Wilton Manors followed two studies led by an outside consulting agency and one in-house study to inform how the city will handle impact fees, finance plans and at-risk businesses at their latest city commission meeting June 28.
Displaced Businesses Discussed
Wilton Manors identified 23 businesses at-risk of direct displacement from redevelopment. The city is adopting a five-point plan to help the businesses stay in Wilton Manors. You can read more about the plan here.
Impact Fees Subject to Change
Following an Impact and Connection Fee Study held by Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc., Wilton Manors is considering updating its impact and connection fees. You can read more about the fees here.
Infrastructure Finance Plans Discussed for Sewage and Water Treatment
The city also used Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. to discuss plans for investing in water and sewer renovation projects.
Finance Director Pennie Zuercher spoke in favor of the Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA) financing. WIFIA is a federal program that prioritizes cities with populations less than 25,000.
Zuercher also said Wilton Manors will identify what projects will be eligible for funding from other means like the State Revolving Fund and the timeline for each project to impact residents in a less intrusive way.
The city commission voted to move forward with applying for WIFIA financing.
Wilton Manors Police Department (WMPD) Updates
Darren Brodsky, assistant chief of police of WMPD, announced the department was unanimously reaccredited by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. The agency reviews took place June 15 and 16 in Orlando with Accreditation Manager Doug Robertson.
Brodsky also noted no “significant safety issues” during Stonewall Pride, as no arrests were made. However, police received 24 medical-related calls during the event, which he cited as due to heat or intoxication.
Following public comment, Brodsky also acknowledged the incident of a man pulling out a gun at Gym Sportsbar.
New Dog Park Rules
Colohatchee Dog Park will require dog vaccinations as part of the registration process for an entrance key fob. Dog owners will have to go in person to show updated dog vaccination papers for their key fobs to work.
Once their dog vaccinations expire, the key fob will stop working until owners come back with updated vaccination papers.
Town Crier Printing Change
The city commission decided to print and mail two of the Town Criers to every resident in town except for those who opt out and change distribution to quarterly rather than bimonthly.
Event Policies
Mayor Scott Newton brought up changing event policies to avoid the difficulties faced from planning Stonewall Pride. He added there was a point where the annual event almost got canceled.
“I’m not going to go through what I went through this year, next year,” Newton said. “None of you know what the city commission went through to make sure this event went on.”
The mayor advised for future events to have more transparency with records from vendors, especially those the city donates to.
New Laws
City Attorney Kerry Ezrol shared various Florida House bills that came into effect July 1.
Ezrol brought up a house bill that allows cities to restrict smoking to boundaries of beaches and parks. This will be discussed at the next city commission meeting.
He also announced the creation of special event zones; these zones will double traffic fines and allow enforcement of occupancy limits on public or private property.
As of July 1, there is also a new traffic violation for sounds audible at 25 feet or more from a car.
The next city commission meeting is July 12 at 7 p.m.
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