MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL UPDATE: Sept. 29 work Session

(Mount Dora Buzz file photo)

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

On Thursday, September 29th City Council held a "Work Session" to discuss several outstanding items. A Work Session is a public meeting but it is for discussion only and not actions are taken.

Our discussions today involved several interrelated topics including planned renovations to Cully Lott Park and the Lincoln Park Swimming Pool, a proposal to build additional pickelball courts, a possible community center that could include 2 indoor basketball courts along with rooms, etc. and an update on the CARES Act. Most of these discussions were preliminary but there were some worthwhile ideas.

At this point I'll just comment on the CARES Act. CARES Act funds are federal dollars divvied up among the states to help County and City governments pay for expenses that they have incurred dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic.Mount Dora's share of the money allotted to Lake County is about $770,000. That figure might go up if other cities don't utilize some or all of their share of the available money. Our City staff has worked very hard to document all of the various COVID related costs we have incurred and we hope that the Lake County Commission will approve our request. That would be a big boost for us but the trick is that all this money must be spent (not just encumbered) by December 1. That doesn't give us much time to work with but even if we can only manage to utilize part of the available dollars it will help our City's bottom line.

The following was not on our agenda but I've heard recently from numerous friends, neighbors and constituents who have recently received their vote by mail ballots. If you're planning to vote in person you may have similar questions about 2 Mount Dora City Charter Amendments that are up for a vote this election. What do these Charter Amendments mean?

The first one would be a switch from 2 year terms for City Council members and our Mayor to 4 year terms. This would save the City the expense of holding elections every year which can be quite expensive.

The second Charter Amendment would limit any Council Member or the Mayor to serving no more than 8 consecutive years in the same office. It's the local version of setting "term limits".

I've described the amendments in very simple terms. If you'd like more complete information, you can visit the City's website to find more details. I should add that the entire City Council endorsed both of these amendments meaning that we all support their passage. There are no tricks in the ballot language; vote YES if you agree with the change or vote NO if you don't support these changes.

As usual, the information in this report comes only from me. I'm not reporting in any official capacity for City Council as a whole.

I found a wonderful quote for you from Dr. Martin Luther King. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Thanks for your continued participation in the progress of our city.

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

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