Beat HOWPANEEHLS Town Council Meeting November 25, 2024, at 6:00 PM Howey-in the-Hills Town Hall 101 N. Palm Ave., Howey-m-tne-Hil5, FL34737 MINUTES Mayor Wells called the Town Council Meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Wells led the attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Councilor Reneé Lannaman delivered an: invocation ROLLCALL Acknowledgement of Quorum MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Graham Wells STAFF PRESENT: Mayor Pro Tem Tim Everline I Councilor Jon Arnold Councilor Reneé Lannaman Councilor David Miles] Sean O'Keefe, Town Manager Tom Wilkes, Town Attorney Rick Thomas, Police Chief/ Oscar Ojeda, Finance Supervisor John Brock, Deputy Town Manager/Town Clerk AGENDA. APPROVALREVIEW Motion made by Councilor Arnold to approve the meeting'sagenda; seconded by Councilor Lannaman. Yea: Councilor Amold, Mayor Pro' Tem Everline, Councilor Lannaman, Councilor Miles, Mayor Wells Motion approved unanimously by voice vote. Voting Nay: None CONSENT AGENDA Routine items are placed on the Consent Agenda to expedite the meeting. IfTown Council/Staff fwish to discuss any item, the procedure is as follows: (1)Pull the item(s). from the Consent Agenda; (2) Vote on the remaining Mayor Pro Tem Everline asked toj pull agenda item #1 from the Consent Agenda for discussion. Councilor Miles asked to pull agenda item #2: from the Consent Agenda for discussion. item(s); and (3). Discuss each pulled item and vote. 1. The approval of the minutes and ratification and confirmation of all Town Council actions at the November 12, 2024, Town Council Meeting. 1/Page Mayor Pro Tem Everline stated that he would like to review the audio fort thel November 12th, meeting Motion made by Mayor Pro Tem Everline toi table thel November 12, 2024, Town Council Meeting minutes to the next Town Council meeting for further review; seconded by Councilor Lannamafi. Yea: Councilor Arnold, Mayor Pro Tem Everline, Councilorlamnamai, Councilor Miles, Mayor Wells 2. Consideration and Approval: Authorization for Mayor Wells to execute approved Ordinance 2015- Councilor Miles asked ifthe Town staff were aware of any additional previous Ordinances that were not signed. Town Manager, Sean O'Keefe stated that he was not aware ofany other Ordinances. Councilor Miles asked Town Attorney, Tom Wilkes, ift the Town should go to former Mayor Sears to ask him to sign the Ordinance. Mr. Wilkes stated that the' Town could ask him to sign it or Mayor Wells, Mayor Pro Tem Everline asked what effect it would have by not signing the Ordinance now. Mr. Wilkes stated that the developer received their approval by the Town Council in 2016; the fact that Mayor Sears did not execute iti is ai technical issue with paperwork, and it doesn't change anything regarding the approval. Furthermore, Mr. Wilkes stated that there was no way to go back and change that simply Mayor Wells opened Public Comment: for this item only. Seeing no public comment, Mayor Wells Motion made by Councilor Miles to authorize Mayor Wells to execute previously approved Ordinance 2015-005; seconded by Councilor Lannaman. Motion approved by roll call vote. priort to approving the minutes. Motion approved unanimously by voice vote. Voting Nay: None 005 but that this should be signed and corrected. because the mayor did: nots signi iti in 2016. closed Public Comment for this item. Voting Yea: Councilor. Amold, Councilor Lannamain, Councilor Miles, Mayor Wells Nay: Mayor Pro Tem Everline PUBLICHEARING None OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS 3. Discussion: Meeting Procedures (Discussion Flow /Making Motions) Town Manager, Sean O'Keefe, presented Mayor Wells' proposed Meeting Procedure changes to improve meeting flow and efficiency based on feedback from the November 12th meeting. Recommendations included incorporating preliminary motions in staff reports to focus discussions on actionable outcomes, revising the discussion flow to follow at three-step process--council discussion, 2Page public comment, and motions/voting and limiting actions on' "discussion only" agenda items to ensure transparency and adherence to agenda intent. These measures aim to streamline meetings without compromising robust dialogue, with council input invited for furthern refinement. Councilor: Lannaman stated that she was ini favor oft the changes. Mayor Pro Tem Everline stated that he was noti ini favor oft the changes, and he believed that Public Comment should occur before Council discussions. Mayor] Pro Tem Everline handed out a set of meeting procedures that hel had received from the Town ofOrchid, Florida and suggested that the Town Council should consider adopting the Town ofOrchid'sp procedures. Mayor Pro Tem Everline suggested that the public should have as much time as necessary to speak and that the meeting should just go Councilor Miles stated that he agreed with Mayor Wells' proposed method for doing business. longer and that they could be started earlier. Mayor Wells opened Public Comment for this item only. Marie Gallelli, 1104] N. Tangerine Ave. - Mrs. Gallelli stated her primary concern was that public was Tom Ballou, 1005 N. Tangerine Ave. -] Mr. Ballou stated that