MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL RECAP: September 21 meeting

This was our second Thursday evening "regular" City Council meeting in a row. Normally, we meet on first and third Tuesdays but due to some very specific timelines for adopting budgets and setting millage rates, we needed to alter our meeting schedules this month. We'll go back to Tuesday evening meetings next month. I've selected a few items that I think you might want to hear more about. As usual, what follows comes from me alone and not on behalf of Mount Dora City Council.

Earlier in the summer, our City Attorney, Sherry Sutphen from the Roper Law Firm resigned after five years representing Mount Dora. She agreed to stay on until a suitable replacement firm could be selected but asked City Council to find another law firm as soon as practicable. We voted tonight to hire the firm of Shepard, Smith, Kohlmyer & Hand as our new City Attorney. Attorneys Andrew Hand and Patrick Brackins will serve as our primary legal council.

During our meeting two weeks ago we approved "first reading" resolutions to adopt our millage rate for FY 2023-24 and to approve the final 2023-24 city budget. Tonight we approved both of these items with "final readings" unanimously. The millage rate will remain steady at 5.9603 mills. Increasing property values will yield an additional $835,000 to offset inflationary effects. Our overall City budget for FY 23-24 will be $182,257,022.

Our quote for today comes from a Lakota Sioux tribe member who lived from 1850-1913. His name was Hollow Horn Bear. Hollow Horn Bear warned; "Someday the earth will weep, she will beg for her life, she will cry with tears of blood. You will make a choice, if you will help her or let her die, and when she dies you too will die."

Let's take his words to heart before it's too late.

Thank you for sharing my passion for our wonderful city!

By Dr. Marc Crail
Vice-mayor and District 4 Representative

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