RECAP OF APRIL 16 MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL MEETING

By Marc Crail
District 4 Representative and Vice-mayor

I've selected several action and discussion items from the April 16th City Council meeting to tell you about. As you already know, I'm not reporting in any official capacity on behalf of city council as a whole, what follows comes from me as an individual.

Mayor Stile read aloud a Vietnam Remembrance Proclamation. Dozens of Vietnamese-Americans were on hand, many proudly dressed up in patriotic clothing. Several people spoke of the sacrifices of South Vietnamese and American soldiers as well as Vietnamese civilians during the long war. Many expressed their gratitude for the opportunities they and their families have experienced after immigrating to the United States. Like other groups of immigrants they have worked hard, raised their families and opened many businesses in and around Mount Dora. It struck me that their stories of sacrifice, struggle and ultimate assimilation into the USA are a large part of what America is all about.

I've heard from several folks concerned about the potholes on the upper part of Donnelly St. FYI, a contract has been let to fill those potholes. Our past wet winter likely contributed to the deterioration of pavement all over Central Florida. Paving companies are very busy as a result. We're in line to have upper Donnelly repaired but we have to wait our turn. Ours is a relatively small contract but the pavers will get to us as soon as they can. Help is on the way!

In my nearly 17 years in Mount Dora, parking has been a major topic of conversation and it still is. We approved a Resolution (not a Contract) ranking 3 proposals for parking shuttle transportation services. We also will be scheduling a workshop to discuss other options regarding parking in the downtown area. Many other cities and towns are jealous of our vibrant downtown business district while their downtowns are ghost towns. We'll continue to cope with our parking challenges.

Council has been discussing naming acting city manager, Vince Sandersfeld as our "permanent" manager. He has been with the City for over 14 years serving with distinction as our longtime Planning Director and has been our acting manager since January. Tonight, we voted unanimously to have our city attorney negotiate a contract agreement for Mr. Sandersfeld. Being a city manager is a difficult job but I believe when we have a ready, willing and able candidate, promoting from within our city staff is wise. There would be a significant "learning curve" involved if we were to hire a candidate who isn't up to speed on our city, our staff and our needs.

We're about halfway through our 2023-24 budget year. Our fiscal year begins October 1. As we do each year, we have amended and updated our budget to reflect our financial situation at this halfway point. There haven't been any extraordinary changes this year so far. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we avoid major summer hurricanes.

Filling pot holes, managing inevitable growth and working together are the jobs of your City Council. I was proud of my colleagues for their accomplishments during this meeting. Thanks too for the constructive criticism and comments from our interested residents. They remind us of our shortcomings.

I've got a quote today from Harriet Tubman famous for her efforts to help free enslaved people. She said; "If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going."

Thanks for your interest in all things Mount Dora.

By Marc Crail
District 4 Representative and Vice-mayor

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