Loading...
07-12-2016 Regular Council City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12, 2016 The Clermont City Council met in a regular meeting on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 in the Clermont City Council Chambers Mayor Ash called the meeting to order at 6 30pm with the following Council Members present Council Members Mullins, Bates, Goodgame, and Travis Other City officials present were City Manager Gray,City Attorney Mantzans, and City Clerk Ackroyd Howe INVOCATION Council Member Mullins gave the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance PUBLIC COMMENTS Shirley Dunn, South Lake Barbershop Owner, commented of the inability to place a business sign on private property City Manager Gray offered for the planning staff to provide assistance Cuqui Whitehead thanked City Manager Gray and staff for their assistance with the Canbbean American Association of Lake County's event Mayor Ash welcomed Boy Scout Troop 268 REPORTS City Manager Gray reported the Budget Workshops will be held on Wednesday, July 20 and Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 6pm in the Council Chambers The department budgets will be discussed on Wednesday and additional items will be discussed on Thursday The sweanng-in of Council Seats 1, 3, and 5 will take place at the November 8, 2016 meeting The cancellation of the November 22,2016 meeting will be placed on a future agenda City Attorney Mantzans—No report Council Member Bates thanked staff for their work on the 4th of July celebration event Council Member Goodgame— No report Council Member Mullins commented on the vanous events in Downtown Clermont Council Member Travis commented on the number of people at Waterfront Park Mayor Ash reported the 4th of July celebration was successful and thanked the Parks and Recreation staff, Fire Department, and Police Department for all their efforts and hard work Staff estimated 10,000 people were in attendance CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Ash advised the next item on the Agenda for consideration was the Consent Agenda and requested anyone wishing to have any item pulled for discussion to please come forward at this time I City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12, 2016 Item No. 1 —Plat Approval Consider approval of Highland Ranch Esplanade Esplanade Phase 1 Replat Phase 1 replat Item No. 2—Plat Approval Consider approval of Highland Ranch Esplanade Esplanade Phase 1 A Replat Phase 1 A replat Council Member Goodgame asked for an explanation of the map changes City Manager Gray stated the changes were associated with the recent approved requests of the Highland Ranch subdivision Council Member Goodgame moved for approval of the Consent Agenda, seconded by Council Member Mullins The motion passed with all members present voting aye NEW BUSINESS Item No.3—Event and Open Container Request;Pig on the Pond Parks and Recreation Director Davidoff presented the request submitted by Pig on the Pond, Inc for their annual event to be held on March 3,4,and 5,2017 Pig on the Pond, Inc is requesting open containers be permitted at Waterfront Park in an approved beverage area,and have agreed to hire the appropriate number of off-duty Clermont Police Officers The organization is requesting a section of the trail at Waterfront Park be closed dunng the event Detour signs will be erected to direct patrons who wish to use the trail dunng the closure Pig on the Pond, Inc is requesting fee waivers for the use of Waterfront Park from February 27, 2017 through March 6, 2017, as well as fee waivers for all tent permits The organization is requesting approval for signage within the City limits Tom English, Board Chair President of Pig on the Pond, Inc , stated their Mission Statement is to "Provide educational scholarships and other support to our local students, positioning them to lead successful and impactful lives in their chosen communities" Pig on the Pond, Inc has been providing scholarships to deserving south Lake County students for over 18 years Mr English thanked the City and acknowledged the partnership created over the years Pig on the Pond, Inc recognized 4 years ago that the cost of higher education increased and began awarding 4-year, $10,000 scholarships, and currently supports 15 students The mentor program was created to augment the financial support The recipients are paired with community leaders with expenence in the recipient's field of study The Board is working toward creating an endowment fund capable of providing the current level of scholarship support, exclusive of the annual event The Pig on the Pond event provides over 20 non-profit organizations with their main fund-raising opportunity for other educational scholarships 2 City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12,2016 Mr English introduced scholarship recipient Briana Bell Ms Bell commented she was in her Junior year at the University of Central Florida, majoring in legal studies Ms Bell thanked everyone for allowing her the opportunity to pursue a higher education Tom English stated the City is a Presenting Partner and the City's logo is on the front of the Event Program and the City has a half-page ad inside the Event Program The City's logo appears in every event commercial, on all of the ads, on the home page of the