- April 25, 2024
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During the Ocoee City Commission’s meeting Tuesday, May 5, the commission held a second — and final — hearing and public hearing regarding an amendment to the city’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
The commission adopted Sept. 25, 2019, an annual operating budget of $52,476,498 for the city, but staff identified the need for additional appropriations for the general fund, sanitation fund and wastewater fund.
Given the concerns, staff recommended that the commission approve additional funding for the general fund of $805,552, the police impact fee of $72,528, the sanitation fund of $500,000, the road impact fee fund of $1.4 million, the wastewater fund of $1.5 million and an increase in general fund franchise fee revenue of $258,000.
“We met as a group of directors with the city manager and assistant city manager about a month ago and reviewed where we were financially and some of the projects and programs that were in front of us and whether or not we had sufficient funding within the current budget,” Finance Director Rebecca Roberts said. “Several things stuck out to us — namely the police vehicles that we were not able to acquire timely before they shut down production.”
Originally, the plan was to purchase five police sedans for the Ocoee Police Department for $210,000, but with production shut down, the next move was to purchase five Dodge Durangos at an additional $47,470.
A few of the other costs included funding for public works to cover unanticipated costs in repairing and/or replacing HVAC systems at multiple city facilities and additional appropriation for the road impact fee fund to begin construction on the intersection of Fullers Cross Road and Ocoee-Apopka Road.
The biggest cost in the amendment was the additional $13 million needed to complete City Hall.
“We will fund that through an additional bond offering,” Roberts said. “I am currently in conversation with our financial adviser — what is the best way and the best timing for issuing a bond or floating a loan, so we are asking for the additional funding to start the construction of the new City Hall.”
Commissioners asked for more detail regarding the $103,082 price tag to cover the costs of sending certified mail to people not paying red-light camera fines. After concerns from Mayor Pro-Tem Larry Brinson and Commissioner George Oliver III — who noted the cost sounded too high — City Manager Robert Frank made a suggestion.
“You could attach to the $103,082 that the police department or finance department should give you a breakdown of what that is and whether that is actually required by law,” Frank said. “You guys can have this discussion at the next meeting if you like. You put the funds in the budget, and now you always have the right to say, ‘Don’t spend those funds’ — putting them in the budget and spending them are two different issues.”
With the suggestion being accepted by everyone on the commission, the amendment was passed unanimously.
In August 2018, the city of Ocoee entered into an interlocal agreement with Orange County in relation to the improvements to the Fullers Cross Road and Ocoee-Apopka Road intersection.
Under the agreement, the city and county both would improve the intersection, which sits in a region that has seen a surge in construction industry costs.
Since the agreement, the city and county have evaluated the Guaranteed Maximum Price proposal submitted by Oelrich Construction Inc. The pricing was found to be in line with the current industry standards, but the price exceeds the funding limits set in the 2018 agreement.
“We’ve had some discussions with the county for the last few weeks, and they have agreed to fund the additional difference from our original $1.2 million project to $2.2 million project,” Frank said. “We have to amend the agreement to change the prices and what they are willing to reimburse us for.”
With the need for more funds, the emergency item was added to Tuesday night’s agenda, which sought to amend the agreement to increase the 50/50 share to $1.1 million per party — for a total of $2.2 million.
After some discussion, the amendment was approved unanimously.
