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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-16-08 MINUTES OCOEE CITY COMMISSION September 16, 2008, at 7:15 P.M. REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING I A. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Vandergrift called the regular session to order at 7:15 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of City Hall. Commissioner Keller gave the Invocation and Commissioner Johnson led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. City Clerk Eikenberry called roll and declared a quorum present. Roll Call: Commissioner Hood, Commissioner Anderson, Mayor Vandergrift, Commissioner Keller, and Commissioner Johnson. Also Present: City Attorney Rosenthal, City Manager Frank, City Clerk Eikenberry I B. PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS Presentation of Chair to Retired City Employee David Harris. (Public Works Director Krug) Proclamation - October 2008 Architecture Month Commissioner Anderson arrived at 7:24 p.m. I C. COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS/PUBLIC Taylor Simon, and eight grader, said they are trying to start a girls Little League team for Juniors because there is not one at this time. She said they need to raise $8500 to start up this team and she is looking for sponsorship. Commissioner Anderson informed them of the Community Grant Awards and told them they should apply during the next cycle. Hector Vazquez, said he would like to form a youth council to help young people understand how government works. He said he may need help with a facility unless they are able to hold it at the school. Parks and Recreation Director Hayes said he would work with \ D. COMMISSIONERS ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Hood 1) said a large crowd turned out for the High School Homecoming was last weekend and they defeated Jones, 2) said there is a brick program at the High School where you can purchase a brick and the funds go toward adding bleachers, 3) said this week Ocoee Football has an away game at Freedom High School and West Orange has an away game at Oakridge. 4) said Pop Warner Program is doing well, four age divisions are currently undefeated, 5) Officer Brad Dreasher had some surgery this week and he wished them well. Mayor Vandergrift said he would like staff to do better at keeping them informed regarding other employees with serious health conditions. Assistant City Manager Croteau explained that, due to HIP AA laws, they are not able to give much information other that to say they are doing fine. 6) said the Final Budget Hearing is Monday, September 22, 2008, and invited everyone to come out and voice their opinion. Commissioner Anderson 1) wished Russ Wagner a speedy recovery, 2) said there are students from Valencia in the State Government class. The four students identified themselves. Commissioner Johnson - none City Commission Regular September 16,2008 Commissoiner Keller - none Mayor Vandergrift 1) Ocoee High School Alumni Association will be having a gathering at the Womens' Club on Saturday, October 11,2008 from 7pm - 11pm. For more information contact the Mayor or Pat Ferguson. 2) asked Community Services Director Shadrix what happened at the Lynx Meeting. Mr. Shadrix said he sent Principal Planner Fabre to the meeting today; he was the only representative from any of the affected cities. Mr. Fabre spoke at the meeting in an unofficial capacity against the discontinuation of two routes. He spoke with two Lynx representatives after the meeting and he set a followup meeting that they could both attend; he also informed them of the ridership issues that we had emailed them about earlier this week. Mayor Vandergrift read a letter from Cindy Hunt describing how losing this route would affect her handicapped son who will no longer be able to work without the bus system. Mayor Vandergrift said in many other cities the school board works with mass transit to provide transportation to all students who need it, he does not understand why they cannot have that type of program here. Commissioner Hood-gave out numbers for Route#27: 7600 people ride it, the cost to operate it is $717,000, and they only generate approximately $159,000, which leaves a deficit of $557,000 to operate that route according to Lynx. He thanked Ocoee School Advisory Board Chair Debra Booth for getting involved and writing a letter. Mayor Vandergrift said lets work various arguments for this and see if we can save it. It is important for the kids today because of the change in school times and so many are working after school. Commissioner Anderson said he would like staff to look into how they are allocating the gax tax. How much money do they need from the City? He said he would much rather see the route go to the high school, then the one that goes to the mall. Commissioner Anderson said he remembers them being natural gas first, then converted to diesel because it was so cheap, now diesel is the most expensive fuel. Commissioner Hood said we don1t have 275K to help them with matching funds. Mayor Vandergrift they added a route for Fowler's Grove, but the developers helped to fund it. Commissioner Anderson said we need to negotiate our routes in a way that best suits the community. Commissioner Hood said it is a business; it has to go to the routes that generate the most revenue. Commissioner Anderson said to his knowledge mass transit never pays for itself, it is not a revenue generator. Commissioner Keller said we need to join Ms. Booth in sending a letter to Representative Nelson and ask for his support. We should include Rep. Brummer in getting support to get more money from the state. He added that we should not have to take money from the City budget to help fund this, we need to think about was to get money from the state. Mayor Vandergrift said we need to be thinking about it. Mr. Shadrix said he will prepare a summary memo from today1s attendance. Commissioner Anderson suggested they get lobbyist to work on that issue. Mayor Vandergrift agreed staff should contact them to see what they can do. \ E. CONSENT