Pig on the Pond event website, at the event pavilion, and on all event signs The intangible benefits include the City's connection with the largest and longest running south Lake County event The support funds are used to compensate Police Officers who volunteer to work at the event The event has used the same amount of space at Waterfront Park for over 15 years Mr English commented the event is not attempting to become a County Fair The event is a gathenng of businesses, non-profits, and individuals interested in providing educational opportunities for students in south Lake County Clermont is the only Presenting Partner, however, Mr English opined this is not a reason to consider cancelling the event The Board of Directors, non-profits, recipients, sponsors, and students, would like the Council to approve the event request and use of the trail The use of the trail from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, with a detour and the option of a walk-through without paying admission, is a small inconvenience to pay for providing assistance to students in the south Lake community Mr English stated the City of Clermont is setting an example of how government and non-profit entities can cooperate to ennch life in a community Mayor Ash opened the public heanng Jim Purvis spoke in support of the signature event Ron Smart, Executive Director of the Clermont Downtown Partnership, stated the Clermont Downtown Partnership voted in support of the Pig on the Pond event remaining in Clermont The event is beneficial to the Downtown Clermont Historic Distnct Chris Barrett commented he volunteers as a high school student mentor and is a member of the Caribbean Amencan Association Mr Barrett spoke in support of the event Kim Grogan spoke in support of the event, however, requested the trail remain open for cyclists and pedestnans Sarah Myer spoke in support of the event and stated her non-profit organization, STEAM, benefits from participating at the Pig on the Pond event STEAM offers educational summer camps, and funds raised dunng the Pig on the Pond event provides scholarships for summer camp attendance Mayor Ash closed the public heanng Mayor Ash asked each portion of the request be addressed and voted on separately The City Council was in agreement 3 City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12, 2016 Open container request Council Member Mullins moved for approval, seconded by Council Member Bates The motion passed with all members present voting aye Closure of part of the Waterfront Park Trail with detour signs Council Member Goodgame and Mullins commented bicyclists have access by walking their bikes through the event area Council Member Travis commented the issues residents' expressed concern of was the inability to use the beach,and the trail being closed for an additional day Council Member Goodgame spoke in support of closing the trail Council Member Travis stated Waterfront Park is the City's biggest asset and the City does not waive fees for other non-profits The location could be moved to a larger Clermont location, such as Lake Hiawatha Preserve Council Member Goodgame commented Lake Hiawatha Preserve did not have a pavilion to use for the entertainment Council Member Travis stated attendance of Waterfront Park has increased and the residents want to use Champions Splash Park and the beach Council Member Mullins commented use of the beach in March was a minor inconvenience Council Member Travis inquired of the possibility of leaving the trail open, and stated access to the beach was available only by water Tom English noted the beach would be open dunng the event Mayor Ash asked of the effect the detour signs would have on usage of the Champions Splash Park City Manager Gray commented Champions Splash Park does not open until late March Mr English stressed the entrance fee is a donation and is not compulsory People wishing to go to the beach would be allowed free entrance and all admission gates would be provided with instruction to allow free entrance The detour signs would be for cyclists to determine the route they wish to take, bypass the event or walk their bicycle through the event Cyclists would have difficulty walking their bicycles through the event dunng certain heavy traffic hours Council Member Travis inquired of possibly having the trail open on Sunday as hundreds of nders use the trail on Sundays Mr English stated vendors use both sides of the trail Mayor Ash suggested rewording the signage to state "Suggested donation is optional" Mr English commented the logo on the signs will be changing and the wording can be added Council Member Travis commented the trail will run coast to coast soon, and the trail cannot continue to be closed for three days The event should move to another location 4 City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12,2016 Council Member Mullins stated the Master Plan will impact how all events are handled in the Waterfront area City Manager Gray commented Victory Pointe and other projects will create more event space in the downtown and waterfront area The Master Plan includes a spur-off from the trail, providing a by-pass which can be used dunng events Mayor Ash stated the understanding of the request was to allow detour signs for the trail closure, where the trail crosses into