Government & Education news

MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOP

8/26/2020

By Dr. Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Rep.

Your Mount Dora City Council and City Staff met August 25th from 9:00-2:30 to continue formulating our budget for the 2020-2021 budget year that begins on October 1. Rather than to get into specifics at this point I'd like to give you some general information. The final millage rate will be set by Council on September 24th. Regular readers already know this but I want to remind you that I'm not reporting to you on behalf of Mount Dora City Council. I am one of seven members and what follows comes strictly from my own perspective.

Within the past week or so you and I received our TRIM Notice from the Lake County Taxing Authority. That TRIM Notice DOES NOT reflect what your actual tax bill will be when you get it in the fall. Every taxing agency in Lake County is required to provide you with the highest possible millage rate that they might possibly decide to levy on taxpayers. I can't speak for the County Commission, The Lake County Water Authority, The North Lake Hospital Board, The Lake County Schools or the Lake County EMS but in Mount Dora, we would rather estimate a higher potential millage rate and then just before the deadline when we have as much information as we can gather, we reduce the millage rate to something lower. For example, on your TRIM you will see that we chose 6.2000 mills but I think that it will be lowered to 5.9770 mills. That appears to be the number that we can balance our budget with.

Every homeowner has some different circumstances from his/her next door neighbor. Here are a couple of examples. These examples assume that you own your own home and that it is your primary residence. That means you qualify for a "Homestead" exemption. Most of us fall into that category. In each of these examples your Mount Dora taxes would be virtually flat if we do settle on 5.9970 mills.

EXAMPLE #1:
A home with a 2020 market value of $182,607 would pay $3.23 more Ad Valorem taxes to the City of Mount Dora next year than was due last year. That's about 30 cents a month more.

EXAMPLE #2:
This house with has a higher assessed valuation, $260,000. It has a market value of over $500,000. This homeowner would only pay about 22 cents more next year in Mount Dora Ad Valorem tax than this year. That's about 2 cents per month more than this year.

You might pay more or less than our two example houses. If you've owned your home for 25 years you will likely pay less. If you just moved in last week I think you will likely more. Please keep in mind that Mount Dora isn't the only taxing entity. School taxes are about 38% of your taxes, Lake County accounts for about 24% of your tax bill, Mount Dora gets about 28% and other taxes Like Saint Johns River Management District and the North Lake Hospital District, etc. account for the remaining 9% or so.

Here are some other related items:

We have heard from the State of Florida that they anticipate that Mount Dora will be receiving about $382,000 less from them this year. That represents about a 16% loss in state funds. We can all understand that the virus has resulted in big losses in state sales taxes, etc.

Mount Dora Electric customers will not see an increase.
Mount Dora Sanitation rates will increase by 2.5%.
Mount Dora Water/Waste Water rates will increase by 3.6%.
Mount Dora Storm Water rates will increase by 50 cents per month.

We'll keep working on the budget as we get more data right up until our deadline. I have been very impressed with the hard work of our City staff and my council colleagues.

My quote for you today comes from Thumper, of the Disney movie Bambi who said; "My momma always said...If ya can't say nuffin nice, ya shouldn't say nuffin at all." I think that rabbit had a very smart momma, don't you?

By Dr. Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Rep.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. For local things to do, click here and for the area's free mobile app, click here.

0 Comments

ANOTHER BIKE TRAIL IN MOUNT DORA IS BEING STUDIED

8/24/2020

0 Comments

ABOVE: Preliminary recommendation for route/alignment of the proposed Innovation Trail that could connect Mount Dora to Sorrento.

One thing’s for sure -- Mount Dorans are chomping at the bit for a trail. The good news is that a few are on the table and arduously navigating through various required stages. None are sure-things just yet, but work seems to be progressing, albeit slowly. If all of the Lake County trail segments are eventually completed, the result will be a well-connected network of bicycle and pedestrian pathways that will help the local economy and provide a valued recreational amenity.

