our 150 employees. We are talking about a City of
15,000 people.The property value increase will not keep up with the cost
of the City. We need to figure out a way of increasing our tax base. We
are a landlocked City.There is very little we can move into the County
areas.The question is redevelopment.That is what we need to look at.
We need to look at drastic redevelopment. We need to increase the tax
base in a meaningful way that will last for decades. If not, we will be
suffering the similar losses that occur around the state and in our very
own county.The county is more than happy to take more control and
taxing authority over the citizens of Longwood.The last thing I want to
see is us lose our independence as a City. We are one of the few that
have our own Fire Department, Police Department, and Public Works all
here. People say they like the quaintness of our City.That is only possible
through tax dollars and those tax dollars are running out.That is not an
opinion that is a fact. We have followed those graphs and have been able
to calculate how much taxable value we have relatively closely, for the
past five years. It is running out and the equilibrium is going in the wrong
direction.The City of Longwood just recovered from the 2007 losses that
we took during the mortgage crisis.Just two years ago, we hit the
equilibrium point that other cities around the county had almost hit
almost a decade ago. We recovered much quicker. In my neighborhood
alone, most of the houses are under 900- 1,000 square feet so it is not
like property values can go much higher.There is a point where they no
longer can go. If we do not want to do this and it is not the Commission's
choice to continue this development, we need to find alternate options
and we are quickly running out.This is an opportunity to have and make
the City of Longwood not only a destination point but also increase and
allow businesses to live and thrive right here. I will probably not be on
this Commission when the final decisions are made but I implore my
II fellow Commissioners to heavily think about this. Remember, I am not
concerned about any petitions. I represent 15,000 plus citizens and tens
of thousands of people who work and call this area their home. When
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you make decisions here, you do not make them based on a few people
that are upset or a few happy people, you make them based on what
needs to be done in the City and difficult decisions need to be made.
They are not popular. I have made many decisions up here where people
have threatened to remove me from office because I do not think I have
voted on a single development project in the City that was popular and I
have voted on them in my district, other people's districts, and on my
street. I hope that when I am gone you remember that we need to do
something and action is now. He said he has heard many things about
water breakage. PVC does eventually break on its own. I had this happen
in my house where a piece of PVC under my foundation cracked. I was
unaware of it until it flooded my bedroom and destroyed my wood floors.
Just keep that in mind. It is called Schedule-40 or Schedule-20 for a
reason meaning every 20 or 40 years you need to replace it. He said with
the construction that is happening, Credo Street and Orange Street is
becoming a thoroughfare.There is a two-way stop with a straight
through on Orange Street. I noticed several cars not realizing if you are
coming down Credo Street,the first couple of roads have no stop sign
and Orange has a stop sign on the first road. He asked that this area be
monitored, as he does not want to see any accidents there. He said he is
hoping that people figure it out. He suggested a warning sign to alert
people to slow down. He said lastly, the Seminole County Chamber of
Commerce is having a free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)giveaway
on Monday for any business. If you know any business in the area that
needs free PPE, they can sign up on seminolebusiness.org and pick up a
free bag of PPE, courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce. Multiple
members of our Chambers have donated all of the objects inside the
bags. We are trying to do our very best to flatten the curve.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA. None.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of the August 24, 2020, Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for August 2020.
C. Approve a purchase order in the amount of$90,000 to Sunstate
Meters and Supply, Inc.to purchase meters and related
accessories for the City's Automatic Meter Reading Installation
Program.
Commissioner Paris moved to approve Items 10A through
10C as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker
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and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
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11. PUBLIC HEARINGS(PART II)
C. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 20-1538,which
creates the 2020 Wastewater Assessment Area,confirms the
Initial Assessment Resolution No. 20-1537,and establishes the
maximum annual assessment.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 20-1538 by title only.
Mayor Drummond opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to Resolution No. 20-1538.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Paris moved to adopt Resolution No. 20-
1538 as presented Item 11C. Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
D. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 20-1539,adopting
the annual non-ad valorem rolls for various wastewater, road,
and neighborhood beautification assessments for the 2020 tax
rolls.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 20-1539 by title only.
Mayor Drummond opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to Resolution No. 20-1539.
Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Paris moved to adopt Resolution No. 20-
1539 as presented Item 11D. Seconded by Commissioner
Morgan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
E. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 20-2187, regarding
the use of vibratory compactors in construction activities.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 20-2187 by title only.
Mayor Drummond opened the public hearing. No one spoke in
favor or opposition to Ordinance No. 20-2187.
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Commissioner Paris moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Paris moved to adopt Ordinance No. 20-
2187 as presented Item 11E. Seconded by Commissioner
Morgan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Read by title only, set September 21, 2020, as the public hearing
date,and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 20-2192,
approving the extension of the Non-Exclusive Franchises for the
Collection of Commercial Solid Waste and/or Recovered
Materials for an additional twelve (12) months.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 20-2192 by title only.
Commissioner Shoemaker moved to approve Ordinance
No. 20-2192 and set September 21, 2020, as the public
hearing date. Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and
carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
B. Read by title only,set September 21, 2020, as the public hearing
date and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 20-2193,
extending the Residential Solid Waste and Recycling Collection
Services Contract with Waste Pro of Florida Inc.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 20-2193 by title only.
Mr. Gioielli reviewed the Item and said this is to approve the four-
year contract extension for Residential Solid Waste and Recycling
Collection Services with Waste Pro of Florida Inc. and there is no
rate increase.
Commissioner Paris moved to approve Ordinance No. 20-
2193 and set September 21, 2020, as the public hearing
date. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Sackett and carried by a
unanimous roll call vote.
C. Read by title only,set September 21, 2020,as the public hearing
date and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 20-2194,
amending Chapter 90,Article II of the Longwood City Code
adopting regulations governing and prohibiting certain types of
waste discharges to the public wastewater system.
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Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 20-2194 by title only.
Mr. Smith presented the Item and said these are new
requirements from the Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP). We are going to start sending our waste to the City of
Altamonte Springs and they are requiring us to have an Ordinance
for it. He then answered questions.
Commissioner Paris moved to approve Ordinance No. 20-
2194 and set September 21, 2020, as the public hearing
date. Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker and carried
by a unanimous roll call vote.
D. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 20-1541,which
amends the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Budget to recognize gain on
the sale of capital leases.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 20-1541 by title only.
Ms. Rosado presented the Item and said this item increased the
current budget by$15,812.This is equity from prior leases that
we received two checks from totaling that amount.The ending
budget after this budget amendment would be$56,416,869.
Commissioner Paris moved to adopt Resolution No. 20-
1541 as presented Item 12D. Seconded by Commissioner
Morgan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
E. Approve an updated agreement with CGI Communications, Inc.
to implement a FREE Banner Program for the City of Longwood.
Mr. Gioielli said this was an agenda Item spoken about during
public participation and was reviewed by the Commission last
meeting.There have been some modifications or changes agreed
on by the vendor at the suggestion of our Commission. We have
decided to bring it back for further review.
Mr. Capizzi presented the Item and said the main difference from
the last meeting to this meeting is that CGI is willing to decrease
the amount of advertising space on these banners to 20%as
opposed to 30%. I provided an example of what that would look
like on the banner and it is significant.The City would have about
57%2 inches of whatever design we wanted and the advertising of
businesses would have 14 Y2 inches. We have the option to design
however we want. We have an art department that we would be
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working with.The cost of advertising for these businesses would
be $795 for the entire year for the front and back of the banner. It
is a great opportunity and it would be very visible.They do have a
sponsorship policy and will not allow any businesses perceived as
unsuitable including, but not limited to adult bookstores and
entertainment, pawnshops, tattoos and piercing parlors, and
political campaigns.They said if there are specific businesses that
we would like to exclude to let them know in advance.They
would be more than happy to go the route we want them to. We
would like to know within the next week or so because we would
like to put the banners up around the same time as the holiday
banners. He reminded the Commission that CGI would put up and
take down the banners for us. As well, they are going to be
scattering these banners on every other pole down the majority
of Ronald Reagan Boulevard.They are not going to be on every
consecutive pole until we get into the Historic District where
there are about five poles just because of visibility.
Commissioner Morgan asked what would it cost the City to have
no advertising on the banners.
Mr. Capizzi said it would be extremely expensive. We had ordered
sixteen 30-inch X 60-inch banners that included the hardware and
installation and that was$3,500. Seventy two-inch banners would
be more money and there is a cost for installation as well so we
are looking at least$5,000 or$6,000 for 25 banners. I have not
done the math, but it would be considerable.
Mayor Drummond asked what the term of the contract was.
Mr. Capizzi said it is a three-year contract.
Mayor Drummond said at the last meeting there was 30%of
advertising and you negotiated down to 20%. I think this is a great
opportunity for our businesses to advertise and it is a great way
for the City of Longwood to advertise and promote itself.
Deputy Mayor Sackett asked if there could be a two-sided
advertisement for different companies on one banner since they
are two-sided.
Mr. Capizzi said the advertisement is going to be uniform for both
sides. He said he spoke to Mr. Kintner beforehand who listed a
few different ways in which these banners would be allowed
within the current code.
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Mr. Kintner said under the public information section there is
nothing that prohibits sponsorship or advertising.There is no
definition of public information signage. Its specific language says
under the exempt sign section 6.3.2 "Public announcement or
public information signage when elected or approved by the City".
