Commission Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the April 1, 2019 6 p.m.
Commission Meeting

The regular 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 Jim Richards presiding. The meeting convened at 6 p.m.

Procedure

Citizens are encouraged to participate in the Town of Lady Lake meetings. Citizen groups are asked to name a spokesperson. Speakers will be limited to three minutes. Additional time may be granted at the Mayor’s discretion. Upon being recognized by the Mayor, please approach the dais, state your name and address, and speak into the microphone. The order of agenda items may be changed if deemed appropriate by the Town Commission. Please be respectful of others and put your cell phone on silent mode.

A. Call to Order

Mayor Jim Richards

B. Invocation

By Reverend Dr. Paul Harsh of the First Baptist Church of Lady Lake

C. Pledge of Allegiance

D. Roll Call

Commissioner (Ward) Present
Hannan (Four) YES
Kussard (One) YES
Holden (Two) YES
Vincent (Three) YES
Richards (Five) YES

Staff Present

Kris Kollgaard, Town Manager; Derek Schroth, Town Attorney; Thad Carroll, Growth Management Director; C.T. Eagle, Public Works Director; Chief Robert Tempesta, and Captain Jason Brough, Police Department; Pam Winegardner, Finance Director; Marsha Brinson, Library Director; Mike Burske, Parks and Recreation Director; Maureen Gochee, Human Resource Director; Wendy Then, Senior Planner; and Nancy Slaton, Deputy Town Clerk

E. Public Comment

Mayor Richards asked if anyone had any comments. There were no comments.

F. Proclamation

1. Proclaiming April as Water Conservation Month (Mayor Richards/C.T. Eagle)

Mayor Richards read the proclamation and presented it to C.T. Eagle, Public Works Director.

G. Presentation

2. Presentation of Awards to Villages Elementary School Students for Winners of the Water Conservation Poster Contest Sponsored by the Town and FGUA (Mayor Richards/Maryann Krisovitch)

Mayor Richards, along with Maryann Krisovitch and Ashton Johnston of FGUA, presented the awards to the Villages Elementary School student winners of the Water Conversation Poster Contest. The Chick Fil-A cow was present representing one of the sponsors, as was the armadillo from Texas Roadhouse. Sponsors included Chick-Fil-A, WaWa, Paramount Urgent Care, Sam’s Club, Center State Bank, Texas Roadhouse, Beyer’s Funeral Home, Domino’s, Thomas Insurance Services, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Subway of Lady Lake, Edible Arrangements, Anytime Fitness, Office Depot, and FGUA and the Town of Lady Lake. Ms. Krisovitch also presented a gift card to the Villages Elementary School Art Teacher, Brooke Wong, for her assistance with this project. Photos were taken. Ms. Krisovitch noted that the children’s posters would hang in the Lady Lake Public Library during the month of April for Water Conservation month.

Mayor Richards paused the meeting for a few minutes while those involved in the presentation left to go outside for more photos.

3. Minutes — March 18, 2019 — Special (Conceptual) Commission Meeting

4. Minutes — March 18, 2019 — Commission Meeting

5. Consideration of Approval for the Lady Lake Driving Range to Host Their Annual Volunteers’ Luncheon at the Parks and Recreation Building on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 (Mike Burske)

6. Consideration of Approval for New Song Community Church of Lady Lake to Host Easter Sunday Sunrise Services at Veterans/Log Cabin Park (Mike Burske)

Mayor Richards asked if there were any questions or comments, and hearing none, asked for a motion.

Commissioner Kussard made a motion to approve Consent Items H-3 through H-6. Commissioner Hannan seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 5-0.

I. Old Business

No old business.

J. New Business

7. Consideration of Approval for Creating a Part-Time Library Assistant Position (Marsha Brinson)

Library Director Marsha Brinson presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office).

Mayor Richards asked if there were any questions or comments, and hearing none, asked for a motion.

Commissioner Kussard made a motion to approve the creation of a part-time Library Assistant position. Commissioner Holden seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 5-0.