On August 20, Mount Dora hosted a public meeting for the Proposed Innovation Trail Corridor Study presentation. The Innovation Trail is being considered to link local neighborhoods to the larger planned Regional Trail, the Wekiva Trail, and downtown Mount Dora.

Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), in partnership with the City of Mount Dora, is conducting the study to evaluate route alternatives for the proposed multi-use trail that would connect the Tremain Street Greenway in the City of Mount Dora and County Road 437 (Plymouth Sorrento Road) in Lake County (see map above). The Tremain Street Greenway is a short segment of bike trail starting behind Mount Dora City Hall that was completed a few years ago after the City received a grant to build it. The plan was for that segment to eventually connect to a larger trail system.

The purpose of the more rural Innovation Trail project is to provide local bicycle and pedestrian connectivity between planned area developments and a regional trail network. The Innovation Trail shouldn’t be confused with the proposed Tav-Dora Trail that would extend from downtown Mount Dora to downtown Tavares.

The public can submit comments about the study through September 4 after watching the project’s informational video.

The Cities of Mount Dora and Tavares, along with Lake County, applied for a Federal Build Grant to jointly complete the missing sections of the Wekiva Trail from its current location in Sorrento to Downtown Mount Dora and Downtown Tavares. The local governments may learn the fate of their grant application by the end of September.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.   For local things to do, click here and for the area's free mobile app, click here.

0 Comments

WHISTLEBLOWERS AND LAWSUIT EXPOSE DEEP DISCORD AT MOUNT DORA POLICE DEPARTMENT

8/20/2020

3 Comments

It’s hard to remember a time when Mount Dora Police Department (MDPD) was drama-free. In recent years, the toxic division within the embattled department has boiled over into the public’s full view.

This week Mount Dora’s former Deputy Police Chief Michael Fewless, who was terminated last month, filed a petition in the Circuit Court for his temporary reinstatement under Florida’s Public Whistleblower Act.

The whistleblower issue began on June 23 when Fewless emailed City Manager Robin Hayes to request a meeting and advise her that MDPD’s Command Staff cast a “Vote of No Confidence” regarding Chief Robert Bell’s leadership. In the email, the group claimed their rights under the Whistleblower Protection Act.

Fewless, along with two captains, then filed a written whistleblower’s complaint on June 26 that included allegations of a hostile work environment, favoritism, lack of truthfulness and derogatory comments by Bell, according to the new court filing.

Subsequently, Hayes stated Bell notified her of his intent to retire on July 1 effective August 7.

On July 2, Hayes officially met with the three top officers, plus two lieutenants, to discuss their Whistleblower Complaint issues. The group was advised of Bell’s decision to retire and they agreed to terms of how the situation would be handled in the interim by all parties. Two weeks later, on July 17, Fewless emailed Hayes stating the Command Staff was dissatisfied with the City’s subsequent handling of the complaint and felt retaliation against them was imminent. In the email, the Command Staff reinstated their Whistleblower Protection and rescinded the previous agreement from the July 2 meeting.

Fast-forward four days and Fewless would find himself out of a job. According to Sharon Kraynik, City of Mount Dora Human Resource Director, Fewless was relieved of his duties on July 21 for “Violation of Policy 3.09 (c): Public Relations: No employee shall publish a news release or represent the position of the City to the news media unless authorized to do so by the Mayor or the Mayor’s designee.” The alleged violation occurred on July 17 when Fewless met with a reporter inside MDPD to discuss media relations.

After Fewless’ termination and sources informed Mount Dora Buzz about Bell’s pending retirement, information on the issue was requested from the City. The City of Mount Dora’s Public Information Officer Lisa McDonald provided Mount Dora Buzz with anonymous documents claiming wrongdoing by Bell, but none that were signed or attributed to anyone. The anonymous documents supplied came with the following disclaimer, which cast doubt about the credibility of allegations:

“In providing the requested documents to you, I want to call to your attention the fact that all such communications have been provided to the City without signature or through an anonymous email address. These communications can only be characterized as unsubstantiated comments, notes or statements. We provide these documents to you as required by law, but we ask that you use your utmost discretion when reporting, due to the unsubstantiated nature of the same. The use of names and/or of unsubstantiated information could have serious repercussions on City of Mount Dora employees.”

