The City Commission meeting was jam-packed this week with recognitions, resolutions, budget amendments and quasi-judicial public hearings.
After Reverend Dean Pfeffer of Hope Lutheran Church kicked off the meeting with an invocation, the commission proclaimed May 2023 as “Water Safety/Drowning Prevention Month in Plant City.”
Public comments from community residents gave several people, especially those living near the large-scale master planned communities north of I-4, the chance to express their concerns about flooding issues they’re facing as new construction homes are built on land raised by dirt and gravel.
City engineer Frank Coughenour shared details about Madrid Engineering Group’s plan to stabilize the Carriage Court sinkhole by subcontracting the work to Earth Tech, LLC, who will complete the work in two sequential phases, which includes pressure grouting the affected area. An estimated 400 to 570 cubic yards of grout are expected to be used. The contractors are prepared to begin work onsite within a week of Notice to Proceed and anticipate completion within 12 days. The total contract amount will not exceed $330,828. The stabilization project is being charged to the city’s Street R & R Fund.
Following a presentation by Innovation and Strategy Manager Lauren Shatto, city commissioners also approved the purchase of OpenGov Reporting and Transparency software from Carahsoft Technology Corp. OpenGov software. The cost to implement and host the software for the first year is $49,841.80 and then $26,435.32 annually for hosting and support services. Implementation is projected to begin in June 2023 with a “Go Live” date of October 2023. “This software will help us engage in effective communication and will be user-friendly, interactive and dynamic,” said Shatto.
“I think our city is working very hard to try to make information available to our citizens that is concise and digestible,” said Mayor Nate Kilton.
The software will also have an internal component. “It will allow all of our departments to track their budgets in real time and they’ll be able to create dashboards to see how things are trending,” said City Manager Bill McDaniel. “This will be a powerful tool that they don’t have today.”
City Clerk Kerri Miller then discussed two residents, businessman Michael Derrick and First United Methodist Church administrative assistant Cynthia Morselli, who completed applications to replace Ludo Van Den Bogaert, whose term of service on the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council ended in December. “It’s great that we have two applicants wanting to serve in their community,” said Miller.
In their applications, both residents expressed the importance of giving back to the community. Morselli said ‘preservation and/or identification of local monuments/sites are essential to the education and promotion of a community’.
After a brief discussion, Morselli was appointed to the board. “I appreciate both of these people for putting their names in and want to publicly thank them for doing that,” said Kilton.
Commissioner Mathis hopes Derrick won’t be deterred by not receiving the appointment. “I hope he’ll apply for another board position when one becomes available,” she said.
Three quasi-judicial public hearings were held and unanimously approved, including:
* A final plat entitled TA Fancy Farms, creating a 34.43 acre, two-lot industrial subdivision on the southeast corner of South Wiggins and Fancy Farms Roads. Construction plans were reviewed and approved for a 298,967 square foot industrial warehouse to be built on the northern parcel and a 101,196 square foot industrial warehouse to be built on the southern parcel.
* A final plat entitled Shannon Estates, creating a 23-lot single-family residential subdivision on 12.67 acres of property located on the east side of Shannon Avenue. The property owner is providing a 50-foot wide easement on the eastern border of the property for the city’s proposed canal connector bicycle/pedestrian trail.
* An ordinance for a modification to the 1,008-acre Varrea Planned Development District to eliminate the requirement to show the school site on the site plan. This issue has been a hotly contested topic, especially at last month’s Planning Board meeting. On a previous site plan, the school location was designated on Charlie Taylor Road. Residents are concerned about the traffic flows and safety concerns after the school’s construction, especially if the site has entry points on one road (Charlie Taylor). However, the School Board signed a purchase and sale agreement this month to purchase property on the corner of Charlie Taylor and Midway Roads for the school site, allowing access from two different roadways. The District is also experimenting with ways to ease traffic flows by creating winding carlines on school property but residents don’t have to worry about those details anytime soon. “This project is not in our five year plan, it’s probably six to 10 years out,” said Michelle Orton, HCPS General Manager, Growth Management and Planning.
The next commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.