8. Consideration of Approval for The Villages Golf Cart Precision Drill Team to Utilize the Lower Portion of the Rolling Acres Sports Complex Parking Lot to Host Two to Four Rodeos for Interested Participants (Mike Burske)

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Burske presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office). He stated that Kathy from the Drill Team is present if there are any questions.

Mayor Richards asked if there were any questions or comments, and hearing none, asked for a motion.

Commissioner Vincent made a motion to approve The Villages Golf Cart Precision Drill Team to Utilize the Lower Portion of the Rolling Acres Sports Complex Parking Lot to Host Two to Four Rodeos. Commissioner Holden seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 5-0.

9. Review of Data Collected from the Surveys for the Proposed New Community Building (Mike Burske)

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Burske presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office).

Commissioner Hannan stated there were some interesting comments in the 100 surveys received, although nothing new.

Commissioner Kussard agreed with Commissioner Hannan. She stated a full kitchen would be useful in the new building. She stated the requests that she took note of were those for an indoor pool, as well a place to hold children’s and senior activities.  Some respondents of the survey were concerned that taxes would be raised to cover the cost of a new community building.

Mr. Burske stated that although there were only about 100 surveys returned, he felt there was a lot of input on them.

Commissioner Holden stated that it seemed everyone wanted something different, and he felt it may be expensive to operate. He noted a walking or running track around the building may be a good idea. He stated staff should query other municipalities that have built a community building in the last 20 years and ask them if there was anything they would do differently. He suggested some research could be done on the internet as well.

Commissioner Vincent felt nothing new was seen in the results of the survey. He stated residents in his community of Water Oak felt they had everything they needed in their area already.

Mayor Richards felt that there should be at least 1,000 survey results to review. He stated a new community center should have $50,000 set aside in the budget each year to cover expenses to maintain it. Mayor Richards stated a pool would require additional staffing and insurance liability would be at a high cost.

Town Manager Kris Kollgaard agreed a pool is a high liability. She stated staff would like to see a community building built on the Town’s property across from the gazebo with a larger meeting space that could be rented out and could be used for wedding receptions as well. She stated it could be added onto in the future if the need arose as there is space available on that property.

Commissioner Vincent asked how the current community building is mostly used now.

Library Director Marsha Brinson stated that one of her staff manages the rental of the community building. She stated it is used approximately 20 times per week for birthday parties, baby showers, family reunions, some church services, and several other area groups and organizations. She stated classes are also sometimes held there.

Mayor Richards asked how much revenue is generated by the community building.

Ms. Brinson replied that she did not have the figures at hand, although quite a bit of revenue is generated.

Commissioner Hannan agreed with Commissioner Holden’s suggestion to look at what other municipalities have done, perhaps over the past ten years. He commented that the building could be a multi-use building, but not be in competition with the library.

Commissioner Kussard suggested that a new community building be built with the future in mind.

Commissioner Holden stated the old community building could continue to be useful for another 20 years.

Mr. Burske commented that he has looked at Clermont, Leesburg, and Winter Park, which was impressive. He stated Wildwood built a community building that was economically and tastefully done and easy to maintain.

After further discussion, Mayor Richards agreed staff should present a proposal that is efficient and that does not put the Town too far in debt.

Ms. Kollgaard stated staff will proceed with planning a proposal to further discuss with the Commissioners, as well as see what needs to be done at the current community building and to see if it could be expanded.

10. Consideration of Approval for the Lady Lake Police Department to Reclassify Both Captain Positions (Robert Tempesta)

Police Chief Robert Tempesta presented the background summary for this agenda item (on file in the Clerk’s Office). He noted that should both the Chief and Deputy Chief be out for any reason, the Lieutenant position would still be a command level presence.

Ms. Kollgaard noted this restructuring will help streamline the chain of command for the officers.

Commissioner Vincent asked if the Deputy Chief position would include a new salary range. He stated he did not see the need for this, and it appears the Lieutenant position will be taking on a lot of administrative duties.

Ms. Kollgaard explained that the job descriptions will change and the pay scale will remain the same. She stated the restructuring of positions is partly due to the documentation needed for accreditation, which is a lot of work in itself.