That language is pretty broad and has no prohibitions against
sponsorship or advertisement. If the Commission feels more
comfortable with refining that language, we will have an
Ordinance coming before the Commission at the two meetings in
October that cover signage.There would be a way to tweak that
and take it further. I am confident that language is broad enough
to be able to fit this program.
Commissioner Shoemaker asked Mr. Langley if he had any
concerns over this three-year contract as well as how hard would
it be for us to get out it if we do not like it.
Mr. Langley said he had no problems with the three-year term of
the contract. If you wanted to negotiate an out-clause, we need
to provide for that. I think part of what you are negotiating is they
want to get a return on their investment for three years. If you
want to negotiate an out, they may want something in exchange
for that like a termination fee.
Commissioner Shoemaker said it would not be a bad thing to have
an out-clause. If they are causing a public safety issue or if there is
any reason we are not happy with them then I would like to know
we can get out if we can.
Mayor Drummond asked what is the time frame from the time we
sign this to the time they put up the banners.
Mr. Capizzi said it is an 8 to 10-week process. If we get everything
to them by the end of next week, they would be able to put it up
before Thanksgiving.
Commissioner Paris moved to approve the agreement with
CGI Communications, Inc. to implement a Free Banner
Program. Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried
by a unanimous roll call vote.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Gioielli congratulated Mayor Drummond on his appointment and
thanked Commissioner Morgan for his service as Mayor. He gave an
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update on COVID-19 and said as of today there are 444 active cases in
Seminole County in comparison to the peak in mid-July, which was 3,200.
I think we have started to flatten the curve if not have flattened it.Today,
Longwood is the City with the lowest active COVID count cases of 14.
Hospital admissions are down as reported by the staff there.The
percentage of positive testing in Seminole County is down. While we
have been trying to closely monitor the impact of back to school, it seems
to be a minimal impact. Regarding the water bills, the staff recognizes
there are lots of questions and issues. We are evaluating our equipment
and the staff involved. We have accelerated the necessity to upgrade the
meters to the newer ones to ensure there are no issues associated with
the pipes that are connected or the meters that are being read by our
staff. We are trying to take aggressive steps to ensure the information is
accurate. If one of our residents encounter a water leak that has resulted
in a higher than normal water bill they are encouraged by staff to present
the proof of repair to City staff so that they can reduce the amount of
their bill to an average of the previous 12-month bill.This provides an
opportunity for our City to work with the residents.The cleaning process
of the Heroes Monument is complete and the staff is preparing for our
9/11 Remembrance tomorrow.The sidewalks on Rangeline Road are
being replaced for our citizens to be able to safely exercise. The majority
of our sidewalks are complete and we are anticipating the remainder to
be completed this Saturday. Leisure Services is still closely monitoring the
COVID situation to see if there is any way possible for staff to safely
authorize our City Fall Festival and Christmas events. We are hopeful but
we want to make sure we make safe decisions for our residents and
visitors.The cemetery-fencing project is complete. If you have not seen
it, it looks professionally done and staff is now starting to take steps to
improve the landscaping including some of the bushes at the entrance of
Grant Street.They may also be working on a project to replace some of
the trees that had to be removed earlier in the year. He said the staff
had noted they were budgeting for the repaving of the West Warren
Avenue project this fiscal year but as a result of the extensive damage
there and the cost associated with that, we hope to move the project to
early in the next fiscal year budget. Our volunteer programs, including
Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Citizens on Patrol (COP),
have restarted. Some of the meetings and active programs they are
involved in have started. Of course, these are taking place with safety
considerations implemented. He said I am excited to report the body
cams that the Commission had approved for our Police Officers are fully
deployed and there has been some early success with that. It has made
our Officers more efficient in the collection of digital evidence, the
processing of crime scenes, and has enhanced management's ability to
confirm that our Officers are continuing to offer professional service to
our Community. At the request of the Commission at the last meeting,
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the staff is working on an Ordinance to enhance our tree protection
program. We are hopeful to get something to the Commission at the next
meeting. Additionally, we have not lost sight of the priority of ensuring
that the Department of Transportation (DOT) property on State Road 434
and Ronald Reagan Boulevard (County Road 427) is being properly
maintained by DOT. We have confirmed the grass had been cut today.
We are working with them to see they add it to a regularly maintained
list. If not, we will take steps to suggest taking it over. We realize this is a
gateway and we do not want it unmaintained.
14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. No report.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT
Ms. Longo congratulated Mayor Drummond on his appointment and
thanked Commissioner Morgan for his service as Mayor. She also wished
Commissioner Morgan a happy birthday.
16. ADJOURN. Mayor Morgan adjourned the meeting at 8:00 p.m.
Minutes approved by City Commission: 09-21-2020
Richard Drummond, Mayor
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City Clerk
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