he agreed with Mrs. Gallelli and did not like the idea oft the public being heard after the Town Councilors had already had their discussion. Mr. Ballou stated that he also thought that the Town Council meeting November 12, 2024, was tool long. Martha MacFarlane, 63 Camino Real -1 Mrs. MacFarlane stated that Public Comment and Town Council discussion should occur prior to motions being made, due to the fact that too many motions in the past had to be walked back because the item was not fully discussed prior to the motion being made. Andi Everline, 1012NLakeshore Blvd. - Mrs. Everline stated that, ifTown Council discusses an item before Public Comment is made, the Town Councilors will have already made up their minds prior to Ann Griffin, 215 EI Laurel Ave. -1 Mrs. Griffin stated that she believed that the Town Council should heard and fairly considered prior to the Town Council voting on issues. listening to the public. listen to what the public says prior to having the Town Council discussion. Mayor Wells closed Public Comment for this item. Mayor Wells stated that he would like to try to the meeting procedures forai few meetings and then re- evaluate in February. Mayor Wells asked ai for a straw poll from the other Town Councilors to seei if there was a consensus. Councilor Lannaman and Councilor. Arnold stated that they agreed with Mayor Wells about the proposed procedures; Mayor Pro Tem Everline and Councilor Miles suggested that the Due to the heavy discussion and strong feelings about the proposal, Mayor Wells withdrew his proposal topic should be tabled for further evaluation. at this time. 4. Consideration and Approval: Resolution 2024-011 - Budget Amendment FY24 Town Manager, Sean O'Keefe, read Resolution 2024-011 out loud by title only: A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF HOWEYIN-THE-HLIS LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AUTHORIZING THE FINAL BUDGET AMENDMENT, AMENDING THE GENERAL FUND AND WATERSANITATION FUND, FOR THE BUDGET YEAR: 2023/2024. 3/Page Mr. O'Keefe stated that the final budget amendment was necessary to be completed within 60 days of the end oft the fiscal year by statute. Mr. O'Keefe stated that there were two budget amendments in the Resolution. The first was to increase the Special Events budget (listed under 1-574-3401 budget line) by $8,000 and reduce the Parks & Recreation budget (listed under 1-572-460) by $8,000. This change was due tot the Town's Christmas tree being paid out of FY 2024 afterit had been ordered in FY 2023. Mr. O'Keefe stated that the second budget amendment was to increase the Sanitation Department budget (listed under 401-534-340 budget line) by $24,000: and to reduce the Water Utility Services budget (listed under 401-533-340 budget line) by $24,000. This change was: necessary due to an Mayor Wells stated that he had worked with Mr. O'Keefe and Finance Supervisor, Oscar Ojeda, to produce the Resolution. Mayor Wells stated that hel had also worked with both Mr. O'Keefe and Mr. Ojeda to create ai new: finance report that would be presented to the Town Council in December. Councilor. Miles thanked Mayor Wells for his assistance to the Town, praising him for the Budget Mayor Wells opened Public Comment for1 this item only. Seeing no public comment, Mayor Wells Motion made by Councilor Lannamaîl to approve Resolution 2024-011; seconded by Mayor Pro increase ini the number of customers having their trash collected. Amendment Resolution being completed correctly. closed Public Comment for this item. Tem Everline. Motion approved unanimously by roll call vote. Voting Nay: None Yea: Councilor. Arnold, Mayor Pro Tem Everline, Councilor Lannaman, Councilor Miles, Mayor Wells 5. Discussion: Upcoming Strategic Planning Workshop Town Manager, Sean O'Keefe, explained that Councilor. Arnold has been championing the upcoming Strategic Planning Workshop, and asked him to speak about the upcoming workshop. Councilor. Arnold stated that thej purpose oft the upcoming Strategic Planning Workshop (which had been scheduled for December 17,2024, at 2:00 p.m.) was toi identify what the Town Council'sultimate destination was. Councilor. Arnold stated that he would like to: find out what each Councilor's vision for Mayor Wells opened Public Comment for this item only. Seeing no public comment, Mayor Wells the future ofthe Town was and asked everyone to bring their ideas. closed Public Comment for this item. 6. Discussion: Selection of Date for New Councilor Orientation Workshop Town Manager, Sean O'Keefe, stated that the purpose oft this workshop was to educate incoming Town Councilors on elements to include: the Town's operational structure, municipal planning principles (like the difference between the Town's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code), Sunshine Law, Tuesday, December 10, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. to: 5:00 p.m. was selected as the date and time for the Town Clerk, John Brock, spoke about thel Florida League of Cities' (FLC) Institute for Elected Municipal Officials (IEMO) training. Mr. Brock stated that the next available IEMO was in Gainesville and the basics ofmunicipal finance. Orientation Workshop. 