Chief Tempesta reiterated that there would be no fiscal impact to this proposed change. He reviewed the proposed changes to the organizational chart. He stated the administrative position for Lieutenant is currently vacant and this reclassification will simplify operations.

After further discussion, Mayor Richards suggested that the Commissioners accept the Chief’s professional recommendation.

Commissioner Kussard made a motion to approve the reclassification of both captain positions. Commissioner Vincent seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 5-0.

K. Town Attorney's Report

11. Ordinance 2019-01 (First Reading) — Ricardo J. Palacios and Francis M. Burgado Santiago — Small Scale Future Land Use Map Amendment Request — Change from Lady Lake Commercial General-Retail Sales and Services (RET) to Lady Lake Manufactured Home-High Density (MH-HD) for Approximately .46 Acres Along Skyline Drive, Referenced by Alternate Key 3793915, Lots 23 and 24 of Block B of the Skyline Hills Subdivision, Within the Town limits of Lady Lake, Florida (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). He stated the applicants are present this evening.

Mayor Richards asked if there were any questions or comments, and hearing none, asked for a motion.

Commissioner Holden made a motion to approve the First Reading of Ordinance 2019-01 as presented. Commissioner Hannan seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following roll call vote:

Commissioner Vote
Hannan YES
Kussard YES
Holden YES
Vincent YES
Richards YES

12. Ordinance 2019-02 (First Reading) — Ricardo J. Palacios and Francis M. Burgado Santiago — Rezoning Request to Change from Lady Lake Heavy Commercial (HC) to Lady Lake Manufactured Homes High Density (MH-9) for Approximately .46 Acres Along Skyline Drive, Referenced by Alternate Key 3793915, Lots 23 and 24 of Block B of the Skyline Hills Subdivision, Within the Town limits of Lady Lake, Florida (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). He stated the applicants are present if there are any questions.

Mayor Richards asked if there were any questions or comments.

Commissioner Kussard thanked Mr. Palacios for his service as a veteran.

Mayor Richards stated it appears there is a lot line around the house nearby with an easement to the east side. He asked for assurance that the applicants would not be land-locked.

Mr. Carroll replied that the road crosses the diagonal line on the map showing Residential Professional (RP) zoning. Access to the property will not be cut off and they will not be land-locked.

With no further questions, Mayor Richards asked for a motion.

Commissioner Holden made a motion to approve the First Reading of Ordinance 2019-02 as presented. Commissioner Hannan seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following roll call vote:

Commissioner Vote
Hannan YES
Kussard YES
Holden YES
Vincent YES
Richards YES

L. Town Manager's Report

Town Manager Kris Kollgaard reported that the resolution establishing a Charter Review Committee has been drafted by staff and reviewed by the Town Attorney and will be on the the April 15, 2019 Commission meeting agenda.

Commissioner Holden asked when applications for this committee can be turned in. He stated one was turned in last week, but it was returned to him as it was addressed to him.

Mayor Richards pointed out that the committee does not exist until it is established by Town Commission approval of the resolution.

M. Mayor and Commissioner's Report

Mayor Richards asked if anyone had anything to report.

Commissioner Kussard stated she attended the meet and greet for Chief Tempesta. She stated she was happy to see it was so well attended by residents and business people.

Commissioner Vincent alerted the Commissioner about new legislation being presented in Tallahassee reported by the Florida League of Cities. He stated HB 693 was originally introduced to reduce the Communication Services Tax by one percent, then was significantly amended to claim changes in the law regarding public right-of-way. There was also legislation introduced whereby permitting may be taken out of the hands of local governments for removing and trimming trees.

This was discussed.

Commissioner Hannan mentioned that all the Commissioners receive news updates from Florida League of Cities.

Mayor Richards thanked Commissioner Vincent for his report.

N. Public Comment

Mayor Richards asked if there were any comments from the audience. There were no comments.

O. Adjourn

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:01 p.m.

s/ Kristen Kollgaard, Town Clerk

s/ Jim Richards, Mayor

Note: The original signed documents are on file at the Town Clerk's office. Copies are available upon request.

Minutes transcribed by Carol Osborne, Staff Assistant to the Town Clerk