The dubious characterization of the unsigned documents predictably rendered them journalistically inappropriate for publication. However, Fewless’ new court filing exposed that there was a corroborated complaint, as well as follow-up emails attributed to Fewless and the Command Staff that could have been supplied by the City to form a more complete story. The omission of that relevant information to the media affected the way the news was reported, thereby raising serious concerns about a lack of transparency by the City on the issue.

The petition, filed by Fewless’ attorney, Ryan J. Andrews, gives the City 20 days to respond. “The City of Mount Dora and its city manager didn’t want these whistleblowers’ complaints to reach the public. They have no one to blame but themselves when all of the misdeeds at City Hall are now exposed,” stated Andrews.

MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL UPDATE: August 18 Meeting

8/19/2020

0 Comments

By Marc Crail,
Mount Dora City Council, District 4 Representative

We held a regularly scheduled City Council meeting this evening. I have chosen several items from today's agenda to report on because I think you may be interested in hearing about them. I'm not reporting in any official capacity on behalf of City Council.

Several months ago we commissioned a Traffic Calming Study that targeted about six heavily traveled roadways in the city. Today we reviewed the final report along with recommendations on how best to slow vehicular traffic down and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Armed with this information we will be able to begin addressing these problem areas.

We passed a resolution to purchase two new Fire Department trucks. Our current ladder truck (sometimes called a tower truck) is 18 years old. We will utilize money from the Fire Assessment Fees to order a replacement ladder truck. The wait time will likely be 12-15 months. That new ladder truck will cost $1,375,000. Once it arrives we will be able to sell our old ladder truck at auction to recoup some of the cost. The other new vehicle is a fire engine. The cost of this truck is about $721,000. It will also take a year or more to arrive. Our current fire truck is 13 years old and we will keep it in our fleet as an additional (reserve status) vehicle. This truck will be paid for out of Impact fees.

The new Timberwalk residential subdivision will begin construction soon near the corner of Wolfbranch Rd. and Round Lake Rd. near Round Lake Charter School. Our goal is to make sure that current Mount Dora residents will not be paying for utility lines for future future developments, I'd call that concept "smart growth". To that end we will be using Impact Fee Credits paid by developer, D.R. Horton to install underground water and sewer pipes that are large enough to serve both Timberwalk and other potential new developments to the west. Those pipes will be oversized for now but as the city grows to the west they will be able to handle the additional water and sewer requirements.

The final reading of the Ordinance approving a 154 unit apartment and townhouse development called Eudora Groves on about 15 acres along Eudora Rd. was approved by a 5-2 vote. Pam Burtnett and Crissy Stile voted no due to possible traffic and school capacity concerns.

We also got an update as to the requirements of being a "Tree City". We are a Tree City and as such we are required to have a current tree inventory, budget a minimum of $2 per resident per year for tree planting and care, etc. A tree study conducted by arborists in 2017 predicted that a number of aging Laurel Oak trees that tend to have a life span of about 50-70 years would need to be replaced over the next few years because they typically rot from the inside out. They can appear to be healthy but actually be unsafe when diseased. Unfortunately nine of those sick trees are located along Overlook. Those trees will be replaced either with Live Oaks that have a much longer life span but require adequate space for their large root systems or by understory trees that are smaller but more appropriate for the six foot grass strips typically between sidewalks and streets.

My quote for you today is by Tenzin Gyatso who said; "To be aware of a single shortcoming in oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand shortcomings in someone else."

Thanks for the opportunity to serve as your District 4 City Council rep.

Marc Crail

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. For local things to do, click here and for the area's free mobile app, click here.

0 Comments

LAKE COUNTY LAUNCHES GRANT PROGRAM TO AID BUSINESSES

8/11/2020

0 Comments

Struggling Lake County businesses now have an opportunity for more assistance. As a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, a federal stimulus package, Lake County is allocating up to $16 million in emergency relief to help support local businesses and non-profits within the County that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Qualifying businesses may be eligible to receive a one-time grant to help their financial recovery. The grants are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for accurate and complete applications.

FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES

Qualifying businesses may be eligible to receive a one-time grant of $2,000 for self-employed or sole-proprietors, $5,000 for businesses that have 2 to 9 full-time equivalent employees or $7,500 for businesses that have between 10 and 25 full-time equivalent employees to help them recover from the negative financial consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

ELIGIBILITY
⦁ Business had 25 or fewer FTE* employees, including the owner, as of January 1, 2020.
⦁ Business has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 emergency.
⦁ Business has a physical location in Lake County that is legally operating prior to January 1, 2020.
⦁ Business can demonstrate ongoing operations within Lake County through February 15, 2020. ⦁ Business expects to continue/resume operations after all State Executive Orders restrictions are lifted.
⦁ Business is not a subsidiary or partially owned by a publicly traded company or a hedge fund. ⦁ Business does not have any legal actions against or from Lake County or its municipalities, including code enforcement liens.
⦁ No owner, officer, partner, or principal actor of the business has a felony conviction for financial mismanagement within the last two years for which he or she is still serving a sentence (including prison, parole, and probation).
⦁ Business is not operating in violation of any state, federal or local laws.
⦁ Business was determined to be a non-essential business affected by State of Florida Safer-at-Home executive orders and/or was mandated to close or reduce operating capacity.

Documentation Required to Upload
⦁ A Completed IRS Form W-9
⦁ The following, as applicable:
⦁ Most recent State of Florida business filing Annual Report
⦁ DBA/Fictitious Name registration
⦁ Most recent County Business Tax Receipt and/or City Business Tax Receipt
⦁ 2019 IRS Form 1040 – Schedule C
⦁ IRS Form 941 (Q4 2019) or IRS Form 943 (Annual 2019) for business paying wages
⦁ Driver’s License Copy for each applicant (front only)

NON-PROFITS

Lake County is currently allocating up to $3.5 million in emergency relief to support local non-profits and Chambers of Commerce with a presence within the County that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds are available as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act federal stimulus package. As a part of that relief, the County is offering emergency financial support through the Lake CARES Small Business Assistance Grant Program on a first-come, first-serve basis for complete and accurate applications. Qualifying non-profits and Chambers of Commerce may be eligible to receive a one-time grant of $5,000 for organizations that have 25 employees or fewer to help them recover from the negative financial consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Non-Profit Eligibility
⦁ Organization is a Non-profit 501(c)(3) or Chamber of Commerce.
⦁ Organization has 25 or fewer FTE* employees, including owner, as of January 1, 2020.
⦁ Organization has been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 emergency.
⦁ Organization has a physical location in Lake County that is legally operating within Lake County and the State of Florida prior to January 1, 2020.
⦁ Organization expects to continue/resume operations after all State Executive Orders restrictions are lifted.
⦁ Organization is not a subsidiary of another organization.
⦁ Organization does not have any legal actions against or from Lake County or its municipalities, including code enforcement liens.
⦁ No owner, officer, partner, or principal actor of the organization has a felony conviction for financial mismanagement within the last two years for which he or she is still serving a sentence (including prison, parole, and probation).
⦁ Organization is not operating in violation of any state, federal or local laws.

Documentation Required to Upload
⦁ A Completed IRS Form W-9
⦁ A copy of IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter or other IRS recognition document
⦁ The following, as applicable:
⦁ Most recent State of Florida business filing Annual Report
⦁ DBA/Fictitious Name registration
⦁ Most recent County Business Tax Receipt and/or City Business Tax Receipt
⦁ IRS Form 941 (Q4 2019) or IRS Form 943 (Annual 2019) for organizations paying wages
⦁ Driver’s License Copy for each applicant (front only)

Business can learn more and sign up here.
* A full-time equivalent (FTE) is a way for employers to measure how many full-time employees they have, along with the number of part-time employees that can be translated into full-time terms. For the purposes of the application, full-time is based off of a 40-hour work week. Your FTE number = (Total number of hours worked by part-time employees per week / 40) + The number of full-time employees you have.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. For local things to do, click here and for the area's free mobile app, click here.