4IPage Florida on Friday January 24, 2025, through Saturday January 25, 2025. Mayor Wells, Mayor Pro' Tem Everline, and Councilor. Arnold all committed to going to this FLC workshop. DEPARTMENT REPORTS 7. Town Manager Town Manager, Sean O'Keefe, announced that the public-facing offices ofTown Hall and the library would be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday, November 28-29, and extended holiday wishes to all. He reminded attendees oft the adjusted December Town Council schedule, noting there would be only one meeting on December 9th at the regular time. He also highlighted additional O'Keefe provided updates on various projects, including the FDEM/FEMA Bypass Lift Stations Grant fort the Venezia subdivision, with paperwork underway for submission to the state office. The Sarah Maude Mason Nature Preserve project has faced delays due to hurricanes but is expected to be completed in December, though it may not be ready before the Christmas Festival's Reindeer Dash. Regarding the Citrus Avenue project, revisions toi the surveys have been reviewed and approved by the Town Engineer, with the next stepi involving discussions with legal counsel to finalize the corrected opportunities for collaboration, including upcoming strategic workshops. documents. COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS 8. Mayor Pro' Tem Everline Mayor Pro Tem Everline highlighted concerns from residents about al lack ofa awareness regarding Town Codes. He shared his personal experience moving from an area without such regulations and noted that many residents, both new: and long-time, may not fully understand local requirements. Existing informational materials at' Town Hall, such as pamphlets on tree regulations and code compliance, are helpful but insufficient in addressing recurring questions about specific issues like tree removal, parking To address this, Mayor Pro Tem Everline proposed creating a comprehensive, cost-effective code information booklet orj pamphlet. He suggested the code enforcement officer compile frequently referenced codes, including commonly misunderstood or enforced regulations, into as single resource. This booklet could be distributed to all households in Howey-in-the-Hlls: and provided to new residents upon moving in. He emphasized that this would improve awareness, streamline compliance, and provide Mayor Pro' Tem Everline also questioned why Town Manager, Sean O'Keefe, had not received an annual evaluation this year and suggested that a date be chosen soon for the Town Council to complete this evaluation. Mayor Wells stated that he would investigate the process and get back with the Town regulations, and the use of canvas tarps. aclear reference for residents, helping to address complaints effectively. Council. 9. Councilor Arnold Councilor. Arnold announced to those in attendance that thel Howey Men's Club would be having a meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 6:30j p.m. at thel Mission Inn and was attempting toi increase its membership. 10. Councilor Miles Councilor Miles asked about the status ofthe Stormwater Drainage Project that the Town had received: a grant for. Mr. O'Keefe stated that the Townl had put the project out for bid with al Request for Bids 5Page (RFB) and had received 51 bids back. Mr. O'Keefe stated that lowest bid that the' Town had received was double what the size oft the awarded grant. Due to this difference in cost and grant awards, the Town Public Services Director, Morgan Cates, was seeking additional grant funding fort this project before it would move: forward. Councilor Miles stated that he believed that the Town' s Staff should have brought the five bids before the Town Council, sO that they could formally reject them. 11. Councilor Lannaman None 12. Mayor Wells None PUBLICCOMMENTS Any person wishing to address the Mayor and Town Council and who is not on the agenda is asked to: speak their Andi Everline, 1012 N. Lakeshore Blvd. - Mrs. Everline stated that she was having aj problem with GFLnot Martha MacFarlane, 63 Camino Real - Mrs. MacFarlane suggested that the' Town utilize its website to communicate information about Code Enforcement within the Town, rather than producing fliers, due to1 the cost Marie Gallelli, 1104 N. Tangerine Ave. - Mrs. Gallelli had questions about where ai resident could find Cathy Coleman, 1004 N. Citrus Ave. - Mrs. Coleman stated that it was very hard to hear the Town Councilors ini the back ofthe room when they did not directly speak into their microphones. Mrs. Coleman also spoke about name and address. Three (3) minutes is allocated per speaker. picking up her regular yard waste. of! printing the fliers. information about the Town' s upcoming Christmas Festival on the Town's website. agenda item #3, Meeting Procedures. Mayor Wells thanked former Councilor Gallelli for her service as Town Councilor. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made by Councilor Lannamaf to adjourn the meeting; Councilor Arnold seconded the motion. Motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. The Meeting adjourned at 7:59 p.m.1 Attendees: 27 -I IdE a KoeoE ATTEST: Mayor Wells/ Ga John Brock;Towm Clerk 6IPage