RECAP: Mount Dora City Council February 17 Meeting

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council District 4 Representative

City council held a rare "Shade Meeting" prior to our regular  2/17/26 meeting. A Shade Meeting is a private session where the city's attorney, city manager and city council members can discuss pending litigation. A court reporter was present documenting the meeting. That transcript will be available to the public once the litigation has been settled. No votes can be taken in a Shade Meeting. The topic of this Shade Meeting was a lawsuit against the City brought by Lake County regarding how best to share revenues from the expansion of our Northeast Community Redevelopment Area.

Once we reconvened in public session, we decided to have our city attorney craft language for a counter-offer to Lake County. That counter-offer should be ready for consideration at our next meeting in two weeks.

I've selected some items from our regular meeting to share with you today. I'm reporting to you as one individual council member.

You may recall that our wastewater treatment plant #2 located along Rt 441 is old and has reached its capacity. We are working to raise approximately $100 million to update and expand it. We approved borrowing over $19 million from the State's Revolving Fund (SRF) that provides a super low interest rate. Several other grant and loan opportunities are also being sought. This project probably won't be completed before 2030 but we're making progress.

Here's the latest info on the Donnelly St. reconstruction project. We have posted the bid for reconstruction. The project includes full roadway reconstruction, installation of underdrains to improve drainage, stormwater enhancements, relocation of underground water and reclaimed water pipes to increase long-term reliability.

To help offset the costs, we have applied for cost reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) which may cover up to 80% of the costs. We have also secured a $1.3 million FEMA grant to fund the sidewalk replacement. All of that took several months to accomplish but soon we'll see the work begin. Barring unforeseen problems Donnelly Street should reopen in May. Kudos to our city staff who have done lots of hard work!

Our quote of the day is from Rev. Jesse Jackson. "Never look down on someone unless you're helping them up."

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council District 4 Representative

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