0 Comments

LAKE COUNTY SCHOOLS TO OFFER RAPID COVID-19 TESTS

8/4/2020

1 Comment

Speedy results make a big difference when it comes to COVID-19 testing. Lake County Schools announced today that the district has created public and private partnerships to make rapid testing available to all district employees and students prior to the first day of school on August 24.

For rapid testing, a simple finger-prick will yield results in 10 minutes. Anyone whose results show an active infection will receive a second test for confirmation.The procedure will also test for antibodies, indicating that a person has been infected with the virus at some point in the past. People with confirmed positive test results would be required to quarantine for three days and then be tested again. Once they test negative, they can come to school or work without restrictions.

The process will work similarly throughout the school year when roving nurses will be available to test symptomatic students and employees. This will allow the district to more quickly and accurately identify students and staff who need to be quarantined instead of shutting down entire classes or other large groups because of the possibility of exposure.

Lake County Schools partnered with Adult Medicine of Lake County, the Department of Health in Lake County, and Lake County government to make the rapid testing possible.

“The hope is that parents will not hide their children’s symptoms with fever-reducing medicines and then send them to school, where they could potentially infect others. Instead, they can let their school nurse know about the symptoms, get tested, and get answers right away,” said Matt Cady of Adult Medicine of Lake County.

“Many of our parents work outside the home, and the idea of a blanket 10- to 14-day quarantine could sideline them financially,” School Board member Bill Mathias said. “With rapid testing, that quarantine period can be drastically reduced for those who are not infected. Students can get back to thriving in their classrooms and parents can get back to work much more quickly.”

District leaders are also pursuing funding partnerships for other safety measures in classrooms, including acrylic partitions for tables and desks and a protective coating that could prevent viruses and bacteria from adhering to and growing on flat surfaces.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. For local things to do, click here and for the area's free mobile app, click here.

1 Comment

TREES MARKED ON SHADY MOUNT DORA STREET ARE NOT DEJA VU

8/2/2020

0 Comments

For some it may seem like deja vu for Mount Dora, but things aren’t always as they appear. Last week, some residents expressed concern about approximately five to eight towering trees on the City’s shady Overlook Drive appeared to be marked for trimming or removal. That concern caused a flash back to 2015, when approximately 23 shade trees were removed from the city’s historic downtown streets and the canopy was never replaced.

This time is much different. After the public outcry over the incident five years ago, the City contracted an arborist to take an inventory of the City’s trees and their condition. The report identified the marked trees on Overlook as diseased or damaged and the majority of those trees have easily visible signs of such issues to even novice sets of eyes.

“At this time, the trees are not being removed as we are waiting for our Public Works Manager to come back from vacation to advise further on when and how the work can be done,” stated Lisa McDonald, spokesperson for the CIty of Mount Dora. “All precautionary steps are being taken, including using our tree removal permitting process.”

It’s not clear at this point whether the shade trees will be replaced, but City Manager Robin Hayes will give an update about the Overlook Drive trees at Tuesday's public CIty Council Meeting.

Five years ago, residents tied green ribbons on their trees, doors, mailboxes, and cars,to symbolize their request that the Mayor and City Council do more to preserve and restore Mount Dora's arborous charm after downtown’s mature shade canopy was destroyed. The goal was to encourage the city council to develop a timeline to replace fifty percent of the palms planted downtown in 2015 with shade trees similar to those planted in other Florida municipalities, including downtown Eustis and Sanford.

Below are photos of the current diseased and damaged trees on Overlook Drive.

After the 2015 controversy, some officials expressed their desire to replace some of the palms on downtown’s Donnelly Street with small shade trees. However, that hasn’t happened and the shady, quaint canopy that once existed downtown is now a distant memory.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. For local things to do, click here and for the area's free mobile app, click here.

0 Comments