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01-27-1987 Regular Meeting e e REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 1987 The Regular Meeting of the Clermont City Council was held Tuesday, January 27, 1987 at the Council Chambers. The meetng was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Mayor Pool with the following Council Members in attendance: Council Member Huff, Council Member Dupee, and Council Member Cole. Council Member Turville was absent due to a prior commitment. Other City Officials present were City Manager Saunders, City Attorney Baird, Finance Director Van Zile, Planning Director Perlick and Deputy City Clerk Brandt. INVOCATION The Invocation was offered by Nilsa Whitehead followed by the repeating of The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by all present. MINUTES The Minutes of the Workshop Meeting held January 7, 1987 and the Regular Meeting held January l3, 1987 were approved as presented. REPORTS CITY MANAGER'S REPORT It was explained that Lift Station 121 had been completed and in service for the past forty-five days, and that there had been no problems with its operation. Council Member Cole inquired as to what caused the station to overflow during a heavy rain storm. City Manager Saunders stated that it was caused by a faulty pump, which had been corrected. The majority of the project was funded from grant money left from the sprayfield expansion project. Mr. Saunders then asked for Council acceptance of Lift Station H21 and authorization of final payment for the project. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE, SECONDED BY COUNCIL 87-023 MEMBER HUFF AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO ISSUE A LETTER OF FINAL ACCEPTANCE FOR LIFT STATION 121 AND AUTHORIZING FINAL PAYMENT FOR THE PROJECT. VEHICLE PURCHASE - UTILITY DEPARTMENT It was explained that $10,000 had been budgeted to purchase a vehicle for Utility Director Davis to replace the seven year old pickup he now drives. Since the $10,000 was budgeted, it has questioned by Council Member Huff if the Utility Director would be better served by a four wheel drive truck, which could be utilized to transport the City Engineer and other personnel over the sprayfield site and other areas. A four wheel drive Ford Bronco from the State Contract would cost $12,48l. After a brief discussion concerning the merits of a four wheel drive truck, A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF, SECONDED BY 87-024 COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO PURCHASE A FOUR WHEEL DRIVE FORD BRONCO FOR FROM STATE CONTRACT. A BUDGET AMENDMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF , 8 FROM RESERVES WAS MADE TO THE UTILITY REVENUE FUND BUDGET TO PAY FOR THE TRUCK. ACOUSTICAL IMPkOVEMENTS FOR JENKINS AUDITORIUM City Manager Saunders stated that the City had received a proposal for acoustical improvements to Jenkins Auditorium from a company e e REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 1987 Page -2- which made the recommendations and sold the needed equipment. Mr. Saunders stated that he did not feel comfortable with this type of proposal. Mr. Saunders explained that since receiving the proposal, he had contacted an acoustical engineering firm which would write the specifications, prepare for bid proposals and inspect after installation. To do this, the fee would be $500 or lO% of the bid accepted by the City. The engineering firm will guarantee its specifications and recommendations, and is not involved in equipment sales. It was the consensus of council that this would be in the best interest of the City, and A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF, 87-025 SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER COLE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO HIRE THE ACOUSTICAL ENGINEERING COMPANY TO WRITE THE SPECIFICTIONS FOR JENKINS AUDITORIUM, INCLUDING THE TYPE OF EQUIPMENT NEEDED AT A COST OF $500 OR 10% OF THE BID ACCEPTED BY THE CITY. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF'S REPORT THE ARTS Council Member Huff commented that he would like to have the art and cultural aspects of the City's activities investigated, and a Cultural Arts Group formed in the City. He further stated that perhaps, a local service club would be interested in sponsoring some type of cultural activity for the City. Council Member Dupee presented a brief history of the City's Cultural Arts interests, and stated that we have had our ups and downs over the years. After a brief discussion, the City Manager was asked to place some type of article in the newspaper to determine what the citizens of Clermont would like along the lines of cultural activities. Mr. Saunders stated that he would take care of this matter. VISITORS WITH BUSINESS CABLEVISION INDUSTRIES Rick D'Loughy, Manager; Larry Topping, Assistant Manager and Dave Fulton, Assistant Assistant Manager