the event area Council Member Mullins re-stated the trail would be closed, bicycle nders could bypass the event or walk their bicycles through the event, and beach attendees would be allowed access to the beach Council Member Mullins moved for approval of the understanding, seconded by Council Member Goodgame The motion passed 4 to 1 with Council Member Travis m opposition Waivers for use of Waterfront Park and of tent fees Mayor Ash stated the waiver request for Waterfront Park usage is for the amount of$7,000, and the tent permit waiver request is for the amount of$109 per tent Parks and Recreation Director Davidoff commented tents larger than 900 square feet require a permit The tent permit may be issued for all tents for an event at a total cost of$109 Pig on the Pond, Inc will be including all the tents when the permit is pulled City Manager Gray stated the waiver would be for$7,000 for the Waterfront Park usage fee, and $109 for the tent permit fee The fee is for the fire inspection and is charged each time the Fire Inspector goes out to inspect Council Member Mullins commented the Council could waive one tent inspection and Pig on the Pond, Inc would pay for any additional inspections Council Member Travis asked Mr English if other cities had been asked to participate in donating to the event Mr English stated other cities had not been asked Council Member Travis noted the residents had a tax increase and are questiomng the City funding the event using tax dollars The event is a south Lake County event and the City of Clermont is the only city sponsoring the event The scholarships are awarded to students who are from other south Lake County cities Mr English agreed other south Lake County cities should be contacted for sponsorships Mayor Ash understood the City pays $30,000, m addition to $7,000 waiver request Ms Ash inquired if the waiver request included only the $7,000 City Manager Gray stated the sponsorship costs were included in the City's General Fund budget, which covers the police service The Fire Department and the Public Works Department budgets cover the overtime and extra personnel expenses 5 City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12, 2016 Mayor Ash commented the Council had decided months ago that as of October 1, 2016,waivers would no longer be given Fees will be determined by the for-profit or non-profit status of the organization The Greater Clermont Cancer Foundation and other organizations have been denied waiver requests Council Member Travis concurred with Mayor Ash as Council had agreed to no longer provide waivers Mayor Ash stated the waiver amounts for the vanous requests could be between $200,00 and $300,000 a year Council Member Goodgame commented he did not consider the upcoming fees would apply to Pig on the Pond as the event was a signature event City Manager Gray noted Pig on the Pond is on the Budget Workshop agenda The City sponsors the Sommer Sports senes, PFX Softball, and Pig on the Pond, and has previously provided fee waivers for these events Mayor Ash stated the groups were not specified and the agreement was made a year ago to no longer provide waivers Council Member Bates was opposed to approving the waiver Council Member Mullins was not opposed to collecting the $7,000 and increasing the City's donation, which in turn pays for the use of Clermont Police Officers Council Member Travis and Mayor Ash were not in agreement with Council Member Mullins Mayor Ash commented if the waiver was approved, every organization the Council has denied would return before Council, and the Council would have to approve their fee waivers Council Member Travis asked Mr English if the event could take place without the $7,000 waiver approval Mr English stated the event could take place, however, without the waiver the bottom line and 10-year plan would be affected Mayor Ash commented denying a waiver to the Greater Clermont Cancer Foundation was a difficult decision, as the money the Foundation collects is used to help families in the community who have needs due to cancer Ms Ash was opposed to approving Pig on the Pond's waiver request Council Member Travis moved to deny the grounds fee waiver request, seconded by Council Member Bates The motion passed 4 to 1 with Council Member Goodgame in opposition Signage Council Member Goodgame moved to approve the signage, seconded by Council Member Mullins The motion passed with all members present voting aye 6 City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12, 2016 Item No.4—Variance Request; 953 5`h Street Senior Planner Kruse presented the variance request for a rear yard setback of 15 feet The owner would like to reconstruct a portion of a two-family dwelling unit which burned down in November 2015 The current zoning is R-3, which allows for two-family dwelling units The structure was built in 1925 prior to the Land Development Code and is a legal non-conforming structure in regards to setbacks Staff recommended denial of the variance request James Glasco stated they would like to build the structure where the structure existed before the fire Janice Krueger commented the new structure would be built on the existing foundation and the square footage will remain the same as the prior structure Mayor Ash opened the public hearing Gerry Ameral spoke in support