AGENDA Approved on Consent. Motion carried 5-0 Page 2 of6 City Commission Regular September 16, 2008 A new agreement for dispatch services will be required to continue those services for a one (1) year period, starting October 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009. The cost of the dispatch service is shared between the Cities of Winter Garden, Maitland and Ocoee, and is based on the cost of dispatcher salaries and the call volume allocation between the cities. The cost of the one year contract is $152,820, which represents 35.21% of the total call volume. This cost will be assessed in the FY 2009/2010 budget. Approved on Consent. Motion carried 5-0 The Utilities Department is submitting Change Order #1 to the Utilities Administration Building contract with Southern Building Services, Inc. The contractor was tasked to submit the construction plans for building review which took thirty (30) days to complete, thus delaying the beginning of construction. Utilities staff is recommending the addition of public services of a bulk reclaim fill and a RV sanitary dump by having the contractor pour the concrete pad for a station. During the building design, the front porch wrap of columns and railings, and the north sidewalk were removed from the plans for value engineering. Based on a bid that was lower than anticipated, staff is recommending the re-inclusion ofthese items into the building construction. The sidewalk between the Jim Beech Recreation Center and the administration building will provide pedestrian access between both facilities. It is anticipated that the administrative conference/training room will be utilized by both Recreation and Utilities. The Jim Beech Recreation Center is scheduled to be repainted and to ensure color adherence and the elimination of mobilization charges; staff is recommending both buildings be painted by the same painter. Finally, the Utilities department desires to construct the building to be consistent with the SJRWMD WaterStar program for practical conservation and for future demonstration. This item was pulled from the Consent Agenda to be considered separately. Commissioner Johnson stated that when this bid was approved he expresses concerns about Change Orders coming in because this company has a history of bidding low and then requiring change orders. Utilities Director Smith and Assistant City Manager Croteau explained that most of the items added on such as the connecting sidewalk and painting the additional building were not a part of the original bid and are being requested of the contractor by the City. Commissioner Hood verified that this change order includes the cost to paint the Beech Center in the same color scheme. He added that staff should make a better effort to include everything in the original bid to eliminate so many change orders in the future. This plat is for Casa Mirella which is a 22.81 acre development which contains 18.84 acres of multi-family residential development, a 2.8 acre ALF residential development, and 1.17 acres of commercial/retail/office development. This site is located on the southwest corner of Roberson Road and Maguire Road. This plat does not include lot 2 and lot 3 of Maguire Shoppes II which was previously platted. Approved on Consent. Motion carried 5-0 This short form plat is for Thomas Landing at Meadow Lake which is 18.63 acres. The site is located on the east side of Lauren Beth A venue and approximately 500 feet south of C1aracona Ocoee Road and consists of 5 single family homes. Approved on Consent. Motion carried 5-0 e Commissioner Hood. seconded by Commissioner Keller moved to approve Items #1. 2. 4. and 5. as presented by staff. Motion carried 5-0. Page 3 of6 City Commission Regular September 16, 2008 I F. PUBLIC HEARINGS - none IG.REGULARAGENDA The Community Grant Review Board met on August 27, 2008, to discuss the 11 applications received during the fourth cycle of the Quarterly Community Grant Program (formerly the Community Merit Awards Program). The Quarterly Community Grant Program provides financial grants of up to $500 made to Ocoee non-profit organizations and civic groups outside City limits which benefit residents of Ocoee. The grants are awarded to acknowledge excellence and further the contributions these local organizations bring to the Ocoee community. The Community Grant Review Board voted to award grants to 7 organizations. The Board reached a tie vote with one organization, Starke Lake Baptist Church. The CGR Board would like the City Commission to break the tie vote. The Grant Review Board voted to deny awarding grants to three organizations because these groups did not have a representative present at the meeting. The following are the organizations that were denied grant funding: Girl Scouts of Citrus Council, Health Central Foundation; Ocoee Elementary Choir. Community Relations Manager Wright summarized the Community Grant Review Board's recommendations for grant awards for this cycle. Commissioner Hood, seconded by Commissioner Johnson, moved to approve the Qrant awards as recommended by staff. Motion carried 5-0. Commissioner Anderson, seconded by Commissioner Keller, moved to break the tie vote from the Board and approve the Qrant for Starke Lake Baptist Church in the amount of $250. Motion carried 5-0. The Community Grant Review Board consists of five members approved by the City Commission. The purpose of the Community Grant Review Board is to review grant applications submitted from non-profit organizations as part of the City's Quarterly Community Grant Program (formerly the Community Merit Awards Program). The CGR Board reviews the grant applications and they forward their funding recommendations to the City Commission. On August 5,2008, the City Commission directed the CGR Board to meet again to review their bylaws and make amendments to them. The CGR Board previously held a workshop on June 23, 2008, to discuss amending their bylaws. At the direction of the City Commission, the Community Grant Review Board met again on August 27,2008, and discussed amending their bylaws. Community Grant Review Board Chair Jim Sills explained the changes that the majority of the board voted for the bylaws and criteria. There was discussion among the Commission, Board Chair Sills, and Board Member Wilsen with regard to the Board's recommendation allowing schools to apply only once per year and allowing the school principal to determine which group should get the money. Commissioner Anderson said he thinks they should be limited to once per cycle, not once per year. Commissioner Hood said he feels they need to back the board on their decision. Commissioner Johnson said we sent the Board members back to create these bylaws and we need to go with their discussion. Commissioner Keller, seconded by Commissioner Hood, moved to accept the chanQes to the Community Grant Review Board as presented by the Board. Motion carried 4-1, with Commissioner Anderson opposed. Page 4 of6 City Commission Regular September 16, 2008 City Clerk Eikenberry read the list of appointees to the Charter School Committee as follows: Vandergrift- Lisa Wright Johnson- Pat Gleason Anderson- Scott Williams Hood-Julie Butler Keller- Michael Barnes Commissioner Johnson, seconded bv Commissioner Keller moved to approve the members of the Charter School Committee. Motion carried 5-0. City Clerk Eikenberry advised she had placed the minutes on the dais from the July 28, 2008 workshop where there was discussion about possibly disbanding the School Advisory Board once the Charter School Committee is started. Mayor Vandergrift said the question is whether or not we want to do away with the School advisory Board, several of the commissioners expressed that they would like to do that. He further stated if the board were to remain, they would need to appoint another commission liaison because he is stepping down from that position after many years. Commissioner Anderson volunteered to fill in as the temporary liaison for the October Meeting. This discussion was tabled until the next Commission Meeting to determine the purpose of the board and whether or not it should be disbanded. I H. STAFF REPORTS - none I 1. COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS Qg!i!mil~it:l said that Sawmill has a problem with two Great Danes running loose in the development; Animal Control takes a week to get out there and the dogs are long gone. He added that they have bitten a few people. Chief Brown said he received an email about these dogs as well and they are aware of whom the owners are so they can step in and try to deal with it; he said they are in violation of the city's leash law. He added that County has some restrictions in their code so the bite would have to be handled by them. City Attorney Rosenthal said that the Code would contain a municipal ordinance violation that would be handled by Code Enforcement Board, but the County has a procedure in place. Chief Brown said the County's nuisance animal laws are very strict, but they have a limited budget and limited I1~~8;~gt.B;9E.l~;9.~.~~dle these complaints. He advised they would follow up on it. ~g;mlJ!ii~!Q!l~'iiJJi1tii~~B 1) said everything is set for Founders' Day; Rosemary Wilsen is taking care of the marketplace part of that and it is full. He gave a summary of the entertainment and events. He said they have over $50,000 collected in pledges and about $20,000 that should be coming in. He added that he spoke to Al Butler about the construction project on Northshore Drive being completed before Founders' Day and everything is supposed to be done except the shelters. 2) asked about the construction around the gazebo, he understood that concrete would be poured and he thinks pavers would be better because they are permeable. Commissioner Anderson asked if they are planning to do anything for shelter above the gazebo. Parks and Recreation Director Hayes said they have been looking into several options for that, but they are waiting to see how much money is left. Commissioner Johnson said there was an article in yesterday's business section of the Orlando Sentinel about a Sun Shade company that does that Page 5 of6 City Commission Regular September 16, 2008 type of thing and it has solar panels to make it cooler. Commissioner Anderson said at the very least we should have some type of removable tarp that can be put up for events. 3) asked Joy Wright to advise residents about the grand opening of Palm Drive Park, which she advised is Thursda Se tember 18th at 10:30 a.m. 1) asked about House Bill 697 regarding Comp Plan Amendments to reduce greenhouse gas emission. He said he would like to go farther than that and have staff looking at different ways to save money and be eco-friendly such as changing to LED lights, etc. 2) said we need to change the traffic light where you pass Pioneer Key going to Ocoee Apopka Road(southbound onto eastbound Silverstar Road); it needs a turn lane or something because traffic is backing up there all the time. Public Works Director Krug said they looked at adding a turn lane about a year and a half ago, the controller cabinet for the light is at capacity and can't handle additional features. Weare looking at $150,000 for signalization of a new intersection. The county is not interested in putting any funding into that intersection at this time; they are happy with the way it is functioning. Assistant City Manager Croteau said we looked at costs a year and a half ago because we were trying to get developer money to upgrade that intersection, but that has not happened yet. 3) said there is also a problem with Ocoee Hills Road that needs to be reviewed; there was a plan to have developers working in the Brentwood area add intersection enhancements but those plans fell through. He said we added a turn lane about eight years ago, but no traffic light was added. Mayor Vandergrift asked if the road safety committee could look into that. mentioned that the stop signs are up at Wurst and Clarcona Ocoee now. Mayor Vandergrift said, on a lighter note, we have a hero in our midst because Public Works Director Krug saved the City from an alligator I ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 p.m. Attest: APPROVED: City of Ocoee Page 6 of6