of Cablevision Industries were present to report on current developments in a number of areas. Mr. Topping explained that the company would be offering added value service which would extend the service from the 12 - 13 basic channels for $9.95 to a 24 channel basic service, including the American Movie Classic channel for $14.45. All subscribers to the service will be receiving new, state of the art converters, which will be distributed at Jenkins Auditorium on January 31st. It was also explained that the company had recently purchased a new $70,000 aerial truck for this area which will allow the company to install up to two miles of cable. During the past year the company has hired four different line crews to install cable locally, and they had all been dismissed for various reasons. The new truck, along with hiring of several new technicians, should help alleviate some of the problems customers have experienced in the past. e e REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 1987 Page -3- Mayor Pool called for comments from those present in the audience, and several people spoke concerning poor service. Diana Brown made a statement concerning the lack of service and cooperation she had received when lightening struck the cable servicing her home. She also read a letter from Barbara Harmon who asked why her converter box had been taken away for repair and had not been returned in more than two weeks. City Manager Saunders read letters from Don Smith and Raymond Todd. Mr. Smith expressed his desire for an upgrading of service, and Mr. Todd expressed his displeasure with poor reception and service by the company. Council Member Dupee questioned why she had poor reception of Channel 43 from Melbourne. No definite answer could be given, except that the station was transmitting on a low frequency, and this could have something to do with the problem. Much discussion ensued, with the consensus of the citizens that poor service and lack of cooperation on the part of Cablevision Industries were the main complaints. Mr. D' Loughy stated that the company welcomed citizen input. He further stated that he believed the company was making progress and would continue on toward providing the type of service everyone wants. QADIR KHAN REQUEST FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT City Manager Saunders explained that Mr. Khan had been granted a Conditional Use Permit in 1984 for the construction of a retail manufacturing facility on the northwest corner of Montrose Street and Highway 27. This CUP expired and was approved again by Council in 1985. For several weeks Mr. Khan has been working with the City Engineer on the site plan. An additional delay was caused when Mr. Khan tried to obtain a utility easement across adjoining property. Because of these delays, Mr. Khan's second CUP expired, and now he is requesting approval of a third Conditional Use Permit. Basically, the request is the same as have been approved in the past, but the buildings have been repositioned and Mr. Khan wishes to phase the development. It was further stated that Phase I would include the retail showroom and workshop, and the driveway and parking spaces along the westerly property line and south of the building. Condition III of Resolution H545 will have to be amended to indicate what will be included in Phase I. It has been determined that an additional Lift Station will not be needed for this project, but a grinder pump will be installed. The Planning and Zoning Commission at their meeting held January 5, 1987, unanimously recommended approval of the request. After a brief discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF, 87-026 SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED BY ROLL CALL VOTE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 1545, AS AMENDED, GRANTING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 7,650 SQUARE FOOT SHOPPING CENTER AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF MONTROSE STREET AND HIGHWAY 27. THE RESO- LUTION WAS READ BY TITLE ONLY. DOUGLAS FORTUNE REQUEST FOR AN OPEN AIR SALES PERMIT Mrs. Douglas Fortune appeared before Council to request an open air sales permit for Hilltop Hardware Store (859 West Highway 50). She stated that only new merchandise would be displayed in front of the store during regular business hours. e e REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 1987 Page -4- Council Member Huff questioned approving the permit for an indefinite period of time. It was pointed out that if the requirements of the permit were abused in any manner, the permit could be revoked. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER 87-027 COLE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO GRANT THE OPEN AIR SALES PERMIT FOR 859 WEST HIGHWAY 50. GEORGE A. MAYFIELD REQUEST FOR AN OPEN AIR SALES PERMIT Mr. Mayfield before Council to request an open air sales permit for his business located at 811-821 West Highway 50. Mr. Mayfield re- qeusted to be allowed to display new merchandise under the covered area directly in front of the store. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER 87-028 HUFF AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO GRANT THE OPEN AIR SALES PERMIT FOR 81l-a21 WEST HIGHWAY 50. FRED SOMMER REQUEST FOR CITY TO ABSORB EXPENSES OF POLICE OFFICERS Mr. Sommer appeared before Council to request that the $600 charge incurred for additional police officers provided by the City for two previous triathlon events be absorbed by the City. Mr. Sommer presented each Council Member with a letter outlining the reasons for the request and the positive benefits gained by the City from the Great Clermont Triathlon and the Florida Challenge Triathlon. Mr. Sommer explained that in 1986 the Central Florida Trithletes were nearly $10,000 in debt, and now the figure was less than $4,000. Enough money had been raised to support various charities, and payoff more than $6,000 of the past debt. Mr. Sommer stated that no other City Police Department or Sheriffs' Department, except the City of Clermont, had charged for their services. City Manager Saunders pointed out that Mr. Sommer had requested the additional personnel, and that they stayed at their stations and were not called off, as in the case of the other departments. After a brief discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE, 87-029 SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER COLE AND CARRIED BY A THREE TO ONE VOTE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF VOTING NAY, TO WAIVE THE $600 FEE CHARGED BY THE CITY FOR POLICE ASSISTANCE. IT WAS EMPHASIZED THAT THE CITY WOULD WAIVE THE FEE AT THIS TIME, BUT THAT MR. SOMMER WAS NOT TO MAKE THE REQUEST AGAIN. Mr. Sommer then asked permission to hold three triathlons during 1987. The dates will be March 22, September 19 - 20 and October 31, 1987. City Manager Saunders asked the Council if they wished to waive the fees for additional police personnel for the 1987 triathlons at this time. It was the consensus of Council not to waive the fees . Mr. Sommer stated that the hourly cost for additional police personnel was very high and asked if it could be lowered. City Manager Saunders stated that they could not be lowered because the officers were paid time and a half on Saturdays and double time on Sundays. Also included in the fee was a charge for use of a City vehicle and equipment. e e REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 1987 Page -5- A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER 87-030 DUPEE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO APPROVE THE TRIATHLON DATES FOR 1987. UNFINISHED BUSINESS FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE 250-C It was explained that this ordinance would provide for Police and Fire representatives in the general supervision of the administration of the Police and Fire Pension Plans. A new State Law has required this representation if the City is remain eligible for the State contri- butions to the pension plans. Mayor Pool called for comments from those present in the audience, and no one spoke for or against the ordinance. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER 87-031 COLE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED BY ROLL CALL VOTE TO ADOPT ORDINANCE 250-C. THE ORDINANCE WAS READ BY TITLE ONLY. RESOLUTION 1544 City Manager Saunders asked that the Resolution be tabled until the next Council Meeting because the City and County Staffs had not completed the drafting and review of the Resolution. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF AND SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER COLE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO TABLE THIS MATTER UNTIL THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING. BID AWARD 87-032 City Manager Saunders explained that the City's janitor, Percy Coleman, had retired and that it would be more cost effective to hire a professional cleaning service for cleaning the City facilities. The City advertised for proposals, and only one bid from Cox's Cleaning Service was received, as outlined in a memo from Public Works Director Smythe, which is attached and made part of this official record. It was pointed out that the City would save $520, as compared to hiring an entry level employee as janitor, and over $6,000 when compared to the expense of the retired employee. Mr. Saunders then requested authorization to enter into a contract with Cox's Cleaning Service. After a brief discussion, A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFF, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUPEE AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH COX'S CLEANING SERVICE TO CLEAN THE CITY FACILITIES AS STATED. 87-033 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. 4L,;/~ ,~ f: Po~ A-ayor Attest: