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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.07.2025 - City Council MeetingCity of Clermont MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP October 7, 2025 CALL TO ORDER The City Council met in a workshop session on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in the Clermont City Council Chambers. Mayor Murry called the workshop to order at 3:00 pm with the following Council Members present: Council Members Howard, Strange, Myers and Petersen. Other City officials present were City Manager Van Wagner, Deputy City Manager Matthys, and City Clerk Howe. City Manager Van Wagner gave the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. AGENDAITEMS Item No. 1— Legislative Priorities City Manager Van Wagner informed Council that he and Council Member Howard met with Representative Yarkosky regarding the requests they will hear. Public Services Director Brunson stated that his department would be presenting their legislative appropriation requests. North Side Alternative Water Storage Public Services Assistant Director Griffin spoke about the request for the north side alternative water storage. The city is asking for an extra $1 million to help purchase land and build a 3-million- gallon storage tank for reclaimed water on the north side. This tank will serve Highland Ranch and Summit Greens, help with water pressure, give more storage, and reduce the use of drinking water for irrigation, which helps protect the aquifer. The project is expected to cost $6 million in total, with $1.5 million already provided by the state, so the city is looking for the remaining $4.5 million. Council was supportive of the project. Discussion ensued concerning the technical details of the tank, including the storage capacity as well as the areas it would serve. Southern Area Water Treatment Plant Public Services Assistant Director Griffin stated that the next request is for $500,000 to purchase land in the Wellness Way area to build a new Water Treatment Plant. Currently, that area only has one water line, so the new plant would make the system more reliable and handle future growth. Council discussed funding and if the request was enough to purchase the right property, impact fees from future growth, and environmental concerns. 1 City of Clermont MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP October 7, 2025 State Road 50 Alternate Safe Pedestrian Crossing Study Public Services Assistant Director Maiworm presented Public Services final request for $500,000 which was for an alternate pedestrian crossing study on State Road 50. The study would explore safer pedestrian crossings at four intersections along State Route 50, with potential options including tunnels, bridges, or enhanced surface crossings. The study would include traffic and pedestrian counts, speed and sightline analyses, and recommendations on the best locations, conceptual designs, and cost estimates. The four intersections would be East Avenue, 5`h Street, Lake Avenue, and 81h Street. The study would also support future grant applications and could be tied into broader projects like downtown trails, bicycle connections, and recreational access, aiming to improve safety and connectivity rather than just roads. Meet Us in the Middle Parks and Recreation Director Forman stated that the city has previously submitted a request for the Meet Us in the Middle® project. He shared the request for this year requesting $1 million to address safety concerns at the midway point of the Coast -to -Coast Trail and its intersection with Lake Minneola, a State Sovereign Land, this project will construct a plaza space and docks for up to 40 watercrafts. With no public docking facilities on the Clermont Chain on Lakes, this project will support and enhance the safety of pedestrian, bicycle and water traffic thus spurring economic development and enhanced tourism opportunities. He asked council whether to proceed with this same project for this year's request or to consider an alternative approach. Council agreed with the proposed language. Assistant Fire Chief Hoey stated that the Fire Department had two proposals. Public Safety TrainingFacility acility at 12t' Street Assistant Fire Chief Hoey said that the first request is the Public Safety Training Facility. The city is requesting $1 million in funding for site work and planning to advance this project. While Lake County recently received $1 million for site work and planning of its own facility located at Christopher C. Ford Park in North Groveland, the city's proposal focuses on expanding the existing 12th Street property. The city currently owns 13 acres at this site, where initial improvements, such as the installation of Connex boxes, are already in progress. A locally based training facility would significantly reduce travel time and costs for police and fire personnel, who currently travel 35 minutes to an hour for training sessions. This travel results in extended periods where frontline units are unavailable to serve the community. Creating a multi - jurisdictional facility within city limits would not only improve training efficiency and public safety readiness but also foster collaboration with neighboring departments such as Groveland, Minneola, and Winter Garden. 2 City of Clermont MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP October 7, 2025 The facility is planned to serve both the police and fire departments, providing space for on -site classes, new partnerships, and opportunities to generate revenue through future training programs. Council Member Howard stated that he spoke with Representative Yarkosky regarding this request. Representative Yarkosky explained that the Public Safety Training Facility would likely face resistance if proposed on its own and he would want to see Sheriff Grinnell support the project and present it as a joint project for both Police and Fire. Council Member Strange expressed the need for better regional collaboration on the Public Safety Training Facility, saying that Lake County's separate funding makes it seem local jurisdictions are not working together. She questioned spending $1 million on drawings and site work and stated that the focus should be on results and real training needs. Council Member Myers stated that she was in support of this request and spoke about the importance of how the request is phrased. Council Member Myers left the workshop at 4:03pm. Council Member Howard shared the same concerns about cost, since the Burn House was already pricey and a lot of the site needs work. He supported moving forward, focusing on making the most of what is already there. Council Member Strange stated that she would like our legislative requests to benefit the entire state, not just our area. Fire Station No. 5 Construction project Assistant Fire Chief Hoey said that Fire Station No. 5 is a top priority because current response times to areas near Wellness Way are 10 to 15 minutes, which could drop to five to six minutes with the new station which will be on donated land. The estimated cost is around $6 million for the building and site work, not including apparatus, but temporary solutions like Conex portable buildings and reserve fire trucks could provide coverage while construction is underway. There is also potential to include a police substation, creating a full public safety complex. Discussion ensued on having Station 5 operational before the SAFER grant starts in March 2026. City Manager Van Wagner informed the Council that discussions are underway with the pastor of the church regarding the potential use of their land for Fire Station No. 2, and that the pastor will be consulting with the Board of Trustees. Staff hopes to present a proposal to the Council soon. Discussion ensued on a temporary Fire Station in Wellness Way, and combining transportation with Police and Fire for this request. Council Member Howard stated that Representative Yarkosky was not enthusiastic about this project but saw the SAFER grant and any federal or other funding as positives. Overall, this was not his preferred option. 3 City of Clermont MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP October 7, 2025 Council discussed funding options for this project, including the SAFER grant and Impact Fees, and considered whether it should be included as one of the legislative requests to the State. City Manager Van Wagner explained to Council that Mike Carroll of Olympus has donated a site for Fire Station No. 5 and is also offering a temporary site at no cost. This will allow the Fire Department to have personnel in place according to the SAFER grant schedule while the permanent location is being constructed. Mayor Murry opened the floor to public comments. There were no comments. Mayor Murry closed the floor to public comments. Council Member Howard said that he spoke with Representative Yarkosky about Senate Bill 180 and the Live Local program. Representative Yarkosky anticipates changes to both. For Live Local, he mentioned a potential county population cutoff of 750,000, counties below that would not be affected. Regarding Senate Bill 180, the details are still uncertain, and he will follow up once more information is available. Council discussed the Live Local program, eliminating property tax as well as wanting sales tax revenue to be returned to each jurisdiction as a percentage, rather than being retained entirely by the State. Council agreed to prioritize all six legislative requests and seek input from Representative Yarkosky on which items he can support. Council Member Strange would like to see items five and six revised for clarity, particularly regarding sales tax and statewide benefits, to strengthen advocacy efforts. Council Member Howard stated that the finalized list will be reviewed by Representative Yarkosky and Chris Carmody in early November to ensure the City's requests are submitted early in the legislative process. Council discussed traffic concerns on Hartwood Marsh Road, noting it as a multi -jurisdictional issue, along with the status of the Hancock Road extension. Council Member Howard provided an update on ambulance service from a meeting with County Commissioners. He stated that some Commissioners suggested the city is not serious because we have not provided space for their units. Providing facilities is the County's responsibility, though the Fire Department is exploring temporary solutions. He also said that he noted a potential site on Highway 50 for the County to consider. While there was some pushback, he emphasized that Clermont and South Lake contribute significantly to County revenues and continue to receive limited services, and the County needs to take responsibility for adequate ambulance coverage. City Manager Van Wagner reviewed the following dates for upcoming meetings: 4 City of Clermont MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP October 7, 2025 • October 14 - Community Redevelopment Agency meeting at 2pm, City Council meeting at 3pm. • October 20 — City Council workshop is no longer needed. • October 21 — City Council workshop at 3pm regarding Alternate Water Supply, Live Well portion of Meet Us in the Middle® and Veterans Memorial. • October 28 — City Council meeting at 3pm. ADJOURN: With no further comments, this workshop adjourned at 4:56 pm. ATTE T: 4--- Tracy Ackroy e, MMC City Clerk 5 APPROVED: Tim Murry, ay