At the special city commission meeting on Sept. 13, commissioners unanimously approved fire assessment fees and moved towards final approval of the budget. The final budget and millage hearing is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers at City Hall.

Residents and Wilton Drive business owners who want to have a voice in the future of the city’s main thoroughfare can now apply to be on the Business Improvement District [BID] board.

Organizers promise an even better festival next year

City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said she hopes to have all the debris created by Hurricane Irma removed within 60 days. “We don’t have as many trucks as we would like to have,” she said, referring to the high demand for trucks from cities across Florida and Texas. “We are working as quickly as we can.”

In the search for a new city parking office, one possible location has already been scrubbed from the list: the Woman’s Club of Wilton Manors.

This year, Wilton Manors’ biggest budget worry seems to be something that won’t impact this year’s finances.

Months after city officials asked for ideas on how to spend $67,000 in Community Development Block Grant [CDBG] funds, commissioners voted on Dec. 9 to spend the funding on six fitness stations at Island City Park Preserve.

“Site 92” isn’t a big piece of green space, but the city still wants it.

In an effort to “spur development” and attract new businesses to the city, Wilton Manors officials plan to change the land-use of Oakland Park Boulevard and Andrews Avenue.

Those who want to have an influence on the future of public art in Wilton Manors will have a chance with the city’s proposed public art advisory committee.

The proposed project will include upgraded sidewalks, crosswalks and landscaping

A move to try and add more parking near Wilton Drive will depend on the cost.

There’s almost no parking near Bona Pizza. That’s why the new owners, Glen Weinzimer and Mark Byrd, are glad the city has provided the parking lot close to their restaurant at Northeast 11 Avenue and Northeast 23 Drive.

City commissioners have unanimously approved new regulations on vacation home rentals but stopped short of going as far as some residents would have liked.

As part of the city’s Biannual Strategic Plan, officials will assess the city’s greenhouse gas output. Assistant City Manager Pamela Landi told commissioners at their July 25 meeting that the city also plans to do a greenhouse gas assessment of the entire city.

In the wake of Oakland Park lifting its moratorium on medical marijuana treatment centers and dispensaries, Wilton Manors officials have begun the process of revising their own ordinances.

City officials say anyone can put together a parade or festival along Wilton Drive or any other part of the city. But this year’s official June Stonewall festival will be organized by a city-led committee.

If you want to get a contract signed with the police quickly and cheaply, just get rid of the lawyers.

While symphony orchestras across the country still continue to deal with the aftermath of the Great Recession and dwindling donations, the South Florida Symphony continues to buck the trend.

CLAUDIA CASTILLO Art Studio is nestled in the heart of Wilton Manors along The Drive.

Todd Bowe said his former business, Novel Tea, was at the “cheap end” of Wilton Drive – the southern portion across the street from city hall. But even that wasn’t cheap enough. Bowe said high rent was one of the reasons he and his partner, Rey Delgado, sold their businesses at the end of July.

Decades after they left their hometown of Charleston in Mississippi County, Missouri, Wilton Manors Commissioner Julie Carson’s family got a surprise – stolen coins, owned by Carson’s brother, Jed, were returned by police. 

Lovers of the beach and wanna be mermaids take note – there is a Shell Club of Broward County and yes, you should join.

Artists can learn how to better use color during the Color Theory Workshop on Feb. 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Art Gallery 21, 600 NE 21 Ct.

With the opening of G Spot Bar earlier this month, a trend on Wilton Drive shows no sign of slowing: businesses with colorful and double entendre names.

The three parts of Wilton Manors

The reality that 2015 has moved past the “new year” stage is beginning to hit home. Easter is fast approaching, the June Stonewall Festival is on the front burner, and this year will be sliding fast into the yearbook before we know it.

So far, 2017 has been one hell of a ride. June is already here, which means that it is time to get moving on my “To Do List” for 2017. Almost half a year is gone, and the second half has a habit of going by at a much faster pace. The arrival of June also reminds me to take some time out to celebrate the Summer Solstice later this month, making a Midsummer Night’s Dream by stirring up some merriment and awakening the spirit of mirth. 

Over the last several columns I have hinted at a project on which I've been working. The Zillow “Zestimate” is the bane of many Realtors' existence, given its broad inaccuracies at a micro/neighborhood level. I've suggested that better automated tools may be available soon. I am pleased to announce that day has come.

Last year as I rode the train from NYC along the Jersey coast to visit my father, I wrote an article about the reasons for candidate Trump’s populist rise to the top.