Commission Meeting Draft Minutes
Draft Minutes of the September 9, 2020 6 pm Commission Meeting
The special meeting of the Lady Lake Town Commission was held in the Commission Chambers at Lady Lake Town Hall, 409 Fennell Blvd., Lady Lake, Florida with Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Kussard presiding. The meeting convened at 6 p.m.
A. Call to Order
Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Kussard
B. Invocation
By Pastor Keith Johnson of the Chapel of Christian Faith
C. Pledge of Allegiance
D. Roll Call
| Commissioner (Ward) | Present |
| Hannan (Four) | YES |
| Kussard (One) | YES |
| Holden (Two) | YES |
| Vincent (Three) | NO |
| Richards (Five) | YES (via teleconference) |
STAFF PRESENT
Kris Kollgaard, Town Manager; Derek Schroth, Town Attorney; Thad Carroll, Growth Management Director; C.T. Eagle, Public Works Director; Mike Burske, Parks and Recreation Director; John Pearl, I.T. Director; Pam Winegardner, Finance Director; Chief Rob Tempesta, Deputy Chief Jason Brough, Lieutenant Nelson Vargas; Records Assistant Mary Mullins, Lady Lake Police Department; Maureen Gochee, Human Resource Director; Wendy Then, Senior Planner; and Nancy Slaton, Deputy Town Clerk
E. Public Comment
There were no comments.
F. Public Hearing
1. Resolution 2020-106 (First and Final Reading) — Adoption of Tentative Millage Rate for Fiscal Year 2020 — 2021 (Pam Winegardner)
Finance Director Pam Winegardner presented the background summary for this agenda item and read the resolution by title (on file in the Clerk’s Office).
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any questions or comments from the Commissioners.
Commissioner Hannan stated he was in sync with this district’s County Commissioner Josh Blake who has argued for the rolled back rate, which is the rate the county would need to assess to bring the same general revenue as the previous year. Commissioner Hannan stated he is not in favor of raising taxes for people who are just holding on this year because of the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. He made a motion to go with the rolled back rate of 3.1727. There was no second to this motion.
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there was any public comment on this resolution.
Phil Mathias of Lakes of Lady Lake stated he agrees with Commissioner Hannan and feels that the Town should consider going back to the rolled back rate as it is a very different year.
Mayor/Commissioner Richards noted that the Town has already lost revenue funds of $560,000 due to the Covid 19 virus.
Upon a motion by Mayor/Commissioner Richards and a second by Commissioner Holden, the Commission approved the first and final reading of Resolution 2020-106, adopting the tentative Fiscal Year 2020-2021 millage rate of 3.3962, by the following roll call vote:
| Commissioner | Vote |
| Hannan | NO |
| Kussard | YES |
| Holden | YES |
| Richards | YES |
2. Ordinance 2020-07 (First Reading) — Adoption of Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2020 — 2021 (Pam Winegardner)
Finance Director Pam Winegardner presented the background summary for this agenda item and read the ordinance by title only (on file in the Clerk’s Office).
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any questions or comments from the Commissioners or the public.
Phil Mathias of Lakes of Lady Lake asked how much was included in this budget for new equipment such as police cars, new buildings, etc.
Town Manager Kris Kollgaard replied that the Town has been keeping with the five year rotation plan for vehicles, but because of dealing with Covid-19, no new police vehicles are included in this budget. She stated there are some other vehicles included in the budget, but not five new police vehicles.
Upon a motion by Commissioner Holden and a second by Commissioner Richards, the Commission approved the first reading of Ordinance 2020-07, adoption of the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 operating budget, by the following roll call vote:
| Commissioner | Vote |
| Hannan | NO |
| Kussard | YES |
| Holden | YES |
| Richards | YES |
G. Consent
3. Minutes — August 17, 2020 — Special (Conceptual) Commission Meeting
4. Minutes — August 17, 2020 — Commission Meeting
5. Consideration to Approve the Contract with the Hunt Law Firm, P.A. , Designating Joshua E. Bills, Esquire, as the Special Magistrate for Code Enforcement Hearings of the Town of Lady Lake (Thad Carroll) (Background Summary on file in the Clerk’s Office.)
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any questions or comments from the Commissioners regarding the Consent items. Hearing none, she asked for a motion.
Mayor/Commissioner Richards made a motion to approve Consent Items G-3 through G-5. Commissioner Holden seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 4 to 0.
H. Old Business
6. Consideration of the 2021 Pay Adjustments (Maureen Gochee)
Human Resource Director Maureen Gochee presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any questions or comments from the Commissioners regarding this item.
Mayor/Commissioners Richards stated he was in favor of Tier 2 as he believes it is the fairest option for all employees, and as stated, it is the most competitive with the market around the Town. He stated the second option to move anyone making less to $15.00 an hour would not be fair unless all other employees were moved up by percentage as well.
Mayor/Commissioner Richards made a motion to approve Option 1; the Tier 2 option for general employees. Commissioner Holden seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 4 to 0.
I. New Business
7. Consideration of the Water Oak Golf Course Club House and Dog Park Site Improvements – Major Modification to Ste Plan MJM 01/20-001 — Proposing Approximately 9,250 Square Feet of a Fenced Dog Park, 700-Square-Foot Covered Pavilion, Paved Golf Cart Area, Paved Driveway, 6-Foot Connecting Sidewalk and Dog Wash With Drinking Water Facility (Alternate Key 3538951)(Thad Carroll)
Growth Management Director Thad Carroll presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office).Vote
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any questions or comments from the Commissioners regarding this item, and hearing none, asked for a motion.
Commissioner Holden made a motion to approve the Water Oak Golf Course Club House and Dog Park Site Improvements – Major Modification to Ste Plan MJM 01/20-001 as presented. Commissioner Hannan seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 4 to 0.
8. Consideration of Approval to Purchase Replacement Audio and Video Systems for Chambers (John Pearl)
I.T. Director John Pearl presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office).
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any questions or comments from the Commissioners regarding this item, and hearing none, asked for a motion.
Commissioner Hannan made a motion to approve Option 2, the replacement of the audio and video systems for Chambers. Mayor/Commissioner Richards seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 4 to 0.
J. Town Attorney's Report
9. Ordinance 2020-05 (First Reading) — An Ordinance of the Town of Lady Lake, Lake County, Florida; Providing for a Text Amendment to the Town of Lady Lake Land Development Regulations (Ordinance No. 94-08) Chapter 5, Section 5-4, “Zoning District Uses”; Amending the Height Requirements for Specified Zoning Designations; Amending the Application Review Process by the Technical Review Committee for Planned Unit Developments (Thad Carroll)
Town Attorney Derek Schroth read the ordinance by title only.
Growth Management Director Thad Carroll presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office).
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any questions or comments from the Commissioners or the public.
Commissioner Holden commented that Mr. Carroll did a very good job with this ordinance. He asked for clarification on the two-story setback of 30 feet. He stated the ordinance mentions that the 30 foot setback is from all property lines rather than the street, and asked if the Town currently has a 40 foot setback from the street.
Mr. Carroll replied that there is not currently a 40 foot setback from the street, and the setback would depend on the type of right-of-way such as collector road, local road, or major arterial road. He said if a building was adjacent to the street, it would not be imposing on any adjacent residential structure. The concern was to keep any buildings from looking down or having a wall close to any residential property line or adjacent neighborhood.
Upon a motion by Commissioner Holden and a second by Mayor/Commissioner Richards, the Commission approved the first reading of Ordinance 2020-05 by the following roll call vote:
| Commissioner | Vote |
| Hannan | YES |
| Kussard | YES |
| Holden | YES |
| Vincent | YES |
| Richards | YES |
K. Town Manager's Report
Town Manager Kris Kollgaard stated she received an email from a Commissioner requesting a workshop be scheduled to discuss some action to move forward on developing the Town’s property on Old Dixie Highway for a possible running or walking trail, etc. She asked if the Commissioners were in favor of it.
Mayor/Commissioner Richards and Mayor Pro Tem Kussard stated they would be willing to have a workshop.
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard pointed out that this property is zoned commercial, and commercial property is very valuable at this time. She stated she does not feel it would be feasible to put a park on a valuable piece of property. She stated she believes the Town should wait to develop it since there are other projects planned such as putting in a new well, a new wastewater treatment facility, and a new Growth Management building.
Commissioner Hannan stated he feels the Town should hold on to this property for future development for the Town of Lady Lake.
Mayor Richards stated he was in favor of a workshop and even if the Town installed a passive trail on it, the value of the property would still be there, and a mixed area development could be planned for later. He noted that he would not want to spend a lot of money on it at this time.
Ms. Kollgaard stated she will speak with the Mike Burske, Parks and Recreation Director, and will schedule a date convenient to the Commissioners.
Commissioner Holden asked that anyone with ideas for this property notify the Parks and Recreation Director before the workshop.
Ms. Kollgaard noted that she has spoken with Mr. Burske previously about a walking trail and he pointed out that the Town would still need to factor in costs for engineering and design.
L. Mayor and Commissioner's Report
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if any of the Commissioners had anything to report.
Mayor/Commissioner Richards reported on his health issues at this time and apologized for not being present in person. He thanked staff for their work on the agenda items and the budget.
M. Public Comments
Mayor Pro Tem Kussard asked if there were any comments from the audience.
Phil Mathias of Lakes of Lady Lake asked when the community building remodeling will be complete.
Ms. Kollgaard reported there were some delays due to the Covid 19 virus, but that it should be complete by the end of this fiscal year.
Public Works Director C.T. Eagle confirmed this.
Mr. Mathias remarked that he received a copy of a letter that was sent to the Commissioners. He stated he hopes the new town manager will look into it. He asked if the Town has received any names of persons interested in becoming the town manager.
Ms. Kollgaard replied that the RFP for Executive Search Firm Services was advertised, and the bid opening is scheduled for Monday, September 14th. She stated the Commissioners will select the firm and the selected firm will proceed with their search for a new town manager.
N. Adjourn
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:38 p.m.
___________________________
Kristen Kollgaard, Town Clerk
___________________________
Ruth Kussard, Mayor Pro Tem
Minutes transcribed by Nancy Slaton, Deputy Town Clerk