Winter Park sets fiscal year 2017/2018 budget, avoids police body cameras

Winter Park City Commissioners gave their final approval on the fiscal year 2017/2018 during their meeting Monday, Sept. 25.

The budget included several changes since its first iteration was presented to city commissioners earlier this year.

Some of the biggest amendments included removing the funding that was set aside for police body cameras. That change brought $22,000 back to the city’s general fund and $100,000 back to the forfeiture fund.

That decision was met with displeasure by some Winter Park residents, who said the cameras helped keep officers accountable while getting rid of the “he said, she said” scenarios.

“The body camera is an important tool to quickly get to the bottom of a frivolous complaint and they can protect the integrity of our police department should there be any bad apples,” Michael Lebo said before the vote. “Body cameras help ensure accountability and give the public greater confidence in their police department.”

Multiple city commissioners reasoned there was no need for body cameras as there were no complaints.

“If I’ve never been in a car accident, then there’s no need to get insurance or wear a seatbelt,” Lebo said. “If my house has never been broken into, there’s no need to lock my doors or have a burglar alarm. … This absurd logic is the same exact logic being applied to the argument.”

The police department did however receive a boost in funding — $826,000, an increase of over 6% from last year.

Other significant items on the agenda included the addition of $1 million toward the electric utility fund for the rest of 2017 — taken from the 2017 water revenue surplus.

The move was met with support from residents who had endured several days without power after Hurricane Irma, because a portion of that money will go toward the ongoing power line undergrounding effort.

Improving traffic flow was part of the commission’s focus as well. It added $150,000 toward traffic signalization improvements along Aloma Avenue.

Commissioners also gave final approval for the upcoming fiscal year’s millage rate. They decided to stay the course, approving the rate of 4.0923 which has been in place for the past nine years. That decision was supported by Winter Park residents such as Nancy Shutts, who believed keeping the rate at what it’s been is for the betterment of the city. The commission considered lowering the rate to 3.4492 mills at its previous meeting, reflecting $500,000 in property tax relief — or essentially $30 to $40 per resident, Shutts said.

“With $500,000 we could probably underground half a mile,” she said. “We could remove and plant several hundred trees.”

Fairbanks Property Sale

The Winter Park City Commission voted regarding the to sell the property at 1111 W. Fairbanks Ave., just east of U.S. 17-92 and south of Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

The city had put the property out to bid with a notice of disposal earlier this year and chose a $3.5 million offer from ComTech Properties Inc. to construct a two-story, 20,000-square-foot office/medical development.

But city commissioners Greg Seidel and Carolyn Cooper were reluctant to sell the property. Seidel made a motion to delay the process because of storm water concerns and wanting to leave land for potential improvements.

He said the city isn’t sure how the new library/event center will affect storm water drainage throughout the park.

Some Winter Park residents shared Seidel’s concern about potential flooding.

“I’m asking you to make the backspace on this decision,” Kim Allen said. “We don’t want to put our library in a position where it’s flooding.”

However, the majority of the City Commission went ahead with accepting the $3.5 million offer.