of the variance request Mayor Ash closed the public hearing Council Member Bates moved for approval, seconded by Council Member Mullins The motion passed with all members present voting aye Item No.5—Variance Request;Headquarter Honda Planning Manager Henschel presented the request for a monument sign variance for the Headquarter Honda automotive dealership located at 17700 East Highway 50 The proposed sign will be 17 feet m height with a sign copy area of 64 square feet The applicant believes the request will allow greater visibility and prevent motorists from making a U-turn on Highway 50 to return to the site The request will also allow Headquarter Honda to remain competitive with the other surrounding automotive dealerships The Toyota dealership has a 35-foot tall sign, and the Nissan dealership has a 20-foot tall sign The Toyota and Nissan dealerships were approved by Lake County prior to annexing into the City of Clermont Staff recommended denial of the variance request Scott Glass, Esq , was present on behalf of Headquarter Honda Attorney Glass commented the property was developed under the jurisdiction of Lake County The monument sign is not visible for motorists traveling east on Highway 50 due to the sign height and landscaping Motorists who miss the entrance are making U-turns on the busy highway The monument sign cannot be re-located closer to the roadway due to the Highway 50 right-of-way Mayor Ash opened the public hearing There were no public comments Mayor Ash closed the public hearing Council Member Travis asked if the billboard signs on Highway 50 were inside the City limits Planning Manager Henschel responded the billboard signs were adjacent to the City limits City Manager Gray stated the billboard signs will have to be removed when the property is annexed into the City Mayor Ash asked if sign could be moved forward Planning Manager Henschel stated there was some flexibility of relocating the monument sign 5 to 8 feet closer towards Highway 50 and raising the sign 2 feet higher 7 City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12, 2016 Council Member Mullins commented the visibility issue appeared to be due to the landscaping and suggested raising the sign height to 10 feet and relocating the trees Mr Glass commented the facility was a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) which requires trees in the easement as part of the certification The monument sign is located behind the easement Council Member Mullins asked of possibly receiving a vanance from the LEED certification entity Gail Thomasina, Headquarter Honda, stated the problem with an LEED certification is, should a tree be removed, it must be replaced Headquarter Honda had already received a variance for trees which came down dunng a storm Council Member Mullins inquired of using the land to the southeast Ms Thomasina stated the land was a required water retention area Council Member Mullins opined the sign height request would place the sign under the tree canopy and possibly would not resolve the visibility issue Council Member Goodgame asked who designated the tree easement Ms Thomasina stated the easement designation was part of the site plan design and Lake County approvals Council Member Goodgame inquired if the City could grant permission to relocate trees from the easement area City Manager Gray suggested the applicant meet with staff on possible solutions Attorney Glass asked Council to table the request to August 9, 2016 Council Member Mullins moved to table to August 9, 2016, seconded by Council Member Goodgame The motion passed with all members present voting aye Item No. 6—Ordinance No.2016-34;Introduction-Special Magistrate City Clerk Ackroyd Howe read Ordinance 2016-34 aloud by title only An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Clermont, Lake County, Flonda, amending Article V, "Code Enforcement", Division 1, "Generally", Section 2-186 "Intent of Article", providing that the City Council shall appoint a Code Enforcement Special Magistrate, deleting Section 2-187 "Definitions", renumbenng and amending Section 2-188 "Alternate Code Enforcement System", renumbenng Section 2-189 "Supplemental Enforcement", deleting Section 2-190 "Special Master" and amending Division II, "Code Enforcement Board", Section 2-206, "Created, Junsdiction, Enforcement by Courts", amending Section 2-207, "Composition, Appointment, Terms of Members", deleting Section 2-208, "Appointment of Members", deleting Section 2- 209, "Residency Requirements, Vacancies, Filling of Vacancies, Composition", deleting Section 2-210, "Oath of Office", deleting Section 2-211, "Organization, Quorum, Compensation", and amending Section 2-212, "Counsel Named", deleting Section 2-213 "Conflict of Interest", deleting Section 2-214 "Powers of the Code Enforcement Board", providing for codification, severability, conflict and effective date. 8 City of Clermont MINUTES REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING July 12, 2016 Council Member Mullins moved to introduce Ordinance 2016-34, seconded by Council Member Bates The motion passed with all members present voting aye ADJOURN: With no further comments, this meeting was adjourned at 8 15pm APPROVED: tt-clw ,i_ / dr;_ / Gail L Ash,Mayor ATTES/ JAW Aar racy Ac.o d %owe, ity Clerk , ' . ,I l; --J t4 